Skyfall (2012)

Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers:

Neal Purvis, Robert Wade,

Stars:

Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem

Won 2 Oscars. Another 34 wins & 66 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Craig	...	James Bond
Judi Dench	...	M
Javier Bardem	...	Silva
Ralph Fiennes	...	Gareth Mallory
Naomie Harris	...	Eve
Bérénice Marlohe	...	Severine (as Bérénice Lim Marlohe)
Albert Finney	...	Kincade
Ben Whishaw	...	Q
Rory Kinnear	...	Tanner
Ola Rapace	...	Patrice
Helen McCrory	...	Clair Dowar MP
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Doctor Hall
Bill Buckhurst	...	Ronson
Elize du Toit	...	Vanessa (M's Assistant)
Ian Bonar	...	MI6 Technician

Storyline

When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) - following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

train | chase | revenge | explosion | presumed dead | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Skyfall: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Calis Beach, Fethiye, Turkey

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$88,364,714 (USA) (9 November 2012)

Gross:

$304,360,277 (USA) (8 March 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions, Danjaq

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Sonics-DDP

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The painting that Q and Bond view at the National Gallery is "The Fighting Temeraire" (1839) by J.M.W Turner. The painting depicts H.M.S Temeraire, being a part of the British armada that participated in the Battle of Trafalgar 1805 decommissioned and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up in 1838. Turner's main motive of painting that was to evoke a sense of loss rather than giving a recording of the event. In a metaphorical way, the painting's depiction provides a hint to the fate of one of the characters in the film. Other paintings and art-works seen include "Woman with a Fan (Luna Czechowska)" (1919) by Amedeo Modigliani and Joseph Wright of Derby's "An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump" (1768).

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Goofs

When James Bond chases Silva on the London Underground train, all the signage and stations suggests it's a District Line train; however this is actually 1996 Jubilee Line stock. This can be seen by both the colour scheme and deep level line body type.

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Quotes

[first lines]
James Bond: Ronson's down!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits feature Bond periodically shooting at targets, Shanghai dragons, Silva's skull logo, and the Skyfall mansion from which Bond's eyes stare out. At the end of the credits, the sky is seen falling upon the mansion.

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Connections

Follows Thunderball (1965)

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Soundtracks

"CNN Breaking News Theme #2"
Written by Herb Avery
Courtesy of CNN

User Reviews

A skin tight suit will never stop this 007 from killing with his bare hands. The nation's favourite sign is reborn.

From a parachute assignment with her majesty the Queen over Danny Boyle's inspiring set at the opening ceremony of London 2012 to the misty depth's of the Scottish highlands, Mr Bond faces his most injurious test by having to decide between the two most significant women in his life, thus providing us with a glimpse of who the true Bond girl is.

The consensus of Skyfall's Bond has seen 007's maturities establish with a distinctive rawness. We now have a rigid skinned agent whose experiences have seen sorrow and anguish in his past but seen a persona who has benefited from the audience's acceptance of the solemn tenor and less extravagant gadget themes throughout the franchise's fifty year stint. Daniel Craig has provided a new dimension to Bond, predominantly fitting within the criteria of the modern shift of seriousness within film. His wonderful talents pursue the conventional raw emotions that Bond feels in this outing. He crucially understands the material from 007's past and motions of the present determine the character's motivation. The 23rd instalment brings the modern Bond to his most atmospheric challenge yet. Skyfall sees Craig embark on one of icon's most testing missions. His loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is placed under detrimental restraint. Not only does he have to scuffle with a silky but uncomfortable nemesis in former MI6 employee Silva (Javier Bardem), Craig is set the challenge of performing even more charismatically on the eve of Bond's fiftieth anniversary, turning a domestic threat into a personal one.

This episode breathes an air of familiarity as we are invited into the notion of a qualified agent, suffering from an ageing atonement with an element of vulnerability and victimisation but his wise and highly articulate prowess in his field play dividend, sticking to his prehistoric loyalty to MI6. The mortal human factor is a blessing to see and but Craig's posture on screen counters this with beautiful arrogance and the mental determination of Bond. A titanic sum of thought has gone into this outing. The franchise seemed to be in a perilous state and needed to be reborn.

We are led to believe the perilous trip that Bond has journeyed since the days of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan has led to this very moment. We develop a perceptive of Bond's continuation away from subsistence of spy life, learning of his life without parents and being invited into his personal routes before M's motherhood role took shape. This series seems to build relationships between each of the films since Casino Royale. On screen growth between Craig and Dench would propose a step-parent affiliation. Certain tags are given through the dialogue and symbolism in character gesture and movement. Besides M, Craig develops a healthy relationship with the very woman who places a rifle bullet through his canvas which rather convincingly reminds us of the characteristics between Bond and Miss Moneypenny.

Beyond the tone of severity we are taken on a voyage to relive some wonderful tones and mimics that remind us of the majestic overtones over the last fifty years, particularly in the Brosnan era. Preambles such as an academic censored handgun are imputed whilst annotations on exploding ballpoints are snorted at, in particular by the striking, and resourceful Q (Ben Whishaw). The selection of artiste for Q is rather smart, using a moderately nameless and inexpert big screen actor to play an archaic character, following the footsteps of John Cleese, Whishaw adds much sophistication to the role.

Sam Mendes' first attempt at a Bond is undeniably an endeavour he can be proud of. He has deliberated the story with a glorious attitude and tendency, blessing us with some gripping contrasts in China to elevate the superiority in design and technology, and then stripping back the intensity with raw sentiments across the landscape views throughout the Scottish highlands and the country's vast dissimilarities in culture from London. The sombre graphic of the narrative offers complexity and heavy watching is sometimes required but this is not too punishing on its audience after Mendes hurls Bond into a moving train cart and then allows him to briefly pause to adjust his shirt cuff, a gesture that relieves impetus in the scene without entirely concluding the anxiety. Aside from the rich style and glamour of China and London, 007 gets gritty in the swarming markets of Turkey, a replicate of his past lethally reminding us of From Russia With Love. Globe hiking has forever been as crucial to the franchise as the harmonious gadgets, with an elegant ray of the map across all of its geographical coordinates, sizable body counts, sports cars and crafty arsenal are expected within the genre, there have been a few blunders down the years and a couple of forgotten suit bearers. Mendes and Craig work magnificently in creating the epic that Bond enthusiasts have been longing for.