Skyfall (2012): 23rd Bond Movie

Skyfall is the twenty-third official Bond film. Daniel Craig appears as James Bond for the third time. His opponent is Javier Bardem, portraying the character Raoul Silva. Remaining with the numbers, Judi Dench once again plays the role of the head of the British Secret Service MI6 for the seventh time.

Plot of the Film

James Bond's mission, assisted by his colleague Eve, begins in Istanbul, Turkey. Several MI6 agents are killed, and at the same time, a secure disk containing a list of NATO agents working undercover in terrorist organizations is stolen. James Bond and Eve pursue the French mercenary Patrice, who is responsible for the recent theft of the disk. A spectacular opening chase takes place through the streets and rooftops of Istanbul. Patrice jumps onto the roof of a passing train, and James Bond follows him.

The entire operation is indirectly monitored by M. Eve has Patrice, who is fighting Bond on the roof, in her sniper rifle sights. As a tunnel approaches, the thief carrying the disk disappears from view. Since the secure disk is too valuable, M orders Eve to shoot at all costs. Unfortunately, after the shot is fired, James Bond is hit and falls from the bridge into the water, while the thief escapes. Bond is presumed missing, likely dead.

James Bond enjoys his death, at least until someone attacks MI6 headquarters. Before that, M receives a threatening email with a note to ponder her sins: "Think on your sins." Shortly thereafter, the names of five secret agents appear on the internet. Another five names are expected to follow each week. M faces political pressure and is asked by Gareth Mallory, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, to resign gracefully, while acknowledging her past services. M responds: "To hell with dignity," and states that she will finish her work first and not leave MI6 in worse shape than she found it.

After the attack on MI6, Bond volunteers to return to duty with M's permission. Since he was presumed dead, he will have to pass all the tests again. However, his reckless indulgence in death, especially excessive drinking, has consequences, and Bond is completely out of shape. Nevertheless, M subconsciously trusts her man and declares that he barely passed the tests, even though he failed miserably and a psychologist recommended that he be withdrawn from active service.

M sends Bond to Shanghai, where he is to confront Patrice and find out who ordered the theft of the disk. At the same time, she orders Bond to kill him immediately afterward as retribution for the death of operative agent Ronson, to whom the disk was stolen. Bond responds: "With pleasure."

In Shanghai, Bond follows Patrice to a skyscraper. He eliminates the guards to reach higher floors, from where he can carry out a contract killing. Bond watches the execution of the entire plan and glimpses Severine in the same room as the target. Bond discreetly approaches Patrice, and a fight ensues, during which Patrice unfortunately falls from the building before Bond can discover who hired him. Bond searches through the Frenchman's belongings and finds a token that leads him to a casino in Macau, where he cashes it in for 4 million euros as payment for the contract killing.

Figure 1: Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine in the Skyfall movie (source: Craiyon)

At the casino, Bond meets Severine, who tells him she was curious to see who would have the audacity to come for the reward. Bond engages her in conversation, sensing her fear, although she masks it well. He gains her trust and demands that she lead him to her employer. Despite discouraging him from the plan, even though the idea of being able to kill him and become free appeals to her. Severine tells Bond that as soon as she leaves his table, the guards, who have been watching them the whole time, will kill him, and if he manages to survive, he should find her in the port at the agreed-upon location. With the help of Eve, who assisted him in the casino, Bond disables the guards.

Severine takes Bond by boat to an abandoned island, where, tied to a chair, he meets her employer Raoul Silva. He used to be an elite agent 00 who worked for M and blames her for his capture and torture by the Chinese. Silva was very familiar with MI6 operations and even knew the true results of Bond's tests, which he humorously revealed to him. The deranged Silva wants to toast with Bond and, on that occasion, places a glass on the head of the bound Severine. With a gun to his head, Bond has the right to the first shot. Bond's hand is not as steady as before, and deliberately misses. Then Silva shoots Severine and declares himself the winner of the duel. At that moment, Bond effectively disables the guards and captures Silva. He was also helped by a radio locator given to him by the new, younger Q. Helicopters arrive after the guards are disabled and escort Silva to MI6.

Figure 2: Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva in the Skyfall movie (source: Craiyon)

At MI6 headquarters, which moved to old underground spaces after the first attack, Q tries to decode Silva's computer, but instead, it turns out that the computer was programmed to infiltrate the MI6 network and allow Silva to escape through the London Underground system. MI6 realizes that the whole operation was planned in advance. Bond pursues Silva, who has disguised himself as a policeman. With his gang, he sets out to get M, who is currently at a hearing defending the existence and actions of MI6. She states that she sees the world differently than politicians and that in today's world, the enemy is not obvious, that there are no hostile states or clear battle lines, and that in the age of terrorism, attacks are carried out from hiding. During the shootout in the conference room, Bond saves M, with the help of Eve and Mallory.

Bond "kidnaps" M to the Skyfall estate in Scotland, where Bond grew up and where his parents have a memorial. M, with whom Bond has a history, tells him that orphans often make the best agents. She also reveals to him what happened with Silva: he used to be a very talented but soon unpredictable agent who started working on his own and infiltrated the Chinese network; M traded him for the lives of six other agents.

Bond intentionally leaves an electronic trail that he is sure Silva will discover. M agrees to play the role of bait. For the getaway, he uses the good old Aston Martin DB5. Q secretly helps him with the action, fearing for his budding career in the intelligence services, with the silent consent of Mallory. When Q asks what will happen if the Prime Minister finds out, Mallory replies that they will all be in trouble. At the estate, Bond also meets his old friend Kincade, to whom he says that some people will come to kill them. Unfortunately, they are poorly armed because after Bond's alleged death, all weapons were sold to a collector in the USA (Bond had already experienced this when M signed him up for duty and told him that his flat had been sold). Bond, Kincade, and M prepare a series of traps. Silva sends a dozen assassins in the first wave, which the trio withstands, but M is injured.

In the second wave, Silva himself flies in by helicopter with loud music blaring and shoots up the entire building, destroying Bond's Aston Martin DB5 in the process. M and Kincade escape through a secret passage that leads to a chapel near the estate. Bond is left inside alone, with Silva adding excitement by throwing grenades into the building. Bond attaches pieces of dynamite to the gas bombs, ignites them, and also escapes through a secret passage. During the explosion, almost the entire team of Silva's assassins is killed. Silva spots a flashlight in the vicinity, which Kincade and M are using, and goes after them.

Bond drowns the second-to-last guard under the collapsed ice. Meanwhile, Silva reaches the chapel, where he presses himself against M, puts a gun to her head, and tells them to both free themselves by pulling the trigger. Bond kills Silva by throwing a knife into his back, given to him by Kincade. In a touching scene, M collapses and succumbs to her injuries, but before that, she tells Bond that she is glad she did at least one thing right by trusting him. Mallory takes over as head of MI6, and Eve becomes the new Moneypenny after realizing that fieldwork is not for everyone. Bond, who was shot by her, agrees.

Bond Song

The Skyfall Bond song, performed by Adele, is a captivating and haunting anthem that perfectly complements the atmosphere of the film. Adele's soulful vocals combined with the orchestral arrangement create a sense of mystery and intrigue, mirroring the enigmatic nature of James Bond himself. The song's lyrics evoke themes of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption, echoing the central themes of the film. Adele's powerful delivery and emotive performance captivate listeners, drawing them into the world of espionage and adventure. With its memorable melody and evocative lyrics, the Skyfall Bond song stands as a testament to Adele's talent and the enduring appeal of the James Bond franchise.

Cast

You Might Be Also Interested

• 22nd Bond Movie: Quantum of Solace (2008) ← → 24th Bond Movie: Spectre (2015);
• Bond Films: Stories of James Bond, Agent 007;
• All Bond Songs: Iconic Title Songs From Bond Films
• Movies With Casino Themes and Betting.

Based on the original Czech article: Skyfall (2012) – 23. bondovka.