Skyfall
Skyfall is a 2012 British spy action film and the twenty-third entry in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig as the titular MI6 agent James Bond, with Judi Dench as M, Javier Bardem as the villain Raoul Silva, and supporting roles by Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, and Rory Kinnear.[1][2] The film follows Bond as he teams up with M to protect MI6 from a cyber-terrorist attack by Silva, a former MI6 agent seeking revenge for his betrayal, leading to intense pursuits across Istanbul, Shanghai, and Scotland, culminating in a confrontation at Bond's childhood home, Skyfall Lodge.[1] Released on 26 October 2012 in the United Kingdom and 9 November 2012 in the United States, it marked the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise and was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, with principal photography occurring at locations including Pinewood Studios, London, Surrey, Shanghai, Turkey, and Scotland.[1] Critically acclaimed for its direction, cinematography by Roger Deakins, and Adele's theme song, Skyfall holds a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 388 reviews, praised as one of the best entries in the series for revitalizing the franchise with themes of loyalty, obsolescence, and personal history.[3] Commercially, it became the first James Bond film to gross over $1 billion worldwide, earning $1,108,561,013 at the box office against a $200 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film in the series and the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time at release.[4] At the 85th Academy Awards, Skyfall received five nominations and won two Oscars: Best Original Song for "Skyfall" by Adele and Paul Epworth, and Best Sound Editing, becoming the first Bond film to win multiple Academy Awards.[5] It also secured two BAFTA Awards for Outstanding British Film and Best Original Music Score, along with numerous other accolades, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.[6]Synopsis
Plot
The film opens with James Bond and field agent Eve Moneypenny pursuing the mercenary assassin Patrice through Istanbul to recover a hard drive containing the identities of undercover NATO agents embedded in terrorist organizations.[1] During a high-speed train chase atop moving cars, M orders Eve to fire at Patrice, but she inadvertently hits Bond, who falls hundreds of feet into a river and is presumed dead.[1] Meanwhile, the cyber-terrorist Raoul Silva hacks into MI6's systems, publicly identifying several agents and triggering their executions, while also orchestrating a bombing that destroys the MI6 headquarters above ground, forcing the agency underground.[1] M faces a parliamentary inquiry led by Gareth Mallory over her handling of the crisis and her decision in the field, exacerbating her personal and professional accountability.[7] Months later, Bond resurfaces in a remote Turkish coastal town, having survived but struggling with physical injuries, alcohol dependency, and psychological trauma that impair his marksmanship and fitness during mandatory evaluations.[8] Despite failing the assessments, M reinstates him covertly and assigns him to track down the hard drive, starting with Patrice's trail. Bond travels to Shanghai, where he eliminates Patrice atop a skyscraper amid neon lights, discovering a casino chip that leads him to a Macau gambling den.[1] There, he encounters Sévérine, Patrice's former associate and lover, who reveals her own captivity under Silva and agrees to help Bond in exchange for protection; she transports him by yacht to Silva's abandoned island lair in the South China Sea.[8] Silva, a flamboyant and brilliant former MI6 agent turned cyber-terrorist, reveals his backstory: he was captured and abandoned by M during an operation in Hong Kong, enduring torture by the Chinese that drove his vendetta against her for betrayal.[1] Bond defeats Silva in a rigged game, capturing him for transport to London, but the young quartermaster Q unwittingly connects Silva's laptop to MI6's network, allowing him to escape and launch an assault on M's inquiry, killing several and wounding Mallory.[8] Bond evacuates M amid the chaos and takes her to his childhood home, Skyfall, in the Scottish Highlands, where gamekeeper Kincade aids in rigging the isolated estate with improvised traps and explosives to lure Silva.[1] In the ensuing siege, Bond and Kincade eliminate Silva's henchmen, but Sévérine is executed by Silva earlier; Silva himself dies impaled on a knife during a confrontation with Bond, while M succumbs to a prior gunshot wound.[8] With MI6's security bolstered and Mallory assuming the role of the new M, Bond affirms his readiness to resume active duty, inheriting M's symbolic porcelain bulldog.[1]Cast
Daniel Craig portrays James Bond, marking his third appearance as the titular MI6 agent 007 in the Eon Productions series, where the character is shown as a more physically and emotionally vulnerable operative recovering from a near-fatal mission.[9]Judi Dench returns as M, the authoritative head of MI6 and Bond's superior, in what serves as her seventh and final performance in the role across the franchise.[2]
Javier Bardem plays Raoul Silva, a cunning and vengeful cyber-terrorist and former MI6 agent whose manipulative schemes target M's past decisions, establishing him as one of the series' most psychologically complex villains.[10] In supporting roles, Naomie Harris appears as Eve Moneypenny, initially introduced as a capable MI6 field agent who accidentally wounds Bond during a mission and is later demoted to her traditional position as M's personal secretary, reviving the classic Bond universe character after a 10-year absence from the films since Die Another Day (2002).[9]
Ralph Fiennes stars as Gareth Mallory, a former military officer who chairs a parliamentary inquiry into MI6's security failures and eventually succeeds M as the agency's head, integrating him into the ongoing Bond lore as the new M.[2]
Ben Whishaw takes on the role of Q, the young and tech-savvy quartermaster who equips Bond with gadgets, reintroducing the character to the modern series with a contemporary, computer-focused twist on the quartermaster archetype.[10]
Albert Finney plays Kincade, the loyal gamekeeper of the Skyfall estate—Bond's childhood home in Scotland—who aids in the defense against Silva's forces, adding a personal, familial dimension to Bond's backstory in the franchise.[9] Among the minor roles, Bérénice Marlohe portrays Sévérine, a mysterious ally to Bond who serves as Silva's former lover and provides crucial intelligence before meeting a tragic end, embodying the enigmatic Bond girl trope within the film's narrative.[2]
Helen McCrory appears as Clair Dowar, the sharp-tongued Home Secretary who questions M during the parliamentary inquiry chaired by Gareth Mallory, highlighting the political pressures facing MI6 in the Bond universe.[9]