Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall

Production

Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenplay: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Composer: Thomas Newman

Cast

James Bond
Daniel Craig

Eve
Naomie Harris

Raoul Silva
Javier Bardem

Sévérine
Bérénice Marlohe

Gareth Mallory
Ralph Fiennes

Tanner
Rory Kinnear

Q
Ben Whishaw

Kincade
Albert Finney

Patrice
Ola Rapace

Clair Dowar MP
Helen McCrory

Bond's Lover
Tonia Sotiropoulou

Mission

James Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past returns to haunt her. 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. 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, 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 – following a trail to the mysterious Silva, whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

Locations

Istanbul, Turkey; London, UK; Shanghai, China; Macau, China; Glencoe, Scotland.

Pre-Credits Sequence

007 is sent to investigate the theft of a laptop hard-drive from Agent Ronson who is found bleeding to death in Istanbul. With the help of field agent Eve, Bond chases the thief, Patrice, through the markets and across the rooftops of Istanbul before finally facing off atop a train. When M orders Eve to take a shot despite 007 being in the way as the train passes over a viaduct, it goes horribly wrong and Bond plunges to his death.

Title

The title comes from the name of James Bond's childhood home, Skyfall Lodge, located in Glencoe, Scotland. Up against a deadline, writers Purvis & Wade came up with the name at 2am: "We needed a haunting place name. I just plucked it out of the air, and it turned out to be something that struck a chord with the filmmakers".

Release Data

UK: 26th October 2012 (12A)
USA: 9th November 2012 (PG-13)
World Premiere: 23rd October 2012 (Royal Albert Hall, London, UK)
UK TV Premiere: 24th December 2014, ITV
US TV Premiere: 9th August 2013, EPIX

Running Time: 143 minutes
Classification: 12A (UK), PG-13 (US)
Budget: $200m
Worldwide Box Office: $1.1b
US Box Office: $304.3m
US Admissions: CLASSIFIED
UK Box Office: £97.8m

Best Line

Bond: "A gun and a radio. Not exactly Christmas."
Q: "What did you expect, an exploding pen? We don't really go in for that sort of thing anymore.

Best Mistake

All London Underground escalators have safety signs placed on the medians between stairs to prevent anyone from sliding down them.

Distinguishing feature

The first time in the series that a recurring role is played by more than one actor in the same film.

Vital Statistics

Conquests: 3
Martinis: 1
Kills: 17
"Bond, James Bond": 1

Cut Scenes & Alternate Versions

Approximately 10 minutes of footage was taken out before the final cut due to run-time. The following scenes were filmed but removed:

A shot of Bond running through Regent's Park as he prepares for his MI6 evaluation.

An exchange between M and Mallory when she quips Bond being in the South China Sea is precise intelligence.

M's Assistant is cut almost entirely from the early MI6 scenes.

An establishing scene with Sévérine in Shanghai International Airport where she gives Patrice the equipment case on the escalators.

Exposition scenes that explained that Sévérine sets up targets interested in buying stolen paintings only for them to be assassinated and the money stolen.

A procession of hearses and producer Michael G. Wilson's cameo as a pall bearer at the funeral service for the MI6 agents.

Shots of dead & wounded MI6 agents following the explosion were cut.

It was attempted to place the gunbarrel before the pre-titles sequence, but this was not possible due to the opening shot of the film not matching up. Sam Mendes explains the decision in MI6 Confidential issue #18.