Skyfall is the twenty-third in the James Bond series of spy films, produced by Eon Productions and distributed by MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2012. It features Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's antagonist. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan.
The film centres on Bond investigating an attack on MI6; it transpires that the attack is part of a plot by former MI6 operative Raoul Silva to humiliate, discredit and kill M as revenge against her for betraying him. The film sees the return of two recurring characters after an absence of two films: Q, played by Ben Whishaw; and Eve Moneypenny, played by Naomie Harris. Skyfall is the last film of the series for Judi Dench, who played M; a role which she had played in the previous six films. The position is subsequently filled by Ralph Fiennes' character, Gareth Mallory.
Mendes was approached to direct the film after the release of Quantum of Solace
in 2008. Development was suspended when MGM encountered financial
troubles, and did not resume until December 2010; during this time,
Mendes remained attached to the project as a consultant. The original
screenwriter, Peter Morgan,
left the project during the suspension. When production resumed, Logan,
Purvis and Wade continued writing what became the final version of the
script. Filming began in November 2011 and primarily took place in the
United Kingdom, China and Turkey.
Skyfall premiered on 23 October 2012, and was released in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2012, and in the United States on 8 November 2012. It was the first James Bond film to be screened in IMAX venues, although it was not filmed with IMAX cameras. The film's release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, which began with Dr. No in 1962. Skyfall
was positively received by critics and at the box office, grossing over
$805 million worldwide, and became the highest-grossing film in the James Bond series.
In Istanbul, MI6 agents James Bond and Eve chase the mercenary Patrice, who has stolen a computer hard drive containing details of undercover agents placed in terrorist organisations by NATO
states. Patrice wounds Bond in the shoulder and, as the two men fight
atop a train, Eve accidentally shoots Bond, allowing Patrice to escape.
Bond falls into a river and goes missing, presumed dead.
After this debacle, Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman Gareth Mallory pressures the head of MI6, M, to retire. On M's return from the meeting, MI6's servers are breached and M receives a taunting message via computer moments before the offices
explode, killing a number of employees. MI6 relocates to its emergency
offices underground. Bond, having used his supposed death to retire,
learns of the attack and returns to London. Although he fails a series
of physical and psychological examinations, M approves his return to the
field nonetheless. Shrapnel taken from a shoulder wound helps identify Patrice, and intelligence places him in Shanghai,
where he is planning an assassination. Bond is ordered to identify
Patrice's employer, recover the stolen hard drive and kill Patrice.
After Patrice kills his target, he and Bond fight. Patrice falls to
his death before Bond can learn of his employer. Searching Patrice's
equipment, Bond finds a gambling chip intended as payment for the assassination, which leads him to a casino in Macau.
Bond approaches Sévérine, whom he witnessed as an accomplice in the
assassination, and asks to meet her employer. She warns him that he is
about to be killed, but promises to help him if he will kill her
employer. Bond defeats his attackers and joins Sévérine on her boat.
They travel to an abandoned island off the coast of Macau, where they
are taken prisoner by the crew and delivered to Sévérine's employer,
Raoul Silva. A former MI6 agent who had previously worked under M, Silva
has turned to cyberterrorism, orchestrating the attacks on MI6. Silva
kills Sévérine, but Bond overpowers his guards and captures Silva for extraordinary rendition to Britain.
At MI6's underground headquarters, Q
attempts to decrypt Silva's laptop, but inadvertently enables it to
access the MI6 systems, allowing Silva to escape from MI6 custody.
Realising Silva's capture was part of a plan to confront and kill M,
Bond gives chase through the tunnel network under London. Silva attacks M
during a public inquiry
into her handling of the stolen hard drive. Bond arrives in time to
join Mallory and Eve in repelling Silva's attack, and M is hurried from
the building by her aide, Bill Tanner.
Bond drives M to Skyfall, his family estate and childhood home in
Scotland. Laying a trap, he instructs Q to leave an electronic trail for
Silva to follow, a decision Mallory supports.
Bond and M are met by Kincade, the Skyfall gamekeeper. The trio are only lightly armed, but they improvise a series of booby traps
throughout the house. When Silva's men arrive, Bond, M and Kincade
fight off the first assault, although M is wounded. Silva arrives by
helicopter with a second wave, and Bond sends M and Kincade off through a
secret tunnel at the back of a priest hole to a chapel on the grounds. The second assault uses firepower from the helicopter, and Silva throws incendiary grenades
into the building. Bond detonates gas canisters with a stick of
dynamite and retreats down the same tunnel as M and Kincade. The
resulting blast causes the helicopter to crash, destroying the house and
killing most of Silva's men. Silva spots Kincade's torch beam, follows
Kincade and M to the chapel, and forces his gun into M's hand, begging
her to kill them both. Bond, having been delayed fighting Silva's
henchmen, arrives and kills Silva, but M succumbs to her earlier wound
and dies. Following M's funeral, Eve—formally introducing herself to
Bond as Eve Moneypenny—retires from field work to become secretary for the new head of MI6, Mallory, who assumes the title of M.