Favorite Scene Friday! Skyfall: The Last Two Rats

We're looking at character intros all this month for Favorite Scene Friday!

First impressions are important, especially when you have a reputation to live up to. Take Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) in 2012's Skyfall. It's truly impressive how many strings he pulls before he ever appears on screen. In the first few minutes of the film, his henchman almost kills James Bond (Daniel Craig) and manages to steal a list of embedded MI6 agents. Silva later orchestrates an attack on MI6 headquarters, threatens M (Judi Dench), and begins assassinating her agents.

Rodolfo Reyes via JoBlo

But Silva's introductory scene doesn't disappoint. After Bond recovers, he tracks down Silva's henchman, which leads him to the villain's lover Severine (Bérénice Marlohe). Despite her warnings, Bond and Severine travel to Silva's island where they are abducted and seperated. Bond is sitting in a chair surveying his surroundings when an elevator at the far end of the room cranks to life.


This clip, while short, is one of the best character intros I've ever seen. The one point perspective shot dares you to take your eyes off of Silva (Kubrick would be proud) as he walks directly towards Bond. The camera zooms in on Silva as he spins his yarn about his grandmother's island. The tale starts innocently enough but transforms into a threat. They're the last two rats, Silva tells Bond. M made them animals, and they can't both make it out alive.

As Silva walks toward the camera, his story becomes more and more upsetting and the villain grows from an off screen threat in the shadows to a very real and present danger. "Be careful what you wish for," Severine warned.

What's your favorite scene from Skyfall?

What's your favorite character introduction in a Bond movie?