Skyfall came out earlier this month, and Javier Bardems portrayal of Raoul Silva is one of the most talked-about aspects of the film. Some love him, some hate him, but the crazed ex-MI6 agent combines basically all of the archetypes Ive already mentioned. Super-Intelligent? Yes, hes able to effortlessly manipulate MI6s computer system and staff. Super-Physical? As an agent his skills supposedly rivalled Bonds own. Dark Bond Girl? Well, thats a bit of a stretch. But then he does enjoy a bit of flirty banter with Bond, and an openly gay villain is another fun inversion of the Bond Girl. Super-Powerful? Island base, teams of guards, private helicopter, etc. Hes also insane, suffers from an abandoned-son relationship with Judi Denchs M, and has an extremely unnerving physical disability. As a character, he has so much going on its a credit to Bardem that hes able to present him with any degree of consistency. Theres also his relationship to Bond. Throughout the film, their feelings towards MI6 and M are paralleled, without all that much subtlety. Silva is 'Bond-gone-bad, a retired agent who was abandoned by the organisation he served. This concept was not introduced by Skyfall as early as From Russia with Love, Red Grant worked as a SMERSH assassin who was able to imitate an English agent almost perfectly, who trains by killing imitation James Bonds. Tellingly, it's the differences between Grant and Bond that let him be identified (Red wine with fish?) In the Dark Bond, 007 faces an opponent who is able to challenge him on his own terms. He has the same training, the same instincts, and he understands perfectly Bonds actions and motivations. Perhaps this is the best form of testing Bond against himself. After all, who else could reasonably be expected to stand against him? Examples: Raoul Silva, Francisco Scaramanga, Alec Trevelyan. How accurate are these categories? Can you think of a Bond villain they dont apply to? Have your say in the comments section below...
Laurence Gardner was born in Canterbury, England. After moving around various cities during his childhood, and spending some time travelling in Europe and America, he studied English Literature at Oxford University. Since then, he’s been living abroad, teaching English, learning a range of languages, and writing in his free time. He can currently be found in Heidelberg, working as an English Tutor and Translator and studying at the University. If you liked this article, follow him on Twitter to get automatic updates on his work.
Skyfall came out earlier this month, and Javier Bardems portrayal of Raoul Silva is one of the most talked-about aspects of the film. Some love him, some hate him, but the crazed ex-MI6 agent combines basically all of the archetypes Ive already mentioned. Super-Intelligent? Yes, hes able to effortlessly manipulate MI6s computer system and staff. Super-Physical? As an agent his skills supposedly rivalled Bonds own. Dark Bond Girl? Well, thats a bit of a stretch. But then he does enjoy a bit of flirty banter with Bond, and an openly gay villain is another fun inversion of the Bond Girl. Super-Powerful? Island base, teams of guards, private helicopter, etc. Hes also insane, suffers from an abandoned-son relationship with Judi Denchs M, and has an extremely unnerving physical disability. As a character, he has so much going on its a credit to Bardem that hes able to present him with any degree of consistency. 