Skyfall

The Bond franchise from the very start has been a symbol of masculinity. What it means to be a man. The Aston Martins, martinis, Walther PPK and suave way of life all contribute to the finished product. His reward?  Beautiful women. Bond girls, if you will. Ready to throw themselves upon him.

All of this came to a head in Casino Royale. The film that introduced Daniel Craig as James Bond. Gone were the high tech gadgets and in were the story driven elements. Things were meaner and leaner. There is a scene where Bond is tied up and ready to be tortured by the villian. What does he do? He tells the villian "to the right, the right! Now the whole world's gonna know you died scratching my balls."

A key scene in Skyfall is not an action set piece. It is a scene where we find Bond once in again in a chair. Only this time he is meeting the villian, Silva,  for the first time. What does Silva do? He hits on Bond. Not only does he threaten him by this sexual attempt, he threatens the whole masculine ideal. This act instantly identifies Silva as the villian. He is not only threatening England, but manliness as a concept. Bond returns the serve and implies it may not be his first time. Silva decides to stop emasculating Bond after this scene and go after his true weakness- his relationship with M.

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