Film no. 24 · 2015 · Craig era

Spectre

TMDB rating: 6.6 / 10 · View on TMDB

Plot

A message delivered after M's death sends James Bond to Mexico City without official authorisation. During the Day of the Dead he prevents a bombing, kills Marco Sciarra and takes his ring. The new M suspends Bond while Max Denbigh, known as C, moves to close the double-O section in favour of the global Nine Eyes surveillance programme. Bond nevertheless travels to Rome, saves Sciarra's widow Lucia and infiltrates a secret meeting. Its leader recognises him: Franz Oberhauser, a man from Bond's past.

With covert help from Moneypenny and Q, Bond finds Mr White beside Lake Altaussee. The dying former Quantum operative demands protection for his daughter Madeleine Swann. Bond meets her at a clinic above Sölden and rescues her from Mr Hinx. Q proves that Sciarra's ring links Bond's former enemies to a single organisation: SPECTRE. Madeleine leads Bond to the L'Américain hotel in Tangier, where a hidden room points them towards a compound in the Moroccan desert.

There Oberhauser reveals that he faked his death, adopted the name Ernst Stavro Blofeld and engineered Bond's suffering. Bond and Madeleine escape and destroy the compound, but Blofeld survives. In London, M, Q, Moneypenny and Tanner expose C's alliance with SPECTRE and stop Nine Eyes. Bond frees Madeleine from the condemned old MI6 building, forces Blofeld's helicopter down and leaves him to M. Finally he collects the restored DB5 from Q and drives out of London with Madeleine.

Facts

James Bond: Daniel Craig
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenplay: John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth
Producers: Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
Music: Thomas Newman
Title song: „Writing's on the Wall“Sam Smith
Running time: 148 minutes
Budget: $245 millionProduction budget according to The Numbers; Guinness World Records lists at least $245 million, excluding promotional spending stated there as more than $100 million
Box office: $879 millionworldwide theatrical gross according to The Numbers; Box Office Mojo reports a differing total of $880,674,609
Release: UK: 26 October 2015US: 6 November 2015Germany: 5 November 2015

Travel route and filming locations

Gold numbers trace Bond's journey through the story, light markers show the real filming locations. Each layer can be hidden separately.

Bond's route · 8 stops

Total distance (great-circle)≈ 15,889 km

Bond pursues Marco Sciarra through the Day of the Dead parade, prevents a bombing and takes his SPECTRE ring.
Mexico City → London · ≈ 8,929 km
M suspends Bond; a video message from the late M and Q's examination of the ring keep the secret mission moving.
London → Rome · ≈ 1,434 km
Bond attends Sciarra's funeral, protects Lucia and infiltrates the SPECTRE meeting before Hinx chases him through the city.
Rome → Altaussee · ≈ 646 km
Beside the lake Bond finds the poisoned Mr White, who directs him to his daughter on condition that he protect Madeleine.
Altaussee → Sölden · ≈ 225 km
Bond meets Madeleine at the Hoffler clinic and rescues her from Hinx after an aircraft-and-vehicle chase.
Sölden → Tangier · ≈ 1,867 km
At the L'Américain hotel Madeleine finds her father's hidden room; his papers point the way into the desert.
Tangier → SPECTRE compound, Moroccan desert · ≈ 514 km
The fictional compound occupies a meteorite crater in the story. The map point marks Gara Medouar, the real location near Erfoud, where Blofeld reveals his identity.
SPECTRE compound, Moroccan desert → London · ≈ 2,275 km
The MI6 team stops Nine Eyes; Bond rescues Madeleine, brings Blofeld's helicopter down at Westminster Bridge and drives away with her.

Filming locations · 23

Day of the Dead parade, helicopter fight and opening-sequence exteriors
hotel lobby at the start of the apparent unbroken opening shot
doubles for Zócalo, Mexico City (Mexico)
Bo 105 barrel roll and additional aerobatic footage; doubling for the Zócalo
British government courtyard and M's meeting with C
exteriors of the abandoned MI6 headquarters prepared for demolition
interiors of the Centre for National Security
doubles for tunnel beneath the Thames (United Kingdom)
canal tunnel and boat journey doubling for the underground Thames access
corridors and interiors of the new intelligence centre
doubles for Palazzo Cadenza, Rome (Italy)
arrival at the SPECTRE meeting and Palazzo Cadenza courtyard
sets for Palazzo Cadenza, hotel, MI6 ruin, helicopter cabin, desert compound and numerous interiors
Bond follows the funeral procession and watches Lucia Sciarra
Marco Sciarra's funeral
night-time pass during the DB10 and C-X75 chase
Bond ends the pursuit with the ejector seat and lands by parachute
Mr White's secluded lakeside house and Bond's arrival by boat
doubles for Hoffler clinic (Austria)
Hoffler clinic exterior and start of the chase
snowy forest, purpose-built barn and aircraft stunts in the Austrian chase
streets around the L'Américain hotel and Bond's walk through the old city
doubles for Tangier railway station (Morocco)
train departure, presented as Tangier station
doubles for fictional meteorite crater (Morocco)
SPECTRE desert-compound exterior and record explosion
Hildebrand safe house and assembly of the MI6 team
Bond pursues Blofeld's helicopter by speedboat
helicopter crash-landing and Blofeld's arrest

Characters and cast

Bond

James BondDaniel Craig

Bond girls

Villains

Henchmen

Allies

Mr. WhiteJesper Christensenformer Quantum member and Madeleine's father

MI6

Vehicles & Gadgets

Vehicles

The Aston Martin DB10 designed specifically for SpectrePhoto: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Aston Martin DB10
Car2015
bespoke model; flamethrower, mock machine gun and ejector seat
Bond takes the DB10 intended for 009 and pursues Hinx's Jaguar through Rome at night. Q's switches activate music, an unloaded rear weapon, a flamethrower and finally the ejector seat. Aston Martin built ten examples: eight for filming and two for promotion.
Driven by
James Bond
Specs
4.7 L V8 · six-speed manual · 0–60 mph in 4.7 s · stated 190 mph
Sources: 007.com: Aston Martin DB10 · 007.com: 007's car gadgets
Hinx's Jaguar C-X75 at the official Bond-car unveilingPhoto: Jaguar MENA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Jaguar C-X75
Car2015
SPECTRE supercar; stunt conversion by Williams Advanced Engineering
Hinx drives the copper-coloured C-X75 in the chase through Rome. Williams Advanced Engineering and Jaguar Land Rover built seven new cars: two hero cars retained the prototype's interior and hybrid powertrain, while five durable stunt cars used a supercharged Jaguar V8 and bespoke space-frame chassis.
Driven by
Mr Hinx
Specs
Stunt version: supercharged Jaguar V8 · bespoke space-frame chassis · five examples
Sources: Jaguar Land Rover: Global unveiling of Bond cars · Jaguar: Felipe Massa drives the Spectre C-X75 · IMCDb: Spectre
An original Defender stunt vehicle from SpectrePhoto: FR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Land Rover Defender 110 Bigfoot
Car2015
SVO conversion with 37-inch off-road tyres
Several lifted Defenders chase Bond and Madeleine along Austria's snow-covered mountain roads. The vehicles received large off-road tyres, enhanced underbody protection, roll cages and suspension adapted for the stunts. A surviving display vehicle still carries marks from filming.
Driven by
SPECTRE pursuers
Specs
permanent four-wheel drive · 37-inch off-road tyres · enhanced underbody protection · stunt suspension
Sources: Jaguar Land Rover: Global unveiling of Bond cars · IMCDb: Spectre
L494-generation Range Rover Sport SVRPhoto: Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
Car2015
black high-performance SUV used by SPECTRE pursuers
Hinx leads the pursuit in Sölden in what was then the most powerful production Land Rover. The SVR remains on the road while the Defenders cut across country; Bond brings the aircraft down between the two groups.
Driven by
Mr Hinx
Specs
5.0 L supercharged V8 · 550 PS · 680 Nm · eight-speed automatic · 162 mph
Sources: Jaguar Land Rover: Global unveiling of Bond cars · IMCDb: Spectre
The DB5 familiar from Skyfall is restored in SpectrePhoto: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Aston Martin DB5
Car1964
restored by Q Branch after its destruction in Skyfall
Early in the film the badly damaged DB5 sits in Q's workshop. In the final scene the classic is fully restored: Bond collects Madeleine and drives out of London with her. The pictured vehicle carries the familiar screen registration BMT 216A.
Driven by
James Bond
Specs
4.0 L straight-six · 282 bhp · five-speed gearbox · 145 mph
Sources: 007.com: Spectre vehicles · IMCDb: Spectre
Classic Fiat 500Photo: order_242 from Chile · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fiat 500
Car
white city car in the Rome chase
During the chase Bond's DB10 forces a small Fiat 500 to the roadside. Its driver briefly loses control, but the contrast between the narrow city car and the two supercars chiefly provides a comic interruption to the pursuit.
Driven by
Roman motorist
Specs
499 cc two-cylinder · 18 PS · four-speed gearbox · about 59 mph
Sources: 007.com: Spectre vehicles · IMCDb: Spectre
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith with Freestone & Webb coachworkPhoto: Barney · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
Car1948
chauffeur-driven limousine to the desert base
A black Silver Wraith waits for Bond and Madeleine at the remote railway stop. The quiet, formal reception carries them through the desert directly to Blofeld's compound, making the car a deliberate contrast to the captivity that follows.
Driven by
Blofeld's chauffeur
Specs
4.3 L straight-six · four-speed manual · separate chassis for coachbuilt bodies
Sources: 007.com: Spectre vehicles · IMCDb: Spectre
Twin-engine Britten-Norman BN-2 IslanderPhoto: BrittenNorman2024 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander
Aircraft
twin-engine utility aircraft; false registration OE-FZO
Bond takes off in an Islander to rescue Madeleine from the convoy in Austria. After losing its wings, the fuselage continues through a barn and into the vehicles. At least two airframes carried the same fictitious Austrian registration for the sequence.
Driven by
James Bond
Specs
two Lycoming O-540 piston engines · 260 hp each · 49 ft wingspan · up to 10 seats
Sources: 007.com: Spectre vehicles · IMPDb: Spectre · Britten-Norman: Islander
The aerobatic Flying Bulls MBB Bo 105Photo: Weißnichtmiristlangweilig · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105
Aircraft
aerobatic Red Bull helicopter in the pre-title sequence
Sciarra escapes Mexico City in a Bo 105, but Bond jumps aboard and fights him and the pilot above the Zócalo. Chuck Aaron flew the exterior work in a Red Bull helicopter specially equipped for rolls and dives; the barrel roll was filmed at an airfield near Palenque.
Driven by
SPECTRE pilot
Specs
two Allison 250-C20B turboshafts · 420 shp each · rigid four-blade rotor · about 150 mph
Sources: 007.com: Spectre film page · 007.com: Focus on Spectre · IMPDb: Spectre
Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin with Fenestron tail rotorPhoto: James from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Eurocopter AS365 N2 Dauphin 2
Aircraft1991
escape helicopter in the London finale
After the old MI6 building is evacuated, Blofeld attempts to escape in a Dauphin. Bond pursues by speedboat on the Thames and forces the helicopter down above Westminster Bridge with aimed shots. The aircraft seen carried registration G-LCPL.
Driven by
Blofeld's pilot
Specs
two Turbomeca Arriel 1C2 turboshafts · 763 shp each · Fenestron tail rotor · about 190 mph
Sources: IMPDb: Spectre · 007.com: Spectre film page
Long-wheelbase Jaguar XJPhoto: Dinkun Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Jaguar XJ L (X351)
Car2011
long-wheelbase MI6 official saloon
M uses the black long-wheelbase XJ as his official car in London. As C moves to shut down the double-O section, the restrained saloon becomes a mobile workspace for the remaining MI6 team.
Driven by
M / MI6
Specs
X351 long-wheelbase version · aluminium body · eight-speed automatic · V6 or V8 depending on version
Sources: IMCDb: Spectre
ONCF Oriental Desert Express
Other
long-distance train from Oujda towards Bouarfa
Bond and Madeleine cross the Moroccan desert in the dining car after finding their destination in Mr White's hotel. Hinx attacks them aboard; the prolonged fight ends only when Bond pulls him from the carriage with barrels and a rope. The sequence was filmed on the Oriental Desert Express between Oujda and Bouarfa.
Driven by
ONCF train crew
Specs
diesel-hauled long-distance train · air-conditioned passenger coaches · Oujda–Bouarfa route
Sources: Reelstreets: Spectre locations · 007.com: Spectre locations

Gadgets

Smart Blood
Q injects Bond with microscopic tracking particles that report his position to MI6 around the clock. The system remains reliably detectable for only 48 hours and lets Q follow Bond's unsanctioned journey.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre gadgets, weapons and technology
Omega Seamaster 300 with explosive charge
The Seamaster 300 issued by Q has a two-tone NATO strap and conceals an explosive charge with a one-minute timer. Bond activates it in Blofeld's torture room; the blast gives him and Madeleine a chance to escape.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre gadgets, weapons and technology
SPECTRE ring
Sciarra's ring bears the organisation's eight-armed emblem. Q extracts biological traces from it and links Le Chiffre, Dominic Greene and Raoul Silva to the same network.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre film page
Blofeld's torture chair
The restraining chair guides a fine drill probe to Bond's skull. Blofeld threatens to destroy the brain areas responsible for recognising faces and people while Madeleine is forced to watch.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre gadgets, weapons and technology
Nine Eyes
The global surveillance system is designed to combine the intelligence feeds of nine states on one platform. C intends it to replace the double-O section; in reality the programme would give SPECTRE access to the entire data stream.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre gadgets, weapons and technology
Laser microphone
Bond attaches a compact laser microphone to his Walther PPK. From a rooftop he uses it to capture Sciarra's conversation behind a window before the Mexico City mission escalates.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre gadgets, weapons and technology
Hinx's metal thumbnails
Hinx wears metal-reinforced thumbnails that turn his grip into a lethal weapon. At his introduction he uses them to crush a rival's eyes and take his place in the organisation.
Sources: 007.com: Spectre gadgets, weapons and technology

Production and trivia

Principal photography began at Pinewood Studios on 8 December 2014; the production also filmed in London, Mexico City, Rome, Tangier and Erfoud, plus Sölden, Obertilliach and Altaussee.
Spectre was Daniel Craig's fourth Bond film and Sam Mendes's second entry as director after Skyfall.
The opening sequence used 1,520 extras; 107 make-up artists prepared them, including 98 local crew members.
The opening's apparent continuous shot crossed four buildings and used, among other equipment, a 50-foot camera crane; the collapse rig took eight months to build at Pinewood.
Stunt pilot Chuck Aaron flew the Bo 105. Exteriors were filmed over the Zócalo, the barrel roll at an airfield near Palenque, and cockpit material on a gimbal at Pinewood.
Spectre was the first Bond film shot in Rome and the first for which Aston Martin and the filmmakers jointly created a new model specifically for the production.
Aston Martin produced ten DB10s: eight filming cars and two display vehicles. More than 350 crew and 250 road blockers worked on the roughly three-week Rome sequence.
Two 20-tonne cranes guided the 18-metre-wide aircraft through a gap only 20 metres wide for the Austrian stunt. Lasers kept the roughly one-kilometre run straight.
A 30-person snow team worked around the clock to keep the Austrian road and forest scenes consistently wintry.
The desert-compound explosion used 2,223 US gallons of fuel and 72 pounds of explosives. The single take entered Guinness World Records as the largest film stunt explosion.
Writing's on the Wall became the first Bond theme to reach number one in the UK charts and won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for best original song.
The world premiere took place at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 October 2015, the same day as the UK theatrical release.
Interopa Film in Berlin produced the German dub. Christoph Cierpka wrote and directed the dialogue; Dietmar Wunder again voiced Bond, while Christoph Waltz dubbed Blofeld himself.