Bond Gun Barrel

Wait... is that gun bleeding?

Before The Teaser of almost every James Bond movie, this sequence happens. The audience looks down the rifled barrel of a gun as Bond comes into frame, turns to the camera, and fires his Walther pistol, and a wash of red drips over the screen. The James Bond theme music or a variant may play over this sequence. Its relationship with James Bond has left it the source of numerous imitations, all of the parody nature as the original is basically trademarked by Eon Productions. Try not to think about why the blood appears to be dripping down inside the gun barrel.

The iconic sequence was created by title designer Maurice Binder, who worked on almost every Bond movie from 1962 to 1989, from Dr. No up to Licence to Kill.

See also Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You and Second-Person Attack.

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Examples:

James Bond films

• James Bond is, for obvious reasons, the Trope Namer and Trope Maker. The Gun Barrel usually opens the Action Prologue.
  • The Gunbarrel was introduced in Dr. No, with the hatted silhouette of stuntman Bob Simmons. It wasn't until Thunderball that the Bond actor of the film performed the silhouette, namely Sean Connery, also wearing a hat.
    • Simmons' gun barrel was the only one to have Bond slightly hop as he turns to shoot his opponent.
  • George Lazenby's hatted silhouette kneels down to shoot and vanishes when the blood drips in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
  • Roger Moore had two of them for his entire tenure. He was the first to not wear a hat, in the opening to Live and Let Die; and the first to perform it while wearing a tuxedo, in the opening of The Spy Who Loved Me. He's also the only Bond to hold his gun with two hands, starting with, again, The Spy Who Loved Me.
  • Timothy Dalton had the same for his two films. The music of the one that starts Licence to Kill emphasizes the Darker and Edgier nature of the film compared to its predecessors.
  • GoldenEye was the first to have the gun barrel be computer-generated following the advent of CGI in The '90s. (pictured)
    • The easy way to tell that Pierce Brosnan only filmed one gun barrel sequence is to look at his GoldenEye haircut in the gun barrel, compared to his shorter haircut in Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.
    • In Die Another Day, when Brosnan fires the gun, the bullet flies at the camera, meaning that Bond has actually shot into the gun barrel of his opponent. This was to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the franchise.
  • Daniel Craig filmed a different gun barrel sequence for each one of his Bond movies.
    • Casino Royale does the unique twist of incorporating the gunbarrel into the Action Prologue. Craig does not wear a tuxedo in this one.
    • Quantum of Solace and Skyfall do the regular gun barrel at the end of the movie. In the former, it even becomes the "Q" in the film title (replicating the title logo). In the latter, director Sam Mendes wanted to put it back to the front, but it didn't match up with his opening shot of Bond approaching the game. Notably however, out of every gun barrel in the entire series, the one in Quantum of Solace is the only one so far that actually shows the aftermath of the sequence. It's very small and barely noticeable, but if you look in the Q of the title, you'll see Bond walking out of the frame after shooting down his opponent.
    • After 13 years, the gun barrel, as it was usually depicted, finally makes its return at the start of the movie with Spectre. In this one, Bond's right hand is fully visible holding the gun before he turns and pulls the trigger; he usually has his hand and gun in his pocket. And rather than the typical "gun barrel shifts from side-to-side and then opens up into the opening sequence", the scene freezes, then fades to black before fading into the prologue.
    • No Time to Die: The gunbarrel is silverish, there is no blood, and fades to white into the opening scene with a 3D-like effect. Additionally, in a similar manner to Casino Royale, a variation of this scene is present in the Final Battle, with Bond walking through a tunnel that resembles a gun barrel and turning to shoot a mook hidden behind the camera. In addition, the international version of the film uses a Logo Joke where the Universal globe becomes the white dot that cues the intro.
  • The non-Eon Productions Never Say Never Again didn't use one, for the likely reason that Eon trademarked it, along with Eon's "007" logo that doesn't appear in the film. Connery's name was simply framed into the middle "0" of the film's own 007 logo in the opening credits, and the same was done with his face for the film's closure.

Anime & Manga

• Fist of the North Star did this when Kenshiro was attacked by raiders with crossbows; he kicks the arrows back at them and we see the view from one of the raiders' scopes as blood comes flowing down.
• Sonic X pulls this one - in Francis's imagination about their supply teacher - she laughs at the mental image, not knowing that Mr. Stewart IS really a secret agent.
• Owarimonogatari contains one at the start of Episode 3, with Araragi shooting into the barrel.
• Done in the Reference Overdosed opening to Princess Jellyfish as a Shout-Out to Bond. Hanamori and Sugimoto walk up to each other in the visible part of the "barrel" and shoot guns at the audience before they're interrupted by Mayaya in a Game of Death yellow jumpsuit.
• The second opening to Di Gi Charat Nyo! features one of these among many other movie references.

Comic Books

• The Beano: One Bond parody story opened by looking down the barrel of a water gun at Dennis, who then fires his own water gun, causing water to flow down the frame instead of blood.
• Deadpool: Dracula's Gauntlet had Deadpool attempt this, as part of a parody of James Bond opening credit sequences. Unfortunately, he gets shot instead.
• L.E.G.I.O.N.: In an Elseworlds L.E.G.I.O.N. annual parodying James Bond, Lobo, rather than shooting the barrel, spits it.

Commercials

• An "eat five fruits and vegetables a day" commercial had Bond pull a banana at the gun barrel and instead of blood, juice flowed down.

Films — Animation

• In Flushed Away, the gun barrel is actually a DVD that Roddy shoots with a suction cup dart to drop into the player.

Films — Live-Action

• In the documentary Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, footage featuring all six Bond actors is mixed together to have them standing alongside one another, firing at the same time.
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives had this with a closeup on Jason's eye, which is followed by him swinging a machete at the onlooker. The resulting flow of blood forms the title of the film.
• A tongue-in-cheek spoof happens in the opening credits of Magnum Force, where the gunbarrel is substituted with Harry Callahan's .44 Magnum.
• Parodied in one of the British posters◊ for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. It even includes The Name Is Bond, James Bond line.
• In The Nude Bomb, Maxwell Smart turns to fire at the camera, only to wince from the sound of the gunshot as he's not wearing hearing protection.
• Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! starts with Fin, in a tux, wielding a chainsaw. The camera is inside a shark, with the pitch-black gums and teeth serving as the gun barrel.

Live-Action TV

• Appears in the commercially released Highlander blooper reels. The scene starts off as it does in the actual episode, but when the character walking with Duncan says "I didn't catch your name" Paul answers "Bond...James Bond." He does the Bond shot and both start singing the Bond theme tune. This is probably a shout out to the fan campaigns for Adrian Pault to play Bond.
• MADtv (1995) had an opening skit parodying the James Bond gun barrel opening where instead of Bond shooting the sniper, he misses and jumps/rolls all over the place to avoid being hit by the sniper.
• The Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch "The Pantomime Horse Is A Secret Agent Film" had a pantomime horse at the end of the gun barrel.
• In the Pierce Brosnan episode of Muppets Tonight, this shows up when Clifford tries to introduce Pierce. When Pierce (Who's lost in the station) doesn't show, it centers on Clifford.
  Clifford: Hey, man! Get that thing offa me!
• The MythBusters did an episode of James Bond myths. This trope makes an appearance with "Hyneman. James Hyneman." in the role of Bond.
• A Whammy on the Press Your Luck reboot apes the Bond gun barrel bit with a curtain of green replacing the red.
• Parodied on The Red Green Show in an "Adventures with Bill" skit involving a paintball match and an empty paper towel roll.
• The Sesame Street sketch "The Spy Who Loved Cookies" has Cookie Monster point a cookie at the gun barrel. Instead of using the cookie to fight, he gobbles it up, and the screen drips with milk as the transition.
• The opening credits of Sledge Hammer! have Sledge toting the Amigo. speaking the Catchphrase. And blasting great holes in the camera lens.
• The Spitting Image spoof regarding Peter Wright, who wrote an expose about MI5 that the British government tried to ban, starts with Wright doing the usual Bond intro, except he turns to spurt ink over the screen with a fountain pen.
• Parodied on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, with Anton du Beke dancing inside the gun barrel. Used the Bond theme and made two "Licenced to" jokes.

Music

• James Bond
  • a-ha's video for "The Living Daylights".
  • Sheryl Crow uses it at the beginning of her video for the song "Tomorrow Never Dies", the theme song for the Bond movie of the same name.
  • Madonna's video for "Die Another Day" ends with her going through a door - and cuts to her silhouette in the gunbarrel, which promptly gets the red wash.
• Super Junior's music video for "Spy" uses it with Siwon at the other end. The song and music video are both sort of inspired by the Bond films, some of which are actually mentioned in the lyrics.

Pinball

• One appears in Gottlieb's James Bond 007, on the playfield right above the flippers.
• GoldenEye has them on the backbox speakers and the sides of the cabinet.

Video Games

• The James Bond video games themselves have used the red wash at the end of this sequence to symbolize when the player dies. The Quantum of Solace game also includes the barrel itself slowly appearing over the borders of the screen as the player nears death. And, since at least GoldenEye (1997), the gun barrel sequence has been featured in the games (in this case, it's the attract sequence before the title screen; in others, like Everything or Nothing, it is seen right as you start a new game).
  • There was also an ad for The World Is Not Enough on the Nintendo 64 asking if players ever wondered what it was like to be Bond, followed by a fat guy jumping around as shots were fired through the barrel.
  • Notably, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent uses the beginning of the gunbarrel, but the "white spot" opens up to Dr. No, firing a bullet with Goldeneye's face superimposed onto it.
  • IO Interactive released a teaser trailer for a 007 game, which was simply an extreme close-up of the gun barrel, as seen here.
• Three "gun-barrel-cam" shots were added to the Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes: The first is just before you fight Ocelot (the barrel of his revolver, obviously), and the other two bookending the tank fight (with the tank's barrel being used - the first time the expected way, the second time following a grenade thrown down it). They're over relatively quickly, but given the other shout-outs to Bond in the series, the homage is obvious.
• The ZX Spectrum game Zub opens with the title character, wearing a black version of his spacesuit and with a bowtie, re-enacting the gunbarrel scene.
• Just Shapes & Beats: One of the final levels, "Try This" starts off with one (made of the hazardous pink stuff). The entire level as well as the music is very reminiscent of a spy movie heist.
• Special Project Y, a spy-themed action game, have the player doing this in the introductory cutscene.
• Richard Miller does this in the opening sequence of the first Time Crisis game.

Webcomics

• Consolers has Rare doing this in the GoldenEye (1997) comic.

Web Original

• Arfenhouse Teh Movie, where Housemaster's demented laughter apparently suffices to cause the blood to drip down.
• Decker: Gregg's Decker Versus Dracula: The Lost Works features Kington in a very Bond-like gun barrel sequence, though he is holding a crucifix instead of a gun.
• The Nostalgia Chick has an animation of a dragon doing this during her Dragonheart review because the dragon was played by Sean Connery. It plays three times.
• In Epic Rap Battles of History's "James Bond vs. Austin Powers", Bond does this at the end of his first verse.
• How It Should Have Ended began an episode about Casino Royale (2006) with every official Bond actor up to that point (plus Woody Allen, who had a supporting role in a Bond parody) arguing over who gets to shoot at the camera.
• JonTron tried to do this once, but broke his back in the process.
• Two Best Friends Play: For the Bond-a-thon, Matt plays every James Bond video game since Goldeneye 1997. The animated intro has a silhouette of him in a tuxedo. He quick draws the gun and shoots himself in the foot. The sniper simply shakes his head and lowers the gun in disgust as Matt hops around.
• Naturally, considering the Trope Namer and Trope Maker himself is one of the two combatants, there was no way this wasn't going to happen in the DEATH BATTLE! between James Bond and John Wick. Specifically, when the two face off in a Quick Draw, Bond wins out, recreating the iconic scene by shooting Wick in the upper chest area- an area where Wick's bulletproof suit doesn't protect.

Western Animation

• An episode of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective series has this - with Ace farting (a reference to his habit of talking out of his ass).
• The "Tearjerker" episode of American Dad! parodied this by having the gun barrel actually shoot Stan.
  Stan: OW! What the hell? Wait... you're a gun? I always thought you were an eyeball or something! Douche.
• The Angry Beavers episode "The Mom from U.N.C.L.E." featured a spoof of the gun barrel sequence where the gun barrel was actually a washing machine that Norb and Daggett's mother proceeded to put clothes in.
• The Avenger Penguins episode "Fishfinger" has Rocky appear in the gun barrel during the gun barrel sequence parody.
• The Beetlejuice episode "Snugglejuice" features a send-up to the gun barrel sequence where Germs Pondscum is viewed through a straw that Beetlejuice is using to shoot P's (a P-shooter, if you will) and immediately sprays slime at Beetlejuice.
• The Biker Mice from Mars episode "Steelfinger" featured an homage to the James Bond gun barrel sequence where Modo fired a laser pistol at the gun barrel.
• Used in a Dexter's Laboratory episode with a pie, the whole of which was a parody of Bond films.
• Eek! The Cat did this once. The gun barrel occurred as normal, except EEK emerged, dressed in a tuxedo. Instead of firing a gun, he raised a wrapped straw to his mouth and blew the paper wrapping off, causing the signature "bleed" effect. The wrapping hit Sharkey the Sharkdog in the eye. The James Bond theme was replaced with a version of EEK's theme but done in the Bond-theme style.
• The Garbage Pail Kids Cartoon episode "An Egg-citing Adventure" featured a spoof of Goldfinger called Goldthumb, the opening of which showed James Bland shooting a pie gun at the gun barrel.
• Parodied in the U.S. Acres episodes with "Double-O Orson". Instead of shooting he throws a pie and instead of blood whipped cream is washing down.
• Used in the episode "Spy Buddies" of Spongebob Squarepants where the gun barrel was actually Patrick looking through a straw.
• Also used in an episode of Johnny Test, only with Johnny and Dukey shooting a green goo at the camera.
• Appears in Logorama when Ronald kills a Michelin cop.
• Robot Chicken pulls this in, of all things, a Christmas special. But it goes one step further by spoofing the entire opening sequence of Casino Royale (2006) with Santa killing a child who's made the naughty list.^note Jaden exposed himself to a maid And That's Terrible.
  • Also with Ross Hashanah, who shoots through a Star of David. "Don't get blood on the new carpet."
• The Muppet Babies (1984) episode "Nice to Have Gnome You" shows Gonzo using a squirt gun on the gun barrel during the "Bookah Bookah" musical number.
  • The Muppet Babies (2018) episode, "Secret Agent Double-Oh-Frog" features Kermit tossing a water balloon at the gun barrel shaped like his pupil.
• Parodied in the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "MMMystery on the Friendship Express". In Pinkie Pie's Imagine Spot, "Con Mane" (Donut Joe) squirts donut jelly onto the barrel.
• The Pound Puppies (1980s) episode "Secret Agent Pup" featured a parody of the James Bond gun barrel sequence where Cooler held a dog biscuit as if it were a gun and splashed water at the gun barrel from a bucket.
• Sheep in the Big City featured a parody of the gun barrel sequence in "The Wool is Not Enough", where a scene shows Sheep being followed by what looks like a gun barrel before white liquid spills over. It then turns out that General Specific was using a telescope to spy on Sheep and that the Angry Scientist had spilled milk in front of the telescope.
• The Simpsons: Homer does this in the Couch Gag for the season six episode "And Maggie Makes Three" (the episode with Homer changing his "Don't Forget; You're Here Forever" sign to "Do It For Her" by covering it with the missing pictures of Maggie), later recycled for "The Springfield Connection" (the episode in which Marge joins the police force), only the James Bond music was at a lower key.
• In the Total Drama Action episode "Dial M For Murder", Chris does this. But instead of shooting a gun, he throws a tomato at the camera.
• The T.U.F.F. Puppy episode "The Wrong Stuff" has a spoof of the gun barrel sequence where the gun barrel appears over Keswick holding a piece of cake and then focuses on a silhouette of Jack Rabbit holding a carrot.
• The Ultimate Spider-Man episode "For Your Eye Only" begins with a parody of the James Bond gun barrel sequence where Spider-Man shoots his webbing at the gun barrel.
• The finale of Wacky Races (2017), "Muttleys Are Forever"/"Never Say Muttley Again" has Muttley simply snickering as the gun barrel follows him.
• An episode of Yogi's Treasure Hunt spoofing Bond movies has the gun barrel over Yogi Bear, who shoots a bottle of ketchup at it.

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