Brosnan's Barrel
7th September 2023
Pierce Brosnan on shooting the iconic sequence
By MI6 Staff
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With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan as Bond in 1995, the gun barrel sequence underwent a significant visual change. In 'GoldenEye', the sequence incorporated CGI for the first time, giving it a more polished and modern look. Brosnan's Bond walked across the screen, clad in a tuxedo, with a muzzle flash added to the gun.
Brosnan recalled shooting the gun barrel walk: "We did quite a few takes. It's such a crazy thing to rehearse, but Martin Campbell and I did rehearse it. We went into a back room and he said 'OK, OK, come on!' He's a very tense, frenetic guy. He's got a great energy. He said, 'Let's do it!' Alright, so you walk across the floor and you do your piece. "
"We decided which image looked best and how to draw the gun, whether to do it two-handed or single-handed... And you have to look at it because that's one of the signposts and symbols from the mythology that people go 'Wow! Yes!' and the blood trickles down. And you're off! That's when the lights go down and you think, OK, it's James Bond, we're in for a wild ride. Hopefully."
All four of Brosnan's films feature the same gun barrel walk, although there are some alternatives.
For the 'GoldenEye' teaser trailer, a variation on the concept was used where Brosnan shoots the 'ON ONE MAN' letters.
Also, a digital version of Brosnan's Bond had its own gun barrel for the 2004 videogame 'Everything or Nothing.'
MI6 understands that Brosnan requested to reshoot his gun barrel for 'Die Another Day', but the schedule did not permit it. Instead, we got a CGI bullet added.
