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Cinematic Tag


"Walther PPK. 7.65mm with a delivery like a brick through a plate-glass window. Takes a Brausch silencer, with little reduction in muzzle velocity. The American CIA swear by them."
Major Boothroyd to James Bond[src]

The Walther PPK is a German pistol issued to James Bond in the 1958 Ian Fleming novel, Dr. No. With the transition to the big screen, the PPK became Bond's primary weapon and was featured from 1962 (Dr. No) to 1997 (Tomorrow Never Dies). In the film Tomorrow Never Dies, the transition was made to the Walther P99, which would be used for the rest of Pierce Brosnan's tenure as Bond.

Although the promotional material for Casino Royale featured the PPK, it was only used during the pre-title fight sequence with Dryden's contact, Fisher. For the rest of the film, Bond would continue to rely on the P99. For 2008's Quantum of Solace, however, the Walther PPK made a welcome return as 007's main sidearm throughout the film. This trend continued in Skyfall (2012), where the spy was provided with a modified Walther PPK/S.

Literary History[]

Ian Fleming-era[]

The PPK makes it literary debut in Dr. No, the sixth book in the series. The reason for this change is found in the previous book, From Russia with Love where Bond's Beretta 418 gets caught in his holster. Taking several months to recover from injuries sustained at the end of the earlier book, Bond has his new weapon forced upon him. Although he is initially reluctant to use the weapon, he soon comes to rely on it.

The introduction of the PPK as Bond's favoured weapon came about after firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd, a fan of the novels, fired off several helpful letters to author Ian Fleming making helpful suggestions to improve the accuracy of firearms in the novels. Fleming himself had used a Beretta chambered in .25 ACP while serving in Naval Intelligence during World War II, and initially had Bond carry the same weapon. Boothroyd felt the small cartridge was too weak, and suggested Bond carry a larger caliber.

In one extensive letter to Fleming regarding the accuracy of Russian firearms Boothroyd suggested in passing that Bond should carry the German made Walther PPK (Polizei Pistolen Krimminal = Criminal Police Pistol, designed for undercover detectives) as his chosen sidearm. Though not as accurate as some other pistols of the same era the PPK had the great advantage of using the 7.65mm (.32 ACP) cartridge which was readily available all over the world, fitting in with Bond's jet set lifestyle. Thus the PPK entered into Bond folklore and into popular culture as the preferred weapon of the espionage operative.

Fleming was so grateful for Geoffrey Boothroyd's advice on firearms that he named the "Armourer" in Bond novels "Major Boothroyd" - now known as "Q". In the novel Dr No "M" introduces "Major Boothroyd" to 007 as the "greatest small arms expert in the world".

John Gardner-era[]

By the time John Gardner took over as Bond novelist, he had retired the PPK. The reason for this is due the kidnapping attempt on HRH Princess Anne on March 1974, during which Anne's personal police officer, Inspector James Beaton, had his PPK had jam during the incident, causing the PPK to be withdrawn from use.[1] Gardner tried various sidearm options in his earlier continuation novels, before finally settling for the ASP Pistol for the rest of his writing tenure.[2]

Raymond Benson-era[]

During writer Raymond Benson's tenure, he reinstated the PPK as Bond's sidearm in his first novel Zero Minus Ten. although it would be replaced in his novelisation of Tomorrow Never Dies by the P99. In the following novels Bond uses both guns: the PPK for undercover work as it is smaller and easier to conceal while he used the P99 for jobs that did not require concealment.

Film Appearances[]

Dr. No (film)[]

BondGivenHisWaltherPPK

James Bond being given the Walther PPK

"You'll carry the Walther. Unless you'd prefer to go back to standard intelligence duties?"
"No, sir. I would not. "
"Then from now on you carry a different gun
"
M and James Bond[src]

The first film in the EON Bond series is an adaptation of Dr. No, and translates the scene from the novel where Major Boothroyd supplies James Bond with his Walther PPK in full (although, while identified on-screen as a PPK and presumably intended as such, the weapon used on screen is the larger Walther PP, the pistol that was the basis for the PPK).

From Russia with Love (film)[]

To be added

Goldfinger (film)[]

To be added

Thunderball (film)[]

To be added

You Only Live Twice (film)[]

To be added

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)[]

To be added

Diamonds Are Forever (film)[]

To be added

Live and Let Die (film)[]

To be added

The Man with the Golden Gun (film)[]

To be added

The Spy Who Loved Me (film)[]

To be added

Moonraker (film)[]

James Bond is never seen to use the PPK (although he is pictured with his usual PPK in artwork for the film, including various DVD covers).

For Your Eyes Only (film)[]

To be added

Octopussy (film)[]

James Bond uses a Walther P5 because of a request by Walther to promote the then-new pistol.

A View to a Kill (film)[]

To be added

The Living Daylights (film)[]

To be added

Licence to Kill (film)[]

"It's a wise gambler, who knows when his luck has run out. Why this?"
"In my buisness you prepare for the unexpected.
"
Franz Sanchez and James Bond[src]

To be added

GoldenEye (film)[]

"Walther PPK, 7.65mm, only three men I know use such a gun, I believe I've killed two of them."
Valentin Zukovsky to James Bond[src]

Valentin Zukovsky identifies the weapon as James Bond points it at his head.

Tomorrow Never Dies (film)[]

Bond adopts the then-new Walther P99 as his new sidearm.

Casino Royale (film)[]

Despite the posters and promotional material featuring the PPK, it was only used during the pre-title fight sequence with Dryden's contact, Fisher. For the rest of the film, Bond would continue to rely on the Walther P99.

Quantum of Solace (film)[]

The Walther PPK made a welcome return as James Bond's main sidearm throughout the film.

Skyfall (film)[]

During James Bond's meeting with Q, Bond is provided with a Walther PPK/S, a variant with a longer grip, allowing a larger capacity.

Spectre (film)[]

To be added

No Time to Die (film)[]

To be added

Video Game Appearances[]

Runway Goldeneye 007

From GoldenEye 007; PPK (Wolfram PP7) equipped during mission "Runaway"

The Walther PPK appears in the beta version of the 1997 video game GoldenEye 007, but in the release version, the name was changed to the "Wolfram PP7" for trademark reasons, as with all guns in the game. Subsequent video games kept the tradition.

Service Revolver (Walther PPK) - James Bond 007 (Game Boy)

"Service Revolver", as seen in the James Bond 007 manual (1998).

Likely modeled on the Walther PPK, the "pistol" in the 1998 Nintendo Game Boy game James Bond 007 is represented by a blocky handgun sprite. Interestingly, the game's instruction manual describes the weapon as the "Service Revolver", despite clearly depicting it as a PPK-esque semi-automatic handgun. The game's most basic weapon, Bond is first equipped with the pistol in London (and can find it in almost any level afterward). He can carry a maximum of 99 rounds of pistol ammunition, which can be replenished by collecting loot boxes from fallen enemies.

In the N64 version of the game, with the use of cheats, there are two rare, special variants of this weapon: The Silver PP7, which fires bullets that penetrate similar to the Cougar Magnum, and a Gold PP7, that fires bullets as if they were being fired from Francisco Scaramanga's Golden Gun.

In 007 Legends, the Walther PPK can be unlocked through cheat codes or as a pre-order bonus.

Trivia[]

  • Throughout the entire film series, the PPK has appeared with its suppressor attached in only six films: From Russia with Love, Thunderball, The Living Daylights, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Spectre. While Bond does attach a suppressor to his pistol in Dr. No, however, the gun seen on-screen is actually a Walther PP.
  • While it is a well-known fact the James Bond series popularized the Walther PPK, another famous, seemingly honorable role of the weapon is it also responsible for the death of the notorious Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler, as he committed suicide with his own PPK in 1945.
  • In terms of modern combat viability, the census is that while the PPK is still regarded as a viable concealed carry/back-up pistol, it doesn't quite measure up against modern CCW options and is not recommended as the main carry sidearm with prolonged combat engagements in mind.
    • The PPK's design remains is virtually unchanged from 1931. On a positive side; the PPK small, reliable, accurate, and simple to use with light recoil. However, most versions are made of steel, which can make it somewhat heavy for its size and which some users say feels uncomfortable. Also, modern subcompact pistols come chambered in 9x19mm - and PPK only comes chambered in either .22 LR, .32, or .380 ACP calibers - all inferior to the 9mm in stopping power. Its magazine is single-stack, meaning it only carries some 6 to 10 rounds, depending on a caliber.
    • Also, the PPK is known for somewhat random reliability. As noted prior, a member of the Royal Protection Squad had their PPK jam during the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne in 1974. This caused the PPK to be withdrawn from their use, and would ultimately inspire John Gardner to seek a new sidearm for the literary Bond in his continuation novels.

Gallery[]

Walther PPK/Gallery

See also[]

References[]

  1. Gardner, John [1981] (23 June 2011). "Chapter 5: The Road to Ascot", Licence Renewed, James Bond (in En-UK). Orion. ISBN 9780857820457. “By now, however, the PPK had been withdrawn from use, following its nasty habit of jamming at crucial moments. The weapon did this once too often, on the night of March 20th, 1974, when a would-be kidnapper with a history of mental illness attempted to abduct Princess Anne and her husband, Captain Mark Phillips. The royal couple’s bodyguard, Inspector James Beaton, was wounded, and, in attempting to return fire, his Walther jammed.” 
  2. Simpson, Paul (2020). Bond vs. Bond: The Many Faces of 007 (Revised and Updated) (in En-UK). Race Point Publishing, 71-72. ISBN 9781631066962. “[Bond was issued PPK]... although when writing in 1980s, John Gardner was conscious that a PPK belonging to the Royal Protection Squad had jammed during the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne in 1974, and therefore changed Bond's gun.[...][Talking about other pistols Bond has used as sidearm] Bond does carry another gun more than one mission: the ASP 9mm, which makes its debut in John Gardner's fourth novel, Role of Honour, after the author had experimented with different firearms prior to that and had sought inspiration from the book "The Handgun" by Geoffrey Boothroyd.” 

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