The actors playing 007 may change, but some things in the James Bond franchise remain the same. Among the cool cars, cooler gadgets, beautiful women, and intense action, sits a series of images that has existed in every incarnation of the super spy’s adventures — the iconic gun barrel sequence.

Normally featured in the opening of the film, this classic piece of filmmaking lets the audience see Bond walk into view from the point-of-view of an assailant’s gun barrel, only for Bond to fire directly at the screen and dispatch his assassin. Trust me, you’ve seen it before. In case you somehow haven’t, feel free to take a look at all of them at the exact same time in a GIF created by imgur user TheThingsTheyCarried:

Different actors, different speeds, slight changes in color, but all very much the same concept. Some notable variations include the CGI bullet flying into the gun barrel in Pierce Brosnan’s last film Die Another Day, as well as the contextualized version used at the beginning of Casino Royale. The other two Daniel Craig versions were different as well, since they came at the end of their respective films instead of the beginning.

The gun barrel sequence was originally created by Maurice Binder, the title designer on the first Bond film, Dr. No, twenty minutes before he had to present an opening title concept to the film’s producers. There is still a question that has gone unanswered for over fifty years, though. Why does the inside of the gun bleed after Bond’s assailant is shot? The world may never know.

Have you seen SPECTRE yet, and do you agree with Kyle Anderson’s review of it? Let us know in the comments below!

—

All images are the property of Eon Productions