12 – Live and
Let Die (1973)
And here we have
what I believe (at the moment) to be the best of the Roger Moore Bond
flicks. In his first outing as agent 007, Moore does an admirable job
and plays his part with confidence. What's so strange about LaLD is
that it's basically just a blaxploitation film with James Bond in it.
This sounds stupid, but it's actually a bit of good fun. It takes
Bond to some fascinating locations and through some great action set
pieces. True, some of the humour is dumb and while I don't hate
Solitaire (the Bond girl) I don't quite see why everyone adores her
so much. But 'dat theme song, though. One complaint I often hear from
non-Bond fans is that all the movies are the same. This is the one I
point out to them in retort.
11 – Spectre
(2015)
Maybe it's unfair
to list Spectre in the top half of this list (though I guess
11/24 is close to the middle) since I've only seen it once. But when
I compare it against the other movies of this series I was surprised
at how much I like it. I just reviewed this film in November so I
won't go too much into detail here. Spectre isn't brilliant,
but it is enjoyable and presents a satisfying conclusion to the
Daniel Craig saga, which is taken back into a more traditional style
of Bond films, what with henchmen, SPECTRE, Blofeld, and a more
traditional romance. It's a classic Bond for the 21st
century.
10 – License
to Kill (1989)
This is another one
of those “different” Bond films. That is to say this is a really
violent revenge film in which James Bond – played by a moody
Timothy Dalton – is basically the Punisher. Instead of an evil
genius trying to take over the world our villain is a drug lord who's
above the law. Instead of an official mission, Bond has gone rogue –
on a personal vendetta to avenge his best friend – trying to stay
one step ahead of MI6. Instead of attacking head on, Bond goes
undercover, getting close to his prey by posing as an enforcer.
There's a sizable group of people who don't like this film – and I
must admit, the part with the ninjas was just weird – but I find
that if you give it a chance License to Kill provides an
entertaining and fascinating look at a side of Bond that we don't
often see.
9 – Thunderball
(1965)
This is where we
get into the “really good” films territory. Thunderball is
just one of those classic Bond films that delivers the goods in all
of the normal Bondian departments. The action, the girls, the
gadgets, the villain, the theme song, the locations, the acting are
all spot-on. The well-choreographed underwater fight scenes were
especially impressive. Sure, this was the point at which the gadgetry
and action started to overshadow the plot. But it's still a fine Bond
film, in my opinion.
8 – The Living
Daylights (1987)
I first saw The
Living Daylights while I was powering through the 23-film blu ray
box set and I instantly fell in love with it. Having never before
seen a Timothy Dalton 007 film, I was blown away by how intense and
thrilling this one was. Dalton's ruthless performance does away with
the silliness of the Moore-era films and sticks closer to the agent
depicted in Ian Fleming's novels (which Dalton was frequently spotted
reading on the set). What also makes TLD stand apart from the others
is how there's only one Bond girl throughout the film, Kara Milovy,
which presents a more romantic dimension that's missing from most
other Bond films. Also, the locations are very interesting late-Cold
War locales: Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Afghanistan. All in all,
TLD took the Bond formula and updated it for the late 1980's while at
the same time keeping it timeless. Sure, the villains aren't that
memorable, but I still consider The Living Daylights to be a
great underrated Bond adventure. I'm surprised that I hadn't heard of
it before watching it.
7 – From
Russia With Love (1963)
If someone comes
along as asks you what the most classic Bond film ever is, answer
with this one. Everything about this film – from the action,
locations, characters, villains – is so unforgettable. And Sean
Connery delivers possibly his best 007 performance ever. And for a
1960's spy-action flick, it's surprisingly realistic, retaining the
intense substance of Fleming's original novel. It's as if they took
Dr. No, and added 50% more awesome. FRWL is 60's action at its
finest.
6 – You Only
Live Twice (1967)
YOLT was the first
Bond flick I saw that starred Sean Connery, and I was blown away by
how terrific it was. This was the first true big 007 film. The
sets were huge and impressive. The stakes had never been higher, with
the fate of the world in the balance. The action has viewers on the
edge of their seats, especially with the huge ninja-gun battle at the
end. And best of all, we finally get to meet Ernst Stavro Blofeld,
SPECTRE's commander, face to face with a fantastic performance by
Donald Pleasance. You Only Live Twice is so much fun, you'll
find yourself willing to forgive such shortcomings as the fact that
sometimes the sets/gadgets overshadow the story, or that the Bond
girls this time around are pretty forgettable. In short, YOLT is the
quintessential extravagant spy-action movie that's often imitated yet
seldom duplicated.
5 – Goldeneye
(1995)
It seems that
people from my generation just absolutely adore this film, and I'm
not going to argue with them. Out of all the Bond films, this one has
the best cast of characters – especially villains – and probably
the best direction. This keeps the action up close and personal and
it allows the dialogue to be intriguing enough. Judi Dench makes a
fine new M, who is now an actual character instead of just a standard
“boss” stereotype. In his first mission as the renowned agent
007, Pierce Brosnan delivers a well-rounded portrayal in the same
vein as Connery himself. The locations are nice too. It took them 33
years, but they finally set a Bond film in Moscow, proving that the
end of the Cold War is no hindrance to this immortal series. And this
entry here is a modern Bond classic. Sign me up!
4 – On Her
Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
I know a lot of
people really hate George Lazenby and a lot of people really hate
this movie. But I'm not one of them. Look, Lazenby may have acted
like a total douche in his refusal to do any future Bond roles –
turning down a huge opportunity in the process – but his
performance in On Her Majesty's Secret Service is really good.
His on-screen presence is impeccable; not quite as good as Connery's,
but in the same ball park at least. He even manages to bring a
dimension of emotional vulnerability to the role, something a lot of
other Bond actors could not. As a whole, OHMSS is an exciting and
well-put-together action film. The setting is neat, the plot is
gripping, and the characters are fun to watch. Blofeld is back, this
time handily (and more actively) by Telly Savalas. And the Bond girl
this time around, Contessa Teresa Di Vicenzo (or just Tracey), plays
such a huge role that it makes for one of the series' most memorable
romances, mainly thanks to Diana Rigg's performance. All this
culminates in the saddest ending of the series. All in all, OHMSS is
a wonderful, classic Bond film. If this had been the last one and the
series ended up being a hexology, it would undoubtedly be the finest,
most high-caliber series of action films ever.
3 – Skyfall
(2012)
The period after
Quantum of Solace was when I truly became a 007 fan (shocking,
I know), which made Skyfall the first Bond film that I
actively anticipated. And man, it did not disappoint! For the first
time Daniel Craig truly hits his stride and fully embodies the
character of James Bond. He spent Casino Royale becoming the
character we know and love, and QoS was too poorly written to give
Craig much of a chance. But here, he's excellent. With Skyfall,
the series sees the return of such classic regulars such as Q and Ms.
Moneypenny, while at the same time giving us a rare glimpse into
Bond's personal past. I also have to mention what a worthy sendoff we
get for Judi Dench's M, who I guess takes the place of the standard
Bond girl here. No matter! This movie does so many things right, it'd
be impossible to list them all here. What a great film.
2 – Goldfinger
(1964)
What else can I say
about Goldfinger that hasn't already been said? It's easily
the best of the classic Bond movies and often regarded as the best of
them all. It's the one film that all others are measured up against –
insert obligatory “gold standard” joke here – and it has every
last one of the elements that make a great Bond film: fantastic
action, smooth one-liners, captivating acting, a smart villain, cool
gadgets, an excellent theme song, and a lovable Bond girl with a
rather provocative name. Goldfinger simply does everything
right. And it's only number two on this list.
1 – Casino
Royale (2006)
And my choice for
number one Bond film ever – from both a subjective and objective
point of view – comes as no surprise here. Casino Royale was
actually the first 007 film I ever saw and I was lucky enough to have
seen it theatres too. From the opening scene, theme song, and credit
sequence I was fully captivated. After seeing all the other films, I
very much appreciate this one's revival of the gritty and intense
Bond that Dalton brought about nearly 20 years earlier, while at the
same time showing us a more emotionally-charged agent 007 who at this
point in his career is still overconfident and makes mistakes. It's a
more human side to the character of James Bond, and that's one of the
reasons why I really like Daniel Craig as Bond. I also don't mind
that CR is a reboot; it brought the series back to basics – via
jettisoning the outlandish gadgets, elaborate special effects, and
cartoony action sequences – at a time when it desperately needed
it. And it doesn't hurt that this film has some of the series' most
intense action scenes ever. In short, I believe that Casino Royale
is one of the best action movies of this century and it is easily my
pick as the best James Bond film ever made.
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