Over the last two weeks I’ve been focusing on the stars of James Bond movies- the Bond Girls and James Bond himself. But this week, in anticipation of Skyfall’srelease today, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr No, I have been assessing the Bond movies that I love so much. I have already made my suggestions for the worst Bond films, but now I will be putting forward my choices of the Bond movies that deserve the title as ‘the Best’, in order to celebrate and revel in the success that this film series has achieved.
There are, as any Bond fan can tell you, essential ‘elements’ that are integral to any brilliant Bond movie: the pre-credits ‘opening’, the title song, the ‘official’ Bond Girl, the supporting Bond Girl(s), Bond himself, the plot, the villain and his plan, the action set pieces, the final showdown and of course, the final line. All of these contribute to making a Bond movie a Bond movie, and because of this, an excellent movie.
Here is my list of my choice of the Best Bond movies. They are in chronological order because I chickened out of ranking them.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
The Plot:
Bond continues his hunt for arch nemesis Blofeld, while simultaneously falling in love.
Why it is one of the best:
Although this may be remembered mainly for being George Lazenby’s only outing as Bond, it should also be remembered for being one of the best adaptations of any of Ian Fleming’s stories. Not only does it keep the essential ‘essence’ of the story, it manages to successfully have 007 fall in love and get married, and one of the reasons this works so well is because the stunning Diana Rigg plays the doomed love interest. Lazenby himself, in my opinion, is also the best ‘physical’ version of Bond- dashing, handsome and also rugged- and he plays Bond very well. Telly Savalas is also good as Blofeld, as he makes him less campy than Donald Pleasence’s version and more believable as an actual villain.
Best Moments:
The pre-credits opening when Bond saves Tracy and when he talks to the audience (some people hate that he breaks the forth wall, but I think it’s brilliant and contributes towards the light hearted self-referential awareness that would later be seen in Roger Moore’s outings), Diana Rigg as Tracy, the chalet in the snow and the fact that Bond sleeps with everyone there, the love story (as it is true to the book!) and the final exhilarating bobsled chase.
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Plot:
James Bond must stop an American drug lord from trying to put his rivals out of business by distributing two tons of free heroin.
Why it is one of the best:
Roger Moore’s first outing as Bond is perhaps the best Bond film ever, mainly because everything in it works. Not only is Roger Moore the best actor to portray Bond, the plot, the villain and the Bond Girl are all excellent. Live and Let Die also features recurring CIA agent Felix Leiter, and a dazzling assortment of memorable moments and brilliant action set-pieces. Although it is clearly cashing in on Blaxploitation movies of the time, this is what gives the movie its strength: as it adds a dark edge not seen (or done successfully) in many other Bond films. Live and Let Diealso features the first ever interracial kiss in a movie- which at the time was seen as controversial- proving that Bond always was ahead of the game.
Best Moments:
Obviously the title song- probably the best Bond song ever, the pre-credits funeral scene (oh when the saints go marching in!), the ‘magnetic’ watch used on the woman hiding in Bond’s cupboard, the ‘Fillet of Soul’ twisted tables, Tee Hee- the man with the metal claw, the ‘flamethrower’, Solitaire and the card trick Bond plays on her, Rosie Carver, Dr Kananga and his evil plan, the double decker bus chase, the aeroplane ‘lesson’, the alligator escape, the motorboat chase through the Bayou, the compressed gas bullet ‘explosion’, the shark, the train, the final line (he’s just being disarming) and of course the one, the only, the terrifying Baron Samedi who will forever haunt the nightmares of any child who watches this movie.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Plot:
Bond is drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse against a famous assassin named Francisco Scaramanga, more creatively known as ‘the Man with the Golden Gun’.
Why it is one of the best:
Not only is it a Roger Moore movie, this time Sir Christopher Lee plays the titular villain (who has both a Golden Gun and a third nipple), and Britt Ekland is the Bond Girl, Mary Goodnight. Goodnight may be completely useless, but she looks hot in a bikini, and provides Bond with an inevitable array of puns. Nik Nak, an evil henchman, is also memorable, as is the final battle in the ‘fairground’, and of course, one of the best stunts in Bond history, the car jump across the river (with added slide whistle).
Best Moments:
The opening ‘assassin’s playground’, the song, the third nipple, the belly dancer and her ‘lucky charm’, Miss Chew Mee, the Martial Arts nieces, the ninja school and Bond’s daring escape, the little boy on the speed boat, Goodnight in the cupboard while Bond has his way with Miss Anders, the flying car, Goodnight almost killing Bond out of stupidity, everything exploding, the fight with Nik Nak on the junk boat, the pun at the end (she’s just coming, Sir) and Lulu screaming over the end credits ‘No need to fear: James Bond is here!!’
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Plot:
James Bond must team up with his Russian (female) equivalent to stop an insane billionaire from destroying the world so that he can start a new civilisation… under the sea.
Why it is one of the best:
I can’t defend the plot here: it’s stupid and terrible. But because of Stromberg’s stupid scheme we get some of the most memorable moments in Bond history: from the elevator shark chute to the massive gun battle inside the giant boat, and, of course, the lavishly decorated escape pod, in which Bond delivers one of his best lines ever. The Spy Who Loved Mereally is the epitome of a Bond movie, mainly as it has every single element that has become associated with Bond: exotic locations, fast cars, crazy gadgets, insane villains, memorable henchmen, huge action sequences on large sets, beautiful women and of course, witty retorts and campy jokes.
Best Moments:
Jaws! The most iconic villain of all makes his first appearance, and proves just how badass he is by taking on a Great White Shark and winning. The pre-credits opening ski chases which ends in Bond jumping off a cliff… and opening his parachute which is, of course, a Union Flag, Stromberg’s secret lair, Egypt, Agent Triple X (and her very revealing scene in the submarine), the song (obviously!), Q’s base and his gadgets (anyone for tea?), the Lotus submarine car- when it goes into the water and then emerges as Bond throws a fish out of the window, the huge tanker battle, the destruction of the palace, and the final line (he’s just keeping the British end up!).
Moonraker (1979)
The Plot:
Bond must stop business tycoon Hugo Drax from wiping out the entire world’s population in order to repopulate it with his version of a ‘master race’.
Why it is one of the best:
Once again, I can’t defend the plot: it’s stupid. But that’s one reason why we love Bond, isn’t it? Moonraker wasn’t originally planned to be made after The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only was, but the producers decided to cash in on the sci-fi craze currently sweeping the world due to the success of Star Wars. Many people are dismissive of Moonraker, mainly because of its ridiculous finale (in outer space of course!), but until that point, Moonraker is actually an excellent Bond movie, and is surprisingly one of my favourites. It has so many amazing and memorable moments including the mid-air fight between Bond and Jaws after they have both jumped out of an aeroplane, and the sequences in Venice and Rio. Moonraker may well take the campiness of Bond to intergalactic highs, but it is one of the most financially successful, and for good reason.
Best Moments:
In an act of horrific sexism, Bond is ‘surprised’ when he meets Dr Goodhead… because she’s a woman, the centrifuge chamber scene, the pheasant hunt (and the poor woman mauled to death by Drax’s dogs), the coffin killer on the canals in Venice and the gondola chase, the fight in the glass museum which results in the man being thrown through a stain glass window clock face headfirst into a piano, Rio- particularly Manuela, the stunningly beautiful assistant who, in a very rare turn, doesn’t get killed, the Carnival where Jaws is especially terrifying in a clown costume, the cable car, the ambulance, the speed boat chase and hang gliding through the rainforest, the anaconda fight, Jaws falling in love and saving the day, the finale when Bond and Dr Goodhead have to destroy the poison, the sex in zero gravity and, obviously, the finale line (he’s attempting re-entry).
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Plot:
Bond must stop Max Zorin, an evil eccentric billionaire, from destroying Silicon Valley.
Why it is one of the best:
Roger Moore may look old in this one, but that doesn’t matter: it’s still Roger Moore. He is and always will be the best Bond, so we can overlook the fact he’s clearly aged terribly. A View to a Kill has some of the very best action sequences and set pieces in any Bond movie, and also has a great cast. Christopher Walken is the incredibly horrible villain, and his sidekick is Grace Jones. Need I say anymore? Tanya Roberts, who gets to be Bond Girl Stacey Sutton, is very beautiful and, even though she is perhaps one of the more helpless Bond Girls (she gets ‘kidnapped’ by a blimp!!), she serves her purpose as being both useful and gorgeous. Patrick Macnee also has a small but important role, and I always get upset when May Day follows him to the car wash… The title song is also brilliant, and overall, this is an excellent effort- one that has its final showdown on top of the Golden Gate Bridge!
Best Moments:
The ski chase in Antarctica (if you ignore the Beach Boys bit), May Day- she can tame a horse, and she can tame 007 (when they have sex- she’s on top!!), the amazing Eiffel Tower base jump and car chase through Paris, Zorin throwing a man out of his blimp, the fire in the elevator shaft and the resulting fire engine chase through San Francisco, the destruction of the mine (which, for a Bond film is very graphic and disturbing), May Day on the hand car (I can’t help but laugh every time!), the blimp and the final showdown on the Golden Gate Bridge, the fact that Bond gets the ‘Order of Lenin’- the first time ever it is awarded to a non-Soviet citizen, and the fact that we can enjoy Roger Moore as Bond one last time.
Licence to Kill (1989)
The Plot:
Bond quits the MI6 and goes rogue in order to track down drug lord Franz Sanchez who attacked Felix Leiter and murdered his wife on their wedding day.
Why it is one of the best:
The Living Daylights may well have been one of the worst Bond films in history, but Timothy Dalton proves his mettle by playing a much darker and purpose fuelled Bond in his second and final outing, Licence to Kill. This movie is much murkier and edgier than any Bond before or since, and, fitting into the 80s action movie style, is very graphic and violent. The revenge plot is engaging and different, and is a stark contrast to Roger Moore’s efforts, but with Dalton as the more ‘serious’ Bond, it works well. Carey Lowell is an excellent Bond Girl (and she’s smoking hot too), and Robert Davi (who you may recognise from The Goonies) is a brilliant villain. In a very rare move, the secondary Bond Girl, Lupe (played by Talisa Soto) is shown to be seriously abused by Sanchez and also manages to survive- giving Bond an incredibly rare moment in which he has to choose which Bond Girl he wants to end up with as they both make it to the end credits. Licence to Kill takes Bond completely out of England, giving us a much more exotic backdrop for the entire movie, making it very different from all the rest.
Best Moments:
The beginning battle in the Florida Keys with the aeroplane and helicopter is excellent- and ends with them all parachuting in to the wedding. This time, it’s personal, as Felix and his wife are literally fed to the sharks (he disagreed with something that ate him). There is another great quote from supporting character Sharkey (‘what a terrible waste… of money!'), the song, Bond’s Licence is Revoked (the original name of the film), Bond water skiing from the aeroplane, the bar fight, the plot and the fact that Bond works with the villain to destroy him, the exploding head- now who could forget that??, Benicio Del Toro as a henchman who is ultimately shredded in a cocaine crushing machine, the tanker chase and, in one of the most satisfying (but equally disturbing) Bond endings, James Bond uses the lighter that Felix gives to him at the wedding to exact his revenge on Sanchez.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The Plot:
Bond must protect oil heiress Electra King from international terrorist Renard, and also prevent a nuclear meltdown.
Why it is one of the best:
Pierce Brosnan is a very good Bond. Not only is he a good actor, he is also charming and funny but can be serious too. He is a mix of Moore and Dalton, but with his own added panache. The film itself also has all the best features of any Bond movie and makes them all work together exceptionally well: a good plot, a great villain (and I’m not talking about Robert Carlyle), a sexy Bond Girl (who doesn’t find Denise Richards attractive?), a great song and both a submarine and a ski chase (it isn’t Bond without one or both of these elements!), loads of action and some mind blowing stunts- especially the pre-credits opening motorboat race around the river Thames. It is also a connected to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the title is Bond’s family motto (as revealed in that film) and Elektra has a similar back story to Tracy- which is why Bond falls for her. This one really is one of my favourites because not only is it an excellent Bond film - it’s an excellent movie too.
Best Moments:
The beginning in Spain when Bond jumps out of a window, MI6 getting blown up and the subsequent chase on the river, the oil dancing women in the title credits, the very last appearance of Q (he always has an escape plan!), the ski chase, Robbie Coltrane appearing as Zukovsky for the second and final time, Elektra and her withered ear, Dr Christmas Jones, his escape from the tunnel on the chains, the pipeline scene, what happens to M, the big twist, the tree chopper on the docks destroying the car and the buildings, ‘I never miss’, the ending in the submarine and the final line (‘I thought that Christmas only comes once a year’).
Honourable Mentions
They might not be the very best examples of a Bond film, but they have some incredibly memorable moments…
Goldfinger (1964)
You might be asking yourself why this didn’t make it onto my list. Well, it definitely does have some unforgettable and iconic scenes, but I can’t ignore the terrible sexism that plagues this movie- and the awful way in which the villain is dispatched. But regardless of that, it’s still a pretty good effort, in spite of Sean Connery playing Bond.
GoldenEye (1995)
Gritty, dark and tough, GoldenEye definitely is a very good Bond movie, but there’s something about it that just doesn’t ‘click’ with me. I definitely enjoy watching it, and it has some excellent action sequences, but something about the main plot just doesn’t work…
Casino Royale (2006)
Sure, everyone loves this Bond film. And I do really like it. But I’m not crazy about Daniel Craig as Bond. It’s odd that they spend so long setting Bond up as this robotic macho He-Man and then make him ‘sensitive’ by making him instantly fall head over heels in love… there needs to be more of a middle ground. And I really can’t get past the scene where he licks Vesper’s fingers in his clothes in the shower… talk about completely emasculating Bond in the most unrealistic and stupid way possible. But apart from this unforgivable act, this movie does have a lot of things going for it, and I do really like it.
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