It wasn’t until around 2007 / 2008 that I really “got” James Bond, having only a marginal interest in the film series up to that point.
Born in 1987, my definitive Bond, was and probably always will be Pierce Brosnan. I was 8 when Goldeneye was released and 15 when he made his last outing as Bond in 2002’s Die Another Day. Those seven years were obviously a seminal time in my film going history, and I remember seeing the latter three Brosnan films at the cinema at their time of release. At some point in this time I’d also tracked down Goldeneye on VHS.
Around that time I was only familiar with a couple of the other Connery and Moore films, that I’d seen on TV in passing, and had never really identified myself as a Bond fan.
Sure the Brosnan film’s were an enjoyable couple of hours spent in the cinema. But at the time they never really stood out as anything spectacular. They just seemed to be your bog standard, family friendly, big budget action blockbusters.
This is why, I didn’t rush to the cinema in 2006 to see Daniel Craig’s first outing in Casino Royale. The film didn’t particularly interest me. He, as an actor, didn’t particularly interest me and nothing in the publicity had really made an impact. It was purely by chance, that I found a DVD copy of the film lying around my student accommodation circa 2008. Having no TV licence, and living in the time before Netflix, and straight forward internet streaming, the majority of my student viewing was purely DVD based.
I popped in the film, with no expectations, and it absolutely blew me away. Compared to the Bond film’s I’d already seen, it was grittier, witter, more stripped down, better directed, better played, more grounded and most importantly more coherent. There are a few occasions in the Bond back catalogue, where you’re left thinking, “Where is Bond?”, “Why is he there?” and “What is he doing?”. Not because the plot is overly complicated, but because the writing and or direction fails to coherently develop the narrative.
Casino Royale completely reinvented the series, breathed new life into it and brought it successfully into the 21st century. Since seeing Casino Royale I have purchased the 50th anniversary Blu-Ray collection, containing all of the (MGM) Bond films from Dr. No (1962) to Quantum of Solace (2008).
Having now seen all of the films numerous times, I am able to understand the formula, the historical / cinematic importance and the legacy of the Bond franchise.
Naturally, I’m slightly biased towards the newer films and slightly nostalgic towards the 90’s Bond’s. However, I’ve read many “Top Bond” lists, that all appear to contradict each other based on the author, so there is no ‘definitive’ answer.
In this post, I’ll be looking at the films, the theme songs, the girls, the gadgets, the villains and the actors. I give you…. My top…… 007:
Themes
There’s quite an eclectic mix of Bond themes. There doesn’t seem to be an exact science to the composition, as the themes range from ballads, to rock, to new wave, to synth pop, to instrumentals, to electro, to orchestral, and have been performed by a mixture of male and female artists from the UK, the USA and Europe.
There are certainly recurring motifs within some the songs, such as brass and string arrangements, and references to the film or the characters within the lyrics. Because there’s such a wide range of songs on offer, it is perhaps this reason that the range in quality is quite vast. Some are absolute gems, some are mediocre and some are rather poor indeed. Notable flops for me would be Lulu’s awful The Man With the Golden Gun, Madonna’s hideous Die Another Day and Sam Smith’s uneventful Writing’s on the Wall from Spectre.
Despite the chaff, there are at least 7 fantastic tunes that stand above the others. So, here’s my Top 007 Bond Themes:
007. Tomorrow Never Dies – Sheryl Crow (1997)
Often overlooked and underrated, Sheryl Crow’s rocky opener is by far the finest Bond theme of the Brosnan generation. I’m a big Sheryl Crow fan, and as well as co-writing the song she lends her vocals to it brilliantly. Not just a great Bond theme, but a great Sheryl Crow track.
006. Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey (1964)
The first of three themes that Shirley Bassey would perform, and without doubt her finest.
005. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – John Barry / We Have All the Time in the Word – Louis Armstrong (1969)
Slightly cheating with this one, but as the theme song to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was an instrumental, the song associated with the film is often cited as Louis Armstrong’s We Have All the Time in the World, which features heavily in the movie. Both songs are written by John Barry and both songs are brilliant.
004. You Know My Name – Chris Cornell (2006)
A very personal choice for me this one. Not only is it the theme that explosively kick starts the film that really hooked me. I saw Chris Cornell performing the song live at a festival, accompanied by co-writer and long time Bond musical collaborator David Arnold on piano. A very special moment indeed.
003. Skyfall – Adele (2012)
I’m not an Adele fan. I’ve not really been particularly interested in anything she’s done to date…. Except…. Her majestic theme tune to Skyfall. I wasn’t too bowled over by it on first hearing, but seeing it within the context of the film, and after a few repeat listens, it definitely grew on me, and became one of my all time favourites.
002. Live and Let Die – Wings (1973)
An all time classic. Not just one of the best Bond themes, but one of the best songs in the Wings back calalogue. Successfully covered by Guns N’ Roses in the early 90’s the song has been featured regularly in Paul McCartney’s setlist ever since it’s release.
001. Nobody Does it Better – Carly Simon (1977)
Without doubt, my favourite Bond theme to date. It’s a beautifully romantic pop ballad, that sums up Roger Moore’s Bond perfectly. It works brilliantly in one of the best title sequences of the series, and removed from the context of the Bond world, still stands alone as a wonderful pop record.
Girls
The Daniel Craig era of Bond seemed to tone down the antiquated chauvinism in regards to it’s female protagonists. The ‘Bond Girls’ seemed to be more than just eye candy and serve as integral and interesting characters. My favourite Bond girls involve some obscure choices, but hopefully I’ll be able to present a successful case.
007. Stacey Sutton
Film: A View to a Kill (1985)
Actress: Tanya Roberts
Often cited as one of the worst Bond films, I actually rather like A View to a Kill. Stacey Sutton gets a mention, as for about half the film I was thinking, “where do I know her from?”. The answer being, she’s the ditsy Mum, Midge in That 70’s Show. Superb.
006. Christmas Jones
Film: The World is Not Enough (1999)
Actress: Denise Richards
When watching a Bond film, often your suspension of disbelief is key as the stories are more often than not completely fantastical. Christmas Jones gets a mention in the run down, as it is the most ludicrous plot point an audience has ever been asked to accept. That, the then 28 year old, Denise Richards is a Doctor of nuclear physics, who’s main occupation is dismantling nuclear warheads. Nope.
005. Mary Goodnight
Film: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Actress: Britt Ekland
Being a fan of cult films, particularly cult-horror films Britt Ekland has always been a pretty prominent figure on the circuit. Prior to The Man with the Golden Gun, her roles in Get Carter (1971) and the bizarre masterpiece The Wicker Man (1973), had established her as an extremely engaging on screen presence. With her broken English and obvious sex appeal, she was the ideal choice to star alongside Roger Moore in the prime of her career.
004. Miranda Frost
Film: Die Another Day (2002)
Actress: Rosamund Pike
The unpredictable double agent shifting alliances between MI6 and the central villian Gustav Graves. Miranda Frost get’s a mention, as she’s always stood out for me as a slightly unconventional Bond girl. She’s unconventional in the sense that the plot twists in which she’s involved, really are the heart of the drama. Most importantly, Rosamund Pike is a fantastic actress, which hadn’t necessarily been typical of Bond girls up to this point.
003. Eve Moneypenny
Film: Skyfall (2012) / Spectre (2015)
Actress: Naomie Harris
Speaking of fantastic actresses…. The reintroduction of the Miss Moneypenny character for the Daniel Craig era, was one of the best character reinventions of the series. No longer was Moneypenny a middle aged receptionist that would be a springboard for some Bond banter. She was now a smart, witty intrinsic element to the MI6 unit.
002. Paris Carver
Film: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Actress: Teri Hatcher
A very nostalgic one for me. Teri Hatcher was essentially my first Bond girl. With her four year stint as Lois Lane in The New Adventures of Superman, Teri Hatcher had already established herself as one of the 1990’s leading sex symbols. Her (unfortunately) small role in Tomorrow Never Dies confirms her status as one of the 90’s most desirable women.
001. Honey Ryder
Film: Dr. No (1962)
Actress: Ursula Andress
It’s strange to think that the early Connery Bond films have aged better than any of the 1970’s, 80’s or 90’s releases. The Roger Moore series looks particularly dated in terms of fashion, cars, music and gadgets and the even the Brosnan film’s are very much “of their time”, which 20 years on now seems rather outdated. With the reinvention of Bond in 2006, the main premise seem to be to strip away all the clutter that the series had gathered over the years, and get back to basics. There are references throughout the Craig films that throwback to the early movies, and with an ongoing 1960s revival in modern culture, the classic Connery films hold up very well. Naturally Honey Ryder had to be the number one choice. There’s absolutely nothing about her image that seems dated or old fashioned, and in terms of cinema alone, her character is iconic.
Villains
There have been a wide variety of Bond antagonists and henchmen. A common theme being some form of physical defect. Scars, false limbs, additional appendages etc. Some rely on intellect to overthrow Bond, others on strength, others use power and some are just plain psychopaths. Many Oscar wining actors and thespians have settled into the role and created many memorable characters. Here’s my picks:
007. Max Zorin
Film: A View to a Kill (1985)
Actor: Christopher Walken
I like A View to a Kill. It’s generally located towards the bottom of most peoples “favourite Bond movie” list. I mean everything about it is slightly rubbish, but I embrace the rubbishness. Admittedly a 58 year old Roger Moore, on Blu-Ray, in HD looks SO old, but still, it’s not a film that’s designed to be taken seriously. For my money Christopher Walken’s Max Zorin is the best thing about the film, and he can only really be rivaled by one other Bond villain for the title of, ‘most menacing hair.’
006. Hugo Drax
Film: Moonraker (1979)
Actor: Michael Lonsdale
It was notoriously difficult to be taken seriously in the most far fetched James Bond story line in the series, however Michael Lonsdale’s subdued performance gave the character a sinister demeanor that really contrasted well with Moore’s more animated persona.
005. Le Chiffre
Film: Casino Royale (2006)
Actor: Mads Mikkelsen
One the heavyweights of Danish cinema, Mads Mikkelsen has been one of my favourite actors for a long time. His fantastic performance as Le Chiffre kept me engaged and entertained throughout. It is really impressive how much tension and drama he and Daniel Craig created simply sat around a card table. Superb.
004. Jaws
Film: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) / Moonraker (1979)
Actor: Richard Kiel
One of the very rare occasions whereby a Bond villain makes a recurring appearance. Presumably due to his popularity, Richard Kiel reprised his role in Moonraker. Jaws is definitely my favourite of the Bond ‘henchmen’. His unique character trait of the thick metal teeth, and his unrelenting physical power make him iconic in the series.
003. Raoul Silva
Film: Skyfall (2012)
Actor: Javier Bardem
Another contender for the ‘most menacing hair’ competition. Skyfall was more or less a perfect Bond film, and Javier Bardem’s role as the psychotic Raoul Silva is one of the finest villains to data. He had everything that’s required for a classic Bond villain, and his introductory scene, as he approaches a restrained Daniel Craig is one of the best scenes in Skyfall.
002. Ernst Stravo Blofeld
Film: Various
Actor: Various
Cropping up numerous times in different incarnations in many of the films, Blofeld is perhaps the most infamous of Bond’s nemesis’s. Most recently portrayed by Christoph Waltz in 2015’s Spectre, Blofeld as a villain is as timeless as Bond himself.
001. Francisco Scaramanga
Film: The Man with the Golden Gun (1973)
Actor: Christopher Lee
He’s everything you need in a Bond villain. He’s tall, dark and mysterious. He’s menacing yet brilliantly intelligent. He has a unique physical defect (third nipple), an iconic trademark weapon and his own island. He has a memorable sidekick “henchman” in the form of Nick Nack and he’s portrayed superbly by one of Britain’s finest actors.
Gadgets
As with a lot of other elements in the Bond films, the gadgets, as they evolved became more and more exaggerated and unbelievable, generally for comedic effect. The early Connery gadgets made sense within the narrative and were usually subtle and innovative for the time. As the films progressed and Q’s role became more substantial, all bets were off when guessing what the new Bond gadget could be. Some worked, some didn’t. Some were funny, some weren’t. Some were used effectively within the story, some were just left at Q branch. No matter what the equipment was, it was rarely returned in one piece.
007. Ghetto Blaster
Film: The Living Daylights (1987)
An utterly pointless boom box that doubles up as a rocket launcher. It’s never used in the film, other than a quick demonstration in the lab, and doesn’t appear to serve any purpose whatsoever. Nice.
006. Rubber duck wet suit
Film: Goldfinger (1964)
From one of the best opening sequences in the series, Connery surfaces wearing the “stealth” outfit, before shedding it to reveal an immaculately dry and tailored white tuxedo.
005. Car defibrillator
Film: Casino Royale (2006)
A special mention for this one, mainly for context in which it’s used. Bond’s been in peril before, but I can’t remember anything as severe as him having to restart his own heart, before flat-lining and then being regenerated Vesper. It’s literally the gadget used to bring Bond back from the dead.
004. Submarine Lotus Espirit
Film: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Equipped with periscope, homing missiles, underwater mines, torpedoes and a monitor for targeting, the Lotus “transformer” is one of the niftiest projects Q branch has undertaken.
003. Briefcase
Film: From Russia with Love (1963)
All neatly compact and disguised within the briefcase were a survival rifle and ammo, 50 gold sovereigns, a throwing knife and a tear gas cartridge, set to be triggered and to detonate, should the briefcase be opened incorrectly. Elegant.
002. X-Ray Specs
Film: The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Being 12 years old at the time of release, X-Ray specs were the definitive dream gadget you could wish for. Designed for subtly scoping out your enemies concealed weapons, Bond, on this occasion, pretty much uses them to do what any 12 year old boy would do with them.
001. Invisible Car
Film: Die Another Day (2002)
The most ludicrous, far fetched, removed from reality, impossible, illogical and ridiculous invention in, possibly the history of cinema. Love it.
Films
In terms of the film countdown, I’ve tried to spread my critique as widely as possible, incorporating films featuring 4 of the 6 Bonds. As I said earlier I am slightly biased towards the later releases and quite nostalgic towards Pierce Brosnan as the Bond I grew up with, so please take this in to account.
007. Moonraker (1979)
Bond in Space. Silly, ridiculous, camp, questionable effects but utterly brilliant. Not too many of the Bond’s crossover into science fiction, but noticing the sci-fi trend and box office success of the late 70’s, Mr Broccoli cashed in, and I’m incredibly glad he did.
006. Die Another Day (2002)
A Brosnan Bond had to be in the list. Everyone generally tends towards GoldenEye as his finest outing, however I’ve always preferred his last film. I like all of his four movies, but if I had to pinpoint one purely for enjoyment factor, it would be Die Another Day. It’s just all over the place in terms of tone, theme, plot and genre. There’s a really bizarre fencing sequence featuring a cameo from Madonna. There’s invisible cars, surfing and sophisticated face modification technology in a lab that looks like it fell of the set of Batman & Robin. And if that’s not enough, you also have a cameo from John Cleese. Tremendous.
005. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
My favourite Roger Moore edition to the series. The Man with The Golden Gun never got the attention of it’s predecessor Live and Let Die which was Moore’s first turn as Bond, or as his next film The Spy Who Loved Me, which is often considered to be he finest outing as 007. The Man With The Golden Gun often gets overlooked in the back catalogue, but I think it’s fantastic. The story is well paced and intriguing. Christopher Lee is superb, and the final standoff between Bond and Scaramanga is utterly captivating.
004. Goldfinger (1964)
For me, the definitive Connery Bond film. It’s the one that really cemented the formula for everything that would follow.
003. Spectre (2015)
The most Bond, Bond film that Daniel Craig has made. I loved watching Spectre. It was like a check list of 007 references. There was a bit of Live and Let Die, a bit of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, a bit of From Russia with Love and the narrative seemed a lot more referential of the Bond films of old. There were car chases, explosions, sinister, silent henchmen and luxury offices in the snowy mountains of Austria. The film was nostalgic without being too tongue-in-cheek and managed to create an original story that felt contemporary.
002. Skyfall (2012)
With Sam Mendes in the directors chair, the film was by far the best directed Bond film to date. It’s beautifully shot with some amazing imagery, and it uses aspects of the franchise to revert back to the classic Bond films. With Casino Royale restarting the series, Craig’s next film Quantum of Solace wobbled a bit, not really bringing much to the plate, but Skyfall successfully manged to take the newly established Bond and revert him back to the classic 007 formula.
001. Casino Royale (2006)
This was where it all started for me. Admittedly I was 44 years late to the party but I was glad to be there. Daniel Craig was like no other Bond I’d seen and was the perfect casting choice for the reboot. I loved the stripped down story, and the fact the majority of the drama plays out during a card game. The supporting cast are brilliant, the direction is top notch and without this film, this blog post would not exist.
Bonds
The final countdown. The ultimate James Bond.
007. ????
With Damian Lewis, Tom Hardy and Idris Elba leading the pack in terms of bookies odds, who knows which direction the series will go in and who will don the next tux. I’d personally like to see Michael Fassbender take over the role, but it’s a long shot.
006. Timothy Dalton
He just wasn’t Bond for me. I like Timothy Dalton, I think he’s a fantastic actor and probably a more accomplished actor than most of the others on this list, but I just don’t see him as Bond. He didn’t have the right look, or the right attitude or the right mannerisms to convince me. The series wasn’t quite ready yet to go darker, grittier and more realistic after Roger Moore’s stint, and that’s perhaps why Dalton’s two films seem so out of place by comparison.
005. George Lazenby
I know it’s part of Bond legend to give Lazenby a bit of a rough time and a bit of a kicking, but I think he was a perfectly fine Bond. He definitely looks like Bond. He holds himself like Bond, and he starred in a really, really good Bond film. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service just missed out on my film list, but Lazenby’s incredibly brief 007 career was more than satisfactory for me.
004. Roger Moore
The longest serving Bond appearing in a record 7 films over a 12 year stretch, Moore was a different side of Bond. If Connery was the fighter, Moore was the lover. Playing up to the more comedic elements of the story Moore made the series a lot lighter and fantastical. I really like Roger Moore and his films, some of which are a little too close to parody, exist within their own universe. Bond doesn’t necessarily have to be dark, gritty and rooted in realism. Sometimes, you just want to go to space, have cars turn into submarines, and have a villain inflate like a balloon to bursting point.
003. Pierce Brosnan
More in the vein of Roger Moore’s Bond, Brosnan took elements from both of his main predecessors. Quickly establishing that he could throw a punch and handle a weapon, his era of Bond was primarily used to lighten up the series again. After Dalton’s mistimed, straight faced attempt to make the films darker, grittier and more grounded, Brosnan’s scripts were ripe with witticisms, innuendo and one liners. Continuing a formula that had proved to be successful throughout Moore’s career.
002. Sean Connery
The all drinking, all smoking, rough-housing original. Connery’s films are generally considered to be the seminal Bonds. Regardless of what happened after Connery’s 007 term ,and what will happen in the future, he will always be iconic in the role.
001. Daniel Craig
I’ve gone with Daniel Craig for a number of reasons. Firstly, I think he’s the best actor out of anyone who’s played the role. He brought something to the character that we had never seen before, vulnerability. He restarted the franchise in the most successful way possible, performing an almost impossible feat of almost unanimously uniting both the fans and the critics. His physical performance brought something to the role I’d never seen before. In the past Bond had been shown to be some kind of indestructible superman, but with Daniel Craig, you got the sense of genuine peril, and the real threat of danger. The punches and gun wounds were the most realistic an audience had seen. Plus, most importantly, Daniel Craig is the reason a film series that had been running for over four decades, suddenly sparked an interest with me.
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