Happy 50th, James Bond! Here's a quick look at some of the best (and not so good) James Bond movies. (Admittedly, this is not necessarily a thorough review of each and every Bond movie, but more of light reflections.)The bad guy is a North Korean with plastic surgery to make him look white and who resides in an ice palace. This is not only the worst Bond movie but also one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
23. Never Say Never Again
The "unofficial" Bond movie. After a lengthy battle in court, Warner Bros. created their version of "Thunderball" and actually brought back Sean Connery. (This was the summer of the "Battle of the Bonds," as Eon productions released the official "Octopussy" with Roger Moore.) While a majority of critics then and now generally praise the movie, I tend to agree with Norman Wilner's opinion that it's "pretty awful" (though it's been years since I've seen it). One fairly unjustifiable aspect that I recall is the way Q in this movie seemed to encourage Bond's debauchery, practically ruining the unique relationship between the two.
22. The Man With the Golden Gun"The Man With the Golden Gun" features one of my favorite actors, Christopher Lee (who was a cousin of Bond author Ian Fleming). Unfortunately, he's not in the movie enough to make this movie anything but forgettable.
21. Tomorrow Never Dies
Other than the car, this one is basically skippable.
20. Live and Let Die
Roger Moore's first outing as Bond has some respectable elements to it. For one, some of the characters are interesting--Yaphet Kotto as the villain and Jane Seymour as the Bond girl--and being a fan of the Beatles and blaxploitation films, I like Paul McCartney's theme song and the incorporation of blaxploitation era characteristics. Still, in some respects Moore seemed to be copying Connery and it would take a while before he found his groove.
19. A View to a Kill
While "Live and Let Die" showed us a Roger Moore who didn't quite understand what role he wanted the character to head towards, "A View to a Kill" showed us when an actor gets too old to be Bond. By this point, he was over sixty years old and it was showing. But one awesome aspect of the movie is Christopher Walken as villain Max Zorin. (Seriously--Walken as a Bond villain!)
18. Octopussy
There's a train scene, and I love train scenes ("Mission: Impossible," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Back to the Future III, etc."), but it pales in comparison to the excitement and adrenaline of the train scene in the new "Skyfall." Also, there's Bond defusing a bomb dressed as a clown.
17. License to Kill
Timothy Dalton's Bond was famously more brooding than the others, but this time that direction went too far. Here Bond has a merciless look in his face, and the overall style is overly violent. It's true that Bond movies seem to numb our minds to violence in the very way that movies shouldn't, but after half-a-century of almost lampooning violence, perhaps Bond movies should get a pass.
16. Thunderball
"Thunderball" is a favorite among many, but for me, I've never seen what was no great about this movie. Personally, I only really remember the villain's eye patch, but do I specifically remember the villain, or that Robert Wagner spoofed him in "Austin Powers"?
15. Moonraker
"Moonraker" was infamously made during the science fiction craze of the late 1970s. With "Star Wars," "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Alien," it's not surprising that the studio wanted Bond in space. Surprisingly, however, this is a rather enjoyable Bond film (if one skips the actual scenes in space). It plays like a traditional Bond film, with clever ways of getting the henchmen ("missing" the birds during a round of hunting but getting the bad guy) and Shirely Bassey's song is hypnotic and memorable. Unfortunately, the space scenes really do hurt the movie, especially with the laser gun fight outside the space ship.
14. Diamonds Are Forever
With Connery back (thanks to a million-dollar paycheck), I think "Diamonds Are Forever" is one of the more underrated Bond movies, showing audiences that Bond could survive in the 1970s and beyond. It's a bit on the simplistic side, but more often than not, we're not looking for sociopsychological subtexts or philosophical debates with Bond outings (though "Bond and Philosophy: Questions Are Forever" is an interesting read).
13. Quantum of Solace
Marc Forster's "Quantum of Solace" is another one of the most underrated Bond movies. It's not perfect, and starts to shift back into that formulaic, box-checking approach that recent Bond movies have tried to avoid, but it's still an enjoyable (and surprisingly short) Bond film. One aspect that I didn't enjoy was that the fight scenes had become a bit too intense and headache-inducing; when I reviewed the movie for my university's newspaper as an undergraduate student, I titled my article "The Bond Identity," to draw attention to the filmmakers taking the wrong inspiration (from the "Borne" series).
12. The World Is Not EnoughPerhaps one of the reasons I like "The World Is Not Enough" so much is because at least half of the Brosnan-as-Bond movies were rather disappointing. This movie is mostly a step in the right direction. The opening chase is one of the series' most exciting and there are mostly enjoyable moments throughout the movie. It also features the final appearance as Desmond Llewelyn as Q (he died later that year) and he gives Bond some important advice before he departs, and it's advice that, wrongly or rightly, I have applied to my teaching:
Q: "I've always tried to teach you two things. First, never let them see you bleed."
Bond: "And the second?"
Q: "Always have an escape plan."
(Click here for a moving tribute to Llewelyn.)
11. Dr. No
Some might not recognize "Dr. No" as a Bond movie: there's no opening theme song, no Q branch, etc. But it did set a precedent for some essentials: hot Bond girls (this one iconically played by Ursula Andress), and Bond's introduction as "Bond, James Bond" (and Connery's is still one of the coolest, and one of the reasons Connery remains to many the coolest Bond). Still, it's at times too simple. (It should be noted, however, that this was largely due to budget concerns; the filmmakers chose Fleming's "Dr. No" over the first novel, "Casino Royale," because the main location of "Dr. No" was in Jamaica, while "Casino Royale" took place in a variety of countries). This movie also showed us that Bond can sing (please ignore the German).
(There's some interesting trivia on the movie and subsequent Connery-as-Bond movies found here.)
10. You Only Live Twice
Some might argue that the attention to Bond gadgets (which is a positive or a negative, depending on your perspective) can find its augmentation beginning here; there is, after all, a jet pack. But there's also a terrific theme song from Nancy Sinatra, beautiful locations in Japan, and an entirely iconic villain; so iconic, that it is probably more likely that thanks to Mike Myers, we know him as Dr. Evil instead of Ernst Blofeld (played here by Donald Pleasence).
9. For Your Eyes Only
"For Your Eyes Only" is close to being the best Roger Moore Bond movie. One appealing aspect is its authoritative arrogance; what I mean by that can be found in its opening moments. Bond battles what's credited as the "bald man in a wheelchair." Clearly supposed to be Blofeld, Bond's main nemesis in many of the earlier films, the filmmakers couldn't refer to him as such because of the legal battles regarding "Never Say Never Again." The result? Bond kills off Blofeld once and for all in the very first moments. It was a nice, succinct way of saying, "Screw you. We don't need Blofeld. We can still make good Bond movies without him." It was also the first Bond film directed by John Glen, who argued (rightfully so) that Bond, after going into space, needed to get back to the basics. Here, our villain is not found on a space ship, but in various locations across the globe; he is played by Julian Glover, who has also appeared in the "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and "Indiana Jones" series (also as antagonists). (Supposedly, Glover was once considered for the role of James Bond.)
8. From Russia With Love
For many (including Sean Connery), "From Russia With Love" is the best Bond film. Despite being a bit slower than its predecessor and successors, it still serves as one of the few Bond films where the character doesn't rely so much on gadgets and fist-fighting. Bond has been best when his villain is effective, and here Robert Shaw is perfect as an incredibly-chiseled Russian. The BFI points out that "From Russia With Love" had an "intelligent script that retained the substance of Ian Fleming's novel while toning down the overt Cold War politics." This was a brave move on the filmmakers part, especially because, as the BFI mentions, the movie was released only a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Incidentally, the novel was one of President Kennedy's favorite books and supposedly it was the last film he saw before he was assassinated.
7. Skyfall
The book on Bond and philosophy I referenced earlier contains a chapter on the character as Plato's guardian archetype. There's an interesting conversation from the Guardian about Plato's idea of a just character. According to a philosophy scholar in the interview, Plato argued that an individual needs to be in control not only of his desires but also needs to be a man of wisdom. Undoubtedly Bond is a spirited individual--all the Bond films have contained some sort of romantic one-night stand. But he is also a wise one. Consider that he finally defeats Oddjob in "Goldfinger" not by destroying him with his high-tech car but by using his head. These Plato of a just individual, which Bond arguably is and arguably isn't, are explored in "Skyfall." When he is asked by a psychologist to respond to the word "murder," Bond responds with "employment." So there's a complexity in the film that often isn't seen in the Bond movies, and for once there's a villain who doesn't just want to take over the world. There's also clever references to former Bond moments, and the ending is quite fitting.
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. The Living Daylights
But as a Bond, I still think Dalton was incredibly good in the role. His take focused on the written material from Ian Fleming, so naturally his Bond was a bit more humorless than some of his predecessors. (Incidentally, the individuals who complain about Dalton's more brooding, serious acting usually are the ones who praise Daniel Craig; Dalton was obviously way ahead of his time.)
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
This Bond movie was made at a time when Roger Moore seemed to be having difficulty in the role after rather unsuccessful attempts in "Live and Let Die" and "The Man With the Golden Gun." The third time was the charm, as Moore (who admitted that he thought the role of Bond was more worthy of humor than machoism) finally found the rhythm he was searching fall. (Moore has much justification for playing it that way: as he put it, who would ever believe that in reality, James Bond would actually be a good spy?) It also features the first appearance of henchman Jaws, an exciting ski jump, and one of the best Bond songs of all time: Carly Simon's Oscar-nominated "Nobody Does It Better" (written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager).
3. Casino Royale
Like his previous task with "GoldenEye," Martin Campbell was hired as director to resurrect the Bond franchise. After the dismal "Die Another Day," it had been about four years with no Bond. There were numerous A-list actors considered for James Bond, but there was a bit of a collective gasp when it was announced that a fairly-unknown Daniel Craig would take over. Craig had effective supporting roles in Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and Sam Mendes' "Road to Perdition" (as well as a more embarrassing movie called "A Kid in King Arthur's Court"). He was and is not conventionally handsome like his predecessors, but critics were so outraged that they petitioned against him being cast, with some actually showing a video that digitally morphed his face into that of an ape. (Some former Bonds had to come to his rescue with praise.) But when "Casino Royale" debuted in 2006, Craig won the approval of fans and critics alike. Despite its length, "Casino Royale" remains one of the best, and it showed that the formula can be tweaked a bit without rocking the boat too much. Virtually every aspect here works wonderfully, and Campbell and company made a wise and smart choice by keeping Judi Dench as M, playing with continuity a bit, but it certainly proved to be the correct choice.
2. GoldenEye
Ben Evans infamously pointed out that "GoldenEye" was his favorite because he played the video game as a child. While I undoubtedly also spent much of my youth playing the game, I cannot see how nostalgia alone can serve as the most convincing argument for it. Still, "GoldenEye" comes quite close to being the best for several reasons. For one, Pierce Brosnan is incredibly effective in his first outing as Bond (and it's a sincere pity that his following Bond films were mediocre at best). He seemed to strike an effective balance between the machoism of the Connery era and the lax humor of the Moore era. Additionally, the film succeeded at accomplishing one of its most challenging goals: making Bond relevant in the post-Cold War era. There's still some bad guys with Russian accents, but we see Bond in a graveyard of former Soviet statues. Bond is, as M (Judi Dench) criticizes, a "relic of the Cold War." The Cold War was over, but James Bond wasn't. 1. Goldfinger
Goldfinger is usually considered the greatest probably because it essentially set the standard for the following films. Unlike its two predecessors, there is an opening moment (unrelated to the overall plot), a theme song, a fancy car that can do anything, and a villain who at times is more interesting than our hero. But it's not simply setting a standard that makes it so great. John Barry's score is probably his best as the Bond composer. The villain, Ausric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) isn't simply a two-dimensional caricature but an antagonist of haunting charm. How terrifying it is as he practically giggles as Bond is about to be split in half--quite slowly--by a gold-cutting laser (and from the waste-up, no less). "You expect me to talk?" Bond says, probably knowing that his rhetoric isn't working. "No, Mr. Bond," Goldfinger replies. "I expect you to die." Any other actor probably would have lowered the intonation of "die" to make it sound conventionally frightening, but Frobe was rather clever in rising the intonation to taunt and tease Bond. I could go and on about what makes this the best, but I suspect many have already heard what's so terrific about it: its car, its song, etc. But I think the best argument it has is that not only is there an exciting car chase, beautiful scenes in Europe, and a villain who can (almost) match Bond, but consider arguably its best scene: a tense golf match between Bond and Goldfinger. "Goldfinger" doesn't have to rely on the expected elements of what makes a Bond movie great; it has those, but more, and in this case, it's as simple as a golf match.
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I was lucky enough to see OHMSS at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London shortly after its premier and its massive impact has stayed with me ever since. For those of you who ask about its reception at the time – fear not. Audiences loved it and it was (despite the subsequent EON propaganda machinery) very successful. It was much talked-about at school just as Skyfall is now with my kids.
ReplyDeleteYes, the cinematography, yes the score, yes the action, but what makes this film so brilliant is its combination of phenomenal style coupled with a gritty realism. Playing on all of the fantasy created by previous Bond films, it gave us all a Martini commercial that for two and a half hours we believed we could actually inhabit. Other Bond movies were spectacular but sufficiently unreal that we had to watch from a remote viewpoint. For the first time, this one seemed to allow us to enter and observe right next to the principal players. The ravishing surrealism of Piz Gloria is the film’s real unsung star – surely one of the best locations ever to appear in any film. It’s a place I have been lucky enough to visit, and skied down from. It’s a real place, not a set and the film tells you this time and again (the rising balustrade next to the helicopter pad and the revolving dining area are thrown away as mere background detail – but how delicious!). In the same way, the film offers us a fantasy that feels completely real. That was Peter Hunt’s true genius. Totally immersive escapism. Maybe they’ll start to teach the technique at film schools.