Nobody Does It Better: The 5 Best James Bond Films

Features

by Oliver Lyttelton
November 8, 2012 3:03 PM
10 Comments

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969)
The wisdom has always been that George Lazenby's sole outing as 007 was a misfire; a poorly cast Bond in a film that deserved to be swept under the carpet. But it seems that, over the last couple of decades, the film's been critically reappraised, and rightly so. Maybe Lazenby's not quite up there with Connery, but he's less thuggish and more likable than his predecessor, and arguably handles the physical side of things better. But crucially, the film around him is top-notch. The plot -- which sees Blofeld out to use brainwashed allergy-sufferers to destory the world's crops -- is a little silly (though more so than in practice than in theory), but this time it's essentially background to the central romance, between Bond and mobster's daughter Tracy di Vicenzo, played by "The Avengers" star Diana Rigg. Tracy is a far more complex and nuanced love interest than the franchise tackled before, and serves as a true match for Bond. Their affair, marriage and her murder at the finale makes it the first film in the series with real emotional backbone, as well as provide a stunningly downbeat cliffhanger of an ending. It means that for all the brainwashing absurdity, it's one of the more absorbing and engaging Bond films in the series. It helps that former Bond editor Peter R. Hunt (who never got another stab at helming the franchise after his directorial debut here) shoots the hell out of it, and it has perhaps the series' finest score from John Barry. A smaller scale, more personal Bond, but one which undoubtedly set something of a precedent for "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall."

"GoldenEye" (1995)
Returning to the screen after a six year absence, there was some question if Bond's time had passed. "Licence To Kill" had shown a franchise struggling to catch up to the 1980s era of actioners, and only the year before, James Cameron had made his own Bond homage with "True Lies," which had proven to be a massive success. But "Goldeneye" -- directed by New Zealander Martin Campbell, who made his name with '80s BBC miniseries "Edge of Darkness," and penned by a quartet of experienced action scribes -- turned out to be a canny reinvention of the series for the 1990s, embracing most of the old staples, while upping the action, and acknowledging Bond's place in a changing world (he's a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War," according to Judi Dench's M), all adding up to the best Bond movie in a quarter of a century. After a great opening scene that introduces us to, and seemingly kills off 006 (Sean Bean), it picks up with the mysterious Janus crime syndicate stealing a prototype helicopter, and the controls to the GoldenEye satellite weapon. Campbell and co. keep the tone fun without creeping into the absurdity of the later installments, and it's clear from the off that Brosnan was an inspired choice; he already feels like he's been playing the character for years (indeed, he was the first choice when Moore left, but couldn't get out of his "Remington Steele" contract). Beyond Izabella Scorupco's bland love interest and Alan Cumming's infuriatingly annoying hacker, the supporting cast are strong too, with Dench showing immediately why she's become the seminal M for this generation, Bean and Famke Janssen making great villains, and Robbie Coltrane having fun as a Russian mob boss. It's the rare Bond to keep the spectacle up throughout, from that stunning opening dam bungee jump through the tank chase to the final confrontation on the enormous satellite dish in the Cuban jungle.

"Casino Royale" (2006)
For the 21st film in the series, and the introduction of sixth Bond Daniel Craig (and with the poisonous response to "Die Another Day" still echoing), EON decided to go back to the beginning, adapting officially for the first time Ian Fleming's first novel, "Casino Royale" (which rights issues had seen turned into a disastrous parody back in the 1960s), and showing 007's first kill, and seemingly his first mission. The new 00 agent just happens to be MI6's best poker player, and he's sent to try and bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) at a high-stakes game in Montenegro, with the aid of treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). After an action-packed first half that shows a muscular, blunt, take-no-shit Bond from Craig, things calm down a notch once the card playing begins, but thanks to strong performances from Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright (as long-time Bond ally Felix Leiter) and Green, it's the rare Bond film where the talky scenes are as good as the action (which is, when it comes, mostly exceptional). Indeed, like 'OHMSS,' the romance is genuinely affecting, Craig and Green sharing all kinds of chemistry, and the ending (while tainted a little by a muddy and ill-conceived Venetian action sequence) is genuinely affecting. As with "Skyfall," there are moments of imperfection that make us think, or at least hope, that Craig's best film in the role is still to come. Still, between this and "GoldenEye," director Martin Campbell makes a strong argument that he should be given another entry to helm.

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10 Comments

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MJ | November 12, 2012 11:21 PMReply

No order: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Goldfinger, Skyfall, Casino Royale/Quantum of Solace, Licence to Kill.
nightgoat72 | November 12, 2012 12:44 AMReply

A refreshingly good top 5, but no one will ever convince me Casino Royale is a good movie.

My top 5:
1. Dr. No
2. Goldfinger
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
4. GoldenEye
5. The World is Not Enough

...and my bottom 5:
5. Licence to Kill
4. Quantum of Solace
3. For Your Eyes Only
2. Die Another Day
1. Skyfall
Stevo the Magnificent | November 12, 2012 12:34 AMReply

A pity both Peter Hunt and George Lazenby didn't return for 'Diamonds Are Forever'...
PROSPERITY | November 11, 2012 9:27 PMReply

Nice work.
Alan E. Smith | November 9, 2012 11:21 AMReply

This is my top 5 exactly. 'From Russia With Love' and 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' are at the top: the former for its epitome of cool '60s, Cold War-era style; the latter for its eclectic direction, visuals and layered story.
James | November 8, 2012 6:14 PMReply

Nice list. My Top 5:
1.) Goldfinger
2.) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3.) For Your Eyes Only
4.) The Living Daylights
5.) Quantum of Solace
dryer | November 8, 2012 5:58 PMReply

No particular order-
Casino Royale
On Her Majesty's Service
A View To Kill
Goldfinger
A License To Kill (My first Bond film)
iche | November 8, 2012 10:42 PM

no particular punctuation.
Dan Ashcroft | November 8, 2012 3:44 PMReply

'Skyfall' isn't just the best Bond film, I think it's in a class of its own. From the opening shot where a few bars of the Bond theme introduces us to an out of focus shot of Bond holding a gun, every scene is superbly directed, shot and acted. The plot is actually very similar to 'The World is Not Enough' - a villain with a vendetta against M and MI6, the bombing of the MI6 HQ in London and M having a much more central role. It's set largely in a very real looking modern Britain and that gives a less glamorous but more believable feel. Ben Whishaw steals every scene as Q.

As runners up for best Bond film, I'd have 'Casino Royale', 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' and 'The Spy Who Loved Me', the last being the most inventive of the series.
MJ | November 12, 2012 11:20 PM

You conspicuously didn't call out the screnwriting of Skyfall, which outside of its setpieces & the emotional payoff scenes was weak (the connective material is just that, and has no other purpose but to set the next thing up, the villain & his group are poorly set up and the old school quippy dialog while entertaining because of the cast sort of betrays the grittiness of the Craig series), and keeps it from being 'in a class all its own' for me, but the reveals about Bond's past & his relationship with M certainly set it apart.