As I turned 30 this year, I decided to celebrate the last 30 years of Bond with this post. 3 actors, 10 films and a host of great moments. I did consider approaching this list objectively, as I can definitely admit that certain films are better made, better acted and more warmly received by critics and fans than others. However, I have had to be true to my own instincts and do this run down subjectively. I’m sure it will cause mass controversy from the get go in the world of Bond fandom, but hey, it’s an eclectic mix. The main point is that I do really like every film on the list and it’s quite tricky to put them into a working order. You’ll probably get a sense of where my Bond loyalties lie as you get closer to the number 1 spot, but I recently did a run down of Roger Moore’s Bond films and this list is a lot trickier. So without further ado…… I’m sure many people will be outraged instantly, but here’s my number 10:
10. The Living Daylights (1987)
I apologies to any Dalton devotees, but he’s just not my Bond. I do really enjoy The Living Daylights but equally, I enjoy all the other films on this list, so it’s incredibly hard to rank them. Having The Living Daylights at the bottom of the list is purely a reflection of how many times I’ve re-visited a Bond film. It’s not one I often seek out to re-watch and given a choice of all 10 on the list, it wouldn’t be the one I’d go for. Although, I do have a great fondness for his second outing as 007, as you will see, but I’m sorry Timothy, you’re at number 10.
Theme Song: After the success of Duran Duran’s A View to a Kill, the filmmakers continued in this vein with an upbeat, rock oriented song by a current and popular band. Of the 2 I definitely prefer A-Ha’s The Living Daylights. (3/5)
The Bond Girl: The most musically talented Bond girl to date, Maryam d’Abo’s Kara Milovy is my favourite Bond girl of the Dalton era, and the romantic scenes with her are some of my favourite moments in the film. (3/5)
The Bond Villain: The dynamic duo of General Georgi Koskov and Brad Whitaker!…. Who?…. Exactly. (1.5/5)
Overall Rating: (2 / 5)
9. Die Another Day (2002)
Pretty much universality accepted as Pierce Brosnan’s worst Bond film, Die Another Day makes Moonraker look like a sensible, straight-forward drama. It always reminded me of Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin especially in the visual sense. Lots of bright neon sci-fi sets, and ridiculously OTT costumes and locations. Weirdly enough, I do have a soft spot for Joel Schumacher’s Batman films and whereas Die Another Day is completely ludicrous, there is enough in there for me to say that I enjoy it.
Theme Song: This however contains nothing for me to enjoy at all. Madonna’s disgustingly awful effort is by far my least favourite of the entire series. (0/5)
The Bond Girl: It’s a strange one this. Halle Berry being already established as a megastar sort of broke the illusion of her being a Bond girl. It’s almost as if she was too famous for the role and I never really look at her as the character of Jinx but more as Halle Berry phoning in her performance and picking up the pay cheque. This aside, she’s a perfectly adequate female sidekick and accompanied by Roasmund Pike (who could essentially read the phone book and be brilliant) it’s a perfectly solid female cast in the middle of a whirlwind of camp chaos. (3/5)
The Bond Villain: After the most convoluted plot contrivance possibly in history, a North Korean Colonel uses painful gene-replacement therapy, replacing his DNA to give him the appearance of a Caucasian male and becomes an upper classed British businessman. That sentence sort of encapsulates the entire tone of the film. (2/5)
Overall Rating: (2 / 5)
8. Quantum of Solace (2008)
A few years ago this film would have been at the bottom of my list. After the sheer brilliance that was 2006’s Casino Royale, the follow up Quantum of Solace was quite spectacularly lackluster by comparison. It’s without question my least favourite of Daniel Craig’s films, but after re-visting the film years later, and taking it on it’s own terms, as apposed to viewing it as a Casino Royale sequel, it’s a rather enjoyable watch. Firstly, with a run time of only 1 hr 46 minutes and a number of high octane action set-pieces, it really does zip along at quite a pace. Craig is excellent in the role, despite having to wrestle with an uneven script and plot and it’s definitely a unique entry to the series.
Theme Song: Similarly to the plot and the script, it’s a bit askew. All the elements are there to make it fantastic, but it never quite comes together. I know there’s generally mass hatred towards the theme song from many Bond fans, but it’s not a complete disaster. (2/5)
The Bond Girl: Ólga Kurylénko’s Camille Montes is a perfectly fine (in every sense of the word) addition to the franchise and along with Gemma Arterton’s Strawberry Fields the ladies in Quantum of Solace elevate the film onto a higher plateau. (3.5/5)
The Bond Villain: There are a few really great set pieces involving Mathieu Amalric’s Dominic Greene, including my favourite part of the film where Bond infiltrates a number of Greene’s associates at an opera. Ultimately though by comparison to the majority of other Bond villains, Dominic Greene is as vanilla as his name. (2/5)
Overall Rating: (2.5 / 5)
7. GoldenEye (1995)
Another controversial entry to the list is right here in the form of Pierce Brosnan’s debut Bond feature GoldenEye. Generally cited by most as Brosnan’s finest entry to the series, and cited by others as his one and only passable 007 film, GoldenEye has reached a status that can only be described as legendary. This status was firmly established with the tie in video game for the Nintendo 64, that is still regarded as one of the best video games of all time. It’s just not my favourite though I’m afraid. I do love Brosnan’s Bond and have a fondness for all of his films, but it’s not the one I regularly revisit or would consider to be his best.
Theme Song: Written by Bono and The Edge and performed by Tina Turner, it’s very “of it’s time” with mid 90’s production and instrumentation. It’s underwhelming but somewhat satisfactory. (2/5)
The Bond Girl: Probably the most iconic Bond girl of the 1990s, Natalya Simonova was a great addition to the series. Played brilliantly by Izabella Scorupco she brings a level of believability to proceedings, as for my money, Alan Cumming and Robbie Coltrane tackled their roles as Russians as if it were some kind of cliched pantomime and chew up the scenery to within an inch of its life. (3.5/5)
The Bond Villain: The infamous Alec Trevelyan AKA 006 played perfectly by Sean Bean. Having Bond face off against a fellow 00 was an inspired choice and Trevelyan is a perfectly matched adversary for James Bond. (4/5)
Overall Rating: (3 / 5)
6. Licence to Kill (1989)
Probably the biggest U-turn I’ve done on a Bond film. I really didn’t care much for Licence to Kill upon first viewing. It felt so out of sync with the franchise and seemed more in the vein of similar action films of the time such as Die Hard, or LethalWeapon. After subsequent viewings however, I concluded that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s dark, it’s gritty and it bears a 15 certificate in the UK (the highest classification of a 007 flick to date.) Despite the genre conventions of 1980s action movies, the ‘Bondisms’ are still present throughout. There’s tux’s, casinos, martinis, girls, gadgets and a very prominent role for Desmond Llewelyn’s Q. I’ve come to really rate the film and it’s without doubt my favourite of Timothy Dalton’s couple.
Theme Song: Nothing too spectacular. A pretty standard diva lead ballad in the Bond tradition. Not quite up there with Shirley Bassey, Carly Simon or even Adele, but a fine tune nonetheless (2.5/5)
The Bond Girl: A perfectly sound entry to the Bond girl Universe. Carey Lowell’s Pam Bouvier is an undercover CIA agent posing as a drug courier. A well suited character alongside Dalton’s Bond if not a little “paint by numbers”. (2/5)
The Bond Villain: I really like the bad guys of the piece. I’m a huge fan of Benicio Del Toro generally, and he gives a manic performance as the henchman Dario. The real masterclass in this film however is Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez. He’s on screen for so much of the film, it’s excellent. I can’t recall another Bond villain having such a prominent role, and he really is superb. (4/5)
Overall Rating: (3 / 5)
5. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
For a long while this was my favourite of Brosnan’s Bond films and it’s still a really tight call between Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough, as I think they’re both equally his finest work. It was the first Bond film I saw at the cinema when I was 10 so I’ve always been very nostalgic towards it. Also, having never owned a Nintendo 64, I was unable to enjoy the GoldenEye game, but my memories of Tomorrow Never Dies are always pleasant as I remember fondly playing the tie-in game on the Playstation. It’s a very easy going and gratifying Bond film and the kind of 007 movie you can chill out to on a Sunday afternoon with a bit of a hangover. Similarly to Moore’s Octopussy, Connery’s Diamonds Are Forever and Craig’s Spectre it’s a very easily digestible Bond adventure and a lot of fun.
Theme Song: I love it. Often kicked around and dismissed by the majority of Bond fans, generally favouring KD Lang’s Surrender(which is played over the closing credits), Sheryl Crow’s titular tune tends to be jeered. I’ve always liked it though. The arrangement, the melody, the instrumentation, the lyrics and Crow’s vocals. I can’t understand the negativity towards it. For my money, it’s the best of the Brosnan era. (4/5)
The Bond Girl: An awesome line-up of Bond ladies, including Danish model Cecilie Thomsen as Prof. Inga Bergstrøm. Teri Hatcher gives a memorable turn as Paris Carver and the principal Bond girl, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) is a breath of fresh air to the series. (3.5/5)
The Bond Villain: Jonathan Pryce is undeniably a dominant presence on screen and his character Elliot Carver is my favourite villain of the Brosnan films. His scenery-chewing monologues are utterly brilliant. (4/5)
Overall Rating: (3.5 / 5)
4. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Narrowly topping my Pierce Brosnan selections The Wold Is Not Enough just edged Tomorrow Never Dies out of position, although there’s nothing in it really. I think they are both excellent companion pieces. Beginning with a superb pre-title sequence involving a daring escape, a high speed boat chase and a cameo from London’s Millennium Dome (playing itself), the rest of the film really unfolds in a similar ilk. It’s a full throttle Bond adventure with all the classic trappings and is enormous fun. The movie also marks the final appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q. Giving him a heartwarming send off. The actor sadly passed away later that year.
Theme Song: Definitely in the higher category of Bond themes. Garbage do a perfectly fine job in delivering a well crafted theme tune and it fits the tone of the film brilliantly. (3.5/5)
The Bond Girl: Slightly ambiguous as to who the official Bond girl is in this film as there’s many twists and turns to be had with the characters. Maria Grazia Cucinotta’s Elektra will be referred to in the next paragraph so for my money the standout Bond girl in this picture is Dr. Christmas Jones portrayed by Denise Richards. Her character is generally viewed as something of a joke in the world of Bond fandom, but I’ve always had a soft spot for her. As a 12 year old boy in 1999, I was a big fan of Denise Richards, not necessarily for her acting ability. (3/5)
The Bond Villain: This is one of the occasions where a Bond girl spills over into the villain category. On the surface of the film it would appear that Robert Carlyle’s Renard is the “big bad”, but after a series of reveals and twists Elektra takes the crown of the main antagonist. To be fair, I think they are both great characters. I love Renard’s gimmick of having a bullet slowly moving through his cerebral cortex, destroying his nervous system and making him impervious to pain, but ultimately killing him in the process. It’s a great super-villain quirk. As for Elektra, it was really refreshing to see a female villain and I think it’s this factor that just puts TWINE at my number 1 Brosnan spot. (4/5)
Overall Rating: (3.5 / 5)
3. Spectre (2015)
The latest 007 release saw the return of Daniel Craig in the lead role, the return of Sam Mendes to direct and the return of John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade as screenwriters. Due to the colossal success of Skyfall the winning formula (in my opinion) extended for a further 148 minutes in the form of Spectre. The most “Bond” Bond film that Craig has done (and probably will do) saw an array of influences and references being incorporated. Most noticeably from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Live and Let Die and From Russia With Love. As well as referring to characters from the previous 3 Daniel Craig films, you can find nods and winks towards pretty much every other film in the series. It’s tremendous fun and the perfect sister film to Skyfall.
Theme Song: Actually the biggest disappointment of the whole film for me. I class the theme songs as an integral part of the movie, particularly when there’s echos of it whispered throughout the original score, and Writing’s on the Wall by Sam Smith did not engage me in the slightest. One of my least favourite songs in the whole series. (1/5)
The Bond Girl: Firstly an honourable mention for Monica Belluci as Lucia. At 51 (4 years Craig’s senior) she was the eldest Bond girl to date. I really love the fact they decided to cast a Bond girl that’s closer in age to Bond himself and I hope they continue to cast older actresses as the franchise continues. The “official” Bond girl of the piece however would be Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann. She’s gives perfectly solid performance and manages to hold her own on screen. Not the most memorable Bond girl in the back catalogue but perfectly suited for the role. (3/5)
The Bond Villain: It’s a strange one this as I’m a huge fan of Christoph Waltz. The Blofeld character is infamous, and when it was announced that Waltz would be portraying him, it immediately made complete sense. He is literally the best actor you could possibly want for the job. As I’ve already said, I love Spectre and think it’s great, I love Christoph Waltz, I’m obviously a fan of the character, but then why was I so disengaged whenever he was on screen? I still don’t completely have the answer to that. I think it lies in the writing, as an actor is only as good as the script he’s working from and I don’t think Spectre’s Blofeld was given enough time on screen to develop as a character. He is noticeably absent for about 80% of the film, and when he does turn up he appears as, almost a chiche of a Bond villain. Whereas Raoul Silva in Skyfall had a lot of the traits and mannerisms of a classic Bond baddie, he had his own personality and characteristics. However Waltz’s Blofeld is a bit too “connect the dots” kind of a Bond villain. I think there’s definite potential for a return to the character, and I feel with more time to settle into the role and make it his own, Christoph Waltz could definitely produce and iconic performance in the series. (2.5/5)
Overall Rating: (4 / 5)
2. Skyfall (2012)
The 50 year anniversary release. After Craig’s remarkable debut as 007 in Casino Royale, by comparison, his second outing in Quantum of Solace was something of a disappointment. Skyfall really was the film that got the series back on track and also cemented Craig’s status as a seriously great James Bond. It is one of the most beautifully filmed movies of the series at the masterful hands of Sam Mendes, and the “back to square one” approach was refreshing to see. With the Jason Bourne inspired set-pieces toned down, nods towards classic Bond films began to creep in. The reintroduction of Q branch, Miss Moneypenny and the Aston Martin DB9 are definite highlights of the piece.
Theme Song: I’ve never been a fan of Adele and upon first hearing I thought that her theme was quite mediocre. Although, after seeing it in context on the big screen with the opening sequence and titles it’s really grown on me. It’s now up there as one of my favourites of the series. (4/5)
The Bond Girl: A tricky one this as the love interest that ticks all the ‘Bond Girl’ related boxes would be Sévérine played by Bérénice Marlohe. If that is the case, her character is pretty unremarkable, but the real leading lady in Skyfall is Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. So if we’re taking the ‘Bond Girl’ as Moneypenny for this film, she is absolutely wonderful. (4/5)
The Bond Villain: Contesting Christopher Walken’s Max Zorin for the villain with the scariest hair, Raoul Silva (portrayed by Javier Bardem) is the most iconic (so far) of the Daniel Craig era. As the film was a celebration of 50 years of Bond, Silva is an amalgamation of great previous villains with the classic traits being updated to suit a modern Bond audience. He has the isolated base, a dark history with existing characters, a facial deformity and his previous MI6 training means he can stand toe to toe with Bond on a physical and intellectual level, similarly to Trevelyan. (4.5/5)
Overall Rating: (4.5 / 5)
1. Casino Royale (2006)
The film that kicked it all off for me really Bond-wise. It completely blew me away upon first viewing and I must have seen it a dozen times since. Casino Royale is the film that really converted me into a serious James Bond fan. I loved the stripped down approach to the story telling. After the insanity that was Die Another Day it was great to see a much more naturalistic approach to the film-making. The fact that a large part of the drama plays out simply around a card table is a credit to the producers. With all the special effects in the world available to them and a more or less unlimited budget at their disposal, the film could quite easily have been Die Another Day 2. But the “back to basics” approach was definitely the right step for the franchise. I don’t recall a Bond film previously being as tense or gripping, and the main thing about Craig’s Bond is his physicality. You actually feel the pain and sense the peril in a way that I’d not really experienced with any other incarnation of the character. He’s not showcased as a Superman, but more as a man who gets battered and bruised and has the capacity to emotionally break down. Granted I think Skyfall is a better made film than Casino Royale, but I just love Craig’s first Bond SO much.
Theme Song: One of my all time favourites. Chris Cornell’s hard-hitting rocker was the perfect choice to revitalise the 007 franchise. The entire opening of Casino Royale contains grit, brawling, gun play, free running, explosions, suspense and Daniel Craig portraying a tougher and rougher incarnation of Bond. The film really did need a theme song that was like an adrenaline shot, and that is exactly what Cornell delivered. (5/5)
The Bond Girl: Even for a contemporary Bond Girl, Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd is already regarded by many as one of the greatest Bond Girl’s in the series. She’s without doubt my favourite leading lady of the Craig era, and her role has much more depth and emotion attached it than one would generally associate with a 007 love interest. Similarly, it’s very rare that a previous Bond girl would be referenced in subsequent films, however Vesper Lynd’s death plays a large part in Bond’s motivation and quest for revenge in the follow up, Quantum of Solace. (5/5)
The Bond Villain: Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen has since become one of my favourite thespians after his brilliant portrayal of Le Chiffre. His low key interactions with Bond around the card table are some on the most intense moments in the film and his beautifully understated performance makes him one of the most exceptional villains to date. (5/5)
Overall Rating: (5 / 5)
Total Cult 