Nick's Top Ten Bond Films List (Part 1)

When anyone mentions the name “James Bond” the first thought in my mind is not the iconic lines, the action packed scenes, the gadgets or even the many Bond girls. Instead I reminisce about my Dad recording all the old Sean Connery and Roger Moore films shown on late night terrestrial television on VHS every week for me and brother to watch. As a kid, each and every Bond film I watched was a mesmerising and exhilarating experience that really captured my imagination. This early fixation elevated Bond above the likes of Star Wars and it soon became my favourite series of films of all time. However by the time I was a teenager and after seeing The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day, I came to realised not all was what it previously seemed. In addition to watching the endless reruns on the Sky 007 channel, including the 1967 version of Casino Royale and the Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again, there are definitely some films in the series that are much better than others. Therefore I have decided to pick my personal “Top Ten James Bond Films”.

Now before everyone shoots me down I would like to explain why Skyfall, which won praises from critics and fans alike last year, does not make my personal top ten. First of all the plot is essentially just a mash up of narrative elements from other films. The NOC List from Mission Impossible, the makeshift defences of Home Alone and various elements from it’s own franchise which leaves the film rather unoriginal and uninspired. This then leads on to one of my main problems with Skyfall which is that it isn’t really a James Bond film. Instead it delves into the tedious relationship between Bond and M. In fact, Skyfall is more an M film than anything which unfortunately ruins the quintessential essence of Bond and the franchise, similar to my thoughts of The Dark Knight. Furthermore the likes of Naomie Harris as Ms Moneypenny and Bérénice Marlohe fail in their roles as “Bond Girls”. Lacking both screen-time and chemistry with Daniel Craig, neither gave a memorable or charming performance. Oh and don’t get me started on Adele’s theme song, let’s just say even I can rhyme every last word.  

  

10:  Dr No 

The first James Bond film in the franchise and the first appearance of Sean Connery would probably not make most people’s “Top 10 Bond list”. The main villain Dr No is shortsighted and the film suffers from inconstant pacing. But we mustn’t overlook that the film brought us such memorable lines as “Bond, James Bond” and “Shaken not stirred”. The film plays very much into Ian Fleming’s original style of writing in the franchise. The exotic locations, the beautiful women and martini’s are all played out in a rather tense story of espionage and intrigue.

9: Live and Let Die 

As I previously stated I don’t like Roger Moore’s portrayal of James Bond; camp, unfunny and his over-reliance on gadgets. He isn’t ruthless or brutal enough to be the cold hearted and promiscuous character that is James Bond. However his debut film did have some positive elements including a great set of vehicle chases; the motorboat and the bus. It also has some notable henchman in the form of Tee Hee with his pincer arm and the immortal Baron Samedi with his sinister laugh, which made up for the rather average nature of Dr Kananga / Dr Big as the main villain. In addition Jane Seymour as Solitaire is one of the more beautiful Bond girls and thankfully has some semblance of purpose, other than eye candy in the film. 

8: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service 

Okay, I admit George Lazenby is probably the worst actor ever to play James Bond in history, though Roger Moore is only marginally ahead of him. But the great story and the performances by Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas make up for Lazenby’s weak performance. I particularly like the decision to make Savalas a more serious and threatening portrayal of Blofeld instead of Donald Pleasence’s dubious one. Along with the beautiful settings of Switzerland and the heart-breaking ending, this was a Bond film that left an endearing impression. 

7: From Russia with Love 

The second film in the franchise introduced us to some of the most recognisable and ubiquitous characters including Desmond Llewelyn’s Q and Bonds’ main arch villain Blofeld. More importantly it launched the notion of  “henchman” into the Bond series with Red Grant, played brilliantly by Robert Shaw. His confrontation with Bond is one of the more intense fight scenes any of the Bond films. From Russia also builds up more of the humour and suaveness from Dr No which is a result of Connery growing into the role. We are also introduced to the first Bond gadgets in the form of the attache case with the compact sniper rifle. From Russia arguably became the film that sparked the audiences’ appreciation for what made a true Bond film. GoldFinger would come to reinforce and personify this. 

6. Tomorrow Never Dies 

The second Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan definitely carried on from where Goldeneye left off. Though the “Murdochian” villain’s plot of starting a war between China and Britain just to gain first media coverage is quite stupid and unrealistic, the film still has its highlights. One of which is the Bond girl portrayed by the excellent Michelle Yeoh. Here she’s a much more serious supporting character that manages to match James Bond’s wits and expertise. In addition it includes the remote control car which produces one of my favourite Bond car set pieces as well as the one Bond villain that always brings a smile to my face, Dr Kaufman, with the best line “Did you call the Auto Club?”    

TO BE CONTINUED...... PART TWO 

Skyfall Review

While the press seems to have had an uncontrollable orgasm following the release of Skyfall, the film left a somewhat mixed impression on me. Through watching the endless repeats on ITV on Sundays during my childhood, Bond has become a source of entertainment and nostalgia. After the joyous rejuvenation of the franchise through Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace left a sour note as it returned to everything Die Another Day had soiled all over the icon. With the tsunami of 5 star reviews across the web and print it was understandable that Skyfall would achieve the record-breaking box office opening it has gained. But even with my expectations low, I was still disappointed by the overall film. 

What is immediately striking from the off is the visual look of Skyfall. The cinematography constantly shows the richness of the various exotic locations that the films writers force into the film’s overly long running time. From the neon light glass-scapes of Shanghai to the heather moors of Scotland, the film brings it back to the almost “travel book” styles of Ian Fleming’s original novels. During action scenes, the camera work is dynamic and manages to capture the intensity and startling brutality of it all. However the same can’t be said for the sound design and general score of the film. Adele’s opening track, again overrated, offers a nostalgic step-back to the strong female vocals of Shirley Bassy, yet the rest of score lacks anything remotely unique or interesting, with a surprising underuse of various Bond theme mixes. 

The story, one of revenge and betrayal, is nothing terribly new in the long-standing franchise. Though like the Rupert Murdoch notes of Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, Bardem’s Silva almost dives into Julian Assange territory, the world of “cyber-terrorism” isn’t a new enterprise of evil terror in the espionage/ action genre, even Die Hard 4 did it. But what Skyfall unfortunately spends a significant chunk on is Judi Dench’s character. For me M has been the stern, no-nonsense approach that Bernard Lee portrayed all those years ago. An individual that realised the value of Bond but understood his requirements as head of MI6. He rarely left the confines of his leather doored office and dealt with both foreign and domestic diplomatic procedures. Yet Dench has increasing been moulded into the uncomfortable “mother” of Bond. She’s become one who is rather reckless in her approach, frequently entering the field to be shot at, assassinated or kidnapped. Here that strange relationship with Bond is structured into the main crux of the story, and ultimately drags an entire half of the film into a sentimental wash of forced nostalgia and shallowness.

Javier Bardem perfectly understands and adapts to his parts specific characteristics and motivations, its a stunning performance that simply outshines that of Craig. I’ve never really been a fan of Daniel Craig’s work, and while his portrayal of James Bond has been a departure from the likes of the camp Roger Moore, and the bitter Timothy Dalton, he comes across far too wooden and rather unlikeable. Grimacing and removed from any of the suave personality of his traditional counterparts, he fails to react and correlate with the rest of cast. Naomi Harris rather gets the butt of the script with a string of tireless jokes, but similarly fails to really blossom along with any of the cast, especially Craig. Meanwhile other “Bond Girl” Berenice Marlohe‘s short role is an impressive one that ends far too quickly, consequently making her character rather pointless. Ralph Fiennes does well and so too does Ben Whinshaw as Q, adding some energy and youth into a role that has long been missed.

So do I think this is the “Best Bond film of all time”? Absolutely not, and I don’t believe it’s the best Bond film of the last few decades. Do I think this is Daniel Craig’s best performance? No and I don’t think this film is going to bring any Oscars to the franchise, which was a rather ludicrous prediction by many  film journalists in the first place. Yet while it’s unbelievably overrated, it’s still remains an entertaining film that is visually stunning, competently written and smartly directed. 

6/10 

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