I got my Spectre tickets yesterday. I would have bought them in May if I could have. Oh yeah, I’m a big fan. I like the literary Bond better than the film Bond, and Daniel Craig probably plays him more like Fleming wrote him. I don’t know if this movie will be any good, but it looks good, and Christoph Waltz looks perfectly Blofeld-like (even though the IMBD lists his character as Oberhauser, it has to be Blofeld, right?) I have high hopes, which is probably a mistake, yet all three of the earlier Daniel Craig Bond reboots have been outstanding.
So, in celebration, here are my top five Bond films, in order.
- Casino Royale–a brilliant treatment of the book that defined the spy genre.
- On Her Majesty’s Secret Service–the book was probably the best of the Bond books, and Lazenby was lackluster as Bond, but Telly Savalas and Diana Rigg make up for it, in my opinion because they were both fantastic.
- Goldeneye–Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond appearance, and he was an outstanding Bond, but who could forget him chasing the bad guy in that Russian tank?
How cool is that? - Goldfinger–Here’s a toast to Operation Grand Slam.
- From Russia With Love–Everything you could ever want in a great spy movie, and The Orient Express.
Honorable Mentions: Quantum of Solace, The Living Daylights, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Diamonds Are Forever.
image from http://www.thatmomentin.com
2 responses to “MY TOP FIVE JAMES BOND MOVIES”
I recently watched an interview with the late Richard Kiel (who, as you know, played the memorable assassin Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, and who was, it seems, a rather decent fellow in real life), and he said that his favorite Bond was George Lazenby, whose performance he thought was underrated and whom he thought got bad advice about whether to continue with the series. I myself am no aficionado of the Bond movies, but I will volunteer that I think Timothy Dalton gets a bit of short shrift. I think he brought a sort of hardened quality (not unlike what we see in Daniel Craig) that well suited the character. I do not, mind you, know the books, but I respect what Mr. Dalton brought to James Bond.
i agree that dalton got short thrifted, mostly because the studios were chomping at the bit to get remington steele, i mean pierce brosnan, into the role. ‘the living daylights’ was a very good movie, and, given the politics of today, seems rather prescient regarding afghanistan. as to lazenby, i’m selling that. he was so outmatched by riggs and savalas, and it would have taken sean connery to go the distance with those two.
thanks, as always, for reading and commenting.