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Thursday, November 13, 2008
Who is the best James Bond?
Quantum of Solace is the only new wide release today (although it should be noted that the Neon in Dayton opens Mike Leigh’s acclaimed Happy Go Lucky, while The Little Art in Yellow Springs has The Duchess and Barry Levinson’s Hollywood insider comedy What Just Happened).
So since Bond is the big news this week, two things are in order. My review of the new film can be found by clicking here - and it’s also time to ponder who the best James Bond was. Here are mine, in order of preference:
Sean Connery: I suspect I’m not going to get much disagreement on this. One could argue Daniel Craig is the best actor to play Bond, but Connery was and is the legend, and he is the Bond everyone will forever be measured against.
Connery’s best: Godlfinger - Everything comes together perfectly.
Connery’s worst: You Only Live Twice - He’s all too obviously bored in the movie, which made this the first 007 film to misfire.
Daniel Craig: Simply put, what he managed to achieve after just one film was astounding.
Timothy Dalton: You read that right, I’m placing him third. So when EW writer Benjamin Svetky claims that Bond has “survived … even being played by Timothy Dalton,” he can take a flying leap, and so can everyone else who slams him. True, Dalton was a bit lacking in movie star charisma, but if you look at his two films - The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill - you’ll see Dalton played him rather close to Ian Fleming’s rough and ready spy - which is exactly what Craig is being praised for now. It’s time Dalton got his due.
Pierce Brosnan: In light of Craig’s success, fans seem to decry most of Brosnan’s films as some sort of horrid era that’s best forgotten. That’s not Brosnan’s fault. Maybe Brosnan didn’t get the best scripts or directors, but he did play 007 with a smooth mix of Connery’s bravado and Roger Moore’s suave glibness.
Brosnan’s best: Die Another Day - The movie made some questionable choices (digital 007 surfing!) but people seem to forget what a thrashing Bond took early in the movie - and Brosnan played off that very well.
Brosnan’s worst: Tomorrow Never Dies- Not bad at all, but not exactly great either. Compared to Brosnan’s other turns, this one was a little indistinct, kinda like the movie itself.
Roger Moore: Although he’s toward the bottom of the list, I like Moore a lot. He did some great work as Bond in some of his better films, but he simply hung around one movie too long.
Moore’s best: For Your Eyes Only, which proved that even Moore could be a bit tough and mean.
Moore’s worst: A View to a Kill - He made Bond look old and feeble here. Sad, really.
George Lazenby: He’s better than many people like to admit, and his movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, is one of the best. In fact, it might well have been THE best - if Connery had done it.
So who is your favorite Bond, and why?
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