EveryJames Bondfan has their own favorite Bond movie. There are so many gems from the franchise’s nearly 60-year history that it’s easier to name which Bond moviesdefinitely aren’t the best–Octopussy,The World Is Not Enough,Quantum of Solace– than the one that actually is the best. There are plenty of strong contenders for the title of greatest Bond film. Each of the six Bond actors has at least one movie that could lay claim to the throne.
Terence Young set a very high bar with the series’ first two installments,Dr. NoandFrom Russia with Love. In collaboration with Sean Connery, Young defined007’s endearing characterizationfrom the offset. The movies also featured some action sequences that still rank among the franchise’s all-time greatest set pieces, likeDr. No’s steam vent escape, andFrom Russia with Love’s hard-hitting train fight.
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After Young laid out all the elements that would become the familiar Bond movie formula, that formula wasn’t perfected until Guy Hamilton helmed the third movie,Goldfinger, one of the most common picks for the best Bond movie.Connery’s 007 came into his ownin this movie, striking the perfect balance between wry cynicism and level-headed pathos. From the opening drug lab explosion to the Fort Knox-set finale,Goldfingeris an action masterpiece. It has an endless supply of iconic moments, like the laser beam between Bond’s legs and the gadget-laden car chase. Not only is Gert Fröbe’s Auric Goldfinger an unforgettable villain; his sidekick Oddjob is an unforgettable side villain, too. Shirley Bassey’s sumptuous, melancholic theme set the trend of Bond themes being recorded by contemporary pop icons, and it remains a benchmark that has yet to be topped.
When Connery departed from the role of Bond, before Roger Moore took it on, George Lazenbyplayed 007 in just one movie,On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. While Lazenby wasn’t a particularly great Bond (nor a particularly terrible Bond), the movie itself holds up as the best Bond installment from a technical standpoint. Cinematographer Michael Reed captured gorgeous shots of every location, and the movie’s tonal balance of action, romance, and tragedy is spot-on. The final scene – in which Bond finally gets married, only for his bride to be gunned down by the villains in a drive-by – is one of the most unforgettable and emotionally impactful endings in a franchise that usually ends its movies with a sexual double entendre.
Although Moore’s stint as Bond was pretty hit-and-miss to say the least,The Spy Who Loved Meis arguably the most thrilling and cinematic Bond movie ever made. It establishes itself as such in just its opening scene, as 007 skis off the edge of a cliff in the midst of a heated chase, soars through the air in breathtaking silence, then deploys a Union Jack parachute beforeCarly Simon plays him outand the opening titles begin. From there, the movie only gets bigger and bolder.The Spy Who Loved Meis two hours of sheer entertainment, with memorable side villains like Jaws, cinematic set pieces like the supertanker climax, and fun gadgets like the Lotus Esprit submarine car. And most importantly,The Spy Who Loved Meputs a nice restraint on the goofy slapstick humor that came along with the Moore era.
With popularity in the Bond franchise waning after the last few Roger Moore movies soured public opinion and the Timothy Dalton movies didn’t really take, Eon brought on Martin Campbell to introduce Pierce Brosnan as 007 inGoldenEye, which saved the franchise.GoldenEyeis a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that conforms to beloved traditions with a modern sensibility. It updates the Bond tropes without losing sight of why audiences fell in love with them in the first place, namely byintroducing a female M played by Judi Denchwho isn’t afraid to put Bond in his place. Brosnan made for a terrific Bond, a double-crossing former 00 agent made for a unique kind of villain, and explosive set pieces like the tank chase madeGoldenEyea must-see all-out actioner.
After the triple whammy ofAustin Powersridiculing the franchise’s tropes, theBournemovies offering a grittier alternative, and audiences not responding to the silliness of the later Brosnan films, the Bond producers dug themselves out of an unenviable hole withCasino Royale. Daniel Craig’s 007 debut acted as a sort of origin story for Bond, presenting him asa young, inexperienced, rough-around-the-edges spy. When he kills people, it’s messy – and he certainly doesn’t sign off with a cool one-liner. The gritty realism ofCasino Royalewas an interesting change of pace that saved the franchise from certain doom after the bitter disappointment ofDie Another Day.
These aren’t the only contenders, of course.Thunderballculminates in an ambitious underwater battle sequence, andLicence to Killwas refreshingly dark and brutal. It would be impossible to name just one Bond movie as the greatest, butGoldfingeris the (pardon the pun) gold standard against which every subsequent Bond film has been judged,On Her Majesty’s Secret Serviceis the most masterfully crafted entry from a cinematic point-of-view, andThe Spy Who Loved Meisthe quintessential fun, action-packed, episodic Bond movie.
