Ranking All 25 James Bond Films from Best to Worst

Sean Connery as the movies' first 007.

I originally ranked the first 22 James Bond films back in 2008. After recently watching No Time to Die, I thought it'd be interesting to review my list and update it to include all 25 Bond movies. Surprisingly, my rankings stayed much pretty the same. The two biggest movers were License to Kill and Quantum of Solace, two offbeat series entries which have improved with age. In the list below, the hyperlinks lead to in-depth film reviews by former Café staff writer Sarkoffagus. His assessment of a movie may not always be consistent with mine.

1. Goldfinger (1964) – The ultimate 007 film: terrific pre-title sequence, memorable song, worthy adversaries (Goldfinger and Oddjob), strong women, fun gadgets, clever plot, right mix of humor and action, Shirley Bassey's booming vovals on the title track, and Connery in peak form. Need I say more?

Roger Moore in Spy.

2. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – As a fan of The Saint TV series, I thought Roger Moore would be an ideal Bond. But his first two entries had me re-evaluating that assessment; fortunately, this one restored my faith in Roger. He seems incredibly comfortable in the role for the first time. The film also benefits from lush scenery, the most famous henchman of the series, a great Carly Simon song, and Caroline Munro & Barbara Bach (did she ever make another decent film?). I only wish Stromberg was a more compelling villain.

3. From Russia With Love (1963) – Connery’s second-best entry features the meatiest plot of any Bond film. It introduces the trademark gadgets with 007’s versatile attaché case. Lotte Lenya and Robert Shaw (in freaky white hair) score as the villains. The close quarters fight on the train between Bond and Shaw’s henchman is one of the best in the series.

Lazenzy in his solo series entry.

4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – OK, so George Lazenby made a pretty bland Bond. The rest of the film more than compensates for the lack of a dynamic lead. We get Diana Rigg (truly worthy of being Mrs. Bond), a snowy mountaintop headquarters for Blofeld, and some of the most memorable action sequences in the whole series.  Director Peter Hunt, a former editor, was far ahead of his time with his quick-cutting fight scenes. I love the John Barry title theme, but am not a fan of the closing song warbled by Louis Armstrong. Composer John Barry loved it, though, and the song resurfaces in No Time to Die.

5. Casino Royale (2006) – Daniel Craig's first 007 outing remains his best. It’s a muscular Bond film in every way. I even think the poker game—often criticized as the lull point in the film—is exciting. The torture scene goes on too long, but that’s my only qualm. Eva Green easily convinces us why Bond is smitten with Vesper Lynd and Le Chiffre is a worthy 007 adversary. Craig brought an edge to 007 that had been missing since Goldfinger (except perhaps for a brief flare-up in Licence to Kill).

Dalton was growing in the role.

6. Licence to Kill (1989) – It took me several years to warm up to this one. It’s basically a revenge tale and that’s what disappointed me at first. But I later came to appreciate its uniqueness from other Bond films. It’s too bad Timothy Dalton didn’t appear as 007 again. Like Roger Moore before him, I think Dalton was growing into the role and might have had a breakout with his third film. The title song, sung by Gladys Knight, is an underrated gem.

7. The World Is Not Enough (1999) – All right, Denise Richards wasn’t convincing as a physicist and is saddled with the worst name of any Bond character (Christmas Jones, really?). However, we still get Pierce Brosnan in his best 007 outing, along with a great plot twist, a breathtaking pre-title sequence, and strong performances from everyone not named Denise.

Craig as the "blonde Bond."

8. Skyfall (2012) – Daniel Craig’s second Bond film delves deeply into the complex relationship between 007 and M (Judi Dench). That, along with a nail-biting chase through the London Underground, elevate Skyfall into the top third of the Bond filmography. It would rank even higher if it didn't dip into self-importance and borrow Bond’s last stand climax from The Bourne Identity (2002). Adele’s title song is one of the better later themes.

9. For Your Eyes Only (1981) – This was a pivotal entry because it righted the ship after Moonraker steered the series too far into comedy. It’s almost too low-key compared to others, but that works in its favor. Carole Bouquet, Topol, and Julian Glover boost this outing with convincing performances (although former ice-skater Lynn-Holly Johnson is a distraction).

10. Thunderball (1965) – It features most of the virtues of Goldfinger, but has too much of each of them. For me, it verges on being over-the-top, but that’s not to say it isn’t a lot of fun (especially Luciana Paluzzi who steals the film from pretty, but dull heroine Claudine Auger). The underwater climax should be exciting, but everyone moves slower in the water!

Ursula Andress in Dr. No.

11. Dr. No (1962) – The series’ first entry is enjoyable from a historical perspective. It takes awhile to really get going, but Joseph Wiseman sets the standard for Bond villains and Ursula Andress makes the most memorable entrance of any Bond heroine (so much so that Halle Berry pays homage to it in Die Another Day).

12. Octopussy (1983) – This solid outing benefits from Maud Adams in the title role (in her second 007 film) and more screen time for Q. The circus setting near the climax is certainly unusual, but who wants to see James Bond in clown make-up? John Barry’s “All Time High” is easiest his weakest title song.

Pierce Brosnan.

13. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – It initially works in fits and starts, but finally gains momentum once Michelle Yeoh’s character gets paired with Bond. Their action scenes are dynamite and their chemistry keeps the plot perking along.

14. The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) – This entry is a hodgepodge that balances Britt Ekland’s bubble-headed heroine and the unnecessary return of Clifton James’ J.W. Pepper with Christopher Lee’s delightful turn as the high-paid assassin Scaramanga and Lulu's blistering version of the title song. I probably rate it higher than most people—but the bottom line, for me, is that it’s consistently entertaining.

Charles Gray as Blofeld.

15. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Connery’s much-publicized return after a one-film absence results in a lightweight affair where everyone seems to be having a grand time. Charles Gray steals the film as Blofeld, but, in all honesty, the supporting characters are the attraction here. Who can forget Bond fighting Bambi and Thumper and the amusing dialogue exchanges between henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd?

16. Quantum of Solace (2008) – It’s a grim, violent revenge picture from start to finish. It’s imperative that you watch it immediately after Casino Royale, because that film establishes the motivations for Bond’s actions. The first time I saw it, I was unimpressed. However, it has improved with subsequent viewings, likely because I watched it and Casino Royale back-to-back. I also like that it’s an efficient action film (the shortest running time in the series) and Bond’s relationship with the heroine is all business. 

17. No Time to Die (2021) – This fitting conclusion to Daniel Craig’s five Bond pictures starts off promisingly with two gripping pre-title sequences. Once the dust settles, it focuses on Bond trying to find his place in the world as he comes out of retirement to help CIA friend Felix Leiter. Much time is spent on the relationship between Bond and his one-time love Madeleine—who harbors two big secrets. There are some fine set pieces and several delightful homages to previous 007 films. However, Craig and lead actress Léa Seydoux lack chemistry and Rami Malek’s weak villain seems to be channeling Peter Lorre…in a bad way.

Donald Pleasance as the best Blofeld.

18. You Only Live Twice (1967) – Donald Pleasance gets high marks as the series’ best Blofeld and his volcano headquarters (courtesy of set designer Ken Adam) is ingenious. On the downside, Connery looks tired and the climax is a letdown.

19. GoldenEye (1995) – This lackluster debut for Pierce Brosnan has its fans and was a big hit.  However, it feels like a mash-up of previous Bond films. Its highlights are Brosnan, who brought some panache in his 007 interpretation, and Sean Bean as the villain, a former MI6 agent bent on revenge. Incidentally, the GoldenEye video game is famous in its own right and is a personal favorite.

Judi Dench as M.

20. Spectre (2015) – Its first half is full of promise as a posthumous message from M sends James on a mission to expose a mysterious criminal organization. Unfortunately, the second half collapses under its own weight with the revelation that Bond’s evil foster brother is behind every bad thing in 007’s life. It’s a shame because Christoph Waltz is an excellent modern-day Blofeld and the story didn’t need to connect him to Bond.

21. Live and Let Die (1973) – I remember Roger Moore being interviewed when this came out and commenting that Bond films consisted solely of connected chase scenes. Well, the best ones do have a plot! But Live and Let Die has minimal plot and indeed features a ton of chase scenes, most of which are silly (Sheriff J.W. Pepper did not belong in a 007 film!). Yaphet Kotto makes a memorable villain, but needs more to do.

Richard Kiel as Jaws.

22. Moonraker (1979) – I first saw this film at wonderful time in my life and that probably shades my assessment (otherwise, it might be ranked lower). There’s little to recommend it: it’s too spoofy (e.g., the silly use of The Magnificent Seven theme) and it transforms Jaws from bad guy to good guy…with a love interest no less.

23. The Living Daylights (1987) – One of my nephews likes this one and says I need to see it again. I recall it being an uninspired affair except for Dalton, who brought some energy back to the role.

24. A View to a Kill (1985) – It’s hard to decide what’s worse: Christopher Walken’s incredibly campy villain, Tanya Roberts’ non-performance as the heroine, or the fact that Roger Moore seems to be walking through his role. On the plus side, John Barry and Duran Duran collaborated to compose one of the best James Bond title songs--and the only one to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

25. Die Another Day (2002) – An invisible car? A female spy that’s the equal of Bond? Madonna as a fencing master? These are indications that the producers and writers had run out of ideas and ingenuity. The decision to reboot the franchise with Craig? Excellent!

Bond Is Forever: “Die Another Day”

On assignment in North Korea, British agent James Bond’s (Pierce Brosnan) identity is exposed. Bond attempts an escape, as Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee) apparently falls to his death, but 007 is ensnared and tortured extensively. Fourteen months later, Bond is released, as MI6 trades him for Zao (Rick Yune), who’s been disfigured with diamonds embedded into the right side of his face, the result of a rigged case from Bond’s previous mission. M (Judi Dench) explains to 007 that MI6 believed that he was leaking information while in captivity, but Bond attributes MI6’s presumption, as well as his blown cover, to an informer working in the West, as suggested by the colonel’s father, General Moon (Kenneth Tsang). Secured by MI6, Bond evades the agency and tracks Zao from Hong Kong to Havana, Cuba, encountering NSA agent Jinx (Halle Berry) along the way. Bond is ultimately led to his home turf of London, where a pompous British entrepreneur, Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), has ties to Zao and another MI6 agent, Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike), who’s deep undercover. Graves, expediting a project known as the Icarus Space Program, has much more in mind than obtaining diamonds.

Die Another Day (2002), the sole Bond film from director Lee Tamahori, is a largely underrated entry in the series. Most criticisms of the film cite Bond’s reliance on gadgets and the abundance of CGI. The complaint of 007’s gadgets, which has been voiced of a great number of the series’ movies, tends to negate the first half of Die Another Day. Upon evading MI6, Bond is rogue, and he travels from Hong Kong to Cuba to England without the benefit of gadgets and having to make do with standard binoculars and a revolver. Only when he connects with Q (John Cleese) does he have the opportunity to utilize MI6’s specialized weaponry. The CGI in Die Another Day is admittedly overwhelming at times, particularly in a sequence near the end which almost resembles a computer game in play. This, however, is really a technical issue, perhaps the filmmakers overextending themselves. One might as well complain about the pronounced rear projection in more popular films such as Roger Moore skiing in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) or Sean Connery driving a car in Goldfinger (1964) or Thunderball (1965).

In addition to a distinctively convoluted plot that bounces Bond to beautiful locations around the world, Die Another Day is bolstered by expressive characters and zealous performances. Halle Berry, fresh from her award-winning turn in the previous year’s Monster’s Ball (including an Oscar), displays panache as Jinx. The agent’s initial scene with Bond is memorable, as 007’s typical seduction is counterbalanced by Jinx’ alluring mannerism; in other words, it’s difficult to tell who’s seducing whom. Viewers may favor Jinx in that regard, as it is Bond who wakes up to an empty bed. Stephens as Graves is a sour note, and it’s especially discouraging that he essentially takes over for Will Yun Lee as the lead villain, when Lee is far more energetic. Nevertheless, Pike as Miranda Frost and Yune as Zao more than compensate for Stephens’ shortcomings. Pike makes Miranda an appropriately cryptic character, her bitter demeanor towards 007 a sign of either distrust or secrecy. The tall, handsome Yune spends much of the film with his sparkling blemish to accommodate his pale skin, icy blue eyes and lack of eyebrows (the aftereffect of undergoing gene therapy). He’s a formidable opponent worthy of Bond.


There are numerous references to other films in the Bond series, the most notable being previously used gadgets clearly visible when Bond is with Q (e.g., the bladed shoe from 1963’s From Russia with Love, the crocodile sub in 1983’s Octopussy, and the breathing apparatus from Thunderball, the latter which 007 uses in Die Another Day), Jinx’ emergence from the ocean echoing Honey Rider (Ursula Andress) in Dr. No (1962), and the NSA agent also bound and threatened with a laser, much like 007 in Goldfinger. In the script, elements of Ian Fleming’s novel, Moonraker, were incorporated, mostly pertaining to the villains. Additionally, Colonel Tan-Sun Moon’s name was likely inspired by the titular character in 1968’s Colonel Sun, written by Kingsley Amis (under the pseudonym of Robert Markham), the first Bond novel published after Fleming’s death, and the only one, discounting novelizations, until John Gardner continued the series in 1981.

Q supplies Bond with a sublime Aston Martin Vanquish, and 007 is eventually pursued by Zao in a Jaguar XKR. Both cars are, of course, outfitted excessively with munitions. Not to be outdone, Jinx drives a 2003 Ford Thunderbird, an elegant beauty on four wheels which is either unarmed or simply not given a chance to blow anything up. Ford released a limited edition 007 Thunderbird similar to Jinx’ car but with a slight difference: Her car was coral throughout (the color as described by the manufacturer, though it looks burgundy to match her attire), while the limited edition T-Bird had a white hardtop.

The film’s title song was performed by Madonna, who has a cameo as a fencing instructor. The opening credits differ from other Bond movies, as the focus is less on the sensuality of the series, and more on 007’s 14-month interrogation, consisting of regular beatings courtesy of the North Korean soldiers. Furthermore, the only soldier shown in clear detail is a beautiful female whom Bond sees when first taken into the room that will be his prison. She’s seen again during the credits, a reversal of sorts, as she seems to represent the lovely ladies typically the target of the spy’s philandering ways and at whose hands Bond is now suffering.

This was the second Bond film for John Cleese and the first movie without Desmond Llewelyn as Q since he debuted in the second of the series, From Russia with Love (with the exception of 1973’s Live and Let Die, in which Q does not appear). Though Cleese is credited in Die Another Day as Q (since it merely signifies his position), Bond never refers to him as such, only calling him Quartermaster. To date, the character of Q has not appeared in the Bond films with Daniel Craig.

On the plane ride to London, Bond is served a martini by a flight attendant played by Deborah Moore, daughter of previous 007 Roger Moore. The same year as Die Another Day, Hong Kong star Kenneth Tsang appeared in The Touch with Bond Girl, Michelle Yeoh, the two actors also sharing scenes with Jackie Chan in Police Story III: Supercop (1992).

This was the final film for Pierce Brosnan. Following Die Another Day, most presumed that the actor would be appearing in a fifth film, as audiences remained responsive to his portrayal of 007. However, amidst rumors of the studio prospecting for a young actor in the role (though Brosnan was only 49 in 2002, compared to Roger Moore, who announced his retirement at the age of 58), Brosnan left the series, or at least publicly stated that he was doing so. In the press, the actor cordially supported Daniel Craig’s casting. Brosnan will be remembered as a dashing, incomparable spy, and a distinguished actor whose portrayal of 007 will be forever ingrained in viewers’ hearts and minds.

My wife and I are fans of Die Another Day: the consistently impressive Brosnan, Berry as the resilient and self-assured Jinx, an imposing and vicious scoundrel in the form of Zao, and the reliable M, Q, Miss Moneypenny (Samantha Bond), and action set pieces. It is unquestionably flawed, and some critics boil grievances down to a singular component: the optional cloaking device for the Aston Martin Vanquish, allowing the vehicle to disappear. But if I have the choice between watching the Vanquish vanish, watching 007 float aimlessly in outer space (1979’s Moonraker) or watching the pale British agent pass for a Japanese man with bushy eyebrows (1967’s You Only Live Twice), I’ll take the invisible car.

Bond Is Forever will return next month with A View to a Kill (1985).

Remington Steele -- A Timeless Dramedy

The Premise

Remington Steele (1982-1987) stars Stephanie Zimbalist as private investigator, Laura Holt, who cannot draw clients until she invents a masculine superior for her letterhead. Enter Peirce Brosnan as a mystery man who assumes the fictional Steele’s identity, joins the firm and seduces Laura. Together, the pair battle crime and their feelings for each other.

Even though the premise of a woman who cannot get clients solely due to her gender wouldn’t play today, Steele ages well because, mercifully, most of the episodes do not dwell on Laura as a stranger in her profession; the writers treat this character as a competent detective who gets on with the business at hand--solving cases.

A Drama With a Sense of Humor

The show is revolutionary in another way as well--it is an hour long detective show that dares to include humor and yet retains dramatic lighting (as opposed to the stark, shadowless lighting of sitcoms). The executives at MTM Enterprises, who produced the show, wanted to take out the humor. Blending drama and comedy in an hour long show was a fairly new concept. It had been done before with Hart to Hart (1979-1984), and would be done again with Moonlighting (1984-1989), but these shows were on a competing network. It had never been done at Steele‘s network: NBC; executives were worried about the new approach.

Another concern was the fact that the two leads were theater-trained actors, not TV stars, who had performed only in drama, never in comedy. Executive producer and co-creator Michael Gleason notes that at the time he assumed that if you’re a good actor you can do comedy, which is not always the case. Gleason states that he “lucked out” in casting two stars who have instinctive comic timing.

The heartfelt drama when Steele occasionally opens up his past to Laura, their work as a team and the actors’ sincerity keep the show from becoming too hammy or too much of a farce. The brilliant writing, elegant cinematography and tasteful costumes (Brosnan wears a tuxedo a lot, foreshadowing his shaken, but not stirred, performances) also help to make Remington Steele a timeless dramatic comedy.

Written by Java, a Cafe guest contributor, who blogs regularly at Java's Journey.

Bond Is Forever: “The World is Not Enough”

MI6 agent James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is reacquiring a considerable amount of money for British oil mogul, Sir Robert King. Upon returning to MI6 headquarters, Bond realizes too late that the retrieved pounds are tainted, and King is killed in an explosion. The spy pursues the assassin, who evidently prefers death to incarceration, alluding to a higher power giving the kill order. Once MI6 identifies Renard (Robert Carlyle) as the man behind the assassination, Bond connects the recovered money with the kidnapping of King’s daughter, Elektra (Sophie Marceau). Elektra had escaped her captors, after M (Judi Dench) had convinced King to not pay a ransom demand. Believing that the tycoon’s daughter may be Renard’s next target, 007 stays close to Elektra while tracking Renard. A theft of plutonium leads Bond to receive assistance from a nuclear physicist, Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), as they try to neutralize whatever combative maneuver Renard may have planned.

The World is Not Enough (1999) marked the third Bond film for Brosnan, Dench, and Samantha Bond as Moneypenny, while Desmond Llewelyn made his 17th appearance as Q. One of the film’s strongest points is the laudable performances from the cast. Brosnan and Dench are typically strong and also quite good in their scenes together. Carlyle is a remarkable villain, a man inching towards his inevitable doom (a botched assassination has left a bullet in his brain, which is slowly killing him). He’s both callous and compassionate, a vicious terrorist who is able to evoke an audience’s empathy. Marceau is superb as Elektra, a woman who may seem frail but proves to be a much more sound character. Even Robbie Coltrane is stellar as Bond’s dubious ally, Zukovsky (reprising his role from 1995’s GoldenEye).

In contrast, Richards is somewhat bland as Dr. Jones. Her mannerisms occasionally seem wooden, almost as if she is posing in lieu of acting. In all fairness to the actress, Christmas Jones is underwritten, and Richards has little to do. Some have questioned the credibility of Jones as a nuclear physicist, which is understandable considering her tedious delivery. Others, however, have criticized her attire (she’s donning a tank top and shorts when she’s first shown), an objection which is speculative in and of itself by insinuating that a physicist must dress a certain way.
Though it is exciting and entertaining, The World is Not Enough does play it safe by staying true to certain Bond conventions. The spy introduces himself (more than once) with last name first, he’s armed to the teeth with gadgets, and his martinis are shaken, not stirred. Likewise, action scenes take place on a snowy mountain, in speeding boats, and inside a submarine, all of which are familiar 007 terrain. Carlyle’s Renard, with his shaved head and drooping eyelid (or ptosis, resulting from the failed assassination), almost resembles Bond’s previous three-movie nemesis, Blofeld. This does not make the movie less enthralling, but rather turns the whole affair into a relaxing guide through well known territory. It’s difficult to criticize a movie for wanting its audience to be comfortable.

This is not to say that the movie does not sometimes pull away from the series’ more traditional qualities. The narrative is a subtle appraisal of Bond’s treatment of women. Early in the film, he seduces MI6’s female doctor so that she will sign off on a clean bill of health and allow 007 to return to his duties. This act, in part, comes into question later when Bond begins an intimate relationship with Elektra and afterwards doubts her validity as a kidnapped victim. Whereas the spy manipulates with seduction, he is also visibly angered when believing that he was exploited in a similar fashion. Another change in convention is M’s personal investment in the mission. She is not only a good friend to Sir Robert King, but was also involved in handling the terrorists’ demands when his daughter was kidnapped, which has ties to the main story.
In the film, Q appears to be turning the gadgetry reins over to R (John Cleese), a name suggested by a sardonic Bond (although it does appear in the closing credits as such). Monty Python alum Cleese is quite amusing as the bumbling apprentice (his first words to 007: “And you might be...?”), an obvious antithesis to Q. Though it would appear that Q, having been portrayed by Llewelyn in nearly every Bond film, is retiring, the actor stated in an interview that he would not be leaving the role. Tragically, Llewelyn died in a car collision a mere month after the film’s premiere. Cleese is officially called Q in the subsequent Bond film, Die Another Day (2002).

Michael Apted, in his sole Bond effort, expertly handles the film's direction. Screenwriting partners Neal Purvis and Robert Wade made their Bond debut with The World is Not Enough (co-written with Bruce Feirstein, who co-wrote GoldenEye and was the credited writer for 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies). Purvis and Wade would handle script writing for the remaining Bond films, reportedly to include the 23rd film of the series, tentatively scheduled for release in 2012. The film’s title is, as the spy says, the Bond family motto, initially referenced in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). The movie’s title song is one of the best. It was written by composer David Arnold and lyricist Don Black and was performed by the rock band, Garbage.
Critical reception to The World is Not Enough was decidedly mixed, although the film performed admirably at the box office. I rank the movie as the best Bond outing starring Brosnan: likable villains, enjoyable action scenes (particularly the flooding submarine sequence near the end), and the always regaling Brosnan. What are your thoughts? Are there other The World is Not Enough fans?

Bond Is Forever will return next month with For Your Eyes Only (1981).

Bond Is Forever: “Tomorrow Never Dies”

A British ship is deliberately sent off course into Chinese territory and sunk by a drill punching a hole in its side. Media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), having initiated the scheme, hopes that sparking a war between the UK and China will result in such political upheaval in the latter country that he will be granted exclusive broadcast rights. When Carver’s company, the Carver Media Group Network, runs stories with particulars on the attack, MI6 agent James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is assigned a new mission. He recovers a recently appropriated GPS encoder, while China sends its own agent, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), to investigate Carver as well. The two work together to stop the megalomaniac and to prevent misguided retaliation from either side.

While GoldenEye (1995) was a financial success, it was not a wholly satisfactory film, and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) is a notable improvement. The dashing and winsome Brosnan could play a role like 007 in his sleep, but he seems to have more fun with Tomorrow Never Dies, and he’s helped by a more engaging storyline and much more exhilarating action sequences. Judi Dench makes a welcome return as MI6 head M, and the always dependable Desmond Llewelyn is his typically charming self (and has one of his best lines in this film, spoken to Bond after the spy flauntingly masters a new gadget: “Grow up, 007!”). Bond’s gadgets include a heavily fortified car, a BMW 750, which can be controlled by a phone (resulting in an exciting chase, as Bond drives his car by remote, safe in the backseat from bullets and rockets). The phone also comes with a fingerprint scanner and an electric shock that can be emitted as a security measure. To be fair, China supplies its own agent with gadgets as well. Wai Lin has an earring with which she can pick locks and a grappling line that she can fire from a metal bracelet.


Tomorrow Never Dies, however, does has its share of more languid points. While the film’s satire of the media is cleverly implied throughout, the suggestive dialogue is anything but subtle. It gives the impression that the studio and/or writers did not believe audiences were intelligent enough to comprehend dialogue indirectly referring to Bond’s sexual escapades. Carver, as portrayed by Pryce, is one of the least interesting Bond villains, and the fact that his power will be obtained by his control of the media (he explicitly states that words are his weapons) makes him seem less menacing than perhaps he was meant to be (one of his henchmen, Mr. Stamper, played by Götz Otto, proves far more dangerous to Bond and Lin). Likewise, Carver is too blatant and too literal, a bad guy stripped of any personality. He’s like a villainous salad without the salad dressing. In a rather tasteless scene, Carver fervently mocks Lin’s fighting style, an act which borders on racism and which squanders any redeeming qualities he might have had as a villain.

One of the strongest elements of Tomorrow Never Dies is Brosnan’s co-star, Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh. At the time of the film’s release, U.S. interest in the Hong Kong cinema was soaring, bolstered by Jackie Chan’s Rumble in the Bronx playing on American soil in January 1996. That summer, Dimension Films released Chan’s 1992 Police Story III: Supercop (titled simply Supercop), which had been Yeoh’s comeback film after fives years of cinematic absence. Yeoh was immensely popular when she retired in 1987 (to marry film producer Dickson Poon), but one could hardly tell that she’d been away from the big screen for all those years, as she became a huge star once again (and managed to steal the film from Hong Kong’s most famous and most bankable actor). Yeoh embodies the essence of the Bond films: savvy, proficient, honorable, and, as it happens, astonishingly beautiful. Wai Lin is much more active than most Bond ladies, making her an exceptional and endearing character. Yeoh is my personal favorite of all the female counterparts to Bond, and did I mention that she was astonishingly beautiful?

Yeoh is not the sole representation of Hong Kong films in Tomorrow Never Dies. A Hong Kong cinematic influence is prevalent in parts of the film. Some of the hand-to-hand combat, particularly with Yeoh, displays an obvious Hong Kong flair, but one can also see traces of director John Woo (who had just achieved American success with Broken Arrow, released the previous year, and Face/Off, released mere months before the premiere of Tomorrow Never Dies). At one point, Bond slides on a dolly as a means of escape (and to dodge gunfire), and both he and Lin, during a lengthy action scene, employ a gun in each hand. These are two distinguished components of Woo’s movies, as, for instance, Hong Kong star Chow Yun-Fat slid with his back against a stairway railing while firing two guns in Hard-Boiled (1992).

This was the first Bond film for composer David Arnold. John Barry, the composer for well over half of the 007 movies (including the first, 1962’s Dr. No), reportedly recommended Arnold to producer Barbara Broccoli. Arnold has been the composer for every Bond film since Tomorrow Never Dies. He also wrote a potential theme song for said film, titled “Surrender” and performed by k.d. lang. It was one of a number of songs considered for the opening song. Unfortunately, the studio opted for the rather bland title song performed by Sheryl Crow, but Arnold’s song did play over the closing credits.

Bond has his well known Walthar PPK for a good deal of the film, but he eventually picks up a Walthar P99, which he takes from Wai’s personal archive. The P99 became 007’s gun of choice until the most recent Bond entry, Quantum of Solace (2008), when Bond reverted back to the PPK. Likewise, actor Brosnan was armed with the P99 in movie posters for Tomorrow Never Dies and subsequent Bond films.The title of the film allegedly came about by a mistake. A suggested title, Tomorrow Never Lies (referencing the name of Carver’s newspaper, Tomorrow), was sent to the studio. Apparently, the title was misread and was so well received that it was retained. Look for an early appearance by Gerard Butler, who has a small role as a crew member aboard the British ship at the film’s beginning. Butler would go on to star in A-productions such as Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the Frank Miller grahpic novel, 300 (2007) and, more recently, The Bounty Hunter (2010) with Jennifer Aniston.

This was the first 007 film produced and released without Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who had died less than a year after the release of GoldenEye. Tomorrow Never Dies was dedicated to the producer.

In spite of its flaws, Tomorrow Never Dies is one of the more noteworthy films in the 007 series. But I will admit that Michelle Yeoh is the main reason that I can watch the film repeatedly. During a chase with Bond and Lin on a motorcycle, the two agents are handcuffed together, and Lin must continually climb around and onto her British counterpart. It’s breathtaking in terms of action but also provocative. When she first sits on Bond’s lap (so that she can see behind them), Lin tells 007, “Don’t get any ideas.” But, of course, by the time she speaks the line, it’s too late.

Any thoughts on Brosnan’s sophomore effort as James Bond?

Bond Is Forever will return next month with Moonraker (1979).

Bond Is Forever: "GoldenEye"

British secret agents, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan), aka 007, and Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), aka 006, are attempting to decommission a Soviet chemical weapons plant. In the course of the mission, Trevelyan is captured and killed, and Bond, after detonating explosives, narrowly escapes. Nine years later, 007 tracks Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), engaged in a questionable relationship with a Canadian admiral. Onatopp kills the admiral to steal his identity and commandeers a helicopter that can withstand an EMP (electromagnetic pulse). She and General Ourumov travel to a Severnaya complex, confiscate the controls to the GoldenEye satellite, and fire an EMP at the complex. Bond is initially upset upon learning that Ourumov is behind the plot, as he blames the man for the death of his friend, Trevelyan. Unfortunately, 007 soon discovers that the true mastermind is Trevelyan himself, who had faked his death and sworn revenge against Britain for the death of his parents during World War II. Bond and computer technician Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) must stop Trevelyan, who plans to aim a second GoldenEye satellite at England.

The six-year gap between the previous Bond film Licence to Kill (1989) and GoldenEye (1995) was the longest period that James Bond stayed off screens. In 1989, the Australia-based Qintex group was negotiating to acquire MGM/UA, the studio currently distributing Bond films. That deal fell through, as Qintex didn't quite have the financial assets to secure the rather sizable down payment, but an offer from Pathé Communications was accepted in 1990. However, Danjaq, parent company to EON Productions, brought legal action against MGM-Pathé chairman and Italian businessman, Giancarlo Parretti. MGM-Pathé was working deals to broadcast the Bond films on TV in various foreign countries without the consent of Danjaq. In 1991, Crédit Lyonnais, the French bank which had financed Parretti's purchase of MGM, took ownership of the company. Parretti and Crédit Lyonnais were tied up in legal disputes, and, fearing bankruptcy, the French bank removed Parretti as chairman and hired former Paramount Pictures CEO Frank Mancuso to chair MGM/UA in 1993. At the time, United Artists had not released a film since Rocky V in 1990.

During all of the legal battles, producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli stayed committed to Timothy Dalton as James Bond. Despite disappointing box office returns on the last Bond film, Licence to Kill, Broccoli maintained that there was a three-picture deal with Dalton. However, by 1993, when it seemed that all of the legal turmoil had settled, production on a new 007 film had yet to begin. In April 1994, Dalton officially resigned from the role, and Pierce Brosnan was then approached. Brosnan had actually been offered the part after Roger Moore left the series, following A View to a Kill (1985). Brosnan was starring on the hit TV series, Remington Steele, but the NBC series had been canceled. Reportedly, once it became clear that Brosnan might be the new 007, the network renewed the show, and the actor, still under contract, was unable to accept the offer. In 1994, Brosnan, with no contractual obligations, agreed to play Bond... James Bond.

Brosnan was not the only introduction to the Bond series in GoldenEye. Dame Judi Dench took over the role of MI6 head, M, becoming the first female to portray the character and only the third actor, after Bernard Lee and Robert Brown. Dench is outstanding, and it comes to no surprise that she was asked to reprise her role in the 2006 Bond overhaul, Casino Royale. Samantha Bond (no relation to 007) also makes her debut in the series as Miss Moneypenny. Lois Maxwell had played the character in every Bond film with actors Sean Connery and Moore and even the solitary film starring George Lazenby. Caroline Bliss was Moneypenny in the two films with Dalton. Bond (the actress) is an alluring Moneypenny, a role she would play for all the movies with Brosnan. (And in all fairness to Samantha Bond, she has yet to be replaced, as Miss Moneypenny has thus far not appeared in the latest Bond films, Casino Royale and 2008's Quantum of Solace.)

Cubby Broccoli was very ill during production of GoldenEye. His daughter, Barbara Broccoli, and his stepson, Michael G. Wilson, took the reins in the production department. Barbara Broccoli was only 22 years old when she was assigned the role of assistant director in Octopussy (1983), a job she also handled in A View to a Kill. She was credited as associate producer for the two Bond films with Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill, but GoldenEye was her first movie as producer. Her stepbrother, Wilson, became a part of EON Productions in 1972. He was named assistant to Cubby Broccoli in 1977 with The Spy Who Loved Me, following the departure of producer and EON Productions/Danjaq co-founder, Harry Saltzman. Since Moonraker (1979), Wilson has been either an executive producer or producer of each Bond film. In 1996, seven months after the premiere of GoldenEye, Albert R. Broccoli died of heart failure.

The character of CIA agent Jack Wade (Joe Don Baker) was evidently meant to replace fellow agent Felix Leiter, presumably due to the injuries he sustained in the previous Bond outing, Licence to Kill. Interestingly, in the Bond film before that, The Living Daylights, Baker had portrayed the villainous Brad Whitaker. Robbie Coltrane, as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky, would reprise his role in 1999's The World is Not Enough, which also stars Brosnan. In GoldenEye, his mistress is played by the (at the time) little known Minnie Driver. Driver was already garnering critical and commercial attention for the movie, Circle of Friends, released the same year and also starring Alan Cumming, who plays Natalya's co-worker, computer whiz Boris, in GoldenEye.


By 1995, audiences were anticipating gadgets in the Bond films. The most significant gadget utilized in GoldenEye is an explosive pen. It is armed by clicking the pen three times and disarmed with three additional clicks. It leads to a fun sequence with a villain, unaware of the pen's true function, fiddling with the device and clicking it multiple times, as Bond nervously watches. GoldenEye, which was not based on any of Ian Fleming's novels or short stories, took its title from the name of Fleming's estate in Jamaica, which has since been turned into a resort. The film's title song was performed by Tina Turner and written by Bono and The Edge of the Irish rock band U2.

The general consensus for this Bond outing seems to place it as a favorite among Brosnan's movies. I, however, disagree with this assessment. While I admire director Martin Campbell's work (he would return to direct Casino Royale in 2006) and think Bean and Famke are standout villains, I find little else which makes this an exceptional part of the series. Natalya is a terrific character, but Scorupco's performance is a little bland. Likewise, the plot is cheerfully complex, but it hits a lull at the midway point, and there doesn't seem to be much left but explosions and near-escapes. Still, it's a good movie to welcome Brosnan to the series, and the Irish actor is undeniably dashing and debonair.

Any Pierce Brosnan or GoldenEye fans out there? Praises? Complaints? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Bond Is Forever will return next month with The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).