You know the name.... You know the number...
It's 22, by the way. The number. Okay, really the number is 007. But, 22 is the number of (official) James Bond films released since Dr. No starring Sean Connery hit theaters back in 1962. It's been 50 years of vodka martinis, gadget filled Aston Martins, thrilling chases, and all manner of secret agent mischief. And this coming November, Daniel Craig returns as Agent 007 in Bond's 23rd adventure: Skyfall.
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| Craig as Bond on an international poster for Skyfall |
Daniel Craig's first appearance as Bond was in 2006's Casino Royale and it was awesome. The film rebooted the franchise, giving it new life, a hard edge, and a bad ass, take no prisoners James Bond. But, as great as Casino Royale was, it's followup, Quantum of Solace, fell short, failing to deliver the same level of polish that we saw in Craig's first outing as the secret agent.
But I have faith in this rebooted franchise! I have faith in Daniel Craig as Bond. And I have faith in Skyfall's Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition). And it's in this optimistic spirit that I bring you...
MOOSE'S RANKING OF THE BONDS!
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| Clockwise from Top Left: Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Craig, Brosnan, Dalton |
Daniel Craig is the latest man to play Agent 007, but 5 men have come before him starring in over 20 James Bond films over the course of 50 years. And in a franchise this long, you'll have your ups (Goldfinger, License to Kill, Goldeneye) and downs (Moonraker, A View to a Kill, Die Another Day) and your very downs (James Bond in a clown suit in Octopussy...sigh).
But the truth is that every man that has played James Bond 007 has brought his own take on the character, ushering in a new James Bond era, if you will. It's those different eras that make the character the film legend that he is. So here, we'll not only be ranking the men who played 007, but also the "Bond Eras" they created. Some of which have been a little better than others. At least in this Moose's humble opinion.
Also, just a small note, this list focuses on the official Bond films meaning you won't find David Niven, Peter Sellers, or any mention of Never Say Never Again on this list.
So without further ado, let's get to it!
WARNING POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW
There have been 6 Bonds so far, so let's start off with my....
#6
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| Moore on the set of Live and Let Die |
Roger Moore
Roger Moore, in my opinion, has been the most inconsistent Bond of all. Maybe that's because he had the longest run, thus far, in the character's shoes, giving him more opportunities to fail. But, in my opinion, it's his incredibly long run (12 years and 7 movies) that ultimately led to the downfall of some of his films. By the time he reached his final Bond film (A View to a Kill in 1985) Roger Moore was 57 years old. 57! Way too old to be playing James Bond. And it was especially creepy when 57 year old ladies man, James Bond was hooking up with young 20-something girls. But Moore's worst offense (or maybe it was more the producers) was the introduction of campy nonsense into the Bond universe. Bond became a joke. A caricature of himself. It's one thing for a film to be in on the joke (Haha, another shaken martini ordered!) and being the joke (Bond in a f*cking clown suit).
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| Moore as Bond in a production still |
That's not to say Moore hasn't delivered some good, damn near great films. The Spy who Loved Me, Live and Let Die, and The Man with the Golden Gun all provided excellent villains, great action, and of course those beautiful Bond Girls. Moore turned the suave switch up to 11 with a smile and a glint in his eye. That doesn't mean Moore couldn't kick some ass when needed; after all, who could forget his famous run ins with Jaws. But Moore also had some real stinkers that created many "WTF?" moments among Bond fans. A snowboarding scene set to The Beach Boys, fights in space with laser guns, the aforementioned clown suit, not to mention a secret agent using a giant British flag parachute (kinda gives up that whole "secret" thing). Even some of Moore's better Bond movies can't escape this shlock. Can anyone forget the insultingly stereotypical, loud-mouthed, hill-billy sheriff JW Pepper? This sad, pathetic excuse for a character made not one, but TWO appearances in both Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun. Ugh. Just... Ugh. Despite these less thrilling moments in Moore's stint as Bond, he brought a refined, elegant charm to the character that was a stark contrast to former Bonds Sean Connery and George Lazenby.
#5
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| Dalton in a production still |
Timothy Dalton
A View to a Kill, 57 year old Moore's final Bond film, was a critical and box office failure proving that audiences had grown tired of the Moore era. A search was on and a new Bond was found in Timothy Dalton, a seasoned British actor who was no stranger to the franchise. Dalton had actually expressed much public interest in the role which he eventually won in a round of auditions that also included Sam Neil and a young Pierce Brosnan.
Dalton and the producers decided it was time to bring Bond back down to earth, ditch the campy crap, and inject a healthy dose of gritty reality. Dalton's first film, The Living Daylights, found Bond trying to stop an evil arms dealer from making a profit by starting World War III.
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| The Theatrical Poster for License to Kill |
The Living Daylights was a decent Bond film that successfully re-grounded the secret agent. Sure there were still some outlandish action sequences as any Bond film requires, but Dalton brought a mature and true-to-life grit to the character. He made Bond feel like a dangerous man. He gave you the impression that he would kill you without a thought, smile, then order a martini.
This gritty style reached it's peak in Dalton's second outing as 007 in 1989's License to Kill. Bond found himself on a personal vendetta to kill a colombian drug lord who fed Bond's CIA friend Felix to sharks. SHARKS! License to kill had a great plot, a frighteningly realistic villain (played to perfection by Robert Davi) and some awesome action scenes including a massive tanker-truck chase finale. Although my favorite part of the film comes towards the beginning where Bond's friend Felix acknowledges James having been married in the past. Dalton plays the moment to perfection, showing Bond's painful reaction to being reminded of the one true love he lost.
Dalton only starred as 007 in 2 films but he made an impact on the character with his hard edge and realistic portrayal of a darker Bond; a man haunted by ghosts of the men he's killed over time.
#4
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| Lazenby as Bond |
George Lazenby
After starring as James Bond in You Only Live Twice, Sean Connery (up until this point, the only man to play 007) decided to step down from the role. This left some incredibly large, gadget-laden, shoes to fill.
The producers found George Lazenby, an Australian male model and actor working in Britain. They decided he had the right look for the part. But did he have the attitude? After witnessing Lazenby break a stunt man's nose during an action screen test, the producers knew they had their new Bond.
Mr. Lazenby's first (and as it turns out, only) adventure as James Bond came in the form of the much underrated On Her Majesty's Secret Service which hit theaters in 1969.
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| The DVD cover for On Her Majesty's Secret Service |
The new Bond film had 007 up against his old nemesis Blofeld, who has new plans for germ warfare and world domination. Bond goes undercover at Blofeld's mountain hideaway in the Alps of Switzerland with help from local mob boss, Marc-Ange Draco. Throughout the story, Bond grows closer and closer to Draco's daughter Tracy (played by Diana Rigg). The two develop something that Bond hadn't had yet, a true loving relationship.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a much slower film than previous films in the series. It is very much like the Ian Flemming novels in that way, and the Bond character was true to it's original iteration in the books. Lazenby also brought an emotional vulnerability to the character; showing that Bond can be a bad ass one minute, but also sensitive.
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| Theatrical Poster for On Her Majesty's Secret Service |
While the film delivered on the action with shoot outs, fist fights, and a massive snow mountain battle finale; the movie is also very character driven. The excellent dialogue and well written plot come together, creating a Bond movie that not many expected. While audiences thought they were getting more of the same extravagant gadgets and outlandish action, they instead got an interesting character piece that looks at James Bond's humanity and desire for a normal life.
Of course, we all should know the film's famous ending, (and if you don't, shame on you and I warned you of spoilers). At the end of the film, Bond and his new wife Tracey are driving from their wedding along a seaside road. Before they can react, some of Blofeld's surviving goons ambush them, shooting at their car. Bond, to his horror, finds his new bride shot in the head and we cut to credits as he cradles her in his arms. This was all very well acted by Lazenby making the situation heart-breaking and believable.
The tragic ending of On Her Majesty's Secret Service was supposed to lead directly into a sequel with Lazenby, as Bond, hunting down Blofeld for revenge (Oh how I wish they made that movie.) And while Lazenby's first Bond movie did well financially, the producers and the actor decided to part ways as it became known that Sean Connery was willing to come back for one more go as agent 007. Connery would return to the role in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and Lazenby stepped away from the franchise.
#3
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| Brosnan as Bond in Die Another Day |
Pierce Brosnan
Brosnan took the reigns from Timothy Dalton and stepped into the role of James Bond in 1996's Goldeneye. This was the film that introduced Bond to a new generation. It was also a film that was surprisingly self aware, even acknowledging that a man with 007's talents has little to do in a post-cold war world.
In Goldeneye, Bond finds himself at odds with some Russian defectors, intent on stealing a secret Russian satellite weapon and using it to hold the world ransom. To complicate matters, the bad guys are led by Bond's former friend and fellow "00" agent, 006 Alec Trevelyn (awesomely portrayed by Sean Bean).
Goldeneye was Brosnan's first and best Bond film. It made Bond relevant to the 90's audience and delivered the Bond that everyone wanted. Brosnan, to me, was the best mix of all the Bonds to that point. He had Connery's confidence, a dash of Lazenby's vulnerability, some of that Roger Moore charm, and a little of that Timothy Dalton hard edge. Add to that a great story, a new M in the form of Judi Dench, and some of the best action seen in any movie ever (Tank chase anyone?) and you have a recipe for success.
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| Bond makes a daring escape in The World is Not Enough |
And what a success it was. The box office exploded. Pierce Brosnan encompassed all that was great about Bond and Goldeneye reflected that perfectly. Unfortunately, Brosnan's reign as Bond slowly began to decline with each film. Some truly absurd concepts started to drift into the films. Bond Para-Surfing? Denise Richards as a scientist? An invisible car? A Madonna cameo? I think not.
The problem with the Bond films, and most sequels in general, is the constant need to one-up itself. Each new film needs to be bigger, badder, louder, sexier, explosionier... er... with more explosions! It needs all these things so much, that the story begins to suffer to make room for splashier special effects and gun fights. And while I can appreciate Brosnan's later Bond films like The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day for their action packed entertainment value, they're missing the interesting spy story at the center that is supposed to make Bond movies great. And despite Brosnan's great turn as the famous character, you can't do much as an actor if you don't have a good story backing you up.
#2
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| Craig as Bond in Casino Royale |
Daniel Craig
When Bond reached new heights of outlandish, over-the-top, damn near laughably ridiculous CGI action in Die Another Day, the producers decided to take a step back and start with a fresh slate. A reboot of the franchise was ordered and producers hired Goldeneye director Martin Campbell to step in and rejuvenate the series for a new generation a second time. They found their new James Bond in Daniel Craig who beat out other rising stars Sam Worthington and Henry Cavill, and the more known Clive Owen for the role.
Craig would go on to star in one of the most memorable and perhaps best Bond films ever made... Casino Royale.
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| Casino Royale Theatrical Poster |
Casino Royale was and is a total and complete reboot for the series with no connection to any of the previous Bond films. Craig's first foray as 007 was to create a brand new Bond Universe with a younger, harder, inexperienced Bond at the center. The only connection to the previous films was that Dame Judi Dench continued to play M.
In Casino Royale, Bond is still a relative rookie having only just solidified his "00" status. His first mission is to stop an international terrorist named LeChiffre from winning funds for his evil organization at a high stakes poker game at Casino Royale in Monteneggro. The film moves at a slow methodical pace, but when the action ramps up, it's like an unstoppable freight train. Craig brings an incredible intensity to the role which you can see in his eyes when he's playing 007. He has a brutal quality to him which is seen in the realistic and violent fight scenes. Craig plays Bond as a man that always has a growing rage that he hides just beneath a thin layer of charm and wit. The best part is, all this works so well together, that the filmmakers may have created the ultimate Bond movie.
Casino Royale's sequel, Quantum of Solace, only proved that the magic that was Casino Royale would be hard to match. Quantum provided an excellent opening car chase, some thrilling sequences, and a great callback to Goldfinger where 007 finds a girl laying in his bed covered from head to toe in oil. But the bad outweighed the good as the plot meandered around never really going anywhere for a good majority of the film. Bond's thirst for vengeance over the death of Vesper in Casino Royale is inexplicably thrust to the background (Until the last 10 minutes of the movie). Quantum also gave us the weakest, least interesting, and least intimidating Bond villain in the series history.
I'm glad we're getting to see more of Craig as Bond, because I'm really interested to see where he grows as a character. Can Skyfall match the incredibly high bar set by Craig's first adventure as the secret agent? Have they learned from the mistakes they made in Quantum of Solace? I certainly hope so.
#1
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| Connery as Bond in his first appearance in Dr. No |
Sean Connery
Of course the #1 James Bond is Sean Connery! Who else could it be? He's the original. He is the man, the myth, the number!
The first James Bond movie I ever saw was Goldfinger and I was instantly hooked. Connery portrayed Bond as such a cool, suave individual that always seemed to have the upper hand, even when the villain was two steps ahead. Connery made that character a legend with nothing more than a cool calculated smile, and a Walther PPK pistol.
OK, maybe I'm going a little overboard here. Connery isn't without his flops either. You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever come to mind. But the man knew exactly what the character was and exactly what he needed to bring to the character as an actor. He was cool, calm, collected. Violent when he needed to be. Charming when he needed to be. But you always knew he was a man who could get the job done.
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| Connery on the set of Goldfinger |
Connery's Bond era provided some of the best spy fiction cinema to date including his first outing in Dr. No, the amazing From Russia With Love, the classic Goldfinger, and of course, Thunderball. The best part is, if you can get passed some of the dated technology, these stories still hold up well today. Not to mention the accompanying action set pieces, fight scenes, and gunfights that have since become a series staple.
When Connery first appeared on screen as Bond in Dr. No, cigarette hanging off his lips, and he said those famous words "Bond, James Bond." audiences knew they were in for something different, something new. And they were right in 1962. And now 50 years later, in 2012, Connery's turn as 007 is still wowing newcomers to the series with those same three words. Three little words uttered with both charm and mystery. "Bond, James Bond." And every time you hear those words in those first few minutes of Dr. No, you can see a great character being brought to life on screen.
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| From Left to Right: Moore, Dalton, Craig, Connery, Lazenby, Brosnan |
So that's it! My Ranking of the Bonds! What'd you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments!
MOOSE PUNCH!
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There was a light at the end of the tunnel, however, as Arnie's political career started to wind down. A rumored cameo in fellow 80's action star Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables was all it took to give a lot of fans "Schwarzenegger fever" all over again. Including me.
But Schwarzenegger is damn persistent and the minute he was officially out of office, the internet rumor mill began to buzz with all of his potential film projects. Terminator 5? Yeah maybe. Expendables 2? My ears are perked. And so it was that after 8 years Arnold would have a genuine on screen role in a big budget action movie. Expendables 2 was great fun, with all the old action guys ribbing one another and stealing each other's catch phrases. I loved it as a send up to the testosterone filled action movies of the 80's but it wasn't a true return to form for Schwarzenegger. Here, he was still supported by an extensive cast. And, while his role was definitely more than a cameo, it was still a relatively small part (despite what the film's marketing team would have you believe). It wasn't a true Schwarzenegger film. Sure it was a fun role to see him play and an action packed, 80's style, guns&blood-o-rama type movie. But, Arnold was supporting cast at best and absent for almost 80% of the film! I just wasn't convinced... 
