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Best James Bond?

it's just me said:
A long time ago I read one of the James Bond novels on the mid watch but haven't picked up another one until recently. I have seen a fair amount of the movies but not all of them. In search of something different to read I started reading the Ian Fleming James Bond books. You may have heard that any resemblance between the books and the movies is purely coincidental (Goldfinger being one of the exceptions) but having been caught up fairly well with both books and movies I have decided on a best James Bond characterization list.

1. Daniel Craig, period. This is not even close. The Sean Connery movies were really what started it all but Daniel Craig has taken the Bond character to the next level.

2. Sean Connery. As I said, the man who started it all, who was in some of the more faithful portrayals of the books.

3. Timothy Dalton. Although some of the Dalton Bond movies were silly, you'd have to go a ways to be sillier than the Roger Moore Bond movies.

4. Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan. The bottom of the barrel Bond portrayals. Although I have enjoyed Roger Moores other performances in TV shows he was just a little too flip in the Bond movies, like he didn't take them seriously. I didn't even think Pierce Brosnan was that good of an actor in the Bond movies.

Honorable mention: George Lazenby, although the movie I saw him in wasn't that good of a movie. Barry Nelson, for his performance in a fairly decent version of Casino Royale. I missed the David Niven Bond movie.
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This is what James Bond is supposed to look like.

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Now I am in a mood for a James Bond movie. ;)
 
2. Sean Connery. As I said, the man who started it all, who was in some of the more faithful portrayals of the books.
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Sean Connery was the best and he reprise the role temporary in " Never Say Never" in which he never missed a beat. Roger Moore was okay but it was obvious he was getting a little older for the part. His best was " Moonraker ".
 
sean connery was also the best ever jeopardy contestant
 
Never read the books....

Most critics rate GoldFinger the best bond film but my two favorites-both Sean Connery are

1) you only live Twice and the movie made after On Her majesty's secret service-and Sean Connery's last production with the usual company

2) Diamonds are Forever.
 
Unrelated factoid: Sean Connery quit acting because of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
 
Dragonfly said:
Hey!!! You're back!!!

Hope your vacation from DP was for something good, fun, and/or peaceful.

Happy Holidays!!!
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I couldn't wait to see you again...
 
Infinite Chaos said:
I was just agreeing. Moore's Bond (if I recall correctly) was a commodore in the Navy whereas Craig's Bond appears to be ex-special services.
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Well, I don't know anything about the British Navy, but it doesn't strike me as inconceivable that a commander could be special forces or have a special forces background.
 
I read only one James Bond book, Thunderball, and decided not to bother with another. I understand that Ian Fleming wanted a star, any star, to be the character on screen, not an actor. So, I guess he was not that fussy. I have seen how readers of the books have described Timothy Dalton as closest to the character as written by Fleming both physically and emotionally. Dalton’s Bond, I am informed, also showcased his dislike for his chosen profession much like Fleming portrayed.
 
it's just me said:
Well, I don't know anything about the British Navy, but it doesn't strike me as inconceivable that a commander could be special forces or have a special forces background.
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A marine I used to know said SAS tended to be small wiry guys, SBS (Special Boat Service - naval equivalent) tended to be built like brick s***houses.

On the other hand, a lot of Scots join the marines and Bond has that huge old Skyfall mansion in northern Scotland...
 
Depends on what you are looking for.

James Bond was a spy...smooth, savvy, good with the ladies, tough. So in that light, the most true and authentic Bond actors were, in order,

Connery, Brosnan, and George Lazenby.

But if you want an action star, a runs and fights and blows **** up and is a hard ass...then its Daniel Craig...hands down.

but that wasnt 'James Bond'.
 
Infinite Chaos said:
A marine I used to know said SAS tended to be small wiry guys, SBS (Special Boat Service - naval equivalent) tended to be built like brick s***houses.

On the other hand, a lot of Scots join the marines and Bond has that huge old Skyfall mansion in northern Scotland...
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Little known fact: when Ian Fleming first heard that Sean Connery was going to play 007 he wasnt impressed, but after seeing him in a few movies Fleming said that Connery was perfect, and in the last few books before his death he gave Bond Scottish ancestry as a tribute to Connery.

Harshaw said:
It's often the result, but it's never his mission.
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In several of the movies its mentioned implicitly- for example in OHMSS, M tells him in the beginning that his license to kill was being wasted in his fruitless 2 year pursuit of Blofeld, and in Die Another Day the Koreans identify him specifically as a British assassin.
 
PoS said:
In several of the movies its mentioned implicitly- for example in OHMSS, M tells him in the beginning that his license to kill was being wasted in his fruitless 2 year pursuit of Blofeld, and in Die Another Day the Koreans identify him specifically as a British assassin.
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Well, of COURSE the Norks call him that. (But Die Another Day shouldn't be taken seriously for anything, anything at all.) In ONHMSS, he wasn't assigned to kill anyone.
 
Harshaw said:
Well, of COURSE the Norks call him that. (But Die Another Day shouldn't be taken seriously for anything, anything at all.) In ONHMSS, he wasn't assigned to kill anyone.
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He was. In the beginning of OHMSS his mission was to hunt down and kill Blofeld.
 
VanceMack said:
Depends on what you are looking for.

James Bond was a spy...smooth, savvy, good with the ladies, tough. So in that light, the most true and authentic Bond actors were, in order,

Connery, Brosnan, and George Lazenby.

But if you want an action star, a runs and fights and blows **** up and is a hard ass...then its Daniel Craig...hands down.

but that wasnt 'James Bond'.
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True but like I said in my first post - the "Bond" of old just doesn't cut it against a lot of modern action films. If audiences wanted a more authentic spy type character or movie - we'd have a much more cerebral type of movie and star like George Smiley with a John Hurt / Alec Guiness type of movie star. None of the "Bonds" really could go undercover for long with the amount of action audiences want to see in a Bond movie.

PoS said:
Little known fact: when Ian Fleming first heard that Sean Connery was going to play 007 he wasnt impressed, but after seeing him in a few movies Fleming said that Connery was perfect, and in the last few books before his death he gave Bond Scottish ancestry as a tribute to Connery.
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Ah, I see. The Scottish ancestry does play out to the special services type of background we have in Bond.
 
PoS said:
He was. In the beginning of OHMSS his mission was to hunt down and kill Blofeld.
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He isn't assigned to kill Blofeld. He's assigned to find him and figure out what he's really doing with his "allergy" research.
 
Infinite Chaos said:
True but like I said in my first post - the "Bond" of old just doesn't cut it against a lot of modern action films. If audiences wanted a more authentic spy type character or movie - we'd have a much more cerebral type of movie and star like George Smiley with a John Hurt / Alec Guiness type of movie star. None of the "Bonds" really could go undercover for long with the amount of action audiences want to see in a Bond movie.



Ah, I see. The Scottish ancestry does play out to the special services type of background we have in Bond.
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My only opposition to Daniel Craig's 'Bond' is that we already have a John McClean.
 
Harshaw said:
He isn't assigned to kill Blofeld. He's assigned to find him and figure out what he's really doing with his "allergy" research.
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His mission in the beginning was to kill Blofeld, only after he met Draco and his daughter did it change- watch the movie: M says he is relieving Bond from Operation Bedlam- its on at 27:30 on my DVD.

Infinite Chaos said:
True but like I said in my first post - the "Bond" of old just doesn't cut it against a lot of modern action films. If audiences wanted a more authentic spy type character or movie - we'd have a much more cerebral type of movie and star like George Smiley with a John Hurt / Alec Guiness type of movie star. None of the "Bonds" really could go undercover for long with the amount of action audiences want to see in a Bond movie.
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I bet Connery in his prime would beat up Daniel Craig. Connery is 6'2 but the way he moves is so effortlessly and he was tough as nails.
 
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AProudLefty said:
This is what James Bond is supposed to look like.

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Now I am in a mood for a James Bond movie. ;)
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In the book "The Spy Who Loved Me" the heroine of the story describes JB as a man not too different from the thugs that are bothering her, like a crusty old cop would be.
 
VanceMack said:
My only opposition to Daniel Craig's 'Bond' is that we already have a John McClean.
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You must mean McClane... the only other John McClean was arrested on child abuse charges. I take your point but I'm a fan of Craig's Bond - inaccurate it may be but he's entertaining.

PoS said:
~ I bet Connery in his prime would beat up Daniel Craig. ~
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Yes, but they're just actors. Even Jason Bourne scenes utilised highly stylised kata type fighting.
 
PoS said:
His mission in the beginning was to kill Blofeld, only after he met Draco and his daughter did it change- watch the movie: M says he is relieving Bond from Operation Bedlam- its on at 27:30 on my DVD.
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I know what you're referring to; I never took it that way. It's inconsistent with his assignments in every other movie and book.
 
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