Which Bond is the best?
Looking at this question of who was/is the best Bond yesterday, I read a few lists and commenters came in with: “Yes, Daniel’s the best,” followed by another commenter saying: “Craig is the worst Bond yet. How can you say Casino Royale is …” and so on.
If you’re a Moore “gadgets and cheesiness” fan, then you’d hate Connery/Craig. If you’re a Fleming Bond person, then you might even have space in your heart for Dalton’s Licence to Kill, a most underrated movie:
Natch, I’ve given away my own bias in the last few lines so I thought it was time to do a breakdown of what we look for in a Bond and in this, I’ve tried to be dispassionate.
I’d say the 007 headings would run something like this, scoring 1 for best and 6 for least:
1. Hardness, brutality, strength
1 Craig, 2 Lazenby, 3 Connery, 4 Brosnan, 5 Moore, 6 Dalton
2. Suave sophistication – is made for a tux and a casino
1 Moore, 2 Brosnan, 3 Connery, 4 Dalton, 5 Lazenby, 6 Craig
3. Wit, humour, repartee
1 Moore, 2 Brosnan, 3 Connery, 4 Craig, 5 Dalton, 6 Lazenby
4. Sensitivity to his leading lady and vulnerability
1 Lazenby, 2 Craig, 3 Dalton, 4 Moore, 5 Brosnan, 6 Connery
5. Unflappabiity
1 Connery, 2 Brosnan, 3 Moore, 4 Craig, 5 Lazenby, 6 Dalton
6. Animal magnetism
1 Connery, 2 Craig, 3 Brosnan, 4 Moore, 5 Dalton, 6 Lazenby
7. Taking the part seriously – how far he sees himself as Bond across his films
1 Craig, 2 Dalton, 3 Lazenby, 4 Brosnan, 5 Moore, 6 Connery
If you add them up [lowest score is best], then it comes out as:
Craig [20], Connery [22], Brosnan [22], Moore [23], Lazenby [28], Dalton [31]
IMHO
The villains, best first
Oddjob, Jaws, Red Grant, Sanchez, Xenia Onatopp and the African Drug Lord in Casino Royale
The girls
Tatiana Romanova, Vesper Lynd, Natalia Simonova, lots of others
Filed under: Arts & culture
There is one Bond and that is David Niven…
I am in agreement with you James…..The Living Daylights is a great film and there was something about Dalton as bond that made him more believable than the rest. So I am voting for Dalton.
I’ve read all the books, and it’s got to be Timothy Dalton by a mile.
… but why not settle this like gentlemen and set up a Fun Online Poll?
I think I said before that Timothy Dalton is my favourite although I haven’t watched the latest bonds.
I suppose it’s a matter of taste, but I find Pierce Brosnan has the perfect makeup for a charming psychopath.
Dalton as the fully matured Bond and Craig as the new edgy Bond in training perhaps.
I think I prefer Craig- definitely after the farce that was Brosnan. However its also key that some bonds had several films- Moore and Connery- and some only had one- Lazenby- the latter may have developed had they had more time in the role.
Roger Moore
I must reserve my vote, James.
Susan Boyle is not only certain to sing the next theme song, she is also tipped to play Bond.
Thanks, all. Onine poll eh? Might just do that this evening.
@MTG
LOL LOL LOL LOL that is an image I now have to get rid of……”The name is Boyle, Susan Boyle”…….NNNNnnnnooooooooo
Dalton
There are good Movie Bonds and bad Movie Bonds, but one additional factor may be: How true to character are each Movie Bond to Fleming’s Book Bonds?