Trying to determine the 10 best James Bond moments is much like trying to pinpoint the 10 best moments in human history - it just can't be done without lengthy debate. SPECTRE hits UAE cinemas this weekend, and to get us fired up we've been through the 23 existing Bond films and drawn up a list of 10 stand-out moments.
Well, we couldn't agree, and we're sure you won't either. Go to the bottom of this article and join the debate on the top Bond moments... How does our list compare to yours?
10. Truck chase - Licence To Kill
Has a film-sequence ever relied so much on coincidences? The ramp for the wheelie that just happened to be there, the Bond girl who happened to have a pilot’s licence, the timing of the rig smashing into the other truck…
The truck chase in Licence To Kill is as fantastic as it is daft. Had it been done in the 1960s then it would have left the audience breathless, but by 1989 it was far less impressive. But a truck chase? In which Timothy Dalton’s Bond somehow defies physics by getting his lorry to do a wheelie, on two wheels, and successfully takes out another lorry with his rig? How can that not be a “Best Bond Moment”?
9. Fight on the Orient Express - From Russia With Love
From Russia With Love was the second ever Bond film, and the fight on the Orient Express was one of the best scenes ever. Robert Shaw and Sean Connery’s fight was so brutal it looked almost real. The dark blue lighting kept the audience guessing as to who had the upper the hand. When you thought Connery was on top it turned out to be Shaw.
It was made all the more gritty with the absence of a musical score. Instead, all we hear beyond the groans and punches is the sound of the train. It showed a brutal side of Bond’s character, and with no comedic moments, it made the trademark tie adjustment even cooler.
8. A very British skiing holiday - The Spy Who Loved Me
The third outing for Roger Moore’s 007 boasts one of the franchise’s most-loved opening scenes. Everything about it is just so… Bond. We begin in a log cabin, where the British agent is enjoying a quiet rendezvous with a comely young lady who, typically, is in cahoots with the enemy: “James, I need you!” she says. “So does England” – what a cool line.
It gets better, Bond sets off on an off-piste skiing excursion, and is pursued by a gang of badies who fit the bill perfectly. Their questionable skiinig abilities are eclipsed by their incompetence to hit their target, all coming-a-cropper to Bond’s remarkable ski skills.
The finale sees 007 ski off a cliff before deploying his Union Flag parachute. It was the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and it got Britain in something of a patriotic stir.
7. Bond's short marriage - On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was very much the exception to the 007 rule. George Lazenby starred as the British agent for the only time, replacing Sean Connery. He broke the fourth wall for one, and got married for seconds.
Bond getting married? It was a bonkers idea. To date, people had only seen Bond be a staunch and deadly agent, with women only serving as a means to get what he wanted. But to have an emotional side of Bond, to know he can love? It threw the rule book out of the window.
As was the way, though, 007’s marriage to Tracey di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) would be tragically short. She was killed minutes after the wedding by Blofeld and his crony Irma Blunt. Lazenby’s acting left much to be desired, but as for the character: it was an all-new look at Bond, and a moment that would be revisited, subtly, in Bond films to follow.
6. Lotus Esprit submarine - The Spy Who Loved Me
In one car chase alone, Roger Moore’s Bond is chased by a motorcycle and sidecar, an old Ford Cortina, and a helicopter. All disposed of neatly thanks to the second-greatest Bond car of them all: the Lotus Esprit.
It was arguably unrealistic, and not because the car became a submarine, but because it was a Lotus and didn’t break down. Still, it was an excellent car chase, with the right blend of Bond wit, well-shot action, villain humbling, gadgetry (come on, the Esprit became a submarine), and death.
All the ingredients for a classic Bond moment.
5. Laser treatment - Goldfinger
Goldfinger is regarded by many as one of the greatest Bond films of them all, and Goldfinger himself as one of the best villains – oxymoron accepted. Goldfinger helped define the stereotype for future Bond villains. From dipping women in gold paint to coming up with elaborate ways of killing his enemies.
Of course, it’s the latter that we love the most. It would have been so easy just to shoot 007 in the head and be done with it. But no. Instead, Bond is tied to a board and threatened to be cut in half by a laser beam. Naturally, he escapes using persuasive discourse, and in hindsight it was obvious that he would. At the time, though, it was hard to see how he would. It also owes the greatest line of them all: “You expect me to talk?” says Bond. “No, Mr. Bond”, says Goldfinger, “I expect you to die!”
4. JCB on the train - Skyfall
If anyone was worried that Daniel Craig’s 21st Century Bond was too realistic and dull, then they were told to sit down and be quiet with this stunt in the opening scene of Skyfall. During a lengthy pursuit of a gone-toting hitman, Bond demonstrates his resourcefulness after he runs out of ammo. As opposed to just giving up, he borrows a JCB, which is being transported on a train. Destroying several VW Beetles on his way, to get his man he uses the bucket as body armour – he’s already been shot – and uses the arm to grab onto the next car.
A casual walk up the arm and jumps into the train, adjusting his cuffs as he goes. It’s classic bond – a determination to get his man at all costs with no regard at all for the collateral damage he causes, and yet still has time to adjust his shirt.
3. Tank chase - Goldeneye
Pierce Brosnan’s first appearance as 007 would prove to be his best, and what a film Goldeneye turned out to be. Containing everything that a traditional Bond film should have, from treacherous British agents to ruthless Russians, the 1995 film is considered one the best in the franchise.
But has a statement of refusal to accept defeat ever been more prevalent than Bond smashing through a wall and engaging in a car chase… in a tank? He crashed through buildings, destroys endless Ladas, and even humbled a truck load of product-placed Perrier water.
It’s as reckless as can be, with just the right amount of comedic moments. There’s even a trademark straightening of the tie.
2. M’s death - Skyfall
We saw 007 deal with loss in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but, and lets be honest George Lazenby’s didn’t really have us crying. However, after the truly epic battle climax in Skyfall, we see a side of James Bond that we never knew existed.
After a standard-issue pun, he cradles a dying M in his arms. After a parting compliment she succumbs to her wounds, and Daniel Craig’s tears appear quite convincing. It’s poignant that M, his – rather unusual – mother figure dies at his old home’s chapel, where his parents are buried.
The twist that it was makes this one of the best moments in Bond-om. A genuine “I didn’t see that coming” moment.
1. Bond meets Blofeld - You Only Live Twice
There have been many Bond villains – obviously, as without them things would be a bit flat – but none have been as infamous as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. The character of Blofeld has “appeared” in From Russia With Love and Thunderball, although only as a voice and hands. Who he really was, was something of a mystery.
All we knew was that he was the unseen head of the SPECTRE organisation… until he spotted a disguised James Bond trying to board his spaceship. Summoned, Bond (Sean Connery) is presented to Blofeld and behold one of cinema’s greatest reveals. Although Blofeld was played by four actors, Donald Pleasance’s portrayal is by far the greatest.
Don't agree with the list? What are your top 10 James Bond moments? Join the debate on Twitter @GulfNewsGuides
