For the bloggosphere geek record, and because I feel many of my fellow film bloggers and readers haven't grown up with 007 like I have, here's my favorite films featuring the original international man of mystery:
1. FROM RUSSIA
WITH LOVE (Dir.Terence Young, 1963) Despite the heavily derived from Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST helicopter chase sequence (pictured), the fight scenes, and the now obligatory boat chase this is more of a straight thriller laced with romance and that's how I like Bond best. Sean Connery's 2nd
performance as 007 captures him in suave stride as he romances a Russian agent (Daniela Bianchi) while battling SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). Filled with finesse from the first frame to the last and still as sharp today as Rosa Clebb's poisoned shoe spike was back in the Kennedy Camelot era.
2. GOLDFINGER (Dir. Guy Hamilton, 1964) It's close to a tie between this and #1, GOLDFINGER was the fine tuning of a formula that served the series well. A megalomaniac (Gert Frbe) sets out to commit "the crime of the century" by literally going for the gold (Fort Knox) but Bond (Connery) foils his plans and gets Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) in the process (also literally).
3. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076752/ (Dir. Lewis Gilbert, 1977) There's a bias here because this was the first one I saw as a kid at the theater but it's certainly considered the best of the Roger Moore Bond movies (Moore himself agrees). It has one of the best Bond babes (Barbara Bach), one of the best Bond theme songs (Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better"), and one of the best Bond vehicles (the Lotus Esprit that can convert to a submarine car). It also has the infamous overlarge henchman "Jaws" (Richard Kiel) who was popular enough to be shamelessly trotted out again in the next movie (see below).
4. DR. NO (Dir. Terence Young, 1962) Yep, like the first 3 Elvis Costello albums the first 3 Bond movies are essential IMHO. Connery assumes the role immediately and this has much evidence of the cold cunning killer that folks these days seem to think Craig created. The shot of Ursula Andress emerging from the water in a white cotton bikini with a knife holster is forever etched into my psyche and into film history. Fittingly the scene was recreated with Hallie Berry in DIE ANOTHER DAY and to show the tables have been turned in terms of sexual objectification nowadays Daniel Craig did the honors at the beach in CASINO ROYALE.
5. ON HER MAJESTY'S SERCRET SERVICE (Dir. Peter Hunt, 1969) Maybe an odd choice to some because it featured a Bond one-timer (George Lazenby - who I believe is Marge Simpson's favorite Bond) I think it's crucial for several reasons, the most important being that this is the one he gets married in. Former model Lazenby may have been a horrible actor but he's got a grand movie surrounding him with the elegant Diana Rigg (fresh from The Avengers) as his bride, Telly Saval as the most energetic version of Bond's arch enemy Blofeld to be found in the series, and the first and still best ski chase Bond's ever been in.
6. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (Dir. John Glen, 1981) This was a noble and successful attempt to get Bond back down to earth (again literally) after the sublimely stupid Star Wars cash-in MOONRAKER. Roger Moore's 5th outing as the secret agent was nicely plotted with a great McGuffin (ATAC - Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator, a thingie that looked like a big calculator) and a toned sense of self satire, i.e. less one-liners. There is genuine drama involving yet another revenge scenario amongst the action sequences which include the expected ski-chases, underwater fights, and a mountain climbing climax which defines the word "gripping".
7. GOLDENEYE (Dir. Martin Campbell, 1995) Honestly, though I thought he was well cast, I wasn't a fan of the Pierce Brosnan Bond films. I felt that it all had been done to death and that the series should retire. This film does address that with M (Judi Dench the only linking cast member to the Craig Bonds) calling Bond a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur" and a "relic of the cold war". There is a streamlined effort present to preserve and re-invigorate the adventures of 007 and Brosnan here for his first of five films is well up to the task even if the formulaic packaging falters. That's not to say there isn't plenty of fun to be had.
8. THUNDERBALL (Dir. ) Michael G. Wilson, producer and screenwriter of many Bond movies, not long ago remarked "We always start out trying to make another FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and end up with another THUNDERBALL." As Bond blue-prints go though that's a pretty good one to end up with. While it's bogged down with too many underwater fights, THUNDERBALL features Connery's last best performance as Bond (he made 3 others after this including the weird remake NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN in 1983). I believe this makes the list again because of my love of it as a kid and my ironic fondness for the swinging theme by Tom Jones. Austin Powers took a lot of notes on this one.
9. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (Dir. ) Maybe I'm just throwing a bone to everybody's least favorite Bond Timothy Dalton or maybe I just have a thing for every actor's first time in the role but this was a fair effort to move the franchise into a new more realistic direction after the parting of Roger Moore. Dalton, who was excellent as the moustache twirling villain in HOT FUZZ a few years back, brings his stage training to the part and while the standard cold war plot holds no surprises there is considerable charm and a nice chemistry with Maryam d'Abo, definitely one of my favorite Bond women.
10. LIVE AND LET DIE (Dir. ) Roger Moore's first is again a favorite and one I always stop and watch when coming across it when flipping through the channels. It has the key elements great theme song (by Paul McCartney and Wings), great action set-pieces (definitely the best boat chase of the canon), a great lovely lady (Jane Seymour), and a great edgy adversary (Yaphet Kotto). Bond's brush with Blaxploitation is only marred by the worst, and most embarrassing, deaths of a villain (or of anybody) of all the movies don't worry no Spoiler but you've been warned.