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Your top 5 James Bond films.

Pilgrimzero

Member
Brought to you by: I watched Goldeneye last night and I don’t think it holds up.

It’s still good but it definitely has some flaws I’ve noticed this go around. Age brings wisdom?

Anywho, what are you Top 5 Bond films. FYI your taste will be judge by your peers so don’t just start listing Daniel Craig films. Casino Royal was good though.
 

Chiggs

Member
  1. Goldfinger: duh
  2. Diamonds are Forever: Another Shirley Bassey opening + faked moon landing conspiracy
  3. The Man with the Golden Gun: James Bond vs Dracula
  4. The Spy Who Loved Me: A ridiculously huge production + Jaws
  5. Live and Let Die: A meaner Roger Moore facing off against voodoo magic

Not a huge fan of the Craig stuff, honestly.
 

Artoris

Member
  1. Goldfinger: duh
  2. Diamonds are Forever: Another Shirley Bassey opening + faked moon landing conspiracy
  3. The Man with the Golden Gun: James Bond vs Dracula
  4. The Spy Who Loved Me: A ridiculously huge production + Jaws
  5. Live and Let Die: A meaner Roger Moore facing off against voodoo magic

Not a huge fan of the Craig stuff, honestly.
Craig Casino Royal was not bad though
 
Casino Royale (Craig) and Goldeneye were my favorites when I dove into the franchise a few years back.

Best Bond quote was "Dink, say goodbye to Felix. Uh, man talk *slap on the butt*."
 

Trunx81

Member
Connery:
1. From Russia with love
2. Goldfinger

Lazenby:
1. “That did never happen to the other guy”

Moore:
1. Live and let die
2. Spy who loved me

Dalton:
1. There’s only one good Dalton Bond

Brosnan:
1. Goldeneye

Craig:
1. Casino Royal
2. Skyfall
 

Pilgrimzero

Member
Connery:
1. From Russia with love
2. Goldfinger

Lazenby:
1. “That did never happen to the other guy”

Moore:
1. Live and let die
2. Spy who loved me

Dalton:
1. There’s only one good Dalton Bond

Brosnan:
1. Goldeneye

Craig:
1. Casino Royal
2. Skyfall

I completely forgot about Dalton. I need to watch one or more of those now
 

NecrosaroIII

Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
1 - Goldfinger, even though Bond is useless in it. It's just endlessly entertaining
2 - From Russia With Love
3 - Live and Let Die
4 - Skyfall
5 - Goldeneye
 

Saber

Member
Goldeneye and Casino Royale.
Skyfall isn't that bad...just have a few terrible characters and the late game is awfull.
 
1. For Your Eyes Only (1981)


While Moore is not my favorite Bond actor, I cannot think of a better film to represent the franchise or a better screen play in the series. It is filled with Cold War espionage, double crossing, assassinations, raids, epic chases, fist fights, historical scenery, dry British humor, and a gorgeous Greek beauty hellbent on revenge.

2. The Living Daylights (1987)


As arguably the best cast Bond, Timothy Dalton shines in this espionage thriller. The plot resembles the source material and the execution is flawless. Iconic scenes like the Milkman disguised assassin carrying out an attack on an embassy or a contact being killed in the middle of a crowded amusement park have no equal.

3. From Russia With Love (1963)


Sean Connery brings Bond to life in this oddyssey to the East and adds to the pop cultural mythos of the franchise. Sinister plots, fights on trains, iconic scenery, code talk, and exploration of other cultures take point on this cinematic journey.

4. Diamonds are Forever (1971)


Its plot has an undeniable sense of humour and manages to make it work with great cinematography, incredible locations like Las Vegas, and comical scenarios and characters.

5. Thunderball (1965)


This film cemented Bond as a film franchise and was even good enough to be remade wholesale. It put secret evil organizations, femme fatales, and ruthless villains front and center. It also did it with style.

P.S. Craig-era Bond films did not have the structure or cliches of Bond films, so despite enjoying Skyfall and No Time To Die I do not feel like any of them should be in my list. Also, I fell asleep trying to finish Casino Royale on three separate occassions despite flying through the pages of the book, so I really hate it. I will also admit that The World is Not Enough is a guilty pleasure and reading On Her Majesty's Secret Service ruined the film adaptation for me as it comes up very short.
 
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Brought to you by: I watched Goldeneye last night and I don’t think it holds up.
goldeneye-alec-trevelyan.gif
GoldenEye007box.jpg

I agree somewhat, but the positives trump the film's shortcomings. The World Is Not Enough is probably the best Brosnan Bond with Goldeneye second.

Mine:

5 - A View To A Kill
Moore's best Bond movie in my humble opinion. Loved Christopher Walken and the opening song with Duran Duran is so 80s it's excellent.
A_View_to_a_Kill_-_UK_cinema_poster.jpg


4 - License To Kill
Underrated Bond movie with some excellent action scenes and solid supporting cast. I love the premise of the fictitious country of Ismuth and the corrupt ruler played by Robert Davi. Both Bond girls are top notch aswell.
Licence_to_Kill_-_UK_cinema_poster.jpg


3 - The World Is Not Enough
Brosnan's best Bond movie, even better than Goldeneye. The plot twist with the female villain was excellent, even though people rag about Denise Richards. Robbie Coltrane with his character of the fat Russian was funny too lol.
The_World_Is_Not_Enough_%28UK_cinema_poster%29.jpg


2 - Casino Royale
An absolute masterpiece. People who crap on this movie are off their heads and those that nitpick are clutching at straws. Craig delivers an excellent Bond with a tight and efficient script and action sequences. Eva Green was sublime and one of the most beautiful Bond girls.
Casino_Royale_2_-_UK_cinema_poster.jpg


1 - Dr No
Bit of a copout to put the first film in the franchise as my first selection, but Dr No to me was when the Bond franchise was at it's most simplest and refined. Something rotten in Jamaica and 007 is sent in to investigate. No gadgets yet or filler, just pure espionage action and narrative.
Dr._No_-_UK_cinema_poster.jpg
 
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Top 5, in film release order:
* Goldfinger (Connery)
* On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Lazenby)
* License to Kill (Dalton)
* GoldenEye (Brosnan)
* Casino Royale (Craig)

As for Moore, his films were in the "campy" Bond era, which I'm not as much a fan of. I also think he went on for one film too long (I thought he should've passed the torch after Octopussy).
Of his Bond films though, I enjoyed Moonraker the most, mainly for the space plot and Jaws.
 

IDKFA

Member
In no order.

Casino Royale
Goldeneye
Goldfinger
License to Kill
From Russia with Love

The Roger Moore era wasn't for me. It was just too bonkers with shit like Moonraker. Also Octopussy where Bond fucks a lesbian (called Pussy Galore!) straight! I know that's ripped straight from Ian Flemming, but it's so absurd it's almost a parody.
 

Bragr

Member
I liked Casino Royale, but man, those other Craig movies were disappointing when they came out and even worse now. He might have the worst of the bunch.

Something similar happened to the Brosnan movies, I liked Goldeneye, but it all just developed into generic action movies after the first one.

I frankly don't remember the older ones, even though I have seen them all. I have wanted to do a marathon and view them all in 2 weeks or so but have been pushing it off for like 5 years.
 
Goldeneye
The Living Daylights
License to Kill
Casino Royale
From Russia with Love

Dalton's Bond movies are my favorites. The tone of them just felt right for a Bond movie.
 

BlackTron

Member
I have a serious soft spot for Tomorrow Never Dies. It was the first Bond film to come out after Goldeneye on N64 got me into the series and it really lived up to my teenage level hype with the opening fighter jet and parking garage scenes in the movie theater. It happened to be my very first DVD too. I like it a little more than Goldeneye now.
 

darrylgorn

Member
1. The Living Daylights
2. Tomorrow Never Dies
3. A View To A Kill
4. Octopussy
5. The Spy Who Loved Me
 
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YuLY

Member
1.GoldenEye
2.Casino Royale
3.The Living Daylights
4.License To Kill
5.Tomorrow Never Dies
 

LordCBH

Member
1: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2: From Russia With Love
3: Casino Royale
4: Live and Let Die
5: License to Kill

It was actually quite hard to narrow down outside of my top two. Stuff like The Soy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice, Skyfall, Dr. No, and and A View to a Kill all easily could have made the other 3 spots.
 
Havent seen all the movies, but I prefer the Connery and Moore movies. The second James Bond took over driving tanks and shooting machine guns is where it became stupid. The guy turned into bulked up superhero since the old days getting into COD shootouts. He's no spy. He's Rambo in a suit and tie.

Even my dad who loved James Bond never bothered watching any movie the past 20 years.

Best Bond opening ever.

 
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Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
I won't bother with the list format, because after seeing every film in the series, I enjoy Daniel Craig's Bond far more than any other. I like all of his films except Quantum of Solace, so that's four films, and I also really liked On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Casino Royale is #1.
 

Schattenjäger

Gabriel Knight
This is tough because I love them all.. but if I had to choose ..in no particular order

1. The Living Daylights
2. Goldfinger
3. You Only Live Twice
4. Casino Royale
5. Live and Let Die
 

Lasha

Member
1. View to a kill
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. The Living Daylights
4. License to Kill
5. Goldeneye

Honorable Mention:
You only live twice for asking why Chinese girls taste different and yellow face.
 

drganon

Member
In no particular order
Goldeneye
Thunderball
Live and let die
Skyfall
For your eyes only
 
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xandaca

Member
1- Goldfinger: The film which to all intents and purposes invented the modern action genre and where barely a minute passes without another iconic scene, visual character, music cue or set-piece. Point out its flaws all you like - Bond is relatively passive throughout; the film tips the series into camp - but Goldfinger delivers everything you could possibly want from the series at maximum output from start to finish. The cast is uniformly perfect, led by Connery at maximum magnetism, and it sorts out all the problems with Fleming's rather week book with aplomb.

2- From Russia With Love: One of the more old-fashioned Bond films in its quasi-Hitchcockian aesthetics, but under the hood is a more mischievous, groundbreaking film than the relatively stolid thriller output of the time. While it leans into suspense and plot a lot more than most subsequent Bonds - the Connery era does cross-film continuity far more intelligently and effortlessly than the Craig era's heavy-handed attempts - it also has an all-time great action sequence in the train fight with Red Grant, one of Bond's most charismatic allies in Kerim Bey, some cracking one-liners ("Found your technique too violent?") and a palpable sense of the flavour of early sixties' Istanbul. Bond also has a threesome with two gypsies in a middle act which is the perfect answer to the question 'How would any man like to spend his fantasy holiday?'

3- On Her Majesty's Secret Service: For a start, I'm a George Lazenby defender. If he's not as natural as Connery and lays on the smarm a bit thick at times, he delivers a fine performance taking the character into uncharted emotional territory, especially the final scene of him cradling his dead wife's body (cannily instructed by director Peter Hunt to be emotional but not cry, because this is still Bond we're talking about). Outside that, Majesty's is great fun throughout and remarkably experimental in its editing and pacing (no surprise that Hunt was a groundbreaking editor on the series before being promoted to direct this film). Not all of it works but unlike Quantum of Solace, the action is lightning fast without ever losing the geography of the scene. Like Goldfinger, this has everything you'd want from a Bond, topped off with a genuinely heartfelt romance (aside from the whole 'sleeps with an entire ski resort of women' bit in the middle act, but hey, he's still Bond) with arguably the best-written Bond woman - played with great nuance and feeling by Diana Rigg - the best Blofeld in Telly Savalas, another great ally in Draco, and one of John Barry's most vividly recognisable scores. Even if you don't like Lazenby, it's a scorcher.

4- Licence To Kill: The first film to send Bond rogue did so without a single punch pulled and powerhouse performances from Timothy Dalton and Robert Davi as the villainous Sanchez. If it does indeed emulate the tone and look of American action films at the time, it does so with action sequences that blow most of them out of the water in scale and construction (Bond's infiltration and escape from the Wave Krest, and the tanker truck finale, are masterfully staged and edited), with a tight plot and a healthy dollop of Flemingian flair and cynicism (Wayne Newton's televangelist is a character very much in the Fleming spirit despite not literally being created by him). Pam Bouvier and Lupe Lamora are an engaging set of Bond girls with their own agendas and motivations, and Benicio Del Toro's Dario a wonderfully sinister henchman. Its reappraisal in recent years is long overdue.

5- Skyfall: The best of Craig's output mostly because it's the first to feel as though it's actually having some fun. If the actor himself is running in second gear throughout - his investment declined precipitously after his all-timer performance in Casino Royale - everything else from the score to the action and the gorgeous cinematography is on top form to compensate. Javier Bardem hams it up as the most memorable villain of Craig's rather limp lineup of antagonists, and its thematic analysis of the relevance of the Bond character in his 50th cinematic anniversary gave the film a depth without being too overbearing (unless you really hate the Tennyson poem, which hits the mark for me). No, the plot doesn't make much sense, but join the queue: if you're watching Bonds for coherent plotting, you're missing the point entirely.

PS: I actually ranked and wrote about all 25 Bond films on a blog I used to maintain last year. If you're interested in reading more of my thoughts on the series, here's a link to the piece on my top five (with links to the others contained within). There's no advertising and I don't write there anymore, so the self-promotional aspect is basically nil.
 

German Hops

Member
1. Casino Royale
It's not perfect, but it's the most rewatchable for me. Craig is excellent as Bond and Green makes for one of the strongest Bond girls. Some boring parts and the poker vs. baccarat change kind of irks me, but it's a fantastic movie.

2. Goldfinger
The quintessential Bond movie. It's got the style and fun that set the template for all Bonds to come. If anything, the middle section bores me and the climax isn't as good as epic as it should be.

3. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Great movie. Lazenby gives us a different but very good Bond performance. Again, middle section is fairly dull, but it's got some of the most thrilling sequences in any Bond movie and Rigg is my top Bond girl.

4. From Russia with Love
Very well done movie. Shaw's Red Grant is one of the oft-imitated Bond villains. A major stepping stone to creating the Bond style.

5. Goldeneye
Great introduction for Brosnan and Bean delivers my favorite Bond villain.

6. The Spy Who Loved Me
Moore's best. His chemistry with Bach helps make it one of the most fun Bond films. Not to mention all the epic submarine action.

7. Thunderball
This one takes Goldfinger's template and brings it further. This one has the most beautiful Bond girls but suffers from some boring stretches.

8. For Your Eyes Only
Solid and darker Moore entry. Their aim was to take Bond back to the basics and it works. It also has a thrilling finale.

9. The Living Daylights
Good introduction for Dalton. He delivers an edgy interpretation of Bond and is something of a forerunner for Craig's take.

10. The World is Not Enough
Pretty solid Brosnan film. Suffers from a weak Bond girl and weak villain.

11. Tomorrow Never Dies
Good Brosnan entry. Suffers from that dullness that plagued many mid- to late-90's action films.

12. Dr. No
Good start for the series. Andress is the quintessential Bond girl. Many of the staples of the series are there, but just not fully developed yet.

13. You Only Live Twice
The movie suffers from completely unmemorable Bond girls and side villains, a completely unnecessary Bond-turns-Japanese subplot. Its saving grace is the biggest, and most epic Bond finale: a ninja raid on Blofeld's hollowed out Volcano base.

14. Quantum of Solace
Ultimately a major disappointment after Casino Royale. A somewhat admirable attempt to make a lean action movie hampered by unintelligible action sequences, an undercooked script, and silly villains. Skip to the last scene for a perfect coda to Casino Royale.

15. Die Another Day
A dumb but fun final entry for Brosnan. It's wretched CGI and silliness were responsible for the series' reboot.

16. Live and Let Die
Moore's introduction to the role is uneven. It's Bond by way of Shaft. The backwater Louisiana setting and voodoo villains aren't appealing to me. Has one of the silliest villain deaths in cinematic history.

17. The Man with the Golden Gun
Okay Moore entry. Largely unmemorable Thailand setting. Lee makes for a great villain. Always found Villechaize and Eklund annoying though.

18. License to Kill
Dalton's gritty, 80s-action inspired 2nd entry just feels dirty and beneath the franchise.

19. Octopu$sy
Just an unmemorable Moore outing. Wish Jordan was a better villain. The decision to dress Bond up as a clown daringly plays with conventions, but it's something that I could have gone without.

20. Moonraker
Just a stupid, stupid and hideously excessive movie. Lonsdale's Hugo Drax is a great villain though.

21. A View to a Kill
Moore probably should have bowed out after For Your Eyes Only. Here, he looks creepily old and the movie is suitably tired and stupid.

22. Diamonds Are Forever
Connery looks like he aged 15 years since his last outing and sleepwalks through his performance. Gray's Blofeld is the least threatening interpretation of the character. The Bond girl in this is one of the most annoying. They have their fans, but Wint and Kidd are my least favorite Bond characters ever. Just a piece of garbage after On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

If Never Say Never Again was an official entry it'd be ranked last. It's a terrible movie. Casino Royale (1967) is an interesting mess.
 

Tams

Member
  1. Tomorrow Never Dies
  2. The World is Not Enough
  3. GoldenEye
  4. Die Another Day opening scene or any scene with Rosamund Pike or the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish and/or the Jaguar XKR. / Casino Royale
  5. Skyfall
I do like the older Bonds, but nowhere near as much. Shoot me, but I prefer Roger Moore and the films he's in. Of those, my favourites are For Your Eyes Only and Live and Let Die. I always found Connery to be too insufferable.
 
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Pilgrimzero

Member
People keep saying Skyfall and I don’t get it. The plot was full of holes and the villains plot completely relied on the good guys doing an exact thing at an exact time that he had no control over. Like his escape from MI6 lining up perfectly with a passenger train passing by with a plan to blow the track….
 
1. Goldfinger
2. Dr. No
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
4. Casino Royale
5. The Living Daylights

Connery and Dalton the best Bonds.
 
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Tams

Member
People keep saying Skyfall and I don’t get it. The plot was full of holes and the villains plot completely relied on the good guys doing an exact thing at an exact time that he had no control over. Like his escape from MI6 lining up perfectly with a passenger train passing by with a plan to blow the track….
Because Dame Judy Dench killed absolutely killed it.

It helps than it came after the utter letdown and snoozefest that was Quantum of Sno..., sorry, Solace.
 

AJUMP23

Member
I don't know that I have an order preference but here are ones I enjoy.


Goldfinger
From Russia with Love
You only live Twice
Goldeneye
Casino Royal - Mainly because Eva Green is fantastic as Vesper.

Connery is the best Bond.
 

Jezbollah

Member
I don't know that I have an order preference but here are ones I enjoy.


Goldfinger
From Russia with Love
You only live Twice
Goldeneye
Casino Royal - Mainly because Eva Green is fantastic as Vesper.

Connery is the best Bond.

I came here thinking I might have to have a good think about this, but for me you've nailed it.
 

Artoris

Member
1. Casino Royale
It's not perfect, but it's the most rewatchable for me. Craig is excellent as Bond and Green makes for one of the strongest Bond girls. Some boring parts and the poker vs. baccarat change kind of irks me, but it's a fantastic movie.

2. Goldfinger
The quintessential Bond movie. It's got the style and fun that set the template for all Bonds to come. If anything, the middle section bores me and the climax isn't as good as epic as it should be.

3. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Great movie. Lazenby gives us a different but very good Bond performance. Again, middle section is fairly dull, but it's got some of the most thrilling sequences in any Bond movie and Rigg is my top Bond girl.

4. From Russia with Love
Very well done movie. Shaw's Red Grant is one of the oft-imitated Bond villains. A major stepping stone to creating the Bond style.

5. Goldeneye
Great introduction for Brosnan and Bean delivers my favorite Bond villain.

6. The Spy Who Loved Me
Moore's best. His chemistry with Bach helps make it one of the most fun Bond films. Not to mention all the epic submarine action.

7. Thunderball
This one takes Goldfinger's template and brings it further. This one has the most beautiful Bond girls but suffers from some boring stretches.

8. For Your Eyes Only
Solid and darker Moore entry. Their aim was to take Bond back to the basics and it works. It also has a thrilling finale.

9. The Living Daylights
Good introduction for Dalton. He delivers an edgy interpretation of Bond and is something of a forerunner for Craig's take.

10. The World is Not Enough
Pretty solid Brosnan film. Suffers from a weak Bond girl and weak villain.

11. Tomorrow Never Dies
Good Brosnan entry. Suffers from that dullness that plagued many mid- to late-90's action films.

12. Dr. No
Good start for the series. Andress is the quintessential Bond girl. Many of the staples of the series are there, but just not fully developed yet.

13. You Only Live Twice
The movie suffers from completely unmemorable Bond girls and side villains, a completely unnecessary Bond-turns-Japanese subplot. Its saving grace is the biggest, and most epic Bond finale: a ninja raid on Blofeld's hollowed out Volcano base.

14. Quantum of Solace
Ultimately a major disappointment after Casino Royale. A somewhat admirable attempt to make a lean action movie hampered by unintelligible action sequences, an undercooked script, and silly villains. Skip to the last scene for a perfect coda to Casino Royale.

15. Die Another Day
A dumb but fun final entry for Brosnan. It's wretched CGI and silliness were responsible for the series' reboot.

16. Live and Let Die
Moore's introduction to the role is uneven. It's Bond by way of Shaft. The backwater Louisiana setting and voodoo villains aren't appealing to me. Has one of the silliest villain deaths in cinematic history.

17. The Man with the Golden Gun
Okay Moore entry. Largely unmemorable Thailand setting. Lee makes for a great villain. Always found Villechaize and Eklund annoying though.

18. License to Kill
Dalton's gritty, 80s-action inspired 2nd entry just feels dirty and beneath the franchise.

19. Octopu$sy
Just an unmemorable Moore outing. Wish Jordan was a better villain. The decision to dress Bond up as a clown daringly plays with conventions, but it's something that I could have gone without.

20. Moonraker
Just a stupid, stupid and hideously excessive movie. Lonsdale's Hugo Drax is a great villain though.

21. A View to a Kill
Moore probably should have bowed out after For Your Eyes Only. Here, he looks creepily old and the movie is suitably tired and stupid.

22. Diamonds Are Forever
Connery looks like he aged 15 years since his last outing and sleepwalks through his performance. Gray's Blofeld is the least threatening interpretation of the character. The Bond girl in this is one of the most annoying. They have their fans, but Wint and Kidd are my least favorite Bond characters ever. Just a piece of garbage after On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

If Never Say Never Again was an official entry it'd be ranked last. It's a terrible movie. Casino Royale (1967) is an interesting mess.

"Wint and Kidd"

They may be not be the best, but they are difficult to forget

I think there is a friends with benefits type thing happening between them, and they are the inspiration behind Cain and Lynch
 

kunonabi

Member
1. From Russia With Love
2. Tomorrow Never Dies
3. Casino Royale
4. The Living Daylights
5. For Your Eyes Only
 
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jason10mm

Member
SMH GAF.
Best Bond film is

images
YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

Maybe because it was my first theatrical Bond (though thinking about it I think I also saw Octopussy in the theater as a wee lad so maybe not?) but I love this film so much. It's campy but distills so much "Bond" in it.

I'd give The Living Daylights high marks as well as this was when I was able to go see them on my own and I think Dalton really nails the role. Even License to Kill holds up really well compared to Brosnan and Craig sequels. I prefer 60's style over 70's so the early Connery run is always fun.
 
I love Goldeneye and Casino Royale. Did you know Goldeneye was offered to Timothy Dalton? He turned it down. Also, Sam Neill was offered the Bond role at one point but he turned it down and was self concious that he would be the Bond people didn’t like
 

xandaca

Member
I love Goldeneye and Casino Royale. Did you know Goldeneye was offered to Timothy Dalton? He turned it down. Also, Sam Neill was offered the Bond role at one point but he turned it down and was self concious that he would be the Bond people didn’t like

If I can add some detail onto your comment, most of which is on the money though helped by a little contextualising.

Dalton didn't turn down GoldenEye per se, he turned down the requirement that he return for several more films. He wanted to do one more to consolidate the best of his previous two films before calling it a day, but after Bond had been away from the screen for so long, producer Cubby Broccoli said he'd have to commit to at least four films. Dalton didn't want to be on the hook for that long so they parted ways and Broccoli went back to Pierce Brosnan, who was effectively given the role in The Living Daylights but forced out after his contract for the TV show, Remington Steele, was renewed at the last moment (ironically because the producers of that show thought they'd be getting James Bond).

Sam Neill wasn't offered the part but was screentested for it - once again for The Living Daylights. He subsequently said he was bullied into doing the screentest by his agent and wouldn't have taken the role as he didn't feel he'd enjoy the role and sensed, as you correctly point out, that fans wouldn't have liked him.

Here's his screentest:



And James Brolin, for good measure, who was incredibly close to getting the part when Roger Moore intended to retire after For Your Eyes Only. However, when it was announced that Connery would be coming back for rival Bond film, Never Say Never Again, the producers panicked about having to introduce a new Bond against Connery and persuaded Moore to come back. Brolin was reportedly packing to go and live in London when he got the news.

Here's his stunt screentest:



And the scene which all Bond actors do in screentests, the hotel room meeting between Bond and Tanya in From Russia With Love. Brolin is testing opposite Maud Adams, who would have been Brolin's female lead had he been cast in Octopussy (I'd imagine Adams had already been cast at that point, though am not certain).

 
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If I can add some detail onto your comment, most of which is on the money though helped by a little contextualising.

Dalton didn't turn down GoldenEye per se, he turned down the requirement that he return for several more films. He wanted to do one more to consolidate the best of his previous two films before calling it a day, but after Bond had been away from the screen for so long, producer Cubby Broccoli said he'd have to commit to at least four films. Dalton didn't want to be on the hook for that long so they parted ways and Broccoli went back to Pierce Brosnan, who was effectively given the role in The Living Daylights but forced out after his contract for the TV show, Remington Steele, was renewed at the last moment (ironically because the producers of that show thought they'd be getting James Bond).

Sam Neill wasn't offered the part but was screentested for it - once again for The Living Daylights. He subsequently said he was bullied into doing the screentest by his agent and wouldn't have taken the role as he didn't feel he'd enjoy the role and sensed, as you correctly point out, that fans wouldn't have liked him.

Here's his screentest:



And James Brolin, for good measure, who was incredibly close to getting the part when Roger Moore intended to retire after For Your Eyes Only. However, when it was announced that Connery would be coming back for rival Bond film, Never Say Never Again, the producers panicked about having to introduce a new Bond against Connery and persuaded Moore to come back. Brolin was reportedly packing to go and live in London when he got the news.

Here's his stunt screentest:



And the scene which all Bond actors do in screentests, the hotel room meeting between Bond and Tanya in From Russia With Love. Brolin is testing opposite Maud Adams, who would have been Brolin's female lead had he been cast in Octopussy (I'd imagine Adams had already been cast at that point, though am not certain).


Man Sam Neill probably would have been intriguing as Bond.
 
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