I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone alive in Western society that has not seen a James Bond film. In fact, most people seem to have an opinion on who the best Bond was, and which was the best Bond film. So, here is our take on the top 10 James Bond movies of all time.
10. License To Kill 1989 Wikipedia
After Bond’s American friends are attacked by Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), a drug lord seeking revenge for a drug bust, Bond (Timothy Dalton) wants payback and quits MI6. Bond becomes a rogue agent and, with the assistance of Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), tracks down Sanchez to South America to assassinate him.
This movie has unjustly received bad criticism. This film is dark and humorless, unlike other Bond films, but Timothy Dalton managed to perfectly convey what Ian Fleming originally intended to do with the character: portray a cold-blooded professional killer.
9. Tomorrow Never Dies 1997 Wikipedia
When a British warship is mysteriously destroyed in Chinese waters, the world is on the brink of World War III, until 007 (Pierce Brosnan) zeros in on the true criminal mastermind of the attack. Bond’s do-or-die mission takes him to Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), a dominant industrialist who easily manipulates world events. After soliciting help from Carver’s sexy wife, Paris (Teri Hatcher), Bond joins forces with a stunning yet lethal Chinese agent, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), in a series of chases, vicious confrontations and magnificent escapes as they race to stop Carver’s plan of global pandemonium.
8. For Your Eyes Only 1981 Wikipedia
A British spy ship accidentally sinks with a secret weapons system on board. James Bond (Roger Moore) and the Russians are both out to salvage the device in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. To assist Bond in his quest, which takes him to locales like Italy and Greece, Bond teams up with Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), whose parents were assassinated by a spy working for the Soviets.
After the silliness of Moonraker (1979), it’s nice to see Roger Moore being serious for once. He makes this film one of the most realistic films in the series. The gadgets are all believable and the action sequences are somewhat sane.
7. Thunderball 1965 Wikipedia
In a bold scheme, an evil organization called SPECTRE hijacks a NATO plane and seizes two atomic warheads, each capable of killing millions of people. As the world is held hostage by the threat of a total apocalypse, James Bond (Sean Connery) jumps into action, racing against the clock as the evidence leads him to tropical nation of Nassau. There he meets Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), a distinguished agent of SPECTRE, and the beautiful Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond is immediately attracted to. The confrontation builds to an epic battle on the ocean floor, as Bond and his allies fight to avert the catastrophe. His mission leads him from a perilous jet-pack flight to a terrifying clash with Largo’s killer sharks. Interestingly, this film is not without controversy amongst Bond aficionados as to whether or not Bond maneuvers Fiona Volpe into the path of a SPECTRE gunman’s bullet. This film was remade in 1983 as an unofficial Bond film; the remake also featured Sean Connery as Bond.
6. The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 Wikipedia
A NATO and a Soviet submarine vanish in the middle of the ocean and a crazed megalomaniac living under the sea has the technology to track the two submerged vessels. After some initial squabbling, Bond (Roger Moore) must join forces with KGB agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach). Traveling from Egypt to the Alps, they will have to face the frightening Jaws (Richard Kiel).
You can really feel Roger Moore coming into his own in his third Bond outing. There’s just the right balance of political conflicts and over-the-top action to make this a truly great 007 film.
5. Goldeneye 1995 Wikipedia
James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is out to stop a criminal organization from stealing codes to a Russian electromagnetic known as “Goldeneye”. With the help of computer programmer Natalya Siminova (Izabella Scorupco), he must stop assassin Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) and her boss, who is Bond’s former colleague.
In this film, Brosnan proves he has the necessary charisma to be an exceptional 007. The movie includes some good acting with some amazing action scenes
4. Goldfinger 1964 Wikipedia
The Bank of England has discovered that someone is stockpiling enormous amounts of gold, and James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to investigate. Gold dealer Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) becomes the prime suspect. With the help of Oddjob (Harold Sakata) and Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman), Goldfinger plans on raiding Fort Knox.
Many consider this to be one of the best Bond movies, and it’s a classic in its own right. Although it contains one of the greatest villains in movie history, the plot is very unbelievable and the film seems lacking at parts.
3. Casino Royale 2006 Wikipedia
James Bond’s first “007″ mission leads him to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), banker to most of the world’s terrorists. In order to stop him, and bring down the terrorist network, Bond must beat Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale. Bond is primarily irritated when a beautiful British Treasury official, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), is assigned to watch over the government’s money during the game. But, as Bond and Vesper survive a series of lethal attacks by Le Chiffre and his henchmen, an attraction develops between them that might later endanger the mission.
This Bond, like the one in the novels, gets angry, makes mistakes, is tough, loves women, is gifted at killing and yet doesn’t like it. The producers got it right when they brought Bond back without the gadgets, and the infallibility of Brosnan.
2. From Russia With Love 1963 Wikipedia
The leader of SPECTRE wants revenge against James Bond (Sean Connery) for killing Dr. No. Bond is lured to Istanbul, where he thinks a Russian operative has a cipher machine for him. Along with Tatiana Romanov (Daniela Bianchi), 007 has to avoid the assassins while trying to steal the cipher machine.
This second movie in the series is slow-paced but very realistic. This film marks the first appearance of Q and his famed gadgets, which will be prominent in the series. The plot is easy to follow and always fun to watch.
1. Dr. No 1962 Wikipedia
Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to Jamaica to find out the mystery behind a fellow secret agent’s murder. He discovers that the death is linked to an energy wave that is able to interfere with U.S. missile launches. With the gorgeous Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), he soon discovers that a madman known as Dr. No has plans for world domination.
Sean Connery’s portrayal of the role launched his career into stardom. He’s very callous and tough in the film, but never without humor. This film was extremely successful, and even though the title sequence and gadgets hadn’t made an appearance yet, it should still be recognized as the movie that started it all.
Contributor: dazednconfused
Technorati Tags: james bond, movies
Maybe one day I’ll actually watch the older 007 movies.
Juggz: yeah – I haven’t done yet either.
well, i ‘grew up’ w/ James Bond movies..and there is only one true Bond…James Bond. SEAN CONNERY! yes, i am old. anyway…excellent list. brought back a lotta memories. thanks.
I never liked bond until Daniel Craig. It always just seemed so silly and unbelievable. I grew up during the Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan era so that might be the reason. If early Connery is cracked and falliable like the latest one, i might have to give it a try. Good job, as always jamie.
i gotta say i think Casino Royale is one of the best ones of them all. except for the somewhat predictable poker scenes, the rest of the movie was spot on. 007 is a ruthless killer with just enough bravado and flare to pull off some comedic scenes. I would put it as #1 or 2. Loved it.
DiscHuker and evan: I totally agree about Casino Royale – it is probably my favorite of all the films. I am very impressed that they managed to bring it to a whole new generation with such ease. Actually the same is true of the latest Batman I think – it is far superior to the rest.
Oh – and for the record – this list was submitted by someone else – I am just waiting to see if he wants his name attributed.
i totally agree with you about batman. i loved how begins was grittier and darker and no so cartoonish like the others. I just hope that someone will make a movie about the Dark Knight origins and how batman orginally earned that name. the beginings of batman was a vigilante who carried out his brand of justice, ie executing the guilty on the spot with a pistol. that would make an interesting non PC version of a very dark and hellbent batman, out for revenge.
ahh my computer or the website is going crazy, sorry for the lack of flow to my previous comment, but its blanking out parts that ive typed in, so i cant really see what im typing.
I’ve been a long time lurker on this site and I just felt the time had come when I had to comment. HAVEN’T SEEN THE EARLY BONDS? Are you guys kidding me? Don’t any of you posses a TV? Or is that too much down the route of Opiates for the masses? Get out there and watch all the Sean Connery films now!
And this is exactly why I love this site I never agree with anything but I love the debate it stimulates. PS Cyn you can’t be old as I remember all the early films and if anyone calls me old they’re in big trouble.
ive seen almost all the bond movies, including the early connery ones, its just my .02 but i still think casino royle is one, if not the, best in the series
I may be in the minority but I think that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was one of the best Bond films, and George Lazenby a great Bond.
PT: it is nice to have an ol.. erm, a new commenter on the site
I will watch them all henceforth!
Thanks J it feels good to join the list family
I personally felt that casino royale lacked the feel of earlier bond movies, but was still a pretty good action movie that tried to incorporate the current poker fad into the storyline
PT ..welcome into the light..er..listverse. now take one step further and complete your profile. pluuze. as for old…i’m 50 soon to have a bday. *sigh* so i do remember the first runs of the Connery Bond films. dear god..i think i actually saw at least one at a drive-in! so see..i’m freaking ancient.
Jaime..new list idea…top # oldest listers. ROFLMAO!
I will just sit back here in my inbetween the old and the young life…..bah
James Bond Sean Connery
Dr. No 1962
From Russia with Love 1963
Goldfinger 1964
Thunderball 1965
You Only Live Twice 1967
in retrospect…prolly saw these as 2nd or 3rd runs in pre-teen/teen years…think i saw Twice at a drive-in though. and drive-ins were known for running later runs of theatrical releases. these days a lotta of the movie channels on cable in the US have Bond marathons. ‘sides being available on DVD. so i’d be rather amazed if there are still people left w/ modern technology access that have not seen at least a few Bond movies.
I was always on the fence about the early bonds because of what the franchise had become in the 90′s with it’s tired *****ual innuendos and lame gadgets. i trust connery but not the franchise, til i saw casino royale. which connery one is the best? i’ll make sure i see it soon.
p.s. jamie – batman begins totally shattered the earlier films. it was amazing. i was terrified of this batman, just glad to have him on the side of truth and justice. i always felt like i coulda kicked all the other one’s asses. i wouldn’t want to be caught anywhere near bale’s dark night.
We can debate the best of Bond movies all day….I pose the obvious question:
Isn’t “Moonraker” the WORST Bond Movie?
AND
Jfrater – can we do the best of Bond Theme songs? (Live & Let Die) Or best movie theme songs in general?
Goldeneye is my favorite Bond movie, it was the first one I saw, and after the fall of the Soviet Union, the most realistic of Brosnan’s movies, and the best.
Tomorrow Never Dies, im sorry, but i hated that one.
Live and Let Die, that one is amazing, im surprised it’s not here, but, with over 20 movies to choose from, kinda not surprised too.
Te rest of this list is pretty good. I haven’t seen all the Bond movies, but i’ve seen a fair amount of them.
schadenfreude – I doubt if you will get many to disagree with you although what was the one with race horses? was that The Living Daylights? either way it was awful!
Cyn – 50 and old who have you been talking to? I’m 50 and with a birthday in January certainly can’t be any older than you so chill and don’t let the age police get you down.
DiscHuker: tell me about it – it was so much more real than the earlier Batman films. I can’t wait for the next two.
schadenfreude: Brilliant idea! Theme songs up next
PT actually i am embracing my age. *grins* it is nice to see someone of my generation online..and yes, the demographics are changing..finally. the internet is still full of youngsters. anywho…50 somethings rock and can kick some 20/30/40 somethings ass. LOL
Daniel Craig is the *****iest, and the best.
cyn you are so right. they don’t realise that age = experience and 50 is only beaten by 60 (Honest it is, I’m not just making this up as I go along)
lol
well i do know once i hit 50 i really did develop a more ‘don’t give a flying frijole kinda ‘tude’ about a lotta stuff. and became so much more conscious of what doormats 20-something women STILL are. so much for women’s lib. *sigh* or it really is a function of aging that we all get more settled in our own skin, regardless of gender and just do not take crap anymore. LOL
Cyn I doubt if anyone would dare give you any crap (I certainly wouldn’t)
LOL smart! and never mind the rumors..they are just that rumors. *scurries to clean the bloodstained floors* i am a gentle creature by nature. *smiles sweetly*
“I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone alive in Western society that has not seen a James Bond film.”
You just found one.
jfrater – another great list. Of course I disagree with you leaving out Live and Let Die. That’s about the only Roger Moore one I like. Personally, I think Goldfinger sets the standard for this franchise. And I really liked Brosnan as Bond, but didn’t really like the movies. I gotta admit, I’ve never watched the Tim Dalton ones.
Daniel Craig was pretty awesome, and I like the more serious tone of the story. No more comical gadgetry. Craig was a badass, and then turned softy, then kicked ass. The ball scratching scene was pretty high on the squirm-o-meter, but it proved that he was serious about the role.
What! No, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service? It is one of the best Bonds.
Did the person who wrote this list actually see all the Bond films?
Bucslim- Live And Let Die would come in at a close 11. The only reason it’s not higher is because I think he did a mediocre job replacing Connnery. Nonetheless, it’s a fun movie.
The Dum Guy- I wrote this. And I have seen all James Bond movies. Y’know those little things called opinions? Yeah, everyone has them, and I absolutely hated On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
dazednconfused- Noted, but how can you hate Kojak vs. James Bond?
I liked Octopussy and A view to a kill with roger moore.
But hey, Dr No with Sean connery deserves all the glory I concur
Oh lordy! First of all, Connery is the only legitimate Bond out there. Daniel Craig was great, however. Got back to the roots and sort of “reimagined” the genre. I am partial to “Thunderball” as it was the first one I saw as a kid – made the boat that broke into two pieces (a gunship and hydrofoil) out of Lego that night (yeah, we are reaching back to 1978 or 79 here…). The one with Pryce was awful – he was a horrible villian. So completely over the top in his evilnessssss. Moore was too campy/tongue in cheek for me. I do agree with Mark above, Lazenby was great and underrated. Dalton was a bit dour but better than Moore and Brosnen was darned good but the last two he made were a bit goofy and ventured into Mooreville. Well, that’s my 2 cents…
Ok
The only Roger Moore that doesn’t suck is “Live and Let Die” and maybe The Man with the Golden Gun” .. . In parts. He got old fast in Bond.
Otherwise The Sean Connerys and Tomorrow Never Dies, OHMSS and . . . . . Daniel Craig is ok but a but some flair would be nice.
Gray,
Oh no. A view to a kill is AWESOME! Christopher Walken plays a great villian.
THIS LIST IS CRAP
Half of it anyways. When I clicked the link, I prayed that Casino Royale would not be here. Much less… Tomorrow Never Dies? Are you kidding? Thunderball, Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me, From Russia With Love, Dr. No, A View to a Kill, Live and Let Die… Jesus not Brosnan. I’ll give you Goldeneye. ‘Cuz that girl wraps her thighs around his face lol.
Daniel Craig… what do I say… he’s a beast, and one of the best actors out there. Unfortunately, the hack writers didn’t give him much to work with. I mean, did anything actually HAPPEN in Casino Royale? (No.) All that movie was saying was “Yo yo yo Bond is still cool.” I hope the next 2 or 3, I forget how many he’s signed on for, have half-decent scripts.
TMo: you have to admit that the bit where he was dying of poison was pretty cool! (in Casino Royale that is).
Yes, it was cool, but the script was crap. Anyone can put a bunch of cool scenes together and still make a crappy movie.
Sean Connery is and always will be the best “Bond” !!!! he’s one of my most favourite actors and DAMN *****y for an old man
I’m completely with Cyn in her comment that there is ONE Bond: Sir Sean. In THIS space-time continuum. And so my own list of best Bonds would be: 1.) Goldfinger; 2.) You Only Live Twice; 3.) Thunderball; 4.) Dr. No; 5.) From Russia With Love; 6.) Diamonds Are Forever … and then 7.) Casino Royale, with Daniel Craig. He’s a completely different Bond from Connery, but he IS Bond. (I really have to wonder about TMo’s gripe: “Did anything really HAPPEN in Casino Royale?” Craig’s Bond doesn’t kill neatly, suavely, with a silenced Beretta; he gets in there and gets dirty and bloody. And come on, the guy gets poisoned and almost dies, then comes back to win the poker game, then gets tortured, survives that, gets the girl, resigns, loses the girl big-time, re-ups and kneecaps Mr. Big in the last scene. Nothing HAPPENED? Dude, um …) I’d like to see what Craig does with the role in perhaps a couple of further remakes of the early Bond canon, all the Fleming stuff (like “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, “The Man WIth the Golden Gun,” “Live and Let Die”) that Connery didn’t do. And I’m sorry, Roger Moore is NOT Bond; he was a supercilious prettyboy compared to Connery OR Craig. And forget Brosnan, Lazenby, or Dalton. They’re like … like settling for the Stones when we had the Beatles, okay? Good — but not good enough.
Dazed – I agree with you that Roger Moore wasn’t that great at replacing Connery. I really can’t stomach him in any of the later movies. But like I said, L&LD movie was pretty good, the boat chase has to rank as one of the top Bond stunt sequences.
But it’s got to be hard to pick what goes where here.
You have DR. NO, GOLDFINGER and TOMORROW NEVER DIES on this list? You’ve got to be kidding me! Those movies are CRAP!
Wow, when I hovered over the link to this page I just knew Dr. No was going to be #1 as a credibility pick. Come on. Just because it was the first film doesn’t make it the best. The author was obviously going for old-school points and that’s why most top ten lists are trash, because everyone does it.
Top ten for me would go:
10. A View to a Kill
9. For Your Eyes Only
8. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. Goldfinger
6. Live and Let Die
5. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
4. Casino Royale
3. From Russia With Love
2. The Man With the Golden Gun (for Herve, god bless his little soul)
1. Goldeneye
Goldeneye gets top honors because it’s the first James Bond movie where Bond becomes a total badass and it had a gritty, more realistic setting/story. Ouromov and Trevelyan were equally badass as villains, beaten out only by Christopher Lee. Plus when Goldeneye came out, Pierce Brosnan was the best fit for the Bond role to date. Too bad his next three appearances were inexcusably terrible.
No way, Live and Let die was one the hottest movies of all time.
From Russia with Love is the greatest Bond film,
and Sean Connery is the best bond ever.
I like Connery’s Bond best… but only because he is more like Fleming’s Bond. However, I do consider Craig right there even with Connery especially if the Casino Royale sequel(s) keeps in line with the characterization Fleming envisioned. Brosnan rocked but holy eff those movies got progressively worse. Goldeneye was great and then… well… I thought Tomorrow Never Dies was rock bottom, and then I saw Die Another Day.
A note about Casino Royale: I think Connery and Craig played the same Bond. I’ve read all the books, seen all the movies etc, and the one thing people overlook is that Casino Royale preceded Dr. No. Craig is Connery’s Bond in training. He is new in his job, he hasnt learned the detachment and suaveness Connery’s had yet. Craig’s Bond was grittier and harder than Connery’s… but Connery in Dr. No was already an experienced agent. Craig is passionate and bordering on ultra violent because during most of Casino Royale, he was still a newbie with his emotions barely in check. This is a relaunch and the setting has changed to fit the times, but at its heart Casino Royale is a prequel.
*spoiler*
At the end of Casino Royale, when Bond is in a tux and the theme song queues, thats the first time we actually see him become what Connery’s bond was. Thats why you don’t hear the theme at the beginning… He had to earn it.
legosuperman: Connery is THE Bond in my eyes too.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!!!!! Maaaan where is
“The Man with the Golden Gun”, “Live and Let Die” Guys this is so wrong wrong wrong. Roger Moore made some pretty good JB films in his day. So I don’t know where you got your sources but this is just bad, man ,really bad. I have all of the Bond movies and Roger Moore big films were those two.
David Aubrey: We occasionally do top 15 lists – often with films, because people’s opinions very widely. It is good that you have mentioned those films here though – all opinions count when it comes to film lists
Live and Let Die (in my opinion) is the 2nd best Bond film. Dr. No and From Russia with Love are considered great because they were the first two. I feel every Connery Bond film (minus Never Say Never Again) is better than those two. The only Pierce film worthy of a top 10 Bond list is Goldeneye and no Dalton ones (or Lazenby). Top 10:
10. Dr. No 9. The Man with the Golden Gun 8. Diamonds Are Forever 7. Goldeneye 6. The Spy Who Loved Me 5. You Only Live Twice 4. Live and Let Die 3. Casino Royale 2. Thunderball 1. Goldfinger
Casino Royale is the best of the lot, in my opinion, and Craig is the best Bond. I know SC is great, and all, but as a lover of the novels, this one easily hits the top spot. Connery is Connery — as great as that is, he’s not Fleming’s Bond. Craig is. Well, with blond hair and a roundish face.
OCTOPUSSY
These lists have a habit of getting screwed up at # 5. Goldeneye, Goldfinger, and Casino Royale should be at the 3, 2, and 1 slots, with From Russia With Love at # 4. Dr. No, while classic, was -not- better than Goldfinger. Oh, and except for the BMW, Tomorrow Never Dies just sucked. Sorry, Pierce.
Tomorrow Never Dies is a terrible bond flick aah jeez.
I love James Bond! I have seen every single one of the movies. I started watching them when I was about 10 years old and I still love them. But I have no idea what Casino Royale is doing on that list. The older ones are much better.
Code, I am with you, absolutely love goldeneye, it had the hottest chicks, didn’t it? Am I the only one that likes “Die another day”?
Live and Let die, the Spy Who loved Me were my favorites. I can’t remember the comeback Sean Connery Bond movie in the 80′s. It had the very *****y Barbara Carrera in it. A list for the hottest Bond Chicks and most evil villians could be ideas for future lists.