Bond's coolest moments...
Lazenby
The upper reaches of the AmazoPosts: 606MI6 Agent
I don't know if this has been done before, but here goes.
What are some of your top cool Bond moments...you know, those scenes/moments where you think "holy crap was that ever cool" or "wow I wish I could be that cool for just 5 minutes during my whole life". Say what you will about the strengths of all the others I think of all the Bonds so far Sir Sean Connery was by far the coolest-- he almost single-handedly set the standard of cool for an entire generation of young boys/men. Picking his coolest Bond moment almost seems like a fool's errand-- there are just so many-- but after some thought I have to say that the pre-credits sequence in Goldfinger (probably the best in the series)-- the setting of the Bomb, the nonchalant placing of the carnation, the smoothness as he checks his watch, and finally the girl, the fight and the immortal line "Shocking...positively shocking"-- might just be the greatest sustained sequence of Bondian coolness ever captured on film.
I will add more later when I have more time...but in the meantime what are some of yours?
What are some of your top cool Bond moments...you know, those scenes/moments where you think "holy crap was that ever cool" or "wow I wish I could be that cool for just 5 minutes during my whole life". Say what you will about the strengths of all the others I think of all the Bonds so far Sir Sean Connery was by far the coolest-- he almost single-handedly set the standard of cool for an entire generation of young boys/men. Picking his coolest Bond moment almost seems like a fool's errand-- there are just so many-- but after some thought I have to say that the pre-credits sequence in Goldfinger (probably the best in the series)-- the setting of the Bomb, the nonchalant placing of the carnation, the smoothness as he checks his watch, and finally the girl, the fight and the immortal line "Shocking...positively shocking"-- might just be the greatest sustained sequence of Bondian coolness ever captured on film.
I will add more later when I have more time...but in the meantime what are some of yours?
Comments
FRWL: Fight at the Gypsy Camp.
Goldfinger: PTS
OHMSS: Fight on Beach in PTS
LTK: Barrelhead Bar Fight
CR'06: Storming the Embassy
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
TND's: when bond lights that guys cig and then knocks him out saying "filthy habit", also when he mans that big rocket launcher on carvers ship and blows it up as the bond guitar blares
CR'06: too many "cool" scenes
DN-The introduction of Bond and the theme music that accompanies the intro. IMO this was the single most important scene in the history of the Bond films, but it was also among the coolest; the casual way Bond answers Sylvia Trench, the way he walks, his conversation with her and the music that plays behind him. Brilliant!
FRWL-To be perfectly honest, I don't think that FRWL was as cool as either DN or GF. However that's not a criticism as it what it lacked in cool, it more than made up for in elegence and sophistication (as well as sexiness.) Nonetheless, one very cool moment was Bond's killing of Grant. Following a magnificent fight scene, master spy James Bond ruthlessly dispatches of psychotic assassin Red Grant, in quite possibly the film's coolest moment. Truthfully, the entire sequence was cool, but I think that moment took coolness to an entirely different level.
GF-Perhaps the coolest Bond film of all time.
TB-The PTS, beginning with Bond deciding to murder (make no mistake about it lades and gentlemen; this was cold-blooded murder) a man dressed as a woman to his escaping with the jet pack. A big, splashy sequence to kick off a big, splashy film, but one of the coolest Bond sequences of all time as well.
YOLT-Bond's reaction when Henderson is killed. Bond doesn't hesitate (to me a lack of hesitation combined with doing something great is one defintion of coolness) and immediately goes after the culprit. This leads to arguably the best fight scene in YOLT.
OHMSS-The first skiing scene with the wonderful music playing in the background. I don't consider OHMSS to be a perfect film (IMO it's quite flawed) but there are times when the film elevates itself onto an entirely different level and becomes a thing of complete and utter beauty. The first skiing chase, the film's best skiing chase IMO, was an example of this and must surely rank as one of the coolest and most exciting Bond scenes of all time.
I'll make a list of the 70's films another time. :007)
Roger Moore 1927-2017
You can't talk about "cool" without discussing Bond and Domino.
Personally removing the poison from her foot, slipping the shades on to hide emotion, and finally, it's all punctuated by the "point"
I agree that the pre-credits sequence in OHMSS is cool as hell, as is any scene where Lazenby fights, and also when he proposes to Tracy and storms Piz Gloria at the end.
Giving credit to ol'Rog I will cite the pre-credit sequence in TSWLM, the car chase (where Naomi bites it) and the pheasant scene in MR as some of his coolest moments.
Dalton's "stuff my orders" line at the beginning of TLD was pretty damn cool as well.
Brosnan 2: ordering a vodka martini then disabling the Mummy and spearing his tie to the bar before greeting Valentin.
Connery: "Welcome to hell Blofeld!"
Roger Moore 1927-2017
You've just contradicted yourself by damning Dalton for not having a "cool" moment then naming one.
"Death to spies Minister.." spat out sardonically through a cloud of cigarette smoke.
Pam bursts through a door and Bond pivots and draws his gun in seamless motion.
And the coolest moment of all...
Mr White is crippled with one shot and crawls in agony up the steps and 007 stands above him. "Bond. James Bond."
1)Bond's interplay with Pussy on board of the plane in GF. Connery was IMO magnificent in this scene. Not only did he never lose his calm, but he clearly enjoyed Pussy's behaviour in this masterful scene. Awesome.
2)Bond's killing of Vargas in TB. Bond is talking to Domino, discovers Vargas behind them, and instantly kills him in one of the coolest moments in the Bond series. A wonderful moment. {[]
However, since there so far are not a lot of Moore moments I feel the need to chime in with two of my favorites of his just to even things out a little. They both come from FYEO.
1)The revenge scene where Moore stands in the middle of the road and shoots the Dove as he's driving towards him was good. But when Bond walked up to the edge of the cliff and stands over the Dove's car as it is teetering on the edge he says something like, "I think this belongs to you." He then flips the Dove shaped pin at the Dove and with disgust he kicks the car over the edge of the cliff. A great and very cool Bondian moment.
2)Bond and Milena were tied up and just about to get trolled through the shark infested water. Milena looks up at Bond convinced that their death is imminent and says, "I didn't think it would end like this." Bond looks down at her reassuredly and says, "We're not dead yet." -Very calm, very cool.
DAF-The final scene with Wint and Kidd. In what is surely a tribute to the train scene involving Grant in FRWL, Wint and Kidd come up to Bond's room intending to kill him. However he discovers who they are, outwits them and then kills them. A magnificent scene, this is arguably among the coolest scenes of all time. This is evidence of why IMO Guy Hamilton was such a brilliant Bond director.
LALD-What else but the alligator scene? A scene so cool that it challenges GF and TB in the cool stakes IMO, this was Moore at his electrifying best. Death? Forget about it. Moore walked across the backs of the alligators as if he didn't have a care in the world.
TMWTGG-The fight scene at the club. In what was arguably one of the all-time great Bond fight scenes, this was also extremely cool due to the fantastic nature of the fight.
TSWLM-The ski jump. I consider TSWLM to be among the absolute coolest of all the Bond films, and singling out one cool moment is difficult, but the ski jump is so magnificently cool that to not pick it would be a crime. One measure of how good this scene was would be to compare it to today's CGI-fueled stunts, such as in DAD. By my money, TSWLM's ski jump holds up beautifully. :007)
MR-Bond's shooting of the sniper and his responding "Did I?" in answer to being told that he had missed. This was similar to the shooting scene in TB, but was nonetheless a terrific and very cool scene.
I'll make a list of the 80's films next time. :007)
Very true, but one little point- "The Dove" is actually the nickname of Columbo, not Locque. Locque had left the pin with Ferrara's body to keep Bond's attention focussed on Columbo rather than Kristatos.
That's right! Boy, that trick with the pin must have worked extremely well...it even had me fooled!
Thanks for refreshing my memory Barbel, I completely forgot that the dove was Locque's way of trying to frame Columbo. Boy, I must be gettin' old. Well, now I think that makes that scene even better. By flipping the pin back to Locque Bond was more or less saying, "Hey Pal, here's your Pin back-your pathetic trick didn't work." Then the look of shock on Locque's face, followed up with the big kick that sent the car off the cliff.
That scene is possibly the closest Moore ever came to nailing Flemings Bond spot on.
Thanks again for the assist Barbel.:)
With you on that point 100%- in FYEO Moore gives his most Fleming-like performance, and that scene is the high point. Knocks spots off those who claim that all ol' Rog ever did was raise an eyebrow and quip double-entendres!
And no problem! {[].
Agreed; give ol' Sir Roger props for that one. One of his finest Bond moments :007)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
1) The entire pre-credit sequence. The black & white was a brilliant touch-- especially for that gritty bathroom fight.
2) The fights in CR were generally quite awesome-- up close & personal and a lot more believable than any since the Connery/Lazenby era.
3) Craig's scene with Vesper in the shower was awesome (as was the fight on the steps preceding it) and very well handled-- it could have become cheesy very easily, but it didn't (kudos to the score!).
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Also, another one of my favorites is on TB when Bond and Largo are playing cards and bond keeps mentioning SPECTRE. Very cool scene.
FYEO-The moment in the PTS when Bond seizes control from the Blofeld-type figure and takes control of the helicopter. The problems with the PTS notwithstanding (the dialogue and the dropping of the man down the chimmey), it begins with a nice nod to Bond's past and continues with arguably the coolest moment in the film.
OP-Bond on the train. This entire sequence, which includes Bond going up against knife throwers, is IMO simply too cool for words. A wonderful sequence in a tragically underrated film.
AVTAK-I can not think of a simgle moment. Therefore I'll mention another great moment from FYEO; the kicking of the car over the edge of the cliff. A brilliant moment, it is so cool that even non-Moore fans like it.
TLD-I can not think of a moment for this film, so I'll add a second moment to LTK.
LTK-Bond's throwing the money accompanied by 'you earned it old buddy!' I'm no Dalton fan by any means,
GE-Bond's beating up of the guy upon the boat. I love this moment. Not only does it demonstrate that Brosnan can truly kick a**, but IMO it was among the most entertaining moments in all of GE, one of my 8 favourite Bond films.
TND-The car chase. I'm not the world's biggest fan of car chases, but I do love a great car chase, and IMO this was indeed a superb car chase. In this case, I love both the idea of it (remote controlled car) as well as the execution. I think it's a really cool chase.
TWINE-The PTS. Why? It's pure Bond. Putting aside what happens after Bond walks away, I think it's one of the greatest PTSs of all time. Bond says a few clever jokes, kills a few guys and launches an impressive escape, brushing off his jacket while walking away. A magnifient scene, the PTS should IMO have ended right here.
DAD-I honestly can not think of a single moment for this film, so I'll nention another extremely cool moment in TWINE; the killing of Electra. Bond didn't even hesitate. He looked at her and coldly and calmly fired, killing her instantly. A wonderful moment, it showed just how ruthless Brosnan could be.
CR-The last scene. This scene jumped out at me as the coolest moment in the film. Although I'm not a massive fan of CR, my feelings about this scene are not relative; that is to say, I don't love it in comparison to other scenes in CR. Rather, I love it because IMO it is simply an extraordinary scene and one that gave me a real shock both times I saw it at the cinemas. (It was also the first scene I looked at when I got the dvd.) The scene is fantastic as it depicts a well-dressed Bond shooting a guy in the leg and uttering the line. I love it. {[]
What can I say? James Bond, 007, is the epitome of cool! :007)
- The Jenny Flex scene
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Brosnan flicking his head out of the way of gunfire, as if irritated by a bee in GE.
Craig's turn as a valet in CR.
The murder of Professor Dent in DN.
Ripping the tie out of Sandor's hands, resulting in him falling to his doom in TSWLM.
Goldfinger PTS in its entirety.
Lazenby sliding across the ice opening fire with a machine gun in OHMSS.
Fiona Volpe in Thunderball - "Wouldn't you give me something to put on?" Bond hands her a pair of sandals and sits back to watch.
"Do you want to know why?" - Dalton lighting the petrol covered Sanchez on fire.
Dalton using a harpoon gun to water ski in LTK.
Craig coldly executing Dryden with "considerably' more ease in CR.
and adjusts his carnation.
OP - The 'double six' moment, he doesn't even
look at the dice to see what comes up.