all of Moonraker's action sequences are rubbish Apart from the skydiving, of course, but every film's got one.
I do not like the Venice boat chase, and I am also not crazy about the Bond and Chang(or whatever his name is) fight. I do not agree that all of Moonraker's action scenes are rubbish. The fight between Bond and Jaws on the cable car is undeniably spectacular. The skydiving scene and second boat chase in the Amazon are also good with great stunts.
Fair enough. I'd say a good action scene needs a good set-up for there to be some stakes to get worried about (see the OHMSS ski chase we've been on about!), though; and the Amazon chase just seems to happen because there's room for it. It's not actually bad, though- you're right.
I'm less keen on the cable car thing: there's no logic (Bond decides they're 'better out than in'?! Plus Jaws chases them in a cable car... and they drop off a cable with no injuries?! ), but the stunts are amazing, yes.
I really liked that scene. But then again, I love skiing chases, so to see a skiing chase in TWINE (which I think was pretty good) was a pleasant surprise.
Best two action scenes ever, drum roll please, both from the same movie, Bond's escape from Piz Gloria in OHMSS and the attack on Piz Gloria including Bond chasing Blofeld down the mountain. Wonderfully shot, one gets a true sense of danger.
Yeah definitely. In fact it's pretty much one big chase from the ski escape right up until the avalanche, and it's the most tense action sequence out of all of the Bonds; he's really got to get away.
I adore the action scenes from OHMSS. IMO, the first skiing chase, up to Bond's reaching the bottom of the mountain, may very well have been the greatest chase scene in the history of the Bond films (I'm not entirely certain about this.)
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
This thread has taken on more of a life of its own than if I'd posted my wordy opus! )
I guess some times less is Moore...
Some of are you have matched my list, others have made me think again... but the list I produce (and reasons for it) will be the original one, so I won't be cheating...
The warehouse fight with the two thugs, Bond and Sir Godfrey.
When JFF is citing an AVTAK example as lame, clearly we should take notice.
JFF, I cannot agree more with you on this. Before I posted about the snow-surfing, this was what popped into my head first. I ultimately decided it was so bad that it didn't even qualify as an "action scene". It looked like a boxing competition at some retirement community! )
I really liked that scene. But then again, I love skiing chases, so to see a skiing chase in TWINE (which I think was pretty good) was a pleasant surprise.
It's so badly edited there's a bit where Pierce appears to look down to watch his stuntman do some hotdogging!
Have another look- close up of Pierce looking down to his left> shot of 'Bond' performing a nice turn in front of an airbourne Parahawk from what appears to be Pierce's POV> Pierce looks up from his left whilst in the same position!
1. DAD - Can an entire film be counted? if so...
2. The Car being picked up in YOLT - For the impossible camera view alone.
3. AVTAK - The warehouse fight
4. AVTAK - Fire engine chase
5. OP - Jungle Chase *Sit*
6. TWINE - ski chase
7. OP - Bazaar Chase
8. MR - PTS One word, describes the film as well, Atrocious.
9. MWTGG - Boat chase
10. DAF - Moon Buggy chase.
Maybe they should just remove chase sequences all together.
8. MR - PTS One word, describes the film as well, Atrocious.
Alot of people don't like this scene, however I wonder whether people's views would change if Jaws's arm flapping was eliminated.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Tried my best to narrow it to 10 but couldn't so what the hell - here goes.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
Tried my best to narrow it to 10 but couldn't so what the hell - here goes.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
Tried my best to narrow it to 10 but couldn't so what the hell - here goes.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
Tried my best to narrow it to 10 but couldn't so what the hell - here goes.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
Sweepy the CatHalifax, West Yorkshire, EnglaPosts: 986MI6 Agent
Alot of people don't like this scene, however I wonder wehther people's views would change if Jaws's arm flapping was eliminated.
It would change mine. There are a lot of scenes that would be improved if they removed a few things. Slide whistle, beach boys songs, "I'll buy you a delicatessen", double taking chicken, on and on and on
10.Bond fights several of Carver's men at Berlin party in TND.
Really? I love this scene. IMO this was among the greatest fight scenes in the history of the Bond films.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
3. Attempt to escape from Osato's men on the docks in YOLT.
Oh; really? I can understand why you might not like the other things you've listed; but this one is too lovely! That overheard shot is wonderful.
I rather enjoyed that, as well; one of the most unique shots in all of the series.
I don't think I'll actually comprise a Top Ten list; I wouldn't want to be accused of picking on dear old Sir Rog :007)
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
OK, it's been a while and now Napoleon Plural, after much canvassing via private message (alright, one from Honey Rider!) reveals his Top 10 Lamest Action Scenes.
10 is hobbling a bit, 1 is in need of amputation...
10) The Ski Chase in Cortina – For Your Eyes Only
Mainly for the music. And because it’s so well staged, it never seems that Bond is in any danger. This was the first time it struck me that no way could the weathered Moore be doing his own stunts. FYEO was meant to be the down-to-earth 007, but really you’d just as much believe the ageing Moore could press a few buttons on the Q Craft as he did in Moonraker as prance about on the slopes like a 20something ski expert.
I don’t like the set up either. The Grant clone is shown to be an expert shot, then when he tries to take out Bond, inexplicably misses. Perhaps he was hoping to save Bond so the annoying Bibi would cop off with him and leave him be. )
Anyway, they had a great ski scene just two movies back, so this one’s superfluous.
9) The Thames Boat Chase – The World Is Not Enough
This gripped me at the time, and with Spooks on the telly it has a certain relevance; the MI6 building is the sort of thing Spooks might do. The David Arnold score is much the same sort of thing they do. The 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers does make this fictional terrorist attack less outrageous than it originally seemed, however. Smaller than life, like much of recent Bond films.
In the late 90s, I lived nearby in Kennington and, crossing Vauxhall Bridge on a sunny day, it struck me just how gorgeous a setting it was, with the sheer dark blue water and golden architecture. Sadly, the week they were filming this boat chase, the weather was grim and overcast.
The problem with this chase? It becomes a simple game of catch-up. It’s not that different to the free running chase near the opening of Casino Royale but Martin Campbell is a better action director than either Apted or Vic Armstrong. Cigar Girl’s craft doesn’t seem too sharp or menacing as a getaway vehicle, more something you’d take on a river trip with a picnic and cocktails. Bond’s Q boat catches up fast, then in the next shot is 20 yards behind again - cos otherwise there’d be no chase, would there?
Things pick up once the Q boat takes to the road. But it only serves to remind us that Brosnan’s reign never really escaped the shadow of Roger Moore.
8) The Ice Chase – Die Another Day
You could argue the CGI parasurfing is the lamest action scene of the series, never mind just in this film. Atrocious, abominable yes… But that scene kicked the most lucrative franchise into touch, so lame it certainly wasn’t.
The chase between the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Green Car (I know my marques) looks pretty good with some nice cinematography. But by this stage of the dreadful film, few fans could give a damn. 8-) I forget here who is chasing whom, it’s that sort of scene. A bit like the bike chase in Never Say Never Again.
One fan said it was rather like watching two clowns throwing custard pies at each other, which is about right.
Things should hot up by moving the action inside the Ice Palace. But someone forgot to add any extras. It looks like some daft, posh, expensive advert. As with Scaramanga’s set in The Man With The Golden Gun, without extras milling around, you get no sense of scale or danger.
Oh, there’s the invisibility thing too.
7) Murder At The Gallop – A View To A Kill
I don’t really mind this scene, in which Zorin and his goons attempt to knock Bond off his high horse, too much. I like the Chantilly location, the banter between Bond and Tibbet, plus the latter’s demise in the car wash. When Bond breaks away and makes for the trees where he sees the silver Rolls Royce approaching, it’s a chilling moment as we know Tibbet won’t be driving. Full marks for the following scene, as sinister Zorin and May Day consign the silver coffin to a watery grave.
But really… what sort of meglomaniac would go to the trouble to bump off a pesky secret agent by building an assault course and putting him through is paces? It can't get much usage.
6) Death Of Maximillian Largo – Never Say Never Again
I can’t remember much about this. Happened underwater didn’t it?
5) Bond’s Training Mission – Never Say Never Again
Well truth be told, bar the motorbike chase (which is nothing spesh’), just about all Never Say Never Again’s action scenes could be on this list. This one gets the nod because it’s so typically anticlimactic, as was Connery’s sadly lame apology of a comeback. It sets the tone for the film ahead. Imagine, if you will, a young teen sitting in his local fleapit cinema in 1983 having waited 10 years for The Man to don the tux once more as Jaws 3-D plays on Screen 1 … first the cheesy muzak, then the corny aerial shot over water for the credits… then the dreadful punchline as it turns out that it’s not a real mission after all. 007’s on a test exercise! Er, except, how come he garrotted a few guards and blinded them, or were they just very good actors?
Just compare that with the EON pts’s of the time. Even the girl Bond ‘rescues’ is no looker. You can imagine the director saying, oh no, that’s okay, she wouldn’t be a model in real life, would she? This is more realistic. Death by a thousand cuts.
4) Count Lippe Takes On The DB5 – Thunderball
Terence Young always delivered bold, punchy action and this is no exception as Lippe tries to open fire on it in his black Sudan, only to fall foul of Fiona Volpe and her deadly motorbike. It’s also the last time we see the Aston Martin DB5 in the context of its time, and in a combat situation. {[]
The Aston Martin DB5 was brought back for GoldenEye to bolster Bond’s iconic status, but its weapons were only implicit. We don’t see it in weapon-wielding action. Of course, it appears in Casino Royale but as it’s not issued from Q branch, it has no weapons and is therefore neutered. It can’t really be the same car. Which poses a question for fans – is it as attractive in that case? Would, say, the Doctor’s Tardis be as appealing if it’s just a phone box? Or, like dating identical twins, both gorgeous, but one knows lots of tricks and the other just lies there…
Why is this scene on the list? Well, it’s so obviously staged on a race track, far away from the real world. No other cars on the road, nothing. Compare it with the wonderful shots of the sleek silver car in the Alps in the previous year’s Goldfinger, and it contributes to Thunderball’s made-on-the-hoof feel.
It’s also very convoluted and a tad anti-climactic. Bond is in danger, but oh no! The assassin’s been taken out by one of his own. It’s the sort of problem that typically dogs its remake, Never Say Never Again.
That Bond doesn’t even mention the incident at M’s office could be straight out of Moonraker.
3) Moon Buggy Ride – Diamonds Are Forever
This gets plus points for the novelty of the escape vehicle and John Barry’s sprightly score. I like the set-up too, as Bond makes his escape across the mock lunar surface! It’s enjoyable to watch the more mature Connery enter into the spirit of the gig, like when your Dad gets down to play toy cars with you when you’re a kid.
But watching this now, it looks like nothing more than a runaway pram or pushchair pootling along in the desert at about two miles per hour.
2) Hong Kong Boat Chase – The Man With The Golden Gun
To be fair, I don’t think Guy Hamilton did action. Even the Vegas car chase is not as good as remembered. The boat chase in Live And Let Die is terrific, but it’s really about stunts… it doesn’t quicken the pulse. The chase around Auric Enterprises is good, but Hamilton concentrates on Bond’s emotional reactions (it’s a good scene nonetheless). Action by Young or Campbell becomes something different, something visceral. You’re body switches to survival mode, your senses heightened.
What does this film have in common with OHMSS? The action is a loooooooooong time coming. Here, it’s with about the lamest action scene of the series, all the worse because of how it compares with the spectacular river chase in the previous film. The highlight is when Bond slices a similar boat in two. Even Moore hates this scene, because of the time his Bond knocks the kid who’s just helped him out off the boat.
1) Fishing for Sanchez – License To Kill
Nurse! The bandages! Get the rum and whisky {[] out of the cabinet! And that rusty saw from the top shelf! Gangrene’s set in…. Let’s hold him down and pray the ship holds steady! I now present to you the lamest action scene!
The set-up is just rubbish, all Four Weddings malarkey as Felix prepares for his nuptials. Has Bond got the ring, ho ho. 8-) Who gives a monkey’s about Felix, especially in his current guise as a cradle snatcher? And Dalton looks rubbish in his tails, a real square.
Bond hovering out of a helicopter or something, to reel Sanchez in doesn’t look convincing, even if Dalton did his own stunts… here he blesses us with his improvisation by flapping his wings like Jaws. What a wally.
Compare with the other freefall stunts of The Living Daylights and GoldenEye, and this is lame indeed. The worst of the 1980s and an indication that if you can’t think up a great action opener, don’t bother.
I’m not a fan of this film, though I enjoyed it enough at the time. It simply has no repeat viewing pleasure. Other Bonds lure you in with a great pts that can work as a mini-film (Thunderball, GoldenEye) even if you’re not crazy about the overall movie. Not so here.
Well, there you are. Discuss as you see fit... I've just killed this thread haven't I... )
OK, it's been a while and now Napoleon Plural, after much canvassing via private message (alright, one from Honey Rider!) reveals his Top 10 Lamest Action Scenes.
10 is hobbling a bit, 1 is in need of amputation...
10) The Ski Chase in Cortina – For Your Eyes Only
Mainly for the music. And because it’s so well staged, it never seems that Bond is in any danger. This was the first time it struck me that no way could the weathered Moore be doing his own stunts. FYEO was meant to be the down-to-earth 007, but really you’d just as much believe the ageing Moore could press a few buttons on the Q Craft as he did in Moonraker as prance about on the slopes like a 20something ski expert.
I don’t like the set up either. The Grant clone is shown to be an expert shot, then when he tries to take out Bond, inexplicably misses. Perhaps he was hoping to save Bond so the annoying Bibi would cop off with him and leave him be. )
Anyway, they had a great ski scene just two movies back, so this one’s superfluous.
9) The Thames Boat Chase – The World Is Not Enough
This gripped me at the time, and with Spooks on the telly it has a certain relevance; the MI6 building is the sort of thing Spooks might do. The David Arnold score is much the same sort of thing they do. The 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers does make this fictional terrorist attack less outrageous than it originally seemed, however. Smaller than life, like much of recent Bond films.
In the late 90s, I lived nearby in Kennington and, crossing Vauxhall Bridge on a sunny day, it struck me just how gorgeous a setting it was, with the sheer dark blue water and golden architecture. Sadly, the week they were filming this boat chase, the weather was grim and overcast.
The problem with this chase? It becomes a simple game of catch-up. It’s not that different to the free running chase near the opening of Casino Royale but Martin Campbell is a better action director than either Apted or Vic Armstrong. Cigar Girl’s craft doesn’t seem too sharp or menacing as a getaway vehicle, more something you’d take on a river trip with a picnic and cocktails. Bond’s Q boat catches up fast, then in the next shot is 20 yards behind again - cos otherwise there’d be no chase, would there?
Things pick up once the Q boat takes to the road. But it only serves to remind us that Brosnan’s reign never really escaped the shadow of Roger Moore.
8) The Ice Chase – Die Another Day
You could argue the CGI parasurfing is the lamest action scene of the series, never mind just in this film. Atrocious, abominable yes… But that scene kicked the most lucrative franchise into touch, so lame it certainly wasn’t.
The chase between the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Green Car (I know my marques) looks pretty good with some nice cinematography. But by this stage of the dreadful film, few fans could give a damn. 8-) I forget here who is chasing whom, it’s that sort of scene. A bit like the bike chase in Never Say Never Again.
One fan said it was rather like watching two clowns throwing custard pies at each other, which is about right.
Things should hot up by moving the action inside the Ice Palace. But someone forgot to add any extras. It looks like some daft, posh, expensive advert. As with Scaramanga’s set in The Man With The Golden Gun, without extras milling around, you get no sense of scale or danger.
Oh, there’s the invisibility thing too.
7) Murder At The Gallop – A View To A Kill
I don’t really mind this scene, in which Zorin and his goons attempt to knock Bond off his high horse, too much. I like the Chantilly location, the banter between Bond and Tibbet, plus the latter’s demise in the car wash. When Bond breaks away and makes for the trees where he sees the silver Rolls Royce approaching, it’s a chilling moment as we know Tibbet won’t be driving. Full marks for the following scene, as sinister Zorin and May Day consign the silver coffin to a watery grave.
But really… what sort of meglomaniac would go to the trouble to bump off a pesky secret agent by building an assault course and putting him through is paces? It can't get much usage.
6) Death Of Maximillian Largo – Never Say Never Again
I can’t remember much about this. Happened underwater didn’t it?
5) Bond’s Training Mission – Never Say Never Again
Well truth be told, bar the motorbike chase (which is nothing spesh’), just about all Never Say Never Again’s action scenes could be on this list. This one gets the nod because it’s so typically anticlimactic, as was Connery’s sadly lame apology of a comeback. It sets the tone for the film ahead. Imagine, if you will, a young teen sitting in his local fleapit cinema in 1983 having waited 10 years for The Man to don the tux once more as Jaws 3-D plays on Screen 1 … first the cheesy muzak, then the corny aerial shot over water for the credits… then the dreadful punchline as it turns out that it’s not a real mission after all. 007’s on a test exercise! Er, except, how come he garrotted a few guards and blinded them, or were they just very good actors?
Just compare that with the EON pts’s of the time. Even the girl Bond ‘rescues’ is no looker. You can imagine the director saying, oh no, that’s okay, she wouldn’t be a model in real life, would she? This is more realistic. Death by a thousand cuts.
4) Count Lippe Takes On The DB5 – Thunderball
Terence Young always delivered bold, punchy action and this is no exception as Lippe tries to open fire on it in his black Sudan, only to fall foul of Fiona Volpe and her deadly motorbike. It’s also the last time we see the Aston Martin DB5 in the context of its time, and in a combat situation. {[]
The Aston Martin DB5 was brought back for GoldenEye to bolster Bond’s iconic status, but its weapons were only implicit. We don’t see it in weapon-wielding action. Of course, it appears in Casino Royale but as it’s not issued from Q branch, it has no weapons and is therefore neutered. It can’t really be the same car. Which poses a question for fans – is it as attractive in that case? Would, say, the Doctor’s Tardis be as appealing if it’s just a phone box? Or, like dating identical twins, both gorgeous, but one knows lots of tricks and the other just lies there…
Why is this scene on the list? Well, it’s so obviously staged on a race track, far away from the real world. No other cars on the road, nothing. Compare it with the wonderful shots of the sleek silver car in the Alps in the previous year’s Goldfinger, and it contributes to Thunderball’s made-on-the-hoof feel.
It’s also very convoluted and a tad anti-climactic. Bond is in danger, but oh no! The assassin’s been taken out by one of his own. It’s the sort of problem that typically dogs its remake, Never Say Never Again.
That Bond doesn’t even mention the incident at M’s office could be straight out of Moonraker.
3) Moon Buggy Ride – Diamonds Are Forever
This gets plus points for the novelty of the escape vehicle and John Barry’s sprightly score. I like the set-up too, as Bond makes his escape across the mock lunar surface! It’s enjoyable to watch the more mature Connery enter into the spirit of the gig, like when your Dad gets down to play toy cars with you when you’re a kid.
But watching this now, it looks like nothing more than a runaway pram or pushchair pootling along in the desert at about two miles per hour.
2) Hong Kong Boat Chase – The Man With The Golden Gun
To be fair, I don’t think Guy Hamilton did action. Even the Vegas car chase is not as good as remembered. The boat chase in Live And Let Die is terrific, but it’s really about stunts… it doesn’t quicken the pulse. The chase around Auric Enterprises is good, but Hamilton concentrates on Bond’s emotional reactions (it’s a good scene nonetheless). Action by Young or Campbell becomes something different, something visceral. You’re body switches to survival mode, your senses heightened.
What does this film have in common with OHMSS? The action is a loooooooooong time coming. Here, it’s with about the lamest action scene of the series, all the worse because of how it compares with the spectacular river chase in the previous film. The highlight is when Bond slices a similar boat in two. Even Moore hates this scene, because of the time his Bond knocks the kid who’s just helped him out off the boat.
1) Fishing for Sanchez – License To Kill
Nurse! The bandages! Get the rum and whisky {[] out of the cabinet! And that rusty saw from the top shelf! Gangrene’s set in…. Let’s hold him down and pray the ship holds steady! I now present to you the lamest action scene!
The set-up is just rubbish, all Four Weddings malarkey as Felix prepares for his nuptials. Has Bond got the ring, ho ho. 8-) Who gives a monkey’s about Felix, especially in his current guise as a cradle snatcher? And Dalton looks rubbish in his tails, a real square.
Bond hovering out of a helicopter or something, to reel Sanchez in doesn’t look convincing, even if Dalton did his own stunts… here he blesses us with his improvisation by flapping his wings like Jaws. What a wally.
Compare with the other freefall stunts of The Living Daylights and GoldenEye, and this is lame indeed. The worst of the 1980s and an indication that if you can’t think up a great action opener, don’t bother.
I’m not a fan of this film, though I enjoyed it enough at the time. It simply has no repeat viewing pleasure. Other Bonds lure you in with a great pts that can work as a mini-film (Thunderball, GoldenEye) even if you’re not crazy about the overall movie. Not so here.
Well, there you are. Discuss as you see fit... I've just killed this thread haven't I... )
Good list. I really wouldn't argue with any of the choices on this thread, because I think most post Goldfinger Bond action scenes are "lame" to some degree. But only compared to "serious" thrillers. It's hard to criticize the Bond scenes because the filmmakers succeeded in what they were trying to do: the scenes are pretty much offered to the audience with a nudge and a wink and are meant to make us smile, not sit at the edge of our seats worrying if Bond will survive. After 007's twirl around Auric Enterprises, I think most of the action scenes were played for laughs, with the exception of the opening chase on Gibraltar in The Living Daylights, which I think is still one of the great "serious" Bond sequences, right up there with the Red Grant fight in From Russia With Love, and maybe the opening of Thunderball, as well as the more somber action sequences of Casino Royale, which really set the pulse going. I should also mention Goldeneye's opening.
Nurse! The bandages! Get the rum and whisky {[] out of the cabinet! And that rusty saw from the top shelf! Gangrene’s set in…. Let’s hold him down and pray the ship holds steady! I now present to you the lamest action scene!
The set-up is just rubbish, all Four Weddings malarkey as Felix prepares for his nuptials. Has Bond got the ring, ho ho. 8-) Who gives a monkey’s about Felix, especially in his current guise as a cradle snatcher? And Dalton looks rubbish in his tails, a real square.
Bond hovering out of a helicopter or something, to reel Sanchez in doesn’t look convincing, even if Dalton did his own stunts… here he blesses us with his improvisation by flapping his wings like Jaws. What a wally.
Compare with the other freefall stunts of The Living Daylights and GoldenEye, and this is lame indeed. The worst of the 1980s and an indication that if you can’t think up a great action opener, don’t bother.
I’m not a fan of this film, though I enjoyed it enough at the time. It simply has no repeat viewing pleasure. Other Bonds lure you in with a great pts that can work as a mini-film (Thunderball, GoldenEye) even if you’re not crazy about the overall movie. Not so here.
Well, there you are. Discuss as you see fit... I've just killed this thread haven't I... )
I always liked you NP... However, the sad thing is that this is one of few semi-enjoyable parts of LTK. Since I haven't had lots of time to write my LTK recap for that agonybooth place, I only got as far as the PTS. It was pretty awful, mind you, the PTS, but not as awful as the rest of the movie. Also, what's with the helicopter and the Follow Me sign? Would it have killed them to open the door and yell it out? It would've been cooler and less lame. Then again LTK is all lame all the time so it fits...
like dating identical twins, both gorgeous, but one knows lots of tricks and the other just lies there…
How come all your metaphors involve sex of some kind? )
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Mainly for the music. And because it’s so well staged, it never seems that Bond is in any danger. This was the first time it struck me that no way could the weathered Moore be doing his own stunts. FYEO was meant to be the down-to-earth 007, but really you’d just as much believe the ageing Moore could press a few buttons on the Q Craft as he did in Moonraker as prance about on the slopes like a 20something ski expert.
I disagree, I LOVE the music of the ski chase as much as I love the entire score. To my opinion the best in the entire 007 area.
And you are here in the topic: The lamest 10 action scenes and are critisizing the action scene for being too superb to be credible for Roger Moore?
President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
? And Dalton looks rubbish in his tails, a real square.
Your joking! Bond is a square, a different kind of square - an urbane square action man. If you want to watch a "cool dude" go and watch a johnny Depp film.
Compare with the other freefall stunts of The Living Daylights and GoldenEye, and this is lame indeed.
Goldeneye! Goldeneye! Without doubt the worse pre-titles sequence EVER. The bungy jump looked tired and done before even in 1995 - no danger because he was tied to a bungy rope. And the freefall against the falling plane. Bluescreen anyone! Brosnan looks even more ridiculous trying to get hold of the cabin door. The backprojection and models are far worse then anything attempted in real life.
Give me the Sanchez sequence over the tired and thankless PTS of Goldeneye anyday..
Hi Bondtoys, a German Bond fan! Well, the German scenes in Octopussy and Tomorrow Never Dies are the best scenes in their respective films.... {[]
I didn't say the FYEO ski scene is superb. Just, the stunts are too slick to convince you it is Roger Moore doing them. Director John Glen picked up on this for the next film, advising the stunt crew on the aeroplane scene at the end of the film to 'try to make it look difficult'.
I tend to agree with you actionsteve about the incredible blue screen of GoldenEye's freefall. Still, the overall pts has a boldness and scope and exotisim and atmosphere not present in LTK's.
I tend to agree with you actionsteve about the incredible blue screen of GoldenEye's freefall. Still, the overall pts has a boldness and scope and exotisim and atmosphere not present in LTK's.
The free fall in GE may not be technically perfect, but what I love about it is that it has a 'wow!' factor that almost none of the Bond films since (and very few prior) had. It stunned me the first time I saw it, and although it's not quite as overwhelmingly impressive now, it nonetheless puts a on my face.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
The free fall in GE may not be technically perfect, but what I love about it is that it has a 'wow!' factor that almost none of the Bond films since (and very few prior) had. It stunned me the first time I saw it, and although it's not quite as overwhelmingly impressive now, it nonetheless puts a on my face.
Mine too...
I have to say that I really enjoyed the GE PTS. That moment when Brozzer gets on the motorbike and chases the plane off the edge of the cliff/runway pretty much defined the era to come, as far as I was concerned, and for my brother and me it was a very early high water-mark. It actually looks more 'old school' rear projection than greenscreen to my eye---but either way, I'll quickly concede it's far from seamless ;%
It's like the undercranked film of the Sixties and the occasional 'obvious dummy,' as far as I'm concerned...one takes the bad with the good.
Here's one from LTK, as far as I'm concerned: Dalton's Bond using a tabletop to defend himself against a stuffed swordfish
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Comments
Fair enough. I'd say a good action scene needs a good set-up for there to be some stakes to get worried about (see the OHMSS ski chase we've been on about!), though; and the Amazon chase just seems to happen because there's room for it. It's not actually bad, though- you're right.
I'm less keen on the cable car thing: there's no logic (Bond decides they're 'better out than in'?!
I adore the action scenes from OHMSS. IMO, the first skiing chase, up to Bond's reaching the bottom of the mountain, may very well have been the greatest chase scene in the history of the Bond films (I'm not entirely certain about this.)
This thread has taken on more of a life of its own than if I'd posted my wordy opus!
I guess some times less is Moore...
Some of are you have matched my list, others have made me think again... but the list I produce (and reasons for it) will be the original one, so I won't be cheating...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
JFF, I cannot agree more with you on this. Before I posted about the snow-surfing, this was what popped into my head first. I ultimately decided it was so bad that it didn't even qualify as an "action scene". It looked like a boxing competition at some retirement community!
It's so badly edited there's a bit where Pierce appears to look down to watch his stuntman do some hotdogging!
Have another look- close up of Pierce looking down to his left> shot of 'Bond' performing a nice turn in front of an airbourne Parahawk from what appears to be Pierce's POV> Pierce looks up from his left whilst in the same position!
2. The Car being picked up in YOLT - For the impossible camera view alone.
3. AVTAK - The warehouse fight
4. AVTAK - Fire engine chase
5. OP - Jungle Chase *Sit*
6. TWINE - ski chase
7. OP - Bazaar Chase
8. MR - PTS One word, describes the film as well, Atrocious.
9. MWTGG - Boat chase
10. DAF - Moon Buggy chase.
Maybe they should just remove chase sequences all together.
I totally disagree. One of the *best* scenes in the series.
You wanna know something? If I were falling to my doom...I'd be willing to try anything!
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
DAF
The Vegas car chase. Boring apart from the end stunt with the car flipping over in the alley. Also totally unecessary. Exactly what danger was JB in from the police. One phone call to Felix would have sorted it.
Oil rig fight. Very unimpressive compared to the previous ninja attack on the volcano and the raid on Piz Gloria.
Fight with Wint and Kidd. Like Bond in the middle of a bitch fight. Should have been like the fight with Grant in FRWL - only against 2 Grants.
TMWTGG
Car chase in Bangkok - boring.
Duel with Scaramanga - no suspence or feeling of danger.
Fight with Nick Nack - embarassing. Nick Nack was a novel sidekick but he had all the latent menace of Winnie the Pooh.
MR
The entire movie after the PTS. Where to start:
The gondola chase. Nothing new and became down right embarassing when the gondola changed into a hovercraft and glided around St. Marks square.
The cable car fight with Jaws. Should have been spectactular. All Bond had to do was shoot Jaws while he was standing on the roof of the other cable car but for some reason 007 does not carry a gun this entire assignment.
The space station fight. They should have sent James Kirk instead of James Bond.
OP
The tiger hunt. Bond has obviously dozed off during his Escape and Evasion training otherwise why did he think it was a good idea to let Kamal's men know where he was by letting out a Tarzan yell.
The attack by OP's girls on the Monsoon Palace. Looked like it should have been out of the Famous Five rather than Bond.
AVTAK
Just about every fight. You could almost hear Roger Moore's hip go out everytime he swung a punch. I think the two thugs at the production line didn't want too hit him too hard as they thought he was Zorin's grandad.
The one at Stacey's house wasn't much better. Bond shooting rocksalt - FFS.
The burning lift. Excitement factor - zero. Personally I would have left Stacey in the lift.
The fire engine chase - boring. Again just what does Bond have to fear from the American police.
LTK
The ninja fight. Bond kicks ass he does not get his ass kicked, and if he does he puts up a better fight.
The bar room brawl - he's James Bond not John Wayne.
TND
The fight on the stealth ship - seemed rambling and confused. More like a Steven Seagal movie that JB.
The final fight with Stamper - non event.
TWINE
The fight with Renard - totally squandered the fact that Renard could not feel pain.
DAD
The fight between the Aston and the Jag. Looked like it had been lifted from an episode of Knight Rider.
Any scene with CGI - I've seen better special effects in an episode of Blakes 7.
Good point! Don't need to be shown and the accompanying music.... ?:)
To be fair, this wasn''t really an action scene.
Really?
Our definition of 'action' must differ quite a bit. Although I suppose it was the prelude to Bond getting some action, so...
Oh; really? I can understand why you might not like the other things you've listed; but this one is too lovely! That overheard shot is wonderful.
I rather enjoyed that, as well; one of the most unique shots in all of the series.
I don't think I'll actually comprise a Top Ten list; I wouldn't want to be accused of picking on dear old Sir Rog :007)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I agree, that is a good scene. I especially enjoyed the music during it. -{
10 is hobbling a bit, 1 is in need of amputation...
10) The Ski Chase in Cortina – For Your Eyes Only
Mainly for the music. And because it’s so well staged, it never seems that Bond is in any danger. This was the first time it struck me that no way could the weathered Moore be doing his own stunts. FYEO was meant to be the down-to-earth 007, but really you’d just as much believe the ageing Moore could press a few buttons on the Q Craft as he did in Moonraker as prance about on the slopes like a 20something ski expert.
I don’t like the set up either. The Grant clone is shown to be an expert shot, then when he tries to take out Bond, inexplicably misses. Perhaps he was hoping to save Bond so the annoying Bibi would cop off with him and leave him be.
Anyway, they had a great ski scene just two movies back, so this one’s superfluous.
9) The Thames Boat Chase – The World Is Not Enough
This gripped me at the time, and with Spooks on the telly it has a certain relevance; the MI6 building is the sort of thing Spooks might do. The David Arnold score is much the same sort of thing they do. The 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers does make this fictional terrorist attack less outrageous than it originally seemed, however. Smaller than life, like much of recent Bond films.
In the late 90s, I lived nearby in Kennington and, crossing Vauxhall Bridge on a sunny day, it struck me just how gorgeous a setting it was, with the sheer dark blue water and golden architecture. Sadly, the week they were filming this boat chase, the weather was grim and overcast.
The problem with this chase? It becomes a simple game of catch-up. It’s not that different to the free running chase near the opening of Casino Royale but Martin Campbell is a better action director than either Apted or Vic Armstrong. Cigar Girl’s craft doesn’t seem too sharp or menacing as a getaway vehicle, more something you’d take on a river trip with a picnic and cocktails. Bond’s Q boat catches up fast, then in the next shot is 20 yards behind again - cos otherwise there’d be no chase, would there?
Things pick up once the Q boat takes to the road. But it only serves to remind us that Brosnan’s reign never really escaped the shadow of Roger Moore.
8) The Ice Chase – Die Another Day
You could argue the CGI parasurfing is the lamest action scene of the series, never mind just in this film. Atrocious, abominable yes… But that scene kicked the most lucrative franchise into touch, so lame it certainly wasn’t.
The chase between the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Green Car (I know my marques) looks pretty good with some nice cinematography. But by this stage of the dreadful film, few fans could give a damn. 8-) I forget here who is chasing whom, it’s that sort of scene. A bit like the bike chase in Never Say Never Again.
One fan said it was rather like watching two clowns throwing custard pies at each other, which is about right.
Things should hot up by moving the action inside the Ice Palace. But someone forgot to add any extras. It looks like some daft, posh, expensive advert. As with Scaramanga’s set in The Man With The Golden Gun, without extras milling around, you get no sense of scale or danger.
Oh, there’s the invisibility thing too.
7) Murder At The Gallop – A View To A Kill
I don’t really mind this scene, in which Zorin and his goons attempt to knock Bond off his high horse, too much. I like the Chantilly location, the banter between Bond and Tibbet, plus the latter’s demise in the car wash. When Bond breaks away and makes for the trees where he sees the silver Rolls Royce approaching, it’s a chilling moment as we know Tibbet won’t be driving. Full marks for the following scene, as sinister Zorin and May Day consign the silver coffin to a watery grave.
But really… what sort of meglomaniac would go to the trouble to bump off a pesky secret agent by building an assault course and putting him through is paces? It can't get much usage.
6) Death Of Maximillian Largo – Never Say Never Again
I can’t remember much about this. Happened underwater didn’t it?
5) Bond’s Training Mission – Never Say Never Again
Well truth be told, bar the motorbike chase (which is nothing spesh’), just about all Never Say Never Again’s action scenes could be on this list. This one gets the nod because it’s so typically anticlimactic, as was Connery’s sadly lame apology of a comeback. It sets the tone for the film ahead. Imagine, if you will, a young teen sitting in his local fleapit cinema in 1983 having waited 10 years for The Man to don the tux once more as Jaws 3-D plays on Screen 1 … first the cheesy muzak, then the corny aerial shot over water for the credits… then the dreadful punchline as it turns out that it’s not a real mission after all. 007’s on a test exercise! Er, except, how come he garrotted a few guards and blinded them, or were they just very good actors?
Just compare that with the EON pts’s of the time. Even the girl Bond ‘rescues’ is no looker. You can imagine the director saying, oh no, that’s okay, she wouldn’t be a model in real life, would she? This is more realistic. Death by a thousand cuts.
4) Count Lippe Takes On The DB5 – Thunderball
Terence Young always delivered bold, punchy action and this is no exception as Lippe tries to open fire on it in his black Sudan, only to fall foul of Fiona Volpe and her deadly motorbike. It’s also the last time we see the Aston Martin DB5 in the context of its time, and in a combat situation. {[]
The Aston Martin DB5 was brought back for GoldenEye to bolster Bond’s iconic status, but its weapons were only implicit. We don’t see it in weapon-wielding action. Of course, it appears in Casino Royale but as it’s not issued from Q branch, it has no weapons and is therefore neutered. It can’t really be the same car. Which poses a question for fans – is it as attractive in that case? Would, say, the Doctor’s Tardis be as appealing if it’s just a phone box? Or, like dating identical twins, both gorgeous, but one knows lots of tricks and the other just lies there…
Why is this scene on the list? Well, it’s so obviously staged on a race track, far away from the real world. No other cars on the road, nothing. Compare it with the wonderful shots of the sleek silver car in the Alps in the previous year’s Goldfinger, and it contributes to Thunderball’s made-on-the-hoof feel.
It’s also very convoluted and a tad anti-climactic. Bond is in danger, but oh no! The assassin’s been taken out by one of his own. It’s the sort of problem that typically dogs its remake, Never Say Never Again.
That Bond doesn’t even mention the incident at M’s office could be straight out of Moonraker.
3) Moon Buggy Ride – Diamonds Are Forever
This gets plus points for the novelty of the escape vehicle and John Barry’s sprightly score. I like the set-up too, as Bond makes his escape across the mock lunar surface! It’s enjoyable to watch the more mature Connery enter into the spirit of the gig, like when your Dad gets down to play toy cars with you when you’re a kid.
But watching this now, it looks like nothing more than a runaway pram or pushchair pootling along in the desert at about two miles per hour.
2) Hong Kong Boat Chase – The Man With The Golden Gun
To be fair, I don’t think Guy Hamilton did action. Even the Vegas car chase is not as good as remembered. The boat chase in Live And Let Die is terrific, but it’s really about stunts… it doesn’t quicken the pulse. The chase around Auric Enterprises is good, but Hamilton concentrates on Bond’s emotional reactions (it’s a good scene nonetheless). Action by Young or Campbell becomes something different, something visceral. You’re body switches to survival mode, your senses heightened.
What does this film have in common with OHMSS? The action is a loooooooooong time coming. Here, it’s with about the lamest action scene of the series, all the worse because of how it compares with the spectacular river chase in the previous film. The highlight is when Bond slices a similar boat in two. Even Moore hates this scene, because of the time his Bond knocks the kid who’s just helped him out off the boat.
1) Fishing for Sanchez – License To Kill
Nurse! The bandages! Get the rum and whisky {[] out of the cabinet! And that rusty saw from the top shelf! Gangrene’s set in…. Let’s hold him down and pray the ship holds steady! I now present to you the lamest action scene!
The set-up is just rubbish, all Four Weddings malarkey as Felix prepares for his nuptials. Has Bond got the ring, ho ho. 8-) Who gives a monkey’s about Felix, especially in his current guise as a cradle snatcher? And Dalton looks rubbish in his tails, a real square.
Bond hovering out of a helicopter or something, to reel Sanchez in doesn’t look convincing, even if Dalton did his own stunts… here he blesses us with his improvisation by flapping his wings like Jaws. What a wally.
Compare with the other freefall stunts of The Living Daylights and GoldenEye, and this is lame indeed. The worst of the 1980s and an indication that if you can’t think up a great action opener, don’t bother.
I’m not a fan of this film, though I enjoyed it enough at the time. It simply has no repeat viewing pleasure. Other Bonds lure you in with a great pts that can work as a mini-film (Thunderball, GoldenEye) even if you’re not crazy about the overall movie. Not so here.
Well, there you are. Discuss as you see fit... I've just killed this thread haven't I...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Good list. I really wouldn't argue with any of the choices on this thread, because I think most post Goldfinger Bond action scenes are "lame" to some degree. But only compared to "serious" thrillers. It's hard to criticize the Bond scenes because the filmmakers succeeded in what they were trying to do: the scenes are pretty much offered to the audience with a nudge and a wink and are meant to make us smile, not sit at the edge of our seats worrying if Bond will survive. After 007's twirl around Auric Enterprises, I think most of the action scenes were played for laughs, with the exception of the opening chase on Gibraltar in The Living Daylights, which I think is still one of the great "serious" Bond sequences, right up there with the Red Grant fight in From Russia With Love, and maybe the opening of Thunderball, as well as the more somber action sequences of Casino Royale, which really set the pulse going. I should also mention Goldeneye's opening.
I always liked you NP...
I disagree, I LOVE the music of the ski chase as much as I love the entire score. To my opinion the best in the entire 007 area.
And you are here in the topic: The lamest 10 action scenes and are critisizing the action scene for being too superb to be credible for Roger Moore?
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Your joking! Bond is a square, a different kind of square - an urbane square action man. If you want to watch a "cool dude" go and watch a johnny Depp film.
Goldeneye! Goldeneye! Without doubt the worse pre-titles sequence EVER. The bungy jump looked tired and done before even in 1995 - no danger because he was tied to a bungy rope. And the freefall against the falling plane. Bluescreen anyone! Brosnan looks even more ridiculous trying to get hold of the cabin door. The backprojection and models are far worse then anything attempted in real life.
Give me the Sanchez sequence over the tired and thankless PTS of Goldeneye anyday..
I didn't say the FYEO ski scene is superb. Just, the stunts are too slick to convince you it is Roger Moore doing them. Director John Glen picked up on this for the next film, advising the stunt crew on the aeroplane scene at the end of the film to 'try to make it look difficult'.
I tend to agree with you actionsteve about the incredible blue screen of GoldenEye's freefall. Still, the overall pts has a boldness and scope and exotisim and atmosphere not present in LTK's.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Mine too...
I have to say that I really enjoyed the GE PTS. That moment when Brozzer gets on the motorbike and chases the plane off the edge of the cliff/runway pretty much defined the era to come, as far as I was concerned, and for my brother and me it was a very early high water-mark. It actually looks more 'old school' rear projection than greenscreen to my eye---but either way, I'll quickly concede it's far from seamless ;%
It's like the undercranked film of the Sixties and the occasional 'obvious dummy,' as far as I'm concerned...one takes the bad with the good.
Here's one from LTK, as far as I'm concerned: Dalton's Bond using a tabletop to defend himself against a stuffed swordfish
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM