Very few movie stars have been willing, allowed and able to do crazy stunts comparable to Tom Cruise. In fact I can only think of Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan. It's a rare thing and not to be expected.
Sean Connery was walking on the top of a moving train in The Great Train Robbery.
Yes, there are many examples of actors doing a few stunts themselves. Cruise. Keaton and Chan are in a different league. They routinely did/do death-defying stunts in many movies. When Buster Keaton did the stunt with the falling wall half the crew left the set because they didn't want to watch, even though Keaton's movies had lots of stunts and Keaton did them all.
Very few movie stars have been willing, allowed and able to do crazy stunts comparable to Tom Cruise. In fact I can only think of Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan. It's a rare thing and not to be expected.
Sean Connery was walking on the top of a moving train in The Great Train Robbery.
And Harrison Ford got dragged under a lorry in rotla, did all his own horse stunts and hung off a helicopter in clear and present danger.
DC also went on top of the train in sf pts.
Burt Lancaster reportedly did his own stunts, I believe he was a trained trapeze artist, though some stunts were put into doubt by a stunt man. But as number 24 says, it's exceptional for main stars.
And Harrison Ford got dragged under a lorry in rotla, did all his own horse stunts
Well not really: he got dragged behind the lorry for a bit, but not under it. And most of the horse stuff was usually Vic Armstrong. Vic Armstrong even did a lot of the acting in Temple of Doom because Ford couldn't be there!
Very few movie stars have been willing, allowed and able to do crazy stunts comparable to Tom Cruise. In fact I can only think of Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan. It's a rare thing and not to be expected.
Sean Connery was walking on the top of a moving train in The Great Train Robbery.
And Harrison Ford got dragged under a lorry in rotla, did all his own horse stunts
Well not really: he got dragged behind the lorry for a bit, but not under it. And most of the horse stuff was usually Vic Armstrong. Vic Armstrong even did a lot of the acting in Temple of Doom because Ford couldn't be there!
Under, behind, he still got dragged along a trench of sand. As for the horses, I may be wrong about him doing all the stunts but Harrison is well known as a very competent rider, I've somewhere that during filming the last crusade he was happier sat on the horse than in a chair.
I would be disapointed if the next Bond actor didn't do any of his own stunts, but I would never expect any action star to go as far as the three actors I mentioned.
Here are some of the wildest stunts Jackie Chan has done. The fall from the clock and the falling wall are tributes to Buster Keaton:
And Harrison Ford got dragged under a lorry in rotla, did all his own horse stunts
Well not really: he got dragged behind the lorry for a bit, but not under it. And most of the horse stuff was usually Vic Armstrong. Vic Armstrong even did a lot of the acting in Temple of Doom because Ford couldn't be there!
Under, behind, he still got dragged along a trench of sand.
Sure but, y'know: that's not really all that difficult or dangerous; I doubt they were even going much more than ten miles an hour!
He's not going to fall anywhere!
I think Lassie and Run Tin Tin did their own stunts too
What I want to know TP is... Do you do all your own joke work on this forum, or do you ever get a double in?... After all, some of them are pretty risque
So what's the most dangerous/impressive stunt a Bond actor has done in a Bond film?
Without thinking it through thoroughly I might guess Tim on top of the tanker truck...?
Must be DC, either on top of the train or jumping onto the moving bus in qos perhaps?
Yeah I was thinking that the roof chase in QoS is amongst the better stuff a Bond has done: I still love that jump he does where he lets off a shot in mid-air!
I think Dalton and Craig identified the physicality of playing
Bond, more than some others. Which I think helps in their
Portrayal of 007. He is after all a man of action, and I agree
With the roof chase in QOS is excellent. -{
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Agreed. And I’m sure he’ll do the same once again. But I also would prefer (1) less action and more intrigue, and (2) more use of a stuntman if necessary so that DC stays healthy. I think his performance in Spectre suffered as a result of his injuries.
Agreed. And I’m sure he’ll do the same once again. But I also would prefer (1) less action and more intrigue, and (2) more use of a stuntman if necessary so that DC stays healthy. I think his performance in Spectre suffered as a result of his injuries.
Completely agree. I think less action would help distinguish Bond from all the other wannabes. The action we do get must be top notch and memorable though.
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Agreed. And I’m sure he’ll do the same once again. But I also would prefer (1) less action and more intrigue, and (2) more use of a stuntman if necessary so that DC stays healthy. I think his performance in Spectre suffered as a result of his injuries.
I'd also like a more intrigue, I'd relish seeing Bond investigating again, more spy work and less assassin, some realistic quick brutal hand combat like we saw in Haiti in qos when Bond dispatched Slate. Some fantastic scenery and save the big scale sequence for the finale, DC has plenty of scope to do some stunt work with the right story and make it exciting. The Bond franchise needs to start leading the way again and not become an immitaion of itself or the mi franchise. Spectre had just too many big action sequences and the record breaking and budget breaking explosion of blofelds lair was then somewhat undone by the Vauxhall bridge cgi explosion. DC is capable of quiet menace, uses weapons well and can deliver snappy brutal fight sequences.
The Bond franchise needs to start leading the way again and not become an immitaion of itself or the mi franchise
That got me to thinking... maybe when they decided to do the whole Bond Begins route with CR, slowly introducing each of the old Bond tropes with each successive movie, it was unavoidable that the movies would also feel like they were imitating what was done in the past. In other words, they aren’t necessarily imitating themselves as much as it’s just a byproduct of the route the Craig films chose to go.
Spectre definitely suffered because of that, but Eon has done a decent job of honestly assessing where the franchise is and where it needs to go, so hopefully we’ll get less of the old and more of the new with future films...
Agreed. And I’m sure he’ll do the same once again. But I also would prefer (1) less action and more intrigue, and (2) more use of a stuntman if necessary so that DC stays healthy. I think his performance in Spectre suffered as a result of his injuries.
Completely agree. I think less action would help distinguish Bond from all the other wannabes. The action we do get must be top notch and memorable though.
I think the promise of CR was lost somewhere along the way. QoS remains, in my view, a very effective third act to CR. It was basically the follow-up to OHMSS that we never got, and I love it for that reason.
But then MGM caused a 4-year delay and when Skyfall arrived with Mendes and his distinct artistic vision, it felt like a soft reboot with the same Bond. I was mostly ok with this because I liked the film and thought it had good atmosphere and strong performances from the leads.
Then Spectre showed up and, in the most clumsy fashion imaginable, delved too deeply into Bond’s past AND attempted to tie together the two rather distinct time periods of the Craig era. It also veered into DAD territory with Bond homaging itself too much. Throw in a lackluster performance by Waltz and the worst score I can remember in a Bond film and you have a loser.
I think the winning formula for Craig’s finale is to go back to where things started in CR/QoS - not in a narrative sense - but in terms of feel. I know it has some detractors around these parts, but CR has held up remarkably well over the last decade. Around the time CR came out, I remember watching Goldeneye and thinking it felt very dated. When I watch CR now (roughly the same age Goldeneye was in 2006), I don’t get that feeling at all. I think CR, not Skyfall, is the blueprint for what a great modern Bond film looks like.
He did? I've never heard that before. How did they film?
From the film's IMDB page.
George Lazenby wanted to do most of his own stunts but the studio wouldn't allow him. During the shooting of one of the stunt scenes, Lazenby actually broke his arm, thereby delaying the filming of many of his later scenes. When Bond is taken to Blofeld's lab at Piz Gloria, Lazenby's broken arm in its cast is hidden by his coat which was draped over his arm. Blofeld's guard removes it from him as Lazenby was unable to do so. The guard removing the jacket was played by Yuri Borienko who ironically had had his nose broken by Lazenby in the screen test fight scene that the actor had done to land the part.
Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?"
I think the promise of CR was lost somewhere along the way. QoS remains, in my view, a very effective third act to CR. It was basically the follow-up to OHMSS that we never got, and I love it for that reason.
But then MGM caused a 4-year delay and when Skyfall arrived with Mendes and his distinct artistic vision, it felt like a soft reboot with the same Bond. I was mostly ok with this because I liked the film and thought it had good atmosphere and strong performances from the leads.
Then Spectre showed up and, in the most clumsy fashion imaginable, delved too deeply into Bond’s past AND attempted to tie together the two rather distinct time periods of the Craig era. It also veered into DAD territory with Bond homaging itself too much. Throw in a lackluster performance by Waltz and the worst score I can remember in a Bond film and you have a loser.
I think the winning formula for Craig’s finale is to go back to where things started in CR/QoS - not in a narrative sense - but in terms of feel. I know it has some detractors around these parts, but CR has held up remarkably well over the last decade. Around the time CR came out, I remember watching Goldeneye and thinking it felt very dated. When I watch CR now (roughly the same age Goldeneye was in 2006), I don’t get that feeling at all. I think CR, not Skyfall, is the blueprint for what a great modern Bond film looks like.
I thought I was the only one separated the Craig era into two halves.
I'd like to see more of Craig "slick his way" out of situations. Like the scene in CR where he takes advantage of being mistaken for the valet and purposely crashes the car as a diversion. It was the perfect blend of wit and ham handedness that can work so well for Craig's Bond.
I'd like to see more of Craig "slick his way" out of situations. Like the scene in CR where he takes advantage of being mistaken for the valet and purposely crashes the car as a diversion. It was the perfect blend of wit and ham handedness that can work so well for Craig's Bond.
I agree. It was spot on and although slight was a high point for me, a moment when I went ' oh that's him alright' .A bit like seeing Dalton's face in that first shot on the rock face. A moment of recognition. It's the right tone for Daniel's Bond and I'd love to see more like it. Some of the dialogue in the much derided SP had that quality, particularly the scene with M.
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Comments
Sean Connery was walking on the top of a moving train in The Great Train Robbery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV36CHsDZ_c
James Coburn was hanging on the side of a helicopter in Sky Riders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKYdrzwcD8M
DC also went on top of the train in sf pts.
Burt Lancaster reportedly did his own stunts, I believe he was a trained trapeze artist, though some stunts were put into doubt by a stunt man. But as number 24 says, it's exceptional for main stars.
Well not really: he got dragged behind the lorry for a bit, but not under it. And most of the horse stuff was usually Vic Armstrong. Vic Armstrong even did a lot of the acting in Temple of Doom because Ford couldn't be there!
Those are pretty insane. I'm still really surprised Connery did that: that's not safe at all.
Here are some of the wildest stunts Jackie Chan has done. The fall from the clock and the falling wall are tributes to Buster Keaton:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=michelle+yeoh+motorcycle+train+stunt&&view=detail&mid=7AF52A58DB7D5E5157897AF52A58DB7D5E515789&&FORM=VRDGAR
Sure but, y'know: that's not really all that difficult or dangerous; I doubt they were even going much more than ten miles an hour!
He's not going to fall anywhere!
Without thinking it through thoroughly I might guess Tim on top of the tanker truck...?
What I want to know TP is... Do you do all your own joke work on this forum, or do you ever get a double in?... After all, some of them are pretty risque
Double. A certain Scottish MOD.
Yeah I was thinking that the roof chase in QoS is amongst the better stuff a Bond has done: I still love that jump he does where he lets off a shot in mid-air!
Bond, more than some others. Which I think helps in their
Portrayal of 007. He is after all a man of action, and I agree
With the roof chase in QOS is excellent. -{
Completely agree. I think less action would help distinguish Bond from all the other wannabes. The action we do get must be top notch and memorable though.
That got me to thinking... maybe when they decided to do the whole Bond Begins route with CR, slowly introducing each of the old Bond tropes with each successive movie, it was unavoidable that the movies would also feel like they were imitating what was done in the past. In other words, they aren’t necessarily imitating themselves as much as it’s just a byproduct of the route the Craig films chose to go.
Spectre definitely suffered because of that, but Eon has done a decent job of honestly assessing where the franchise is and where it needs to go, so hopefully we’ll get less of the old and more of the new with future films...
You can't get much less than Skyfall had!
Probably George, trying to do his own skiing stunts. It cost him dearly, as he broke his arm.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
But then MGM caused a 4-year delay and when Skyfall arrived with Mendes and his distinct artistic vision, it felt like a soft reboot with the same Bond. I was mostly ok with this because I liked the film and thought it had good atmosphere and strong performances from the leads.
Then Spectre showed up and, in the most clumsy fashion imaginable, delved too deeply into Bond’s past AND attempted to tie together the two rather distinct time periods of the Craig era. It also veered into DAD territory with Bond homaging itself too much. Throw in a lackluster performance by Waltz and the worst score I can remember in a Bond film and you have a loser.
I think the winning formula for Craig’s finale is to go back to where things started in CR/QoS - not in a narrative sense - but in terms of feel. I know it has some detractors around these parts, but CR has held up remarkably well over the last decade. Around the time CR came out, I remember watching Goldeneye and thinking it felt very dated. When I watch CR now (roughly the same age Goldeneye was in 2006), I don’t get that feeling at all. I think CR, not Skyfall, is the blueprint for what a great modern Bond film looks like.
From the film's IMDB page.
George Lazenby wanted to do most of his own stunts but the studio wouldn't allow him. During the shooting of one of the stunt scenes, Lazenby actually broke his arm, thereby delaying the filming of many of his later scenes. When Bond is taken to Blofeld's lab at Piz Gloria, Lazenby's broken arm in its cast is hidden by his coat which was draped over his arm. Blofeld's guard removes it from him as Lazenby was unable to do so. The guard removing the jacket was played by Yuri Borienko who ironically had had his nose broken by Lazenby in the screen test fight scene that the actor had done to land the part.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
I agree. It was spot on and although slight was a high point for me, a moment when I went ' oh that's him alright' .A bit like seeing Dalton's face in that first shot on the rock face. A moment of recognition. It's the right tone for Daniel's Bond and I'd love to see more like it. Some of the dialogue in the much derided SP had that quality, particularly the scene with M.