Favourite 'one-off' male ally?

JarvioJarvio EnglandPosts: 4,241MI6 Agent
edited July 2007 in General James Bond Chat
By 'one-off', I mean, an ally to Bond that has only appeared in one film. So allys like Q and Felix Leiter don't count, as they are recurring.

And it also has to be male, as if it was female, it would be 'Bond girl', right?

Anyway, my favourite 'one-off' male allies to Bond consist of three particular characters:

Columbo (FYEO)
Kerim Bay (FRWL)
Draco (OHMSS)

All three of these are of great help to Bond. They are on the ball and seem to know what to expect. They are brave, daring and intelligent. This is what I look for in a Bond ally. Someone that is actually of use to Bond (unlike Luigi from FYEO, or Saunders from TLD for example).

What's your opinions?
1 - LALD, 2 - AVTAK, 3 - LTK, 4 - OP, 5 - NTTD, 6 - FYEO, 7 - SF, 8 - DN, 9 - DAF, 10 - TSWLM, 11 - OHMSS, 12 - TMWTGG, 13 - GE, 14 - MR, 15 - TLD, 16 - YOLT, 17 - GF, 18 - DAD, 19 - TWINE, 20 - SP, 21 - TND, 22 - FRWL, 23 - TB, 24 - CR, 25 - QOS

1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby

Comments

  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    Great choices Jarvio! {[]

    I would also add:

    Vijay (OP)- Such a lovable character that you genuinely feel sad when he is killed. Bond's covering of the body is a touching moment.

    Sir Godfrey Tibbett (AVTAK)- Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee have such great chemistry with each other. The master/servant act is hilarious! As with Vijay, you are genuinely saddened by Sir Godfrey's death. Bond's immediate attention to the body in the back seat is touching. He is obviously affected by the loss of a good friend ("Killing Tibbett was a mistake!").

    Saunders (TLD)- Bond's and Saunder's massive egos collide in the first act defining the nature of their relationship. However, just when they are beginning to show respect for one another ("Saunders, thanks."), Saunders is murdered by Necros. Once again we are saddened. Bond's reaction shows us that he is affected by the incident.

    My favorite Bond allies are the ones that have a well-developed, respectful relationship with Bond. I enjoy it when Bond and an ally appear to be close friends; appear to actually give a damn about each other.
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
    edited July 2007
    Kerim will always win this prize as far as I'm concerned.

    Second would be Draco, and then third is probably Columbo.

    Honourable mention goes to the great Giancarlo Giannini's turn in CR as Mathis...although he won't be a "one-off" anymore when #22 comes out ;)

    All of these fellows share the same sort of worldly, avuncular charm---men's men---to which Bond always gravitated in the books, so it's only natural that this aspect would carry over onto the big screen.
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    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
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  • 72897289 Beau DesertPosts: 1,691MI6 Agent
    Kerim Bey: Pedro Armendariz was a fantastic actor with a great body of work behind him, alot of starring roles in Mexican Cinema, he really set the stage for all "Bond Allies"

    Mathis: Giancarlo Giannini brought "Pedro-like" charm and wit to a classic Bond role. "Not that I have anything against Accountants, many of them are lovely people" We still don't know, Friend or Traitor? I can't wait!

    Columbo: How can you go wrong with Topol?
  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    Honourable mention goes to the great Giancarlo Giannini's turn in CR as Mathis...although he won't be a "one-off" anymore when #22 comes out ;)

    I think it may be a little too soon to add Mathis to the list of great Bond allies. Afterall, his role in CR was considerably minor.

    I personally found Mathis to be rather an uninteresting character. Although I was impressed with Giannini in Man on Fire, his performance in CR left me cold. Giannini is not cut out for character acting IMO. Perhaps he just tried too hard, but it was obvious to me that he was acting on screen.

    Mathis should play a larger role in Bond #22, so perhaps my opinion of him will change. However, if CR would have been the only film to feature the Mathis character, Giannini could have easily been forgotten.
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • 72897289 Beau DesertPosts: 1,691MI6 Agent
    I'll wager that Giancarlo and Eva Green get about the same amount of screen time in Bond 22 - that is "not much". I just don't see a plot that revolves around Mathis to a real extent.

    I'd say you are a bit harsh on Giancarlo, I haven't seen ( at least don't remember) his other acting jobs, but nothing in his performance struck me as "bad". He had some of the best lines, "Just because one is dead doesn't mean he can't be useful".

    I don't see screen time as relevant to a charecters value in the film, sometimes less is better.
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
    edited July 2007
    Tee Hee wrote:
    Honourable mention goes to the great Giancarlo Giannini's turn in CR as Mathis...although he won't be a "one-off" anymore when #22 comes out ;)

    I think it may be a little too soon to add Mathis to the list of great Bond allies. Afterall, his role in CR was considerably minor.

    I personally found Mathis to be rather an uninteresting character. Although I was impressed with Giannini in Man on Fire, his performance in CR left me cold. Giannini is not cut out for character acting IMO. Perhaps he just tried too hard, but it was obvious to me that he was acting on screen.

    Mathis should play a larger role in Bond #22, so perhaps my opinion of him will change. However, if CR would have been the only film to feature the Mathis character, Giannini could have easily been forgotten.

    I disagree; he gets 'props' from me just for having Michael G. Wilson arrested :))

    Seriously, though, IMO he's cut from the same cloth as the others I mentioned. His screen time might be lesser than the others, but he plays a significant part---whether he turns out to be a baddie or an ally.

    Giannini is most famous, naturally, for his work in the Italian cinema, but he's always quite good---or at least, I've always enjoyed him ;) Those who saw Hannibal might remember that he was disemboweled---spectacularly---in Florence, Italy, by Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter :o
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    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
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  • wollastonbluewollastonblue Posts: 22MI6 Agent
    Totally agree with Kerim Bay being the ultimate one-off Male Ally.

    Sir Godffrey Tibbett ranks up there as well.

    Lt Hip was very good in TMWTGG.

    The classic performance though was Vijay in OP.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    Jarvio, my three favourites are your three favourites. :D

    They are in order of preference:
    1)Kerim Bay (FRWL); a man of great honour and taste, he appreciates and understands loyalty and proves to be a great friend to 007. That said, the amount of time he took to kill the assassin almost gave me a heart attack. :#

    2)Draco (OHMSS); a wonderful character. A criminal mastermind, he demonstrated true fatherly love for his daughter that allowed him to overlook his chosen career and pick someone on the other side of the fence to marry his daughter. :D Like Kerim Bay he was also brilliantly acted.

    3)Columbo (FYEO); As 7289 remarked, we are talking about Topol here. :D Topol is a terrific actor (I once saw him on stage in Fiddler on the Roof and he was fantastic in it {[]) and his performance in FYEO is IMO among the film's highlights.

    *It should be noted that although I listed three favourites, Columbo IMO was not of the same quality as the other two. Karim Bey and Draco will forever IMO be king and crown prince in the kindgdom of 'one-off' male allies. :D
    Honourable mention goes to the great Giancarlo Giannini's turn in CR as Mathis...although he won't be a "one-off" anymore when #22 comes out ;)
    Mathis was pretty good (although not as good IMO as the above-mentioned characters) but what makes you think he was an ally? ;)
    "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
  • AlexAlex The Eastern SeaboardPosts: 2,694MI6 Agent
    Jarvio wrote:
    Anyway, my favourite 'one-off' male allies to Bond consist of three particular characters:

    Columbo (FYEO)
    Kerim Bay (FRWL)
    Draco (OHMSS)
    My three picks as well. And I'd also add Quarrel to the mix.
  • Brosnan_fanBrosnan_fan Sydney, AustraliaPosts: 521MI6 Agent
    Agreed, Columbo from FYEO is a nice choice.

    My personal favourite is Vijay; a pity they decided to kill him off. :(

    Honourable mention to Tiger Tanaka (YOLT); I have no doubt that many men would love to be in his shoes. B-)

    Special mention must go to the US submarine commander from TSWLM (actor Shane Rimmer - and yes, he has had several different roles in the Bond films, but I'm counting this single role as a one-off); he and Bond showed great comradeship, which was a nice touch to the film. -{
    "Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
    edited July 2007
    Dan Same wrote:
    Mathis was pretty good (although not as good IMO as the above-mentioned characters) but what makes you think he was an ally? ;)

    We shall see :v Frankly, I don't think he'd be coming back if not to reverse the perception sold in Act 3 of CR. I guess we'll all know soon enough... ;)
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    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • JamesbondmmJamesbondmm Posts: 294MI6 Agent
    edited July 2007
    I'd have to go with Brosnan_fan and choose Tiger Tanaka in the #1 spot. With vast resources at his command, from his base under the streets of Tokyo, his personal retreat in the hills and ninja training school, Tanaka plays a major role in stopping SPECTRE’s plans to start World War III. Without Tigers assistance, Bond would ironically have died twice.

    The #2 spot is a close one, but I think I would have to give it to Draco. Possibly Draco is the only other ally (along side Tanaka) who really gets in with the action. It is only with Dracos assistance that Bond is able to storm Piz Gloria, rescue Tracy and stop Blofeld.

    Kerim Bey definitely comes in at number #3; once again his assistance, knowledge and resources help Bond in his mission. While he does not fly helicopters, blow up mountain retreats or run ninja training schools, this is not the tone of FRWL. Kerim provides equally valuable assistance to Bond and he is clearly upset when he learns of his friends death.

    Mathis was not an ally of Bond, and even if he was, it's my opinion that he pales in significance to the other minor allies, let alone those mentioned above.
  • Klaus HergescheimerKlaus Hergescheimer Posts: 332MI6 Agent
    No question about this one:

    Kerim Bay. This is the case in both the movie and novel. He's just a terrific character.

    I also like Wade (although he's technically not "one-off", although his presence in TND pales in comparison to that in GE), Pushkin, Colombo, and Draco.
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