Favourite 'one-off' male ally?
Jarvio
EnglandPosts: 4,241MI6 Agent
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?
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
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
Comments
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.
-Roger Moore
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.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
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?
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
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.
-Roger Moore
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.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
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
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Sir Godffrey Tibbett ranks up there as well.
Lt Hip was very good in TMWTGG.
The classic performance though was Vijay in OP.
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.
3)Columbo (FYEO); As 7289 remarked, we are talking about Topol here.
*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.
Mathis was pretty good (although not as good IMO as the above-mentioned characters) but what makes you think he was an ally?
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. -{
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...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
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.
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.