The Cinematic 'Good' vs. 'Sort-Of-Good' Bond...

chrisisall · September 2012

Do you enjoy Bond in the movies as primarily a hero who is a secret agent with some personal issues, or as a deeply troubled man with an incredible professional skill set? Or something in between?
Which movies (or moments in them) demonstrate your preferences best, and how?

chrisisall · September 2012

Okay then, I'll go first; the anti-hero fascinates me most, so a cinematic Bond that's closer to the novels is always preferable IMO. Like the character of Deckard in Blade Runner, a Bond that is self questioning is ultimately the most interesting. Therefore Dr. No (the unhappy look after Bond coldly shoots Dent), and The Living Daylights ( the "If he fires me I'll thank him for it" line) are standouts for me.

zaphod · September 2012

chrisisall wrote:

Okay then, I'll go first; the anti-hero fascinates me most, so a cinematic Bond that's closer to the novels is always preferable IMO. Like the character of Deckard in Blade Runner, a Bond that is self questioning is ultimately the most interesting. Therefore Dr. No (the unhappy look after Bond coldly shoots Dent), and The Living Daylights ( the "If he fires me I'll thank him for it" line) are standouts for me.

I agree wholeheartedly, but would add that sense of swagger and cool which is part of the rebellious anti-hero thing. It is probably more of a feature of the cinematic Bond, particularly Connery's version- some examples : the casual settings off of the alarm at Shrublands in TB,
The pushing over of expensive equipment in TND, the way cool transformation from Tux to sniper in TLD by use of a small piece of Velcro,helping himself to caviar after the fight in OHMSS,
That tiny head movement in GE when a bullet ricochets off the wall, the change of plans in TLD when Bond seizes control on a " need to know basis" and the crashing of the cars and setting off the alarm in CR, and finally the adjusting of the cuff links in Skyfall.

Some of these had operational merit as diversionary tactics, but it's the sense of rebellious play and devilment and sense of cool that I like.

DEFIANT 74205 · September 2012

chrisisall wrote:

Okay then, I'll go first; the anti-hero fascinates me most, so a cinematic Bond that's closer to the novels is always preferable IMO. Like the character of Deckard in Blade Runner, a Bond that is self questioning is ultimately the most interesting. Therefore Dr. No (the unhappy look after Bond coldly shoots Dent), and The Living Daylights ( the "If he fires me I'll thank him for it" line) are standouts for me.

I agree with your view that the cinematic Bond that is closer to the literary Bond is my favourite. Connery's first two and Dalton's two films are standouts for me.

I don't want Bond to be an action hero. That's not the way he was written by Fleming. "A deeply troubled man with an incredible professional skill set" is probably a very good way of describing Bond. My impression of the literary Bond is that he dislikes killing in cold blood, but he's just so incredibly good at it. I know some fans who disliked Dalton's brooding Bond, but that is exactly what sort of a character Fleming's Bond was. I don't think anyone - not even Connery - managed to capture that side of the Bond character as well as Dalton has.

zaphod · September 2012

DEFIANT 74205 wrote:

chrisisall wrote:

Okay then, I'll go first; the anti-hero fascinates me most, so a cinematic Bond that's closer to the novels is always preferable IMO. Like the character of Deckard in Blade Runner, a Bond that is self questioning is ultimately the most interesting. Therefore Dr. No (the unhappy look after Bond coldly shoots Dent), and The Living Daylights ( the "If he fires me I'll thank him for it" line) are standouts for me.

I agree with your view that the cinematic Bond that is closer to the literary Bond is my favourite. Connery's first two and Dalton's two films are standouts for me.

I don't want Bond to be an action hero. That's not the way he was written by Fleming. "A deeply troubled man with an incredible professional skill set" is probably a very good way of describing Bond. My impression of the literary Bond is that he dislikes killing in cold blood, but he's just so incredibly good at it. I know some fans who disliked Dalton's brooding Bond, but that is exactly what sort of a character Fleming's Bond was. I don't think anyone - not even Connery - managed to capture that side of the Bond character as well as Dalton has.

Spot on.

chrisisall · September 2012

zaphod wrote:

the casual settings off of the alarm at Shrublands in TB,
The pushing over of expensive equipment in TND, the way cool transformation from Tux to sniper in TLD by use of a small piece of Velcro,helping himself to caviar after the fight in OHMSS,
That tiny head movement in GE when a bullet ricochets off the wall, the change of plans in TLD when Bond seizes control on a " need to know basis" and the crashing of the cars and setting off the alarm in CR, and finally the adjusting of the cuff links in Skyfall.

Absolutely James Bond. :007)

chrisisall · September 2012

So, the cinematic 'good' Bond then... "When l kill it's under specific orders of my government. And those l kill are themselves killers." James Boyscout?

) Don't get me wrong, I really like TMWTGG, but that line just irks me a bit. I'll bet that Moore came up with it himself. :007) His Bond was self assured, calm, cool, sly... but, no edge, no cracks in the armour.

Brosnan's Bond seemed to alternate; at times he was all action hero-y like, Ramborunnin' from bullets & blasting away with a machine gun, then turn around & be more the Bond I expect "Not exactly our finest hour", or sleeping with an old flame who's married (to the BAD guy), or empathizing with a girl's pain (heh, before she tortures him!). His Bond is a favourite with me, high up there, but I wish the scripts had been a little more like TLD or CR, he certainly could have handled a consistently edgier Bond and deserved to be given the chance, still, most of his stuff was pretty great anyway IMO.

zaphod · September 2012

chrisisall wrote:

So, the cinematic 'good' Bond then... "When l kill it's under specific orders of my government. And those l kill are themselves killers." James Boyscout? ) Don't get me wrong, I really like TMWTGG, but that line just irks me a bit. I'll bet that Moore came up with it himself. :007) His Bond was self assured, calm, cool, sly... but, no edge, no cracks in the armour.

Brosnan's Bond seemed to alternate; at times he was all action hero-y like, Ramborunnin' from bullets & blasting away with a machine gun, then turn around & be more the Bond I expect "Not exactly our finest hour", or sleeping with an old flame who's married (to the BAD guy), or empathizing with a girl's pain (heh, before she tortures him!). His Bond is a favourite with me, high up there, but I wish the scripts had been a little more like TLD or CR, he certainly could have handled a consistently edgier Bond and deserved to be given the chance, still, most of his stuff was pretty great anyway IMO.

Kauffman
" I'm just a professional doing a job"

Bond

" me to" as he pulls the trigger. ice cold, pure Bond. Brosnan is as convincing in that scene as Connerry or Dalton for me.

chrisisall · September 2012

Agreed! -{

Napoleon Plural · October 2012

I would prefer Bond not be put in situations where he feels the awkardness of his career choice, I prefer escapism though I have to accept that such an attitude may be misguided; after all, this is a bloke who murders and shags promiscuously and has no friends, he shouldn't really be a role model.

The Cinematic 'Good' vs. 'Sort-Of-Good' Bond...

Comments