Best Bond Movies for Action

13

Comments

  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited July 2014 Posts: 17,789
    TND is the top Bond for action IMO.

    Then LTK, TLD, OHMSS, YOLT, GE, TSWLM, OP, CR, TB, FYEO...
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,169
    TND has more action in it than most Bond films I guess, but I find that action neither as thrilling nor as well staged as the action I get in CR, OHMSS, FYEO, ... ;-)
  • Posts: 6,396
    TND is a great example of quantity over quality. Just because you fill a movie with chases and explosions, doesn't by definition, make it great.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    DarthDimi wrote:
    TND has more action in it than most Bond films I guess, but I find that action neither as thrilling nor as well staged as the action I get in CR, OHMSS, FYEO, ... ;-)
    Well, I love every second of it.
    There's a collective mentality at work here IMO. Personally, I don't think about what others have to say about a movie whilst watching it. I just let it flow over me. TND has great action, and it's not lacking in quality or distinctiveness. The PTS arms bazaar attack/plane fight, the motorcycle/helicopter stuff, the martial arts of Ms. Yeoh, the Big Giant Finale... all of these are fantastic, objectively speaking. The only real way to find fault with these action scenes (or indeed, the movie in general) is to judge them with a severely prejudiced eye.

    For the longest time I was unwilling to cite FYEO as a great movie, because I had that prejudiced eye (I hate Bill Conti), but I recently watched it trying to imagine a Barry score, and yeah, it's pretty terrific.


  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    @chrisisall, I've loved TND all my life, and was really surprised to find that it didn't sit that well for me when I recently rewatched it. I think I need to go back and rewatch it soon with a care-free, relaxed feeling (like I do when watching DAD and MR) and see how it goes. The action is great in it, I think I just took it too seriously this last time.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited July 2014 Posts: 17,789
    Creasy47 wrote:
    I think I need to go back and rewatch it soon with a care-free, relaxed feeling (like I do when watching DAD and MR)
    Actually, one time I watched it in an uber-serious mood & came away not liking it very much (the chuckles in the car so soon after Paris' death put me off severely that time). TND is Brosnan's YOLT or TSWLM- you can't demand a tight Fleming-ish tale from it.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    What really threw me off was the entire finale (including some of the goofs, but it's Bond, each film has goofs), mainly watching Bond dual wield a pistol and a submachine gun. Even that was too much for me, so next time I watch it, I'll watch it expecting generic 90's fun and I hope I'll love it again.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Creasy47 wrote:
    watching Bond dual wield a pistol and a submachine gun.

    Ha ha, it was the 90's man! The rule back then was 'no gun left behind'! :))
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    @chrisisall, what really takes me out of the experience is that sometimes he is aiming both guns and you can tell one of them isn't firing at all (usually the P99), yet he never drops it. Either way, there's no denying that the finale is incredibly action-packed.
  • Posts: 1,596
    The helicopter chase is an undeniably great set-piece.
  • Posts: 1,146
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    The LALD boat chase is one of my favorite action sequences in the series.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Creasy47 wrote:
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    The LALD boat chase is one of my favorite action sequences in the series.

    Agreed! And the Kananga & Tee Hee fights at the end were well worth our time IMO.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    chrisisall wrote:
    Creasy47 wrote:
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    The LALD boat chase is one of my favorite action sequences in the series.

    Agreed! And the Kananga & Tee Hee fights at the end were well worth our time IMO.

    Agreed, as well, though I can't stand Kananga's death. The Tee Hee fight is amazing, though, from start to finish.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Creasy47 wrote:
    Agreed, as well, though I can't stand Kananga's death.
    I always kind of squint my eyes and imagine a spray of guts...
    EWWWUE!
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    -Live and Let Die boat chase, with that world record breaking jump
    -Live and Let Die crocodile farm scenes
    -The Man with the Golden Gun astro spiral jump, minus loop whistle
    -The Spy Who Loved Me ski chase and ski jump
    -The Spy Who Loved Me Esprit chase
    -The Spy Who Loved Me underwater Esprit battle
    -The Spy Who Loved Liparus battle finale
    -The Spy Who Loved Me train fight
    -The Spy Who Loved saving Anya
    -Moonraker centrifuge scene
    -Moonraker PTS, minus Jaws
    -For Your Eyes Only PTS
    -For Your Eyes Only ski chase
    -For Your Eyes Only climbing scene
    -For Your Eyes Only JIM suit fight
    -For Your Eyes Only Melina and Bond face the sharks...
    -For Your Eyes Only Bond kills Loque
    -For Your Eyes Only Citroen car chase
    -For Your Eyes Only monastery finale
    -Octopussy PTS
    -Octopussy train scenes
    -Octopussy hanging onto Khan's plane
    -Octopussy circus
    -A View to a Kill horse chase
    -A View to a Kill mine massacre
    -A View to a Kill Golden Gate Bridge dual


  • Posts: 6,396
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    -Live and Let Die boat chase, with that world record breaking jump
    -Live and Let Die crocodile farm scenes
    -The Man with the Golden Gun astro spiral jump, minus loop whistle
    -The Spy Who Loved Me ski chase and ski jump
    -The Spy Who Loved Me Esprit chase
    -The Spy Who Loved Me underwater Esprit battle
    -The Spy Who Loved Liparus battle finale
    -The Spy Who Loved Me train fight
    -The Spy Who Loved saving Anya
    -Moonraker centrifuge scene
    -Moonraker PTS, minus Jaws
    -For Your Eyes Only PTS
    -For Your Eyes Only ski chase
    -For Your Eyes Only climbing scene
    -For Your Eyes Only JIM suit fight
    -For Your Eyes Only Melina and Bond face the sharks...
    -For Your Eyes Only Bond kills Loque
    -For Your Eyes Only Citroen car chase
    -For Your Eyes Only monastery finale
    -Octopussy PTS
    -Octopussy train scenes
    -Octopussy hanging onto Khan's plane
    -Octopussy circus
    -A View to a Kill horse chase
    -A View to a Kill mine massacre
    -A View to a Kill Golden Gate Bridge dual


    =D>
  • Posts: 7,653
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    -Live and Let Die boat chase, with that world record breaking jump
    -Live and Let Die crocodile farm scenes
    -The Man with the Golden Gun astro spiral jump, minus loop whistle
    -The Spy Who Loved Me ski chase and ski jump
    -The Spy Who Loved Me Esprit chase
    -The Spy Who Loved Me underwater Esprit battle
    -The Spy Who Loved Liparus battle finale
    -The Spy Who Loved Me train fight
    -The Spy Who Loved saving Anya
    -Moonraker centrifuge scene
    -Moonraker PTS, minus Jaws
    -For Your Eyes Only PTS
    -For Your Eyes Only ski chase
    -For Your Eyes Only climbing scene
    -For Your Eyes Only JIM suit fight
    -For Your Eyes Only Melina and Bond face the sharks...
    -For Your Eyes Only Bond kills Loque
    -For Your Eyes Only Citroen car chase
    -For Your Eyes Only monastery finale
    -Octopussy PTS
    -Octopussy train scenes
    -Octopussy hanging onto Khan's plane
    -Octopussy circus
    -A View to a Kill horse chase
    -A View to a Kill mine massacre
    -A View to a Kill Golden Gate Bridge dual


    =D> =D> =D> =D> :D
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,169
    I don't know how anybody can seriously suggest a Moore film for action.

    -Live and Let Die boat chase, with that world record breaking jump
    -Live and Let Die crocodile farm scenes
    -The Man with the Golden Gun astro spiral jump, minus loop whistle
    -The Spy Who Loved Me ski chase and ski jump
    -The Spy Who Loved Me Esprit chase
    -The Spy Who Loved Me underwater Esprit battle
    -The Spy Who Loved Liparus battle finale
    -The Spy Who Loved Me train fight
    -The Spy Who Loved saving Anya
    -Moonraker centrifuge scene
    -Moonraker PTS, minus Jaws
    -For Your Eyes Only PTS
    -For Your Eyes Only ski chase
    -For Your Eyes Only climbing scene
    -For Your Eyes Only JIM suit fight
    -For Your Eyes Only Melina and Bond face the sharks...
    -For Your Eyes Only Bond kills Loque
    -For Your Eyes Only Citroen car chase
    -For Your Eyes Only monastery finale
    -Octopussy PTS
    -Octopussy train scenes
    -Octopussy hanging onto Khan's plane
    -Octopussy circus
    -A View to a Kill horse chase
    -A View to a Kill mine massacre
    -A View to a Kill Golden Gate Bridge dual


    Outstanding, sir! Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm willing to take an extra, perhaps controversial stance here and add that John Glen had a talent for shooting and directing action!


    1078584-ovation.gif
  • Posts: 154
    Best action is very subjective. Most action -- as in the number of action set-pieces (not mere fist or gun fight but truly Bondian panache action set pieces) -- is actually quite object. Just count the number of true action set-pieces in the movie. If you do this, then For Your Eyes Only is easily the winner (with five action set-pieces) followed by The World Is Not Enough. Most Bonds only have two or three action set-pieces (and that counts the opening pre-credit action set piece). For Your Eyes Only is the most action-packed Bond. That is not an opinion but a provable fact.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Fascinating, @gklein!
  • Posts: 4,762
    gklein wrote: »
    Best action is very subjective. Most action -- as in the number of action set-pieces (not mere fist or gun fight but truly Bondian panache action set pieces) -- is actually quite object. Just count the number of true action set-pieces in the movie. If you do this, then For Your Eyes Only is easily the winner (with five action set-pieces) followed by The World Is Not Enough. Most Bonds only have two or three action set-pieces (and that counts the opening pre-credit action set piece). For Your Eyes Only is the most action-packed Bond. That is not an opinion but a provable fact.

    Must prove why I like it so much!
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,132
    Octopussy - The PTS, the tuk-tuk chase (regardless of how silly it is), the train scenes and the finale on the plane.
    If we included the attack on Octopussy's palace you've got five. But I'll take a very good four. ;)
  • edited May 2015 Posts: 154
    Benny, yes, I agree, but would count the attack on the palace as part of the finale including the plane, thus making it all one long elaborate set-piece.

    00Beast, yes, FYEO is one of my favorite too, though I wish it had starred Dalton rather than Moore (as the style matched Dalton's Bond, not Moore's, who was, anyway, too old by that time to still be portraying Bond).

    Chris, thank you.

    AS for FYEO true action set pieces, I count five:

    1) opening helicopter scene
    2) the great car chase through the hills, preceded by, and including, the gun & fist fight & foot chase beginning at the pool party.
    3) that amazing multi-part ski/motorcycle etc. chase at the winter olympic game practices.
    4) the submarine/scuba fight and the dragging of Bond & Melina (tied together) through the ocean waters.
    5) the finale including the mountain climbing/fighting.

    These are interspersed with several smaller action scenes:

    1) the bomb explosion of the ship containing the ATAK system
    2) the plane/machine gun attack on Melina's parents
    3) the motorcyclists' attack on Bond at the flower shop
    4) the hockey players' attack on Bond at the ice skating rink
    5) the attack by Bond on the smugglers den at the shipping dock (which could arguably be considered a sixth true action set-piece).
    6) the short foot/car chase that ends w/Bond kicking the car off the cliff (taken as part of item 3 above, again, makes it all, arguable, a sixth action set piece)
    7) the sand buggies attack on Bond at the beach

    It always amazes me when critics describe a Bond movie as "one of the most action-packed". DAD was described this way. It's as though these critics haven't even seen the other Bond movies. DAD doesn't have near the amount of action as FYEO. I'm not simply defending FYEO because it's one of my favorite (though not MOST favorite), I'm just stating a fact. FYEO IS the most action-packed Bond ever. It's NOT an opinion.

    smiles!
  • Posts: 154
    I should add that, all that great action was held together by a realistic story that the director (John Glen) never lost site of.. this being what make FYEO one of the very best Bond movies in the entire series. It's major problems are:

    The miscasting of Moore as Bond in a movies that was, basically, a reboot of the series.
    Some silly moments and plot faults.
    An out-of-place pre-credit set piece.

    Still, again, one of the best, for sure.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Glad to see another member of the FYEO fan club.
  • Posts: 2,341
    I like the way somebody broke them down by decades. If we talking action, ie the "thrills a minute, heart stopping Raiders of the Lost Ark-ish" action I would rate the Moore films
    FYEO and OP at or near the top.
    Many times Bond relies on one or two big set pieces. The Craig films are more cerebral. OHMSS from the escape from Piz Gloria until the end of the Bobsleigh fight is one long almost non stop action pounding sequence. Even after Bond pops the question in that quiet romantic scene in the barn, we are treated to the ski chase with the avalanche to get us "back in the mood".
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    edited May 2015 Posts: 4,423
    @OHMSS69 - OP were in part inspired by Raiders, which was inspired by the Bond films. Circle of Life, hey. ;-)

    60's; Majesty's
    70's; Spy
    80's; hmm, I guess I'll go with LTK. The Wavekrest escape being a particular highlight.
    Brozz: TND
    Craig: CR

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I doubt that FYEO was inspired by Raiders. It came out just a month later.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Fixed @Thunderfinger ;-)
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