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Rank the Allies

StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
edited November 2013 in Bond Movies Posts: 2,402
I've noticed there isn't a thread about this yet. The concept is simple; rank all of Bond's major allies in the film series, including all of the Felix Leiters. I have my own ranking below, where all of the allies who have a significant enough role to be included, have been included.

Allies who have one scene, no dialogue, or an insignificant role in the story - unless they are an extremely memorable character such as Henderson - are not included.

Any allies who end up being rogues or who switch sides are also not included.

Not every Bond film has an ally who meets the criteria for this list; for recurring allies (e.g. General Gogol), only the first film in which they appear is counted. Conversely, several Bond films have multiple allies who were eligible for the list.

In release order, here is the breakdown for all of the Bond films:

EON SERIES (32)
Dr. No (2) - Quarrel, Felix Leiter (Jack Lord)
From Russia with Love (1) - Kerim Bey
Goldfinger (1) - Felix Leiter (Cec Linder)
Thunderball (2) - Paula Caplan, Felix Leiter (Rik van Nutter)
You Only Live Twice (2) - Dikko Henderson, Tiger Tanaka
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1) - Marc-Ange Draco
Diamonds Are Forever (2) - Felix Leiter (Norman Burton), Willard Whyte
Live and Let Die (2) - Felix Leiter (David Hedison), J.W. Pepper
The Man with the Golden Gun (1) - Lieutenant Hip
The Spy Who Loved Me (2) - General Gogol, Commander Carter
Moonraker (0)
For Your Eyes Only (2) - Luigi Ferrara, Milos Columbo
Octopussy (1) - Vijay
A View to a Kill (2) - Sir Godfrey Tibbett, Chuck Lee
The Living Daylights (3) - Saunders, Felix Leiter (John Terry), Kamran Shah
Licence to Kill (1) - Sharkey
GoldenEye (2) - Jack Wade, Valentin Zukovsky
Tomorrow Never Dies (0)
The World is Not Enough (0)
Die Another Day (2) - Mr. Chang, Raoul
Casino Royale (1) - Rene Mathis, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright)
Quantum of Solace (0)
Skyfall (1) - Kincade

Main Bond girls, M, Q, and Moneypenny are not included here: Bond girls are often ranked on their own (and have been on these forums) and the MI6 regulars are, well, regulars. Certain women (such as Paula) are included because they have a significant "ally" role in the plot of the film and do not have a romantic conquest with Bond.

My Ranking:

32: Felix Leiter (John Terry)
31: Jack Wade
30: Felix Leiter (Norman Burton)
29: Felix Leiter (Cec Linder)
28: Chuck Lee
27: Lieutenant Hip
LINE OF SHAME
26: J.W. Pepper
25: Mr. Chang
24: Felix Leiter (Jack Lord)
23: Luigi Ferrara
22: Felix Leiter (Rik van Nutter)
21: Kincade
LINE OF MEDIOCRITY
20: Paula Caplan
19: Dikko Henderson
18: Willard Whyte
17: Vijay
16: Sir Godfrey Tibbett
15: Raoul
14: Sharkey
13: Commander Carter
12: Saunders
11: Quarrel
10: Kamran Shah
9: Rene Mathis
8: Felix Leiter (David Hedison)
7: Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright)
6: Tiger Tanaka
5: General Gogol
4: Marc-Ange Draco
3: Valentin Zukovsky
2: Kerim Bey
1: Milos Columbo

Comments

  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Rene Mathis?
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited November 2013 Posts: 11,189
    I haven't decided a full rank yet but I would put kerm Bey and Valentin Zukovsky (from GE) at #1 and #2. Draco at #3, Mathis at #4 and Pushkin at #5.

    Also I've never quite got the hate Wade gets.
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    MayDayDiVicenzo wrote:
    Rene Mathis?

    Ahh, between all the editing and depth I put into explaining everything I knew I forgot one but couldn't figure out who it was. Thank you, @MayDayDiVincenzo, I will edit the post to accomodate Mathis.

    @Bain123, I didn't include Pushkin because of the fact that he is, initially, Bond's objective. Though he doesn't himself switch sides because he's never actually against Bond to start with, he is Bond's enemy turned ally over the course of the film.
  • ColdfingerColdfinger
    Posts: 317
    Don't forget Quarrel Jr in LALD

    Here's my top

    7 - Felix Leiter (Jack Lord)
    6 - Marc-Ange Draco
    5 - Kerim Bey
    4 - Vijay
    3 - Rene Mathis
    2 - Sir Godfrey Tibbett
    1 - Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright)
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    edited November 2013 Posts: 14,689
    Top 20 in rough order:

    René Mathis
    Kerim Bey
    Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky
    Milos Columbo
    Felix Leiter (David Hedison)
    Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright)
    Marc-Ange Draco
    Tiger Tanaka
    Sir Godfrey Tibbett
    Quarrel
    Raoul
    Saunders
    General Leonid Pushkin
    Vijay
    Felix Leiter (Bernie Casey)
    Kamran Shah
    Commander Carter
    General Gogol
    Kincade
    Sharkey
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    Coldfinger wrote:
    Don't forget Quarrel Jr in LALD

    I felt that Quarrel Jr (with only one scene) wasnt relevant enough to add to the (already bloated) list.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    Best: Kerim, Draco, Mathis, Colombo, Felix Leiter (Lord, Linder, Wright), Campbell.
    Worst: Lt. Hip, Felix Leiter (Norman Burton), Chuck Lee.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,171
    A few you may have missed @StirredNotShaken

    DN - Puss Feller / Pleydell Smith
    FRWL - Vavra
    GF - Hawker
    TB - Pinder
    OHMSS - Campbell
    LALD - Strutter / Quarrel jnr
    MR - Manuela
    OP - Jim Fanning
    TLD - Rosika Miklos
    LTK - Felix Leiter
    GE - Tanner
    TND - Robinson
    TWINE - Tanner / Robinson
    DAD - Damian Falco
    CR - Carter
    QOS - Felix Leiter

    All of these have either been on a mission, or assisted Bond to complete his mission.






  • karl007karl007
    Posts: 151
    My Top ten:
    10:Sir Godfrey Tibbett
    9:Milos Columbo
    8:Quarrel jnr
    7:Quarrel
    6:Felix Leiter
    5:Kincade
    4:Mathis
    3:Marc-Ange Draco
    2: Tanner
    1:Tiger tanaka
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    Benny wrote:
    A few you may have missed @StirredNotShaken

    DN - Puss Feller / Pleydell Smith - Too minor. He has a level of contribution but ultimately Quarrel does the majority of the work. The list already has 32 names.
    FRWL - Vavra - See Pussfeller above.
    GF - Hawker - I may add Hawker. He's still up for debate, but since I added Henderson (also a single-scene character) Hawker is eligible. I think Hawker's great.
    TB - Pinder - See Pussfeller.
    OHMSS - Campbell - Under consideration. If I add Hawker, I'll add Campbell as well.
    LALD - Strutter / Quarrel jnr - I made my case for Quarrel JR's exclusion and really, Strutter does nothing but get killed by the fake funeral procession.
    MR - Manuela - Bond has a sexual conquest with her, essentially making her a Bond girl.
    OP - Jim Fanning - Too minor.
    TLD - Rosika Miklos - See Hawker.
    LTK - Felix Leiter - David Hedison's Leiter has already been accounted for (LALD).
    GE - Tanner - Tanner is an MI6 regular.
    TND - Robinson - See Tanner above.
    TWINE - Tanner / Robinson - See Tanner above.
    DAD - Damian Falco - He's too against Bond IMO. I know hes on the same team but he always tries to circumvent Bond's actions and is generally just a douche.
    CR - Carter - Too minor. He's on screen for what, 25 seconds?
    QOS - Felix Leiter - Jeffrey Wright's Leiter has already been accounted for (CR).
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    OK, well here are my top 10 (I will try to update this later) ...

    1. Milos Columbo (just edging out ...)
    2. Valentin Zukovsky
    3. Kerim Bey
    4. Rene Mathis (really tired with Kerim, if I am honest)
    5. Leiter (Wright)
    5. Luigi Ferrara
    6. Kincade
    7. Carter
    8. Kamran Shah
    9. Tiger Tanaka
    10. Saunders
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Top three
    1 Draco
    2 Columbo
    3 Mathis

    Never understood the love for Zukovsky, I found him cringeworthy and a cliche.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Never understood the love for Zukovsky, I found him cringeworthy and a cliche.
    Overrated? Perhaps. Cringeworthy? I think that's going a bit too far. He gave a good enough performance.
  • Tee144Tee144
    edited November 2013 Posts: 8
    My Top 10

    1.Kerim Bey
    2.Rene Mathis
    3.Valentin Zukovsky
    4. Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright)
    5. Sir Godfrey Tibbett
    6. Vijay
    7. Tiger Tanaka
    8. Felix Leiter (David Hedison)
    9. Milos Columbo
    10. Quarrel
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Bottom place- Kamran Shah.
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Bottom place- Kamran Shah.

    Worse than John Terry's Felix Leiter?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Yes. At least Leiter is not a fascist.
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Yes. At least Leiter is not a fascist.

    I don't even know how to respond to that...
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Read the "holy" texts that Kamran bows down to, and his reason to fight the Russians, and you will find a much more fascist, racist and misogynistic ideology than Hitler or Stalin could ever have dreamt up. The Mujahedin were never freedom fighters. They were as opposed to freedom as night is opposed to day.
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Read the "holy" texts that Kamran bows down to, and his reason to fight the Russians, and you will find a much more fascist, racist and misogynistic ideology than Hitler or Stalin could ever have dreamt up. The Mujahedin were never freedom fighters. They were as opposed to freedom as night is opposed to day.

    You do realise Kamran Shah is a fictional character in a James Bond film don't you? Maybe, just maybe, you're taking it all a little too far.

    Tony Soprano is a mafia boss and a killer and a sociopath. Should that mean he can't be one of the best television characters of all time?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited November 2013 Posts: 18,348
    WillyGalore wrote:
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Read the "holy" texts that Kamran bows down to, and his reason to fight the Russians, and you will find a much more fascist, racist and misogynistic ideology than Hitler or Stalin could ever have dreamt up. The Mujahedin were never freedom fighters. They were as opposed to freedom as night is opposed to day.

    You do realise Kamran Shah is a fictional character in a James Bond film don't you? Maybe, just maybe, you're taking it all a little too far.

    Tony Soprano is a mafia boss and a killer and a sociopath. Should that mean he can't be one of the best television characters of all time?

    As a traditionalist totally opposed to the glamorisation of the Mafia and all that it stands for, I'm afraid I'd have to say "yes", regardless of how unpopular that opinion may be these days. From a strictly moral standpoint I would have to say I'm opposed to the Mafia and any programme that seeks to glory/promote/fictionalise/misrepresent what is a very evil set of people tied by blood. They are guity of having caused countless deaths through the years by means of brutality, bloody atrocities, drugs and vice.
  • CraterGunsCraterGuns
    Posts: 618
    WillyGalore wrote:
    You do realise Kamran Shah is a fictional character in a James Bond film don't you? Maybe, just maybe, you're taking it all a little too far.
    There's also this:
    Could it not be that Kamran Shah is a member of the Northern Alliance?

    The Northern Alliance was a Mujahedin group that fought both the Soviets and the Taliban.

    During the U.S./NATO invasion of Afghanistan (late 2001-early 2002), the Northern Alliance sided with the West.

    U.S. Special Forces teams were embedded with Northern Alliance forces as they attacked and routed the Taliban.

  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    Dragonpol wrote:
    WillyGalore wrote:
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Read the "holy" texts that Kamran bows down to, and his reason to fight the Russians, and you will find a much more fascist, racist and misogynistic ideology than Hitler or Stalin could ever have dreamt up. The Mujahedin were never freedom fighters. They were as opposed to freedom as night is opposed to day.

    You do realise Kamran Shah is a fictional character in a James Bond film don't you? Maybe, just maybe, you're taking it all a little too far.

    Tony Soprano is a mafia boss and a killer and a sociopath. Should that mean he can't be one of the best television characters of all time?

    As a traditionalist totally opposed to the glamorisation of the Mafia and all that it stands for, I'm afraid I'd have to say "yes", regardless of hgow unpopular that opinion may be these days. From a strictly moral standpoint I would have to say I'm opposed to the Mafia and any programme that seeks to glory/promote/fictionalise/misrepresent what is a very evil set of people tied by blood. They are guity of having caused countless deaths through the years by means of brutality, bloody atrocities, drugs and vice.

    How does The Sopranos glamorize the mafia? Tony Soprano is a very tortured man with many demons he battles. Christopher Moltisanti is a drug-addicted, paranoid wreck.

    It doesn't matter anyway, gentlemen. This thread has gone off the rails. Back to the purpose of it, please? I've not yet had a thread locked and I don't intend to start with this one.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,348
    StirredNotShaken wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    WillyGalore wrote:
    Thunderfinger wrote:
    Read the "holy" texts that Kamran bows down to, and his reason to fight the Russians, and you will find a much more fascist, racist and misogynistic ideology than Hitler or Stalin could ever have dreamt up. The Mujahedin were never freedom fighters. They were as opposed to freedom as night is opposed to day.

    You do realise Kamran Shah is a fictional character in a James Bond film don't you? Maybe, just maybe, you're taking it all a little too far.

    Tony Soprano is a mafia boss and a killer and a sociopath. Should that mean he can't be one of the best television characters of all time?

    As a traditionalist totally opposed to the glamorisation of the Mafia and all that it stands for, I'm afraid I'd have to say "yes", regardless of hgow unpopular that opinion may be these days. From a strictly moral standpoint I would have to say I'm opposed to the Mafia and any programme that seeks to glory/promote/fictionalise/misrepresent what is a very evil set of people tied by blood. They are guity of having caused countless deaths through the years by means of brutality, bloody atrocities, drugs and vice.

    How does The Sopranos glamorize the mafia? Tony Soprano is a very tortured man with many demons he battles. Christopher Moltisanti is a drug-addicted, paranoid wreck.

    It doesn't matter anyway, gentlemen. This thread has gone off the rails. Back to the purpose of it, please? I've not yet had a thread locked and I don't intend to start with this one.

    Yes, sorry for de-railing your thread with my Mafia outburst but I'm researching them at the moment and I'm not a big fan of them shall we say. I'll leave it at that. I do think some of these films trivialise/glamorise the Mafia, though perhaps not The Sopranos.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762

    32. Pinder- absolutely worthless; no help whatsoever to 007
    31. Felix Leiter (John Terry)- very wooden lines and basically no worth to the mission
    30. Felix Leiter (Norman Burton)- too cheesy for words to accurately describe
    29. Lieutinant Hip- fairly useless
    28. Vijay- not the most competent of allies, and fairly cheesy at times
    27. Colonel Scott- a very small role, I know, but at least he wasn't overly corny
    26. Felix Leiter (Rik van Nutter)- this one comes down to wooden line reading, once again
    25. Campbell- If he had more screentime, and perhaps a few scenes of interaction with Bond, I might have placed him higher, but we know hardly anything about him, which works both for him and against him
    24. Saunders- It's a shame that he did not become such a bro until his final scene; he might have ranked higher for me if he had shed that stickler, textbook-following persona sooner in the movie
    23. Mr. Chang- He seems like a fairly good ally for 007, but by the same token, his credibility wasn't always exactly rock-solid, in my opinion; besides, you can easily tell that Bond got annoyed with him rather quickly, hahaha; still though, not a bad character
    22. Chuck Lee- Nothing against this one, but you can't exactly rank him very high when you consider his very brief existance in AVTAK
    21. Harold Strutter- While he is a bro, once again, you can't rank an ally that has few scenes in the movie to a high position; it's kind of a shame, because Strutter was pretty awesome
    20. Quarrel Jr.- Pretty decent ally for our hero overall- not an enormous role in LALD, but nonetheless, he's a trusty partner for 007 and Felix
    19. Dikko Henderson- Charles Grey was much better in the role of Bond's Tokyo contact than Bond's arch nemesis in charge of the largest criminal organization in the world
    18. Commander Carter- After playing in both YOLT and DAF, this guy finally acquires a role worth talking about!
    17. Felix Leiter (Cec Linder)- He might be old enough to play Bond's father, but still, this is a guy you can trust; even for an older man, he still looks like he would know how to have fun! Definitely not the best Felix incarnation, but absolutely not the worst.
    16. Raoul- A definite bro! It's a shame that he was not used more in DAD
    15. Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright)- Hopefully we will see him again in a future Bond outing alongside Craig's 007
    14. Marc Ange Draco- What an incredible father-in-law
    13. Felix Leiter (Jack Lord)- It's a shame that Lord didn't return for another Bond outing; it would have been better for him to be the regular Felix for GF, TB, and DAF, rather than Linder, Van Nutter, and Burton
    12. Quarrel- How can you not love this guy?
    11. Kincaid- He's so cool that he could be Bond's grandfather and you would never know the difference!
    10. General Leonid Pushkin- I love how he comes to Bond's rescue at the end of the movie; it's as if he went there to save a friend, not merely to repay a debt
    9. Sharkey- This guy is great!
    8. Sir Godfrey Tibbett- He's just too good to rank any lower; I mean honestly, what a fantastic ally and trustworthy partner for Bond
    7. Milos Columbo- The Greek 007!
    6. Tiger Tanaka- I love how he and 007 stick together throughout YOLT; it really lends a sense of deeper friendship between the two
    5. Felix Leiter (David Hedison)- The ultimate Felix Leiter, and one of Bond's best allies!
    4. Jack Wade- Say what you will, but Wade is epic!
    3. Rene Mathis- Only in his death do you understand how trustworthy Mathis was
    2. Valentine Zukosvky- Much like Kerim, Zukovsky's death made me realize what an incredible friend Bond had in Zukovsky
    1. Kerim Bey- The ultimate Bond ally!

    *Accidently left off Kamran Shaw*
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited March 2014 Posts: 2,629
    Again, main ones only. You know who I'm picking as #1.

    1. Ali Kerim Bey (FRWL)
    2. Tiger Tanaka (YOLT)
    3. Rene Mathis (CR)
    4. Saunders (TLD)
    5. Kincaid (SF)
    6. Marc-Ange Draco (OHMSS)
    7. Milos Columbo (FYEO)
    8. Felix Leiter (LTK)
    9. Rene Mathis (QOS)
    10. Felix Leiter (DN)
    11. Commander Carter (TSWLM)
    12. Sir Godfrey Tibbet (AVTAK)
    13. Zukovsky (TWINE)
    14. Felix Leiter (LALD)
    15. Raoul (DAD, yes I actually ranked something from DAD in the Top 20)
    16. Vijay Singh (OP)
    17. Felix Leiter (TB)
    18. Jack Wade (GE)
    19. Lt. Hip (TMWTGG)
    20. Jack Wade (TND)
    21. Corrine Dufour (MR, it was her or Manuela)
    22. Felix Leiter (GF)
    23. Felix Leiter (DAF)
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    Kerim wrote:
    Again, main ones only. You know who I'm picking as #1.

    1. Ali Kerim Bey (FRWL)
    2. Tiger Tanaka (YOLT)
    3. Rene Mathis (CR)
    4. Saunders (TLD)
    5. Kincaid (SF)
    6. Marc-Ange Draco (OHMSS)
    7. Milos Columbo (FYEO)
    8. Felix Leiter (LTK)
    9. Rene Mathis (QOS)
    10. Felix Leiter (DN)
    11. Commander Carter (TSWLM)
    12. Sir Godfrey Tibbet (AVTAK)
    13. Zukovsky (TWINE)
    14. Felix Leiter (LALD)
    15. Raoul (DAD, yes I actually ranked something from DAD in the Top 20)
    16. Vijay Singh (OP)
    17. Felix Leiter (TB)
    18. Jack Wade (GE)
    19. Lt. Hip (TMWTGG)
    20. Jack Wade (TND)
    21. Corrine Dufour (MR, it was her or Manuela)
    22. Felix Leiter (GF)
    23. Felix Leiter (DAF)

    And the 2014 winner of the Ali Kerim Bey Award for Best Ali Kerim Bey in a James Bond film goes to...

    ALI KERIM BEY!
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