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Hand-to-hand Combat Fights: The Best of Bond

00Beast00Beast
edited June 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 4,762
Which hand-to-hand fights do you see as the best? Here are several from the movies:
1. 007 vs Red Grant on the Orient Express
2. 007 vs Oddjob in Fort Knox
3. 007 vs Emilio Largo aboard the Disco Volante
4. 007 vs Osato's driver in Osato Chemicals
5. 007 vs Hans in the volcano lair
6. 007 vs Blofeld on bobsleds
7. 007 vs Peter Franks in the elevator
8. 007 vs Tee Hee on the train
9. 007 vs Chula at the ninja training school
10. 007 vs Jaws on the train and again at Atlantis
11. 007 vs Chang in the glass factory
12. 007 vs Kriegler at St. Cyril's
13. 007 vs Max Zorin on the Golden Gate Bridge
14. 007 vs Necros on the cargo plane
15. 007 vs Dario and thugs at the Barrelhead Bar
16. 007 vs Alec Trevelyan on the satellite
17. 007 vs Stamper on the Stealth Ship
18. 007 vs Renard on the submarine
19. 007 vs Gustav Graves on the plane
20. 007 vs Steven Obanno in the stairwell
21. 007 vs Slate in the hotel
22. 007 vs Dominic Greene in the hotel
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Comments

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,715
    007 vs Chula at the Ninja training school of course !! But I of course include the sequence with the little girls - all round hilarious, epic and unforgettable scene !! :-bd
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Hahaha! Yeah, that was really funny, especially when Lieutinant Hip just drove off and left Bond stranded! I never did get that, I mean, there was clearly more room in the car for good old Roger.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Of those you listed, I like these best:

    1. 007 vs Red Grant on the Orient Express
    2. 007 vs Oddjob in Fort Knox
    4. 007 vs Osato's driver in Osato Chemicals
    5. 007 vs Hans in the volcano lair
    7. 007 vs Peter Franks in the elevator
    11. 007 vs Chang in the glass factory
    14. 007 vs Necros on the cargo plane
    20. 007 vs Steven Obanno in the stairwell

    Also:

    007 vs. Colonel Bouvard alias "the widow" in the TB PTS
    007 vs. Draco's thugs on the beach in the OHMSS PTS,
    007 vs. Che Che in Tracy's hotel room in OHMSS,
    007 vs. Graves swordfight in DAD.

  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Ah man, I forgot some of the best! Especially Lazenby's fight scenes. He really packed a brutal punch.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Ah man, I forgot some of the best! Especially Lazenby's fight scenes. He really packed a brutal punch.
    I think he taught hand-to-hand combat skills in the Australian military. Lazenby's physical abilities in the action scenes are his greatest strength in the Bond role.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    PrinceKamalKhan said:
    I think he taught hand-to-hand combat skills in the Australian military. Lazenby's physical abilities in the action scenes are his greatest strength in the Bond role.

    I completely agree! If nothing else, he brought a physical presence with his Bond. I particularly enjoy the scene where he beats up the Piz Gloria receptionist guard after coming out of the elevator. That was a brutal fight, and I love how quickly Lazenby wrapped it up!
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    Something that brings a smile to my face is the realization that 22 Bond films have given us so much to populate any "best of" lists with. Could you ever imagine having to pick a top three of something?

    I would say the the FRWL fight with Grant, the DAF fight with Franks, and the QOS fight with Slate rate very highly with me. All three are short, brutal, and basically just man-on-man fights. No deus ex machina salvation from a convenient gadget (though the briefcase gives Bond his opening in FRWL). This is when you really see that while Bond can be a champagne drinking elitist wearing great suits he's also very much a two-fisted man's man.

    I'd also highly rate the beach fight in OHMSS and the stairwell fight in CR (I don't count the Madagascar chase as a fight scene). Both are filmed in a really exciting way, and the action seems quite potent. Lazenby in particular comes off as very athletic, and my girlfriend was quite impressed with how he wears a tight, clingy wet shirt! If I had to pick I think the stairwell fight in CR gave the greatest sense of real danger of any of the Bond fight scenes.

    Although I didn't buy Brosnan as a very tough looking guy I have to really give him props for two scenes. The first is the fight with Trevelyan - incredibly impressive considering that Brosnan looked almost manorexic in that film. Yet another reason why Campbell ranks so highly as a director. I also thought that the swordfight with Graves in DAD was great. Incredibly well directed, and the continual escalation was both ridiculous AND thrilling.

  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    I like what you said about it being hard to decide a top 3, thelordflasheart! I completely agree. I can barely even make a top 10! I also agree about those three fights you mentioned. They were man-to-man manly brutal fights!
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,715
    I love the PTS fight in TB... Furniture flying around !! Madness !! Epic Connery !! Epic Barry score !! :-bd
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited June 2011 Posts: 13,978
    1. Bond vs Neros
    2. Bond vs Krests Men (Underwater)
    3. Bond vs Smiert Spionam Assassin

    ----

    Honorable mentions:
    Bond vs Carer's Goons
    Bond vs Hans
    Bond vs Hendersons Killer
    Bond vs Grant
    Bond vs Peter Franks
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    I had forgotten about Bond vs Carver's goons. That was a spectacular fight above the printing press!
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    vs red grant
    vs oddjob
    vs trevelyan
    vs necros
    vs zorin
    vs jaws
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Nice list, dragonsky! Those are several of my favorites as well, with the possible exception of Bond vs Jaws. For some reason, it seems like every fight with Jaws is too slow and dull, except the fight on the train. That one was more my taste.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    A not so silly Kerim Top 10 list:

    1. Red Grant
    2. Oddjob
    3. Jaws (TSWLM)
    4. Peter Franks
    5. Alec Trevelyan
    6. Obanno
    7. Necros
    8. Max Zorin
    9. Blofeld (OHMSS)
    10. Karate Kids
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Kerim said:
    A not so silly Kerim Top 10 list:

    Hahaha! Except for Number 10. Very clever!
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Red Grant, Neros, Hans there are so many.

    Perhaps a list of worst Bond fights would be more suitable? ;-)
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Thanks Samuel001! I'll probably make that my next discussion.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited June 2011 Posts: 13,355
    Thanks Samuel001! I'll probably make that my next discussion.
    The lists then, I feel would not only be shorter but far more accurate as well. We may find ourselves agreeing more too.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Samuel001 said:
    The lists then, I feel would not only be shorter but far more accurate as well. We may find ourselves agreeing more too.

    That's very true! Thanks for the advice.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    my personal favorite is Bond vs Grant on the train in FRWL....

    but another i also like....

    Bond vs. Trevelyan in GE.. while it might not have been long, and they seem to throw each other around more than they throw fists - it's the personal angle to it... former friends and brothers-in-arms for Her Majesty, now as enemies - having to fight it out... it's like you could just feel the bitterness and spite between the two come right through the screen
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Yes, I definately agree with you, haserot! I've always liked Bond vs Trevelyan. It's very similiar to Bond vs Red Grant, but has even more depth and brutality.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    This is another that I thought of: The fight in Saida's dressing room in TMWTGG. Bond is cornered by three hefty thugs and takes them all down in a very brutal fashion, especially considering it's Roger Moore! He slams a man's head into a wall three times, smashes a man's head into a mirror, sprays a guy in the face with perfume, and not to mention how hard those kicks and punches were! This is a more overlooked fight in my opinion.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,715
    This is another that I thought of: The fight in Saida's dressing room in TMWTGG. Bond is cornered by three hefty thugs and takes them all down in a very brutal fashion, especially considering it's Roger Moore! He slams a man's head into a wall three times, smashes a man's head into a mirror, sprays a guy in the face with perfume, and not to mention how hard those kicks and punches were! This is a more overlooked fight in my opinion.
    Tremendous scene from the best Bond film !! Good choice !! :-bd
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Thank you! I figured you'd like that one. Hahaha! You really like TMWTGG!
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I'm carrying this over from another thread:

    I'll bring up Bond v. Obanno. The structure of the fight set on the stairs was brilliantly choreographed and is always thrilling. The end of the fight also shows a stirred up Vesper helping Bond out, leading her to question why he does this job. Great, great scene.

    Also from CR, Bond v. Dimitrios. In both the "battle" at cards where Bond scores an Aston(and Solange :>), and at the exhibition in Miami. Dimitrios gets his stilleto and presses it in Bond's back. Bond counters and both struggle with shaking hands for it until Bond gets the upper hand, stabs Dimitrios, sits his corpse down and gives the ol' boy a slap. Too great for words.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    @0Brady, I don't know if you or anyone else noticed this part in the Bond v. Obanno scene, but did you see when Bond dives over the railing in the middle of the fight or so, and lands on his neck on the stairs? Looks extremely painful!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    Bond and Slate in Qos, Bond and Locque in FYEO, and Bond and Trevelyan in GE.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    @0Brady, I don't know if you or anyone else noticed this part in the Bond v. Obanno scene, but did you see when Bond dives over the railing in the middle of the fight or so, and lands on his neck on the stairs? Looks extremely painful!

    That's why there's stuntmen. Thank goodness for Craig's sake.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    @0Brady, Absolutely. It didn't even look like something a stuntman should do, just seemed to result in a snapped neck. Even when he lands on his neck, he pops up. Just makes the scene look that more brutal!
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    @Creasy47: I never noticed that! I'll have to give it a look next time I watch Casino Royale.
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7: I agree with you on Bond vs. Dimitrios. I love how Bond fools Dimitrios by looking at something off in the distance for a brief second, so that he can distract him and get the upper hand. Brilliant thinking on Bond's behalf!
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