Your least favorite Bond fights

13

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  • Really didn't enjoy the fights in Quantum Of Solace, to much Bourne copying. Although there wasn't actually much of the film I did enjoy, except the car chase.
  • Posts: 4,762
    jamesh101 wrote:
    Really didn't enjoy the fights in Quantum Of Solace, to much Bourne copying. Although there wasn't actually much of the film I did enjoy, except the car chase.

    I actually like the fighting in QoS, though I do agree about the Bourne copying. It's pretty brutal and fast paced, which is always a mark of a good Bond fight. As for the car chase, I would have absolutely loved it if they slowed down the cameras and actually let you enjoy the scene without getting a headache!
  • I liked the harsh reality of the fights from what I can remember, Craig has brought a more rough edged style to it from the sugar coated Brosnan days, Yes the car chase at the very beginning seemed a bit muddled, it was hard to keep up sometimes, it set the tone for the remainder of the film it could be fair to say
  • I liked the harsh reality of the fights from what I can remember, Craig has brought a more rough edged style to it from the sugar coated Brosnan days, Yes the car chase at the very beginning seemed a bit muddled, it was hard to keep up sometimes, it set the tone for the remainder of the film it could be fair to say

    Two things that I will give to QoS - the first is that the action scenes became easier to follow as the film went on. This was by design by Forster - he wanted the audience disoriented in the beginning of the film so they would be mirroring Bond's feeling of not knowing what was going on. I don't think that that was successful (chalk it up to "sounds good on paper" but not in reality) but I do see how not all of the action scenes in QoS were as hard to follow as the car chase and boat chase.

    The second thing is that I find the Bond/Slate fight to be one of the best fight scenes in the series, right up there with Bond/Grant in FRWL or Bond/Bouvier in TB. The only thing against it is that it's so short; however it was so brutal that having it go on longer would have been too much and too unrealistic.

    Now, as for least favourite fight scenes there are two things that I consider. The first is the choreography/intensity of the fight and the second is the context in the film. There are two scenes that come to mind off the top of my head that I find poor. The first is the fight against Renard in TWINE. There was so much potential for it to be a truly proper epic fight but...it wasn't. They could have shown Renard getting injured yet keep coming at Bond; nothing Bond does seems to faze Renard. But not only did they not take advantage of that the fight itself was so low-key and pedestrian. So much for Britain's top agent and one of the world's most dangerous terrorists going at it!

    The second is the "hockey goon" fight from FYEO (a film that I quite like otherwise). Dressing up as hockey players could make sense (they fit in to the area so they don't arouse suspiscion; their faces are covered so no witnesses can identify them) so I don't hate that aspect of the fight. But Bond comes across as so weak and...old in that scene and you get the feeling that he survives the scrape by pure luck - that and the fact that the goons seem to lose conciousness at the slightest hit from Bond. A lot of what Bond does in that film seems to require a great effort, such as lifting up the board to hit the motorcyclist after he comes out of the flower shop. That really minimizes Bond which is why I dislike a lot of Moore's action scenes, even if if is in keeping with his age.



  • Posts: 4,762
    @thelordflasheart: I do agree that the choreography and intensity are really important. That's one thing that ruins any fight with me where Bond battles a villain a lot bigger than him, because the fight tends to move a lot slower, like in the cases of Oddjob or Jaws. I like a fast-paced, intense fight like those with Red Grant, Slate, Obanno, Alec Trevelyan, Tee Hee, Ivan and Boris, and even a non-Bond fight, Necros vs. Green Four.
  • edited February 2012 Posts: 11,189
    Britt Eckland in TMWTGG is a great contender. Jinx is a given.
    Christmas Jones is great comic relief.

    Camile is a decent character but for some reason I've never cared for her that much. She's well played but just not that memorable oddly :-S
  • Posts: 4,762
    BAIN123 wrote:
    Britt Eckland in TMWTGG is a great contender. Jinx is a given.
    Christmas Jones is great comic relief.

    Camile is a decent character but for some reason I've never cared for her that much. She's well played but just not that memorable oddly :-S

    I think you might have the wrong discussion thread BAIN! This one if for your least favorite Bond fights, and I'm sure it was just a mistake. Thought I'd let you know, not trying to be rude or sarcastic here. In any event, I do agree that Jinx and Christmas Jones are absolutely ridiculous and cheesy. However, at least Mary Goodnight had the looks to make up for her incompetence!
  • Posts: 11,189
    Whoops. Sorry misread. Thought it said Bond girls :p
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited February 2012 Posts: 2,629
    Kerim's Bottom 10 Fights

    1. Mr. Kil did not live up to his name.
    2. The Girls With the Golden Kicks.
    3. While you're saying hello to gravity, say goodbye to your run as Bond.
    4. Goldfinger really got sucked into that airplane fight.
    5. First Jaws ruins the view of Sugarloaf Mountain, then he falls in love.
    6. C-C-C-Cairo. B-B-B-Bad.
    7. No Pierce, I said impale Denise with "the" rod, not "your" rod.
    8. Roger scores a hat trick..and kept his hat.
    9. Dan really should have used that oil can while Dominic was on fire.
    10. Stamper got the hot foot.
  • Posts: 4,762
    @Kerim: Ah man, I actually like #9 and #10. If you mind me asking, and not to criticize or anything, what did you not like about them?
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited February 2012 Posts: 2,629
    I don't mind you asking at all 00Beast.

    I just didn't care for the fight between Craig and Dominic at the hotel. Can't quite place my finger on it, but to me it was unimpressive. I suppose that I could be subconsciously comparing it to the other fights in QOS. The hotel scene itself was good overall, just not the fight.

    Stamper was effective in the parking garage fight and the fight in the Vietnam building. Elliot Carver kept undercutting him on the stealth boat, thus rendering him less than effective, when he was suppose to be Bond's toughest challenge throughout TND. Getting tied up to a rocket was not a good way to go out.

    But there were far worse fights than these two.
  • Johnathan Pryce is a fine actor but was sadly wasted in Tomorrow Never Dies, one of the most dull and insipid villains of the entire franchise

    Stamper certainly had the physical presence, yet another Donald Grant clone we have seen so many times before after Russia, the battle on the stealth boat was a bit dull, 'Drop it Mr Bond, or I drop your friend here' etc, I felt he could of been utilized better in that release
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Sad to say but most candidates come from the over choreographed Rog era.

    1. DN – Mr Jones. Just too easy. Mr Jones offers practically no resistance whatsoever. You might say that it’s just a sign of the times that this was regarded as a decent scrap back in 62 but only a year later Bond/Grant showed how it should be done.

    2. DAF – Bambi & Thumper. A nice idea in theory but they give Sean a pasting before being finished with that classic takedown of one hand on the top of the head.

    3. LALD – The two guys in the alleyway. Feeble doesn’t even go near to describing this. One gets barely touched by a ladder and the other gets a less than ferocious kick to the chest. The result in both cases? Complete unconsciousness.

    4. TMWTGG – Two candidates here: The schoolgirls (just plain embarrassing) and the final fight with Nick Nack which just wasn’t thought through at all. Unless he had some sort of vicious weapon (and I don’t mean a knife so sharp he can comfortably hold the blade edges between his lips without drawing blood which in any case he drops after 2 seconds) how could he be seen as a serious threat to Bond? Answer - he wasn’t and this fight goes down more as a bit of light relief at the end of the film.

    5. TSWLM – The two guys at the pyramid. Rog fells two KGB killers with a couple of less than powerful blows that would be lucky to knock at toddler off his feet.

    6. FYEO – The hockey players. Superfluous and uninspired scene which reduces the impact of Ferarras slit throat.

    7. AVTAK – Kudos to the fight in Staceys house which is pedestrian but saved by Rogs great roll and fire at the top of the stairs and Barrys music. The real star here though is the warehouse fight. Two pensioners going at it with what appears to be Bill Maynard from the Gaffer. Poor.

    8. TWINE – Renard. For all the reasons others have already mentioned. It’s a shameful waste of a great idea:- a man who can feel no pain going toe to toe with Bond (even if it is the Broz not Sean or Lazzers).
  • Posts: 11,189
    Haha. I remember cringing like mad when I saw the schoolgirl fight in TMWTGG.
  • Posts: 4,762
    Sad to say but most candidates come from the over choreographed Rog era.

    1. DN – Mr Jones. Just too easy. Mr Jones offers practically no resistance whatsoever. You might say that it’s just a sign of the times that this was regarded as a decent scrap back in 62 but only a year later Bond/Grant showed how it should be done.

    2. DAF – Bambi & Thumper. A nice idea in theory but they give Sean a pasting before being finished with that classic takedown of one hand on the top of the head.

    3. LALD – The two guys in the alleyway. Feeble doesn’t even go near to describing this. One gets barely touched by a ladder and the other gets a less than ferocious kick to the chest. The result in both cases? Complete unconsciousness.

    4. TMWTGG – Two candidates here: The schoolgirls (just plain embarrassing) and the final fight with Nick Nack which just wasn’t thought through at all. Unless he had some sort of vicious weapon (and I don’t mean a knife so sharp he can comfortably hold the blade edges between his lips without drawing blood which in any case he drops after 2 seconds) how could he be seen as a serious threat to Bond? Answer - he wasn’t and this fight goes down more as a bit of light relief at the end of the film.

    5. TSWLM – The two guys at the pyramid. Rog fells two KGB killers with a couple of less than powerful blows that would be lucky to knock at toddler off his feet.

    6. FYEO – The hockey players. Superfluous and uninspired scene which reduces the impact of Ferarras slit throat.

    7. AVTAK – Kudos to the fight in Staceys house which is pedestrian but saved by Rogs great roll and fire at the top of the stairs and Barrys music. The real star here though is the warehouse fight. Two pensioners going at it with what appears to be Bill Maynard from the Gaffer. Poor.

    8. TWINE – Renard. For all the reasons others have already mentioned. It’s a shameful waste of a great idea:- a man who can feel no pain going toe to toe with Bond (even if it is the Broz not Sean or Lazzers).

    Nice list there! The only one I disagree on is #5, I rather did like that one. Roger takes them out quick and easy, and very stylish too!
  • edited February 2012 Posts: 11,189
    Correction: Roger's stunt double took them out ;)

    Regarding the fight with Nic Nac at the end of GG I always thought of the short gangster from Looney Tunes when Bond says "shadup" before NOT throwing him overboard.
  • Posts: 1,052
    After watching a lot of the Connery films recently, I have been suprised how visible the stunt double is in almost all the physical scenes, even in the first few when he was young.
  • Posts: 11,189
    Same with the Brosnan films. I've spotted at least one use of stunt doubling in all of them. Some of them are clearly Brosnan (the fight between him and Bean) but others aren't (the PTS of TND).
  • Posts: 1,052
    I remember when Brosnan was going strong they would always say how much of his owen stunt work he does and then when Craig came along, they said he does more of his own stunts than the last guy, I guess it's all part of the hype machine!
  • edited February 2012 Posts: 11,189
    I haven't noticed any of Craig's stunt doubles (yet!) but I have seen a few blatant CG shots. (falling through the skylight and the freefall sequence).
  • Posts: 1,052
    Having watched a making of feature about CR, I can now see the stun man a mile off but that is only because I know what he looks like!
  • Can you imagine Georgi Koskov in a swordfight, I have trouble even picturing it, the character was far too campy to possibly be involved in such things, I don't think it would of worked with either of Whitaker or Necros either come to think of it, I wouldn't have said no to a repeat of the Blaydon safe house kitchen fight or some variation, that was actually quite well done. The end battle in Tangiers isn't too bad, a little short, but Whitaker had an array of different weapons at his disposal, the bust of Wellington falling on JDB at the climax was quite neat actually

    As much as I like Whitaker's gunbattle I can't picture JDB going beserk with a sword. Maybe Necros could have but somehow I think swords would not have suited TLD?

    Whitaker's house could have been the second Blaydon that you talk about?.

    Since he launched the attack (using Necros) on Blaydon his place needed targeting too.

  • Swords worked for Die Another Day, but in Daylights would not have gone down for me, Dalton doesn't really fit the profile of a Zorro type, at least as far as James Bond is concerned

    Whitakers Tangier' retreat was not really suitable in my opinion as the final battle, the historic figures could of been used a la The Man with the Golden Gun as a run up to a climax but nobody thought of the idea, all we got was Baker playing about with some toy soldiers and pressing a few buttons, a bit of a lame ending. The Blaydon safe house in the UK could well have staged an end battle rather than Morocco. I just feel it was the wrong environment for such a thing. The house estate with all it's wide open spaces and luxury rooms and Dalton up against it may just have worked, certainly better than the poor Tangiers bit, that is over all too quickly in the end
  • Swords or not, the battle would have been WAY cooler if it took place in that hallway with all those mannequins. Remember how well he blended in when Pushkin first visited? They could have done a bunch of cool things with that. The 'toys' were always kind of stupid I thought. I kept waiting for Dalton to kick that table over when he was talking to Whitaker
  • Its a shame after all these years that ideas like these come to light. I just think TLD had the perfect script but lacked the extra material for its core characters.

    I would like to know more on your Tangiers/Blaydon run up to a climax if you can?
    Swords or not, the battle would have been WAY cooler if it took place in that hallway with all those mannequins. Remember how well he blended in when Pushkin first visited? They could have done a bunch of cool things with that. The 'toys' were always kind of stupid I thought. I kept waiting for Dalton to kick that table over when he was talking to Whitaker

    I noted also that there were a few ancient weapons among the collection.

    I can see it know Whitaker instead of gun using a mace like weapon & somehow Koskov enters and he manages to knock him cold. lol. just kidding.

    But one small Dalton expression I love is when the sailor cannon is activated I mean Dalton looks as if he was about to c**p himself.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,297
    Johnathan Pryce is a fine actor but was sadly wasted in Tomorrow Never Dies, one of the most dull and insipid villains of the entire franchise

    Stamper certainly had the physical presence, yet another Donald Grant clone we have seen so many times before after Russia, the battle on the stealth boat was a bit dull, 'Drop it Mr Bond, or I drop your friend here' etc, I felt he could of been utilized better in that release

    Agreed. The film hints his dark side (i.e. torture) but shies away from it.
  • Posts: 4,762
    One that I wish had been played up some more was with Mr. Jones in Dr. No. I understand that he's pretty weak and Bond is a much more skilled fighter, but there could have been something better than flipping him around and then delivering one punch.
  • Posts: 5,634
    I can't remember if it's been said but the cable car tussle with Jaws over Rio in Moonraker. Was it a fight, or just some (nonsense), there was some action but it was all over too quickly. In the same film, Goodhead and Moore have another example on the Drax spacestation where they beat up on a couple of Drax' workers, one kick and a punch I think and that was it

    Does it have to be just Bond though, as I thought the Jinx/Frost tussle on the plane towards the end of Die Another Day was pretty awful, and over too quickly too

    Many people don't like the Bambi and Thumper bit with Connery in Diamonds but I think it's one of the best action sequences in the entire film, it was certainly way ahead of that silly sequence at the start when Blofeld's double catches Bond making 'mud pies' and a brief battle ensues with some guards, that was cringeworthy to watch. Connery has a mouse trap thing in his inside pocket and just stands there poker faced while some bad guy almost loses his fingers, then a bit of a tussle, but by god, it was pitiful
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117

    Many people don't like the Bambi and Thumper bit with Connery in Diamonds but I think it's one of the best action sequences in the entire film, it was certainly way ahead of that silly sequence at the start when Blofeld's double catches Bond making 'mud pies' and a brief battle ensues with some guards, that was cringeworthy to watch. Connery has a mouse trap thing in his inside pocket and just stands there poker faced while some bad guy almost loses his fingers, then a bit of a tussle, but by god, it was pitiful

    The mouse trap is class but I agree after that the fight is beyond lame. You cant defend Bambi and Thumper though it is so poor. Its actually like Seans playing a different character to the bloke who had an epic dustup with Peter Franks earlier in the film. He just lets them throw him around all over the place and then only wins when they lose all use of their limbs and cant manage to escape from having him place one hand on the top of their head.

    Another one is FRWL. Not really a fight but when Sean knocks out the guard in the Russian embassy just before he meets Tania in the Lektor room it has to be the gayest punch ever. Wouldve packed more punch if he had hit him with a stick of wet celery but somehow the bloke ends up out cold.
  • I think TMWTGG has one of the best fights in the series, the one in Saida's dressing room. It's Moore's best fight ever - mainly because he's in it, not seventeen different stuntmen. But the rest of the fights in the movie are horrid. Bond vs. sumo wrestlers, followed by slow-moving scene in the karate school, and then the two girls unrealistically beating up the entire student body. THEN, at the end we have that horrible "fight" with Nick Nack. That scene always reminds me of when my little brother and I would get into fights and he could get away from me by going where I couldn't: under couches, beds, cabinets etc.
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