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OH YES! :D
And brutal! It's unrivalled to this day. Nothing as good has come along since.
I had a great time with it, as usual. Never gets old, this one. It's certainly a visual feast at least. The part that's grown on me the most with multiple viewings is the Home Alone/MacGuyver/A-Team finale, which I wasn't too keen on in the theatre. It's beautifully shot, reasonably tense, and very well scored. Moreover, the explosion of the ranch after the helicopter goes into it is spectacular. I much prefer it to the middle section in London, although the killer moment at the Hearing with Bond shooting the fire extinguishers and walking out into the centre of the room with the PPK cocked like a boss is always enjoyable. Craig's in fine form in this film. Very little to fault in his performance, and in those of anyone else either. Bardem's a hoot, and I wish there was more of him here. He's a pleasure to watch whenever he's around. Harris is definitely a weak link, but I prefer her work here to in SP due to the quality of the writing. I still find her exchanges with Craig a bit forced though. This is definitely still a top 10 film for me.
I would put the stairwell fighf from CR and the train scrap from SP way ahead of it in terms of excitement and brutality! Even the brief hotel room fight from QOS is better!
You know what? I think I actually agree with you. I love the Bond/Alec fight but all three of those Craig fights you mention have surpassed it in terms of brutality.
Still, I think the antenna fight was the best scrap Bond had got into for a good while at that point...and was easily the best fight Brosnan had in his films.
I prefer the GE fight personally for the originality of the location where it occurs, although it's true that Brosnan appears a bit frail and can't throw a punch to save his life. The fight is also choreographed in a way that seems a bit structured and telegraphed (throw punch, duck, receive hit etc. etc.). One can almost sense the actors trying to remember their 'moves' as they go through the motions. Nevertheless, it's a highlight of the film, and the personal animosity between Trevalyn and Bond helps to elevate the encounter for me. The film builds to this moment nicely.
;)
SP's train fight is good, a highlight of the film actually. I like the Bond/Slate hotel fight, too. Craig just moves more believeable in them but GE proves Brosnan could've been just as good with a better quality director. Brosnan's fight usually suffer from bad staging, direction, editing or overscoring.
But there were some good reassessments for me - the chief one being that Brosnan is actually one of the real strengths of the film. He has a couple of Bondian cool moments - and if you avert your eyes (and ears) from his interactions with Teri Hatcher - then no real embarrassing moments. I liked him in the climax particularly. The scene with the remote control car is enjoyable fun and well constructed. Props to the director for this - mainly because I found some of the other scenes quite wanting in the careful construction department. Stampa isn't as anonymous as I initially thought. He's a relatively credible threat for Brosnan. And the Kaufman moment is an inspired scene.
Sure there are plenty of things I dislike about the film - but I'm trying to be positive here so I'll just say that the Carver couple are a big issue throughout the film for me. But as far a repeat viewing film goes - I'd actually be more tempted to put this on again rather than TWINE - which I prefer for it's ambitions more than TND.
This is an entirely fair and thoughtful review of what essentially is my third favourite Bond movie. Though TWINE may be moving up a bit... in a bit.
Wouldn't dream of it! Doesn't sound like a nice place!
In the first 007 entry, Bond is armed not with a contrived and superfluous gadget or the proverbial Aston Martin, but instead with his Walther. Indeed, watching DN recalls the viewer to a time when the world of Bond was simpler and more grounded. Its low-budget no-nonsense attitude is in fact its greatest strength, as there are no frills, no excess and no elongated action scenes; only a cold, hard, espionage thriller.
Central to this film is Sean Connery's charismatic portrayal of Bond. Charming on the surface, he is cunning and ruthless when he needs to be; an embodiment of the alluring world of guns, danger, exotic locales and beautiful women. For me, Connery would ease into the role and better himself as the era went on (he speaks a bit too aggressively at times), but his performance here kicks it off in style.
In acknowledgement of its low budget, the film hooks the viewer with suspense as opposed to action; we are eagerly anticipating the moment when Bond and Dr. No will meet face-to-face. That said, its feeble attempts at action do highlight an evident shortcoming - they are not only dated by today's standards, but would pale to the electrifying action sequences of its two subsequent successors.
Indeed, DN is not perfect, particularly on the technical front. The 60s were a different time; cross-fades are used excessively, jump-cuts can take you out of the picture and the car chase is now infamous for its back projection. Monty Norman's score may also be the weakest in the Bond pantheon (see Bond's killing of the spider to the sound of Looney Tunes).
These faults are not serious, however. Indeed, there is only one truly debilitating fault with DN - its climax is quite underwhelming. This is unfortunate, as the doctor is built up to be a significant threat, only to fall so easily. Bond clumsily running around searching for Honey and haphazardly demanding the doctor's lackeys to know where Honey is as the base is about to explode looks silly and unfocused as an ending to an otherwise well-constructed picture.
Still, there is no doubt that DN is remembered today for its seminal moments, most notably the famed introduction to the character of 007. There is a reason Bond has lasted more than 50 years - because it has a good foundation to work on.
7/10
It's definitely a blast, enjoyed it that night as much as I always do. Perhaps even more so, given it had been months since I watched one (sans TMWTGG when Moore passed away).
Passed out before Bond even received his briefing from M.
Fantastic post. I must say, the ending never disappoints me, and I think it's more a problem with a modern audience looking back. We've been trained to think that the finale does start until the action kicks off, whereas back then it was different. The climax of the film, IMO, overs the entire last half an hour, starting from when Bond and Honey gets captured. This is because, starting then we start getting answers to the questions that have been posed throughout the first hour or so. Dr No's aura begins to diminish the moment the dragon is proven (as Bond suspects) to be vehicular. Then again once Bond meets the man himself, and undermines him over dinner. Then again once Bond break from his cell, and assumes the identity of the worker, fooling Dr No in the process. When you look at it in that context, Bond actually preventing Dr No's Plan from going ahead, and defeating him, was only really the final straw.
I definitely agree that the film can be felt moving towards its climax as soon as they are captured, and the scenes on the island are classic Connery. I view the fight differently (I still see it as the genuine climax) but the stuff afterwards is just the denouement.
Just finished watching this, in honour of its 40th. I last viewed it on the night of Roger’s passing (in fact, it is the last Moore Bond film I watched). Far from being bored by it, I was actually more engrossed tonight. Perhaps the sadness I felt on May 23rd prevented me from completely appreciating it then.
I continue to be impressed by this film every time I watch it & can’t believe EON were churning out epic quality like this 40 years ago. It remains a magnificent larger than life viewing experience in each instance. I realize that it's essentially a remake of YOLT but it's just done so well. This is Bond by way of Lean. Every shot is beautifully framed, lit and composed. It really is masterclass work by the team behind it. The only other Bond film that gives me this feeling (and it did from the first trailer I saw of it) is SF. Moreover, the locations are just amazing & one can almost smell the atmosphere, particularly in Egypt but also in Italy and during all the 'at sea' scenes. I’ve still got Egypt on my list of spots to visit one day. My dad went when younger and has photos at the pyramids and on a camel and I’ve always wanted to do the same. Perhaps soon.
I’ve always liked Bach as Anya. Even as a small kid. The character is cool as a cucumber and quite sexy. I particularly am drawn to her serious, all business demeanour. Icy cold, competent and confident but quite forgiving under it all. A real female Bond in personality. I realize she gets blasted as being wooden, and acting is definitely not Bach's forte, but she does have some decent scenes in this film. E.g when Gogol tells her of Barsov’s death, when Bond teases her about Naomi, and of course when she finds out Bond killed Barsov. I also enjoyed her acting throughout the Egypt scenes, including when she got to Bond about Tracy & when she's panicking in the truck as Jaws tears it up.
Many cite FYEO as Roger's best performance (I personally prefer him in TMWTGG) but I think he is actually much better here than in that film. He’s having more fun, and his trademark original humour is more apparent but doesn’t overwhelm like it does in some later entries (including this film’s immediate successor). He truly was one of a kind, and I really miss him not being around any more.
Here’s to you Sir Rog, and to the whole team behind this magnificent creation including Cubby, Gilbert, Hamlisch, Wood, Maibum, Adam, Renoir, Glen, Carly Simon, Carole Bayer Sager, Kubrick (uncredited) et al. Thank you for providing us with this classic for posterity.
Happy 40th birthday TSWLM!.
I agree with a lot of that. Still, unfortunately, I think I still enjoy it less than that. I was never 100% invested, even though it was still fun to see Connery again. I think it had some good moments but I'd still rank it right near the bottom if I included it with the EON films. Definitely wouldn't be any higher than #21 - which is DAF on my list.
Yeah - I've got a soft spot for NSNA - it was the only Bond film they'd play repeatedly on TV in my country when I was a kid so in the mid 80s this was the Bond film I saw the most. I prefer the Shrublands sequence in NSNA to TB - particularly that fight. And the straight corruption of Dominique's brother works better than the convoluted plastic surgery of TB. The stealing of the nuclear bombs is quite tense as well. Connery taking the cigarette case back off the terrified guard in the closet is on par with EON Bond. I also think Bernie Casey makes for a good Felix Leiter. Klaus Maria Brandeur is brilliant as Largo and Barbara Carrera fun as Fatima.
But the film is pretty woeful in the third act. Once Fatima explodes off the screen most of the good stuff goes with her.
I agree with just about all of this and will only add that that stunning motorcycle chase is up there with the best of EON's action sequences from that decade. There's a lot of class and wit in the film. And a lot of 80s, too. It's like a bonus 80s Bond film. The performances are great for the most part with Brandauer and Carrera shining. Even though they don't do much, it's also nice just to see Max von Sydow and Rowan Atkinson in there briefly. And what Basinger lacks in the acting department, she makes up for in leotard-wearing.
What's fundamentally missing in NSNA is that whimsy and otherworldly larger than life quality which the EON series had up to that point (yes, I think it still had it in 1983 after Adam left, but it disappeared in LTK which went all gritty and down to earth).
I find NSNA increasingly enjoyable these days because it more fits into the way EON makes the films now, which is more gritty and real.