The best Bond
 

willravels avatar got me to thinking, who do you feel played the best Bond, and why?

Likewise you can mention who you think the worst actor was.

You forgot to add a field: Ian Fleming's

Well... I'm far too young to really 'remember' any of the bonds other than Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. This is really a toss-up for me... I'm going to have to go with Daniel Craig on this one, simply because I really, really liked Casino Royale.

I am interested in the actors, not the authors. Ian Fleming was clearly the top of the stack as far as that goes.

I myself voted for Dalton. Ifeel his portrayal in The Living Daylights came closest to the gritty, pissed off Bond of Flemmings books. That being said, his second film, Licence to Kill was by far the worst Bond film ever made.

I do like Daniel Craig as well.

Connery hands down, but I'm somewhat biased considering that he got to go first and define the role. I wonder what Brosnan or Craig or Lazenby (the rest of my top 4) would have done with Dr. No back in the early 60s.

Bear in mind there is a marked difference between the Broccoli Bond and the Fleming Bond. So far as Fleming, it's going to be Connery, Craig and Dalton. For Broccoli it would be Connery, Brosnan, and Craig.

Edit: maybe I should make a thread comparing the characters of Dr. Strangelove, Insp. Jacques Clouseau, or Chance the Gardener.

I think we know where I weigh in on this one...

More than the actors I believe the writers have jumped the shark on Bond.

Back in the day, the two best Bonds in my opinion were Roger Moore and Connery. This was in the height of the cold war, and they had a liscense to kill. They took full advantage of it, and stuck closely to the novels. My favorite line from the first novel was, "If I was afraid to kill, I wouldn't be good at my job."

Look at the Brosnan lineage, and even worse now with that other one (I refuse to list his name). He does not kill, because it's not PC. It doesn't matter how many terrorists/commies/etc. are trying to kill him, he shoots to wound and escape.

To add to this, the new Bond openly stated he wanted Bond in a gay sex scene in the next movie. I'm 100% ok with homosexuality, do what you want when you want to. What I don't like is a people messing with classics for modern PC trends. /rant off (sorry)

connery for me, hands down. after that, moore. third place, i'm torn between craig and brosnan, but i think craig will eventually win that one and possibly surpass moore given enough time. unfortunately for roger, he did the lifting during the '80s, and no one looked particularly tough in the '80s.

S.C. If aging wasn't a reality for all humans, he'd still be the one and only ...at least as long as he wanted to be Bond, James Bond.

Just so you know, that's not true. It was one of those rumors started by the press like he couldn't drive stick or he lost his front teeth.

:sad: I actually bought into those rumors, more notably the front teeth loss gossip.

EDIT: Wow, for poll result total of 15, we only have six serious debaters on the issue. Who voted twice?!

Some vote and bounce without explanation.

Pierce Brosnan, looked like bond should, its a shame all the movies after goldeneye sucked.

I have yet to vote because I have a very limited repetoir of the Bond film franchise, so I would feel unfit to comment on who commanded he role and who made the role an abysmal spectacle on screen. I'll reserve any future comments in this thread until I have digested all of 'The Bond Library'.

By the way, how many more movies of James Bond am I going to be subject to if I have only seen maybe 3 1/2 films, and only remember a 1/4 of what I watched?

you, my dear jetstream, are in for a fuckload of watchery.

linky

Alright, let's see... about 26 movies total... hmm.. given about an average running alottment time of 2 1/2 hours.. plus cereal and pee breaks - equating to another 4 hours.. divided into 20 minute sessions each... would come.. out to be... equal to......... approximately 78 hours of Bond flicks... nonstop.......:eek:

...Oh....no...

26? Hmmm. Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, Diamonds, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Never Say Never Again, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale....that's 21.

What can I say... rabbits are bad at math...but we excel in multiplying.
(Counted future release Bond 22 in total, as for the other 4, well...:D)

You can't top Sir Sean, but I REALLY liked Casino Royale and Daniel Craig's portrayal of 007.

Hmm....well you can watch the original Casino Royale from American TV and the silly version of Casino Royale with Woody Allen....so you could say 24...

I voted Pierce Brosnan. Goldeneye was my introduction to James Bond. I instantly liked Sean Connery and he certainly defined the role, however, since I judged his 60's bond against the refined 90's bond he was at a disadvantage. Simply put, Brosnan is the Bond of my generation. SC still seems out of place in fitted suit. PB looks out of place when not in tuxedo.

When SC kills, hemakes a flippant remark and moves on, probably much as Fleming intended. However, Brosnan, at the end of Electra King, was a defining Bond moment for me.

I've never grown to appreciate Moore; he was too campy. For GZ, I think 'On her Majesty's' is the worst bond movie. I'm neutral on Timothy Dalton.

I very much liked casino Royale and Craig has much potential.

It also should be noted that I had a James Bond avatar at a previous message board and was rather disappointed when will showed up with is.

I voted for Craig because his character seems the colsest to the version that I found in the books.

After that I'd say that the early Connery films are very good, and the first Dalton pic. Brosnan made some interesting films, but they were not very true to the books, and Moore will forever be the Bond that I grew watching, and I love the films, but it'd be a lie to say that now I've read the books I think Moore's Bond is what OUGHT to have been played.

I voted for Roger Moore because I thought that the Bond films he was in were more memorable. I thought he played the character to a tee.

Sir Sean has by far (imo) the best sex appeal. What would Bond be without the Kiss Kiss part of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang?

I voted Connery - he's the original and without him, I don't think Bond would ever have taken off the way he did.

Having said that, Craig's performance in Casino Royale was amazing, and if he keeps that up for a couple more films, I might change my mind.

For me it is Connery. The first Bond film I remember was Moonraker, and I thought Roger Moore was awesome. Then I started to watch all the films backward. I fell in love with Connery as bond, period. I protested and didn't see the Brosnan films, just couldn't see him as bond. But, Craig did a very good job, but he is no Connery!

I was just trying to remember what mental image I had of James Bond before any of the movies were done and before I even heard of Sean Connery.

Before even the first Bond movie was released, I was remembering back as a high school freshman 45 yrs ago when my buddy told me about the Ian Fleming Bond novels, so I started reading Casino Royale and couldn't stop for the better part of a week until I read them all. I know it's not exactly War & Peace, but I loved those books and another good thing was that it helped enlighten me to the joys of reading books and I did need some enlightenment about that at the time.

I voted Connery. I really liked Craig in CR but he has to do more before he can even come near touching Connery.

Until I saw Daniel Craig I would have said Connery. But I am thinking it has more to do with the scripts than anything else.

I would have liked Dalton and Brosnan much more if they'd been given a script and treatment like Casino Royal.

I would have liked Moore more if he'd never made anything from Moonraker on up.

So my list:

Craig
Connery
Lazenby
Brosnan
Dalton
Moore
Nivens

long live sean connery. the epitome of suave

I'm going to say Daniel Craig. He just wears his swim trunks that much better than the rest of the Bonds.

Connery, then Craig. I went a surprisingly long time without seeing (the new) Casino Royale (especially since I almost saw it on opening night), but it was really good.

I liked Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan the best. Roger Moore was okay. But then I liked the Brosnan Bond movies the best.

I think Connery really made the Bond role his more than any other actor. He got my vote.

For me it's Sean Connery all the way, then Daniel Craig.

Although I'd have to be in a sandwich with them both to be absolutely certain. You know, empirical study and all that.

Just kidding. I think I could really only do justice to one at a time. But justice it would be!

(For the reconrd, I'm thinking of 25-55 yr-old SC. Not the current model)

Matt damon. Hah!

I voted Craig because since he is a new Bond, he hasn't (as of yet) made a bad Bond movie. Connery would have received my vote, but I couldn't give it to him because of "Never Say Never Again." I hate that movie with a passion. Also, anyone else that likes Daniel Craig, check him out in "Layer Cake." It was the only reason that I watched Casino Royale because I had blonde Bond doubts.

Moore was a sandy blond....

Kind of...I always considered him to have brown hair though. And, I know hair really shouldn't be a factor in an actor's performance, but the idea of a blonde Bond freaked me out a little bit for some reason. Good thing Craig is a great actor and had an excellent script.

That one guy from the Mighty Ducks movies and Young Guns was pretty good despite his hair color. He was amazing in Bobby.