Best In The Role: James Bond

[Ferbian]

There's been a lot of James Bonds, and the character itself has existed for many many years. Some people are more known than others for their roles with good old 007. And of course while there are some "unofficial" James bonds, I at least will only be covering the official and the ones that were featured in most movies (So yes I will personally not cover George Lazenby's Bond).

Sean Connery

The "First" James Bond if you will. The one who, if you will, kicked off the sexual attraction for Mr Bond that all the women had in the movies. Originally the creator of the character wasn't too high on him. Yet he got the role anyway, and managed to deliver some classics such as: Dr. No, Goldfinger etc. (Yeah I'm more of a Pierce Brosnan guy so don't kill me for not knowing the classics completely). All movies which has cashed great amount of money.

Roger Moore

Much more Bond-like if you ask me if you ask me. The most featured James Bond, having played in a total of 7 of the 22 James Bond movies. Roger Moore brought a new aspect to the Bond character. Not only was he still somewhat of a proper detective, yet he was also displayed more light-hearted and like a ladies man. Roger Moore was featured in classics like Live And Let Die, and Octopussy.

Timothy Dalton

Ah yes good old Timothy. Timothy brought a more darker and stiffer side to James Bond. Not surprised by the looks of the guy, but still he managed to bring a bit of realism back, which according to Timothy was severely needed.

I think Roger was fine as Bond, but the movies had become too much techno-pop and had lost track of their sense of story. I mean, every movie seemed to have a villain who had to rule or destroy the world. If you want to believe in the fantasy on screen, then you have to believe in the characters and use them as a stepping-stone to lead you into this fantasy world. That's a demand I made, and Albert Broccoli agreed with me.

And really I can only agree with him. So, yeah either way Timothy wasn't featured nearly as much as the primary ones (Pierce, Roger and Connery really). Yet he still left his mark with License To Kill.

Pierce Brosnan

Hands down my favorite. I grew up watching this guy in movies like.. Well I watched all Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies.

Pierce to me at least really brought the best character of James Bond. The mixture of the ladies man that Bond really is, as well as the great agent that just seems completely unbeatable. Pierce Brosnan has also been critically praised for his role as James Bond, for creating a sort of mystique over the guy, while still remaining the in the true essence of James Bond. Pierce has been James Bond under the production of classics like Die Another Day and Goldeneye etc.

Daniel Craig

The newest James Bond. And seemingly the only one who couldn't drive. Or at least so I've been told (Crashing his car in Casino Royale). Daniel Craig to me just doesn't scream James Bond at all. Not like his predecessors. Yet I'm sure it's only due to the fact that his time isn't over. He still has time to prove himself, and I'm sure he could.

Daniel Craig has the honor of cashing the biggest official bog draw of the James Bond series with Casino Royale. Daniel Craig however is one of the only two people to truly portray the original description of James Bond. The dark, at times cruel James Bond, which Timothy Dalton also displayed.

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I'm sure a lot more can be said about them all. Yet for now, I want you guys to tell me who your favorite James Bond is.

 

[Phoenix]

While I've always liked each Bond for their strengths, Brosnan stands out as my favourite for me. Much like you Ferbs, I grew up with Brosnan as my Bond, even before Goldeneye was out, I was well versed into the realm of Bond but since Goldeneye, Brosnan carried the role. Now there is the age old debate of Sean vs. Pierce as to which is the better Bond, Connery was the better screen presence no doubt, he was the top actor of the bunch, but Brosnan plays the best Bond in terms of being a character.

Outside of these two, I liked what Dalton and Craig brought to the roles in terms of the dark nature, reminding us that Bond is a hired gun showing no mercy. I think Dalton gets completely underrated because of his two films, granted The Living Daylights was written for Moore, but Dalton took it and made it his own, it was a shame that politics lead to Dalton dropping the role, I would have imagined him still carrying on. Moore for me, started off great but should have left a couple of films earlier, his age really shows in the latter films, not to mention the levels of ridiculousness that occured, namely some of the stuff in Octopussy (granted a great film) but things like the Tarzan scream and telling a Tiger to sit, really?!

As for Craig, naturally the criticism is that he's too blonde and 'green' to be Bond, I thought he's been great, Casino Royale saw a great performance out of him and I give him kudos for it, while Quantum of Solace was an 'add-on' Craig still tried but he was facing a weak script. I do have hopes that Bond 23 sees him repeat the effects of Casino Royale because he can be a good Bond, but the film has to work for him.

But that being said, as said Brosnan is my favourite Bond because he brings the character to life, not seeing the actor. Goldeneye was just a beautifully made film and the chemistry between Brosnan and Bean helped give Brosnan the mantle for me.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Where's the poll, Ferbs? There should be one. Great thread though.

My vote goes to Brosnan. Why? I find Connery to be severely overrated. He doesn't suck but he is nowhere near as good as everyone claims he is. Moore wasn't that great, he was in too many of the Bond movies and I got sick of him after the first couple he was in. I could not take him seriously in the role. Dalton and Lazenby both flat out sucked. Craig is the newest Bond and probably my second favorite after Brosnan. Then there's Pierce Brosnan. He will always be 007 to me because he has the look of a spy, the best acting skills out of any of the Bonds, and the movies he was in were the best bond films in my opinion.

 

[harrythem]

Always hated Connery as Bond. He came across as if he enjoyed the violence far too much which, to me, isn't how I see Bond.

Fave has gotta be Brosnan because he managed to get the mix of serious and humour just right. Although I do like Dalton & Craig as well.

Gotta give Georgey props though. First ever motion picture gig and he's coming straight in as Bond in a completely different type of Bond adventure. Looking back on it, time has been rather unfair to Lazenby, as I think he did a bang up job in the film.

As for Moore, best theme tunes, shittest bond

 

[SorgFamily]

Common denominator here: I grew up with Brosnan as Bond and for that reason he fits the role better than anyone else. I've watched a couple of the older ones with my favorite being "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" so apparently I like George Lazenby.

My second favorite Bond has got to be Craig though. "Casino Royale", was amazing imo.

 

[sharmaq]

I think this is one of those subjects where a lot of the choices will be age influenced. If you ask most people over a certain age, they pretty much all go for Connery as the best Bond. I'm 29 so saw Moore and Dalton as a kid, and then Brosnan and Craig.

I've read some of the books and to be fair Connery's version of 007 is probably the most faithful to the books, as Bond was a bit of a sadistic character with a real mean streak. Despite this I was never a huge fan of Connery as Bond as I didn't feel that much of a connection with him in those movies. If you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd have said Moore was the best Bond, probably because of nostalgia above anything else. Looking back now though I think he pushed Bond too far in the other direction from Connery to the point where it all became a bit too played for laughs and corny. I liked Dalton in his 2 films and I like Daniel Craig too, but you can't call either of them the best Bond with only 2 films each. Brosnan wins for me, his acting was always up to scratch and I think he struck the right balance between the crueller, edgier side of 007 and the humorous light hearted side.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I’m going to go a bit different from the crowd and say that Daniel Craig has been the best Bond thus far. Although we can all admit that all of these bonds have been extraordinary and brilliant choices, there is one thing that most of the previous Bonds failed to do in their portrayal of Bond. And that was being able to embody the Bond of the original novel: ironic, brutal, and cold---a character that was cruel, showed no emotion when killing, less sex-obsessed, dark at times, and most importantly, serious. The only other actor to be able to embody the Bond from the original novel was Timothy Dalton; yet, Daniel Craig did a much better job because the actions he made/acted out had more of an edge to it than Timothy’s portrayal.

It’s funny how in the beginning (I would say pre-filming) criticisms rose through the roof complaining about how Daniel Craig would not be able to fit the role of Bond properly. The majority of the reason being because he was not: “tall, dark, and handsome” like the previous Bonds. Yet, once the movie hit box office, praises went as high as the sky with critics giving Daniel props to how good his portrayal of Bond had been. Craig had even received praises from previous Bonds including Pierce Bronsan, Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore. Certainly, this could be considered a great accomplishment.

Another thing that I'd like to point out is that there is also the fact that Casino Royal, the movie that Daniel Craig portrayed in, was in fact the highest grossing Box office film in the history of all the James Bonds films. Needless to say, this is a major “upset” in the 007 franchise. Not only that, but the reviews of the film were phenomenal---placing in the top ten film lists of critics for best 2006 films along with a good number of other great achievements.

All in all, I have always believed that Daniel Craig has been the best Bond in the entire 007 franchise. Daniel Craig offered a more of a serious tone with internal emotional depth in his character---something most of the previous Bonds failed to do. His portrayal of Casino Royale exceeded fan expectations including my own---no one would have figured he’d do a great job; yet there we saw, an excellent fit to the role of James Bond.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Its gotta be Brosnan for me. He looks suave, sophisticated and cool as Bond should be, and he is by far the best actor.

Moore and Connery were both excellent, but a bit too cheesy, while PB could be cheesy and funny, but then a serious asskicker too, which was cool. Plus, he was the Bond I grew up with really, and did most of the stunts himself. Definately Brosnan

 

[Shamalanighya]

I am genuinely stunned so many people picked Brosnan. Because usually "guys" pick Dalton because of his more violent guy-ish movies. Then you have the correct and san people who pick Connery.

Seriously though I go with Connery because no one was as sophisticated, badass, and suave as he was and still is today. The best movies from the series came from him too. My top three, You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger, and Diamonds Are Forever. Also the severely underrated Never Say Never Again.

I will give Brosnan the fact that the most beautiful Bond Girls were in his movie and Golden Eye is the best video game, one of the bets games on N64 ever too. I mean Halle Berry, Teri Hatcher (shivers) some fine ass women.

Oh and lastly, rather than make "other" and option, why not just put Lazenby.

 

[theundisputedY2D2]

I'd have to go with Pierce Brosnan shading it - just - over Sean Connery. For me, those two had the proper blend of what James Bond on the big screen should be all about. They had the look, the presence and the right balance between being a badass and throwing in some humour (note 'humour' and not 'comedy'). For me, Brosnan managed to combine all the best bits of the previous Bonds and translate it to the screen.

I really like Timothy Dalton's portrayal of Bond, as I'm a fan of the books and he based his performances closely on Ian Fleming's novels, but I think people watch Bond films for the action, fast cars, exotic locations, super-villains, glamorous women and witty one liners, and I don't think Dalton felt as comfortable with the last 2 things on that list as Brosnan & Connery. I think he should be credited with moving the series away from the overt comedy that plagued the Moore era though.

I'm not a fan of Roger Moore as Bond, as his films featured an over emphasis on 'comedy', although to be fair this started with Connery in Diamonds Are Forever. He had some great films such as The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, but he also had the abortion that was The Man With The Golden Gun, which was saved from eternal damnation only by Christopher Lee as Scaramanga.

Daniel Craig's two films so far have been very good, and he's a very good actor, but for me he just doesn't scream 'Bond' like Pierce Brosnan or Sean Connery do. Maybe it's because of his look; he's not tall, lean and dark haired and to me he just looks like a thug in a tux.

 

[victornov]

daniel craige is my first choice (casino royal just fantastic action packed bond sign)
and
pirce brosnon in the second one in the list.

 

[LSN80]

For me, it has to be Daniel Craig. He embodies the more human aspects of James Bond that I enjoy seeing in a character and his progression.

Daniel Craig is the most masculine of those who have played the James Bond role. His appearance is very brooding, and that of a thug. He projects the image that allows one to truly believe that he's perfectly capable of fighting and hurting someone. By virtue of this, Craig takes Bond away from the pretty boy stereotype. He's an attractive guy, but in a ruggish sort of way. He's a welcome change from the former Bond characters who easily bed a endless stream of gorgeous women.

Craig has portrayed Bond as more human and vulnerable then the rest. While the other Bond's fail at creating emotional attachment, its emotional attachment to a woman that drives him in many ways. He comes across as a much more sympathetic figure then others because of this. He's not just dicking every woman that crosses his path, he truly seems to be vulnerable to his emotions, which is a good thing in character development and progression.

Craig is also easily the most critically acclaimed Bond yet. He was the first to win an Empire award for best actor in Casino Royale, which also happens to be the highest grossing Bond movie as of yet. Much of this credit has to go to Craig. The emotional depth, humanizing element, and ability to escape the cliches that were bogging the series down makes Craig the best in this role.