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Who's the Best James Bond?


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Okay, since it's my poll I guess I get the first vote. I think George Lazenby was by far the best Bond. Though he only did one movie, IMO no one else has so totally nailed the character - the charm and polish of Cary Grant with the brutality of Jack Palance (to paraphrase something said in the Special Features section of On Her Majesty's Secret Service).

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I don't think it matters if it is young or old Connery...it's like asking if Shakespeare was the better writer when he was young or old...

Sean will forever be the quintessential Bond for me.. ;)

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The reason I asked young or older Connery is b/c for me, who was the "best" Bond depends in part of the quality of the Bond film. While Connery was good in the early Bond movies, a lot of them were pretty pedestrian (exceptions being "Goldfinger", "Dr. No" and parts of "Diamonds Are Forever"). But you have to deduct for "From Russia With Love", "Thunderball" and "You Only Live Twice". "Never Say Never Again" was Connery (and the franchise) back on form. Taken together, all of the Moore Bond films were better than all of the Connery ones.

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Connery will always be "Mr. Bond" to me, but I hate the guy. Anyone who makes almost their entire carrier from movies that have LOTS of gun play, and then give money and allow their name to be used for Gun Control organizations are nothing but hypocrites.

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Although I think Lazenby COULD have been the best bond, he wasnt around long enough to find out. Connery is the perfect bond. Brosnan is WAY WAY to small to be as tough as he is. Old connery is the perefct big macho tough guy while being suave.

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Just guessing, but I bet most people choose the 1st Bond they saw. By that I mean, if you saw Connery play him first then you'd choose him, whereas if you saw Lazenby first you'd choose him instead.

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Yes, deduct. According to my scale, minus -5 for BadBondGirl, -5 for bad plot, -5 for bad special effects. Then, add back +10 for KoolBondVilians - Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya. It's all very simple. :)

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Allow me to retort:

Connery as Bond +10

Good (but not great) Bond Girl +5 (More of the "Oh, James" variety)

Gypsy Cat Fight followed by Bond Arbitration +25

This actually is one of the most sexually risque Bond movies. See how we've

advanced with the milquetoast adventures of Brosnan

Good Plot (JFK mentioned that this Fleming novel was one of his favorite books)+10

This plot fits SPECTRE into the Cold War World quite well. Excellent use of

the locations and peoples of the Med area.

Great Sidekick +10 (Fav Line "Back to the Salt Mines")

Great Villains +10 (Rosa Kleb just drips with EVIL)

Recorded Conversation about Bond and Qs adventures in Hong Kong +5

Great fight in the Train +5

Red Wine with Fish +5

Cool early 60s gadgets but plot does not completely rely on gadgetry +5

Bond as professional cold-blooded killer and not just a dandy +10

Total points: 100!

An argument can certainly be made for Goldfinger as best Bond movie however.

But back to the thread. Although Connery is supreme I think Dalton is underrated. He brought some of the cold blooded professional back to the Bond movies. I much prefer him to Moore's foppish dandy. Brosnan's good but the movies are too PC.

George? Worst actor of the lot. But the story, Bond girl, and villain make On Her Majesty's Secret Service palatable.

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Connery takes it.

I am with Kelly on FRWL as the best plot and least wacky gadgetry along with Dr. No as truest to the Fleming novels. My parents wouldn’t let us see the early ones when they first came out because it was considered too violent and risque for kids our age so I had to go buy paperback copies of the Fleming novels and read them covertly. The first Bond film I saw in a theater was Thunderball, but my favorites to this day are in order, From Russia With Love, Dr. No and Goldfinger. The Bond franchise starts to drop off in quality for me after that and I find most of the Moore ones to be almost unwatchable with the exception of Man With The Golden Gun, where Moore actually showed a little of the ruthless side of Bond that Connery played so well when required. “It’s a Smith & Wesson. You’ve had your six....“

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Regards,

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