Sunday, September 15, 2013

What's your favorite Bond?

Since 1969, fans of the James Bond films have argued about who was the best Bond: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig.

But, that's not what this is about. Not exactly. I'm curious as to who you think did the best gun barrel sequence.

Here they are:


[YouTube]

Stuntman (and later, stunt coordinator) Bob Simmons appeared in the first three films, where Bond was shown in silhouette during the sequence. Roger Moore filmed two versions. Daniel Craig filmed three. All the other actors did one version that was used in all their appearances. They were all at the beginning of the film, except for two of Daniel Craig's. Here's who was in which one:

Bob Simmons (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger)

Sean Connery (Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever)

George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

Roger Moore (version 1: Live And Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun; version 2: The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A Kill)

Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights, License To Kill)

Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day)

Daniel Craig (separate versions each in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall)

Remember, this isn't about who was the best Bond actor, but who did the best gun barrel sequence. So, whaddaya think? Who was the best?

14 comments:

  1. Hmm, tough choice. I can say that my tops are Roger Moore version 1, George Lazenby, and Daniel Craig's Casino Royale. But I don't like Roger Moore version 2 or Daniel Craig's other gunbarrel shots.

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  2. That's pretty interesting! I'm torn between Simmons and Dalton, believe it or not -- Connery does a good Simmons imitation. Just seems like the Simmons and Dalton are really firing bullets. Craig does in Casino Royale, but he doesn't look like Bond, and it's no barrel shot. Although Moore uses two hands, he's a bit slow and would have been plugged. Simmons and Dalton look to me like they are able to make that impossible shot. (As a side note, I'm impressed by how long they kept Bond in a hat, since after Dr. No you hardly ever saw him in one.)



    Jack Lord was the best Felix. Just BTW.

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  3. Surprisingly Sean Connery's wobbling stance looks to be the weakest and P. Brosnan's is too suave for a killing move. Most of the others are too blasé also.



    George Lazenby taking a knee for balance gets my vote with the unusual shot by Daniel craig getting a nod but then I might have to give credit to the director and/or writer

    of the movie for that sequence.

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  4. Pierce Brosnan has the most direct, natural movement for a shot in all of his clips - and you get the feeling he wouldn't have missed.



    Another contest: which movie has the best music for that scene?

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  5. What? What was the question? Sorry, fell asleep halfway through from the boredom of watching the same video clip that many times.

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  6. Although he's at the bottom of the "Bond" barrel, Daniel Craig - Casino Royale. His other 2 were among the worst though.

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  7. Back in the day you were pretty safe saying George Lazenby did everything the worst, but that was before Obama.

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  8. The Simmons/Connery pose (turn, kneel, left arm flung out) is rather - dare I say it - gay.



    Lazenby's only slightly less gay.



    Moore is the only one shooting 2 handed. James Bond don't need two hands to kill bad guys. He needs one to shoot and one to hold a martini.



    Dalton is a significant improvement over the first 3 - strictly barrel-sequence-wise.



    Brosnan is tops for both pose and cool. Also the only one with a bullet the hits you in the eye - bonus points.



    Craig - 3rd place behind Brosnan and Dalton.

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  9. Why do people dis David Niven when discussing James Bonds?



    I mean, I can understand ignoring Woody Allen as Jimmy Bond, he was James' son, but really, David Niven was pretty darn good in the original Casino Royale.



    I've always thought of him as the poor man's Peter O'Toole, who would have made the coolest James Bond. Mostly because he's one of the coolest guy ever.



    Maybe Deano was cooler, but if so it wasn't by much.

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  10. My foremost thought while watching this video was, I wonder how many times these guys practiced this in front of the mirror when they found out they got the part. If I had to pick one I would say my favorite was the Timothy Dalton sequence.

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  11. Given this some thought throughout the day and am inclined to give it to the ones who stand leading with the left foot while twisting in from right. Figured out why: it's like thrusting in with a right cross. Simmons/Connery throw in a nifty counter balance/block. Lazenby looks more like a dancer than a figher. Moore's almost got the move but restrains it with that responsible two-handed grip. Brosnan and Craig are just kinda there in a striclty utilitarian sense.. Dalton's got the move. Gonna give it to Simmons/Connery for the sake of showmanship, with Dalton as a close second.

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  12. Huh.



    So THIS is what guys do when they're at work. :)



    Happy Monday!



    (I like Sean Connery)

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  13. Going tangental about O'Toole as possibly playing Bond: apparently Fleming interviewed O'Toole just before Connery on recommendation from Niven (who'd known Fleming from when they were both Brit officers seconded to the OSS during WWII) and O'Toole, two years younger than Connery, came close to getting the role but for the fact that he was not terribly enthusiastic about physical activity that went beyond chasing down starlets and winelists or climbing up drainpipes to sneak into top floor key-clubs.



    Connery, no less an elbow-bending tearaway, got the gig by being game for anything the director could throw at him in Dr. No.



    Had O'Toole been more keen on the role, the first James Bond would've been blonde rather than Craig in his latest assumption of the part.

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