Everybody is familiar with the movies. There are the spectacular action scenes and outrageous stunts. The larger than life villain with the evil and outlandish plan to destroy the world. The ingenious gadgets devised by the gadget master “Q”. The exotic locations, the gorgeous girls and the distinctive catchy title music. And of course, in the middle of all of this, James Bond himself, usually immaculately dressed in a tuxedo, drinking a dry martini (shaken, not stirred) and ready with a humorous throwaway remark. The Bond movies constitute the longest running and most successful series in film history. Since “Dr. No” introduced Ian Fleming’s master spy to cinema audiences in 1962, there have been 20 official Bond movies spanning almost 40 years and accurately reflecting the changing times during which they are set.
But with all those Bond films and with no less than 5 different actors portraying Bond over the years, which films are the best? Everyone will have his or her own opinion. But as a self confessed Bond fanatic and lover of the films, here are my contenders for the 3 best Bond movies:
“From Russia with Love” (1963)
This was the second Bond film to be made, hard on the heels of “Dr No” which was a considerable box office success. The film premiered in London in October 1963 and by the early months of the following year, had already made over $2.25 million – a huge amount at the time.
The plot of the movie concerns a convoluted scheme by SPECTRE (Bond’s main nemesis in the earlier films) to avenge the death of their agent, Dr. No in the first movie. Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE, enjoys such odd hobbies as Siamese fighting fish and his master plotter – who also excels at chess – is instructed to devise the foolproof plan. Bond is lured to exotic Istanbul by a beautiful female spy who claims she wants to defect to the west - and also has a top-secret coding machine as a bonus. Bond smells a rat, but goes along with the plan. Along the way he participates in a violent fight in a gypsy encampment, takes a trip on the legendary Orient Express, and fends off a woman whose preferred method of killing is to kick people in the ankle with poisonous spiked shoes.
The action in the movie is realistic and violent rather than relying on outrageous stunts, and it is this realism that makes it one of the better films. Throughout the film, which effectively manages to capture those “cold war” years of the early 60s, there is an air of suspense. The highlight of the film is the fight scene between Bond and the Russian agent and psychopath Grant, in the cramped confines of Bond’s compartment on the Orient Express. Its one of the most thrilling and suspenseful fight scenes ever filmed; Bond only saves himself by relying on his wits as well as his strength.
There is some of the trademark humor in the movie, but never enough to spoil the tension. Bond is his usual snobbish self when he realizes he should have been suspicious of Grant when the latter orders red wine with fish – something a gentleman would never do! There is also a running joke which carries over from the first Bond film – Bond is just about to spend some long overdue quality time with his female companion from the first film, when yet again, he is called away on an urgent mission.