No one does it better, and James Bond, codename 007, has an impeccable track record that few others can attest to. For over 60 years, the character created by World War 2 veteran and author Ian Fleming has dominated the big screen, with over two dozen films under his belt while being portrayed by 6 different actors for multiple generations of movie-goers. When people think of the spy genre, chances are high that most of the story tropes, plot lines, and visuals were birthed from the adventures of Britain’s finest operative.
Among all of these theatrical epics, some stand out more than others in terms of scale and quality. There’s no such thing as a bad Bond movie, but some have left a greater mark on history and viewers than others.
10 The World Is Not Enough
Pierce Brosnan’s third outing as Bond hits fast and hard, as Bond is roped into a story of betrayal, revenge, and a romance-turned-poison. Investigating apparent assassination attempts on an old family friend of M, Bond discovers a plot to sabotage the world’s oil network to trigger rampant price hikes and economic destabilization. With nuclear detonation a mere button push away, Bond is pushed to the breaking point, physically and mentally, to ensure that the world’s economics don’t fall into the hands of madmen.
Everyone is on their A-game in The World Is Not Enough, with memorable quotes and action set pieces that bid farewell to the 20th century in a blaze of glory. With the final appearance of veteran actor and Bond-staple Desmond Llewelyn, this film is a farewell to arms to an era that birthed the big-screen epic and inspired generations.
9 Dr. No
Bond’s modern success was built off of a miracle. Dr. No was made with a small budget and tight time frame, and the studio higher-ups were uncertain of the property’s capability of working as a big-screen showcase. In spite of these drawbacks, Dr. No delivers in droves and built a foundation that still goes strong decades later.
Tasked with investigating the disruptions towards US rocket launches and likely espionage occurring in Jamaica, Bond uncovers a plot by a dastardly scientist to strengthen communist China’s missile program. Sean Connery comes out of the gate swinging, carrying the stern, womanizing, and calculated attitude and mindset that would define the character for most of his existence. There are lines (“Bond. James Bond”), set pieces, and tropes introduced in this film that have defined the franchise and inspired parodies and homages in other movies, television, animation, and video games alike, cementing Dr. No’s place in history despite being culturally overshadowed by future entries.
8 The Spy Who Loved Me
Roger Moore’s tenure as the bond was long-lived and varied in its tone and setting for over a decade. The Spy Who Loved Me is easily one of his strongest outings, pitting Bond alongside an equal in a rare team-up plot. Bond has to team up with Soviet spy XXX to stop Karl Stromberg’s plan to destroy the world and create an underwater utopia to rule over.
With breathtaking locations, bombastic fight scenes, an extravagant villain, and the introduction of one of cinema’s greatest henchmen, Jaws, The Spy Who Loved is a bombastic and insane romp that captivates and enthralls from beginning to end.
7 Live And Let Die
An introduction to Roger Moore’s run as James Bond and a statement by the studio about changing society. This was the first Bond film, and one of the first mainstream blockbusters, to have a black-majority cast that isn’t stooped in stereotypes and racial discrimination. The villainous Dr. Kananga’s plot to destabilize the international drug trade and corner the market brings Bond across the United States, a rarely explored venture for the British secret agent.
From racist sheriffs and alligator farms to the streets of New York and island voodoo rituals atop subterranean drug labs, James Bond has his work cut out for him from the second he’s put on the case. While the stakes aren’t as high or far-reaching compared to other films, the smaller situation grounds the action and can heighten tensions in heart-pounding form. Live and Let Die had a high bar to meet, and it blew past them in style.
6 You Only Live Twice
This movie was intended to be the end of Sean Connery’s tenure as Bond and the conclusion to a multi-film buildup to the reveal of Blofeld, leader of the secretive SPECTRE organization. The SPECTRE organization’s world-dominating plans, Blofeld’s bald, scarred head, and the pet cat that he is always petting would all become pop culture icons to inspire future films and series and serve as the baseline to the spy-thriller parody of Austin Powers.
Connery gives one of his best performances as a seasoned Bond, eager to finally confront SPECTRE head-on after several films of close calls. You Only Live Twice may have become the stuff of parody, but it never ceases to captivate and enthrall viewers from beginning to end.
5 Goldfinger
The finest performances across the board during Sean Connery’s tenure as the legendary 007, Goldfinger makes a massive splash. Sent to investigate a suspected gold and jewelry smuggler, James Bond uncovers a plot to sabotage the United States’ gold reserves so the mineral-obsessed Auric Goldfinger can further his control on the global control over gold and gold-based currencies.
This film would be the first major blockbuster for the franchise and would be further cemented in pop culture with the advent of televised re-runs, home media, and the beloved killer-hat-wearing Oddjob appearing in the multiplayer component of the Goldeneye video game. A memorably outlandish villain, iconic quotes and scenes (“No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”), action aplenty and James Bond playing mind games with everyone he meets, Goldfinger is bottomless entertainment from front to back.
4 The Living Daylights
After Roger Moore bowed out of the role following 1985’s A View To A Kill, a long-time nominee to take up the role, Timothy Dalton, was finally brought in to play 007, starting with 1987’s The Living Daylights. Dalton comes in swinging as the iconic secret agent, roped into a plot by KGB leadership to fund drug and arms smuggling through their ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.
One of the few times Bond touches directly on real-world conflicts, The Living Daylights handles the Russian military, the Mujahideen, abusive relationships, and top-tier spy work, all with loving detail and attention. Though Dalton’s run as 007 was short-lived, he left a powerful impression on audiences and the character he stepped into the shoes of.
3 Casino Royale (2006)
With corporate complications behind the scenes and the underperformance of 2002’s Die Another Day, the James Bond franchise would see its first openly stated, wholesale reboot in 2006 with the introduction of Daniel Craig taking on the role in Casino Royale. The first in-house adaptation of the famous Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale updates the story and setting for a post 9/11 world, and Bond himself follows suit, ditching the outlandish gadgets and flippant reveals of his identity for a stern, realistic field agent that is smart on his feet and unafraid of injury or death.
Despite this more grounded and serious approach, Casino Royale’s cinema, action, and character work are all but second to none in their composition and payoff. Every shot, every line, and every musical beat is meticulous and well-crafted, and the end result was a smashing success that revitalized the Bond franchise for a modern age and cemented Daniel Craig as this generation’s Bond for the next 15 years.
2 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
For once and once only, George Lazenby filled the shoes of James Bond in 1969, and despite press slandering, creative disputes, and on-the-spot training needed to get Lazenby ready for big-screen acting, the final result is nothing short of breathtaking. As Bond again confronts Blofeld in a plot to use sleeper agents to sabotage the world’s food supply and hold humanity for ransom, Bond genuinely falls in love.
Not a flirt, or a one-off fling, the super spy genuinely falls in love and finds himself marrying the girl of his dreams after foiling SPECTRE’s schemes. The romance, cinematography, acting, even from first-timer Lazenby, and the musical score are far and beyond what many would have anticipated at the time, with the musical score being reused in several future Bond films to enhance the painfully short-lived happiness Bond finds. The ending is one of the most heartbreaking and beautifully acted in all of modern cinema, and that is no exaggeration. Top to bottom, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a heartfelt extravaganza.
1 Goldeneye
For many, this entry placement was all but guaranteed. After a then-unheard-of 6-year break in the franchise since 1989’s License to Kill, Goldeneye entered the scene in 1995 to an outstanding reception with a new Bond, a post-USSR collapse setting, and a new era of bombastic adventure. Pierce Brosnan makes a powerful and suave debut, in many ways becoming the default look for James Bond even twenty years after he bowed out from the role, with the chiseled chin, sharp black hair, and a lean, muscled frame that creates a fine balance between the charming womanizer and the deadly field agent. His likeness, licensed or otherwise, would serve as the baseline for James Bond in a number of video games leading up to Casino Royale’s theatrical release.
Tasked with uncovering a plot to weaponize former Soviet satellites to wreak havoc on the United Kingdom, Bond will run into old friends, blood-lusted Russian assassins, and facing a threat that isn’t part of a Cold War setting for the first time. Goldeneye’s legacy would become further cemented with the release of the Nintendo 64 tie-in game, one of the most popular and beloved fps games of the late 1990s. Goldeneye is rich with jaw-dropping set-pieces, excellent musical scores, and bombastic, memorable characters that have elevated this film to stand loud and proud in pop culture, independent of its relation to the 007 franchise.
