Since Ian Fleming penned Casino Royale in 1953, James Bond has been an icon of British pop culture and spy thriller cinema alike. For seven decades, fans have watched as England’s foremost spy has taken on crime syndicates, terrorists, and enemy agents around the world. As moviegoers eagerly await Denis Villeneuve’s debut in the series, it’s worth looking back on all the masterpieces already in the franchise.
The adventures of 007 are widely regarded as the gold standard of blockbuster action, typically using a mix of lighthearted escapism and serious mystery thriller elements. It’s safe to say that the spirit of Fleming’s character is still alive and well, and maintains one of the strongest selections of stories in fiction. For anyone wanting a window into the fantastical side of espionage, these movies have them covered.
License to Kill Was the Darkest Bond of the 20th Century
License to Kill begins when a drug kingpin breaks free from DEA custody and targets Felix Leiter on the day of his wedding. With the spy’s wife murdered and the agent near death, Bond sets out to avenge him, going off the books for his personal vendetta. When MI6 revokes his lethal status, he becomes a fugitive of his own nation and the US alike, disappearing into the underworld to make things right.
The movie that spotlights the darkness of Dalton’s era brilliantly, License to Kill, abandons the espionage angle for a perfect revenge thriller. At the time of its release, it left audiences with tonal whiplash from the more campy Roger Moore era, taking years for people to recognize how great Dalton was in the role. For people who love seeing the personal side of 007, it rarely got better than this.
The Spy Who Loved Me Is An Ambitious Masterpiece
Roger Moore found his most epic outing as Bond when he starred in The Spy Who Loved Me. The story centers around the mysterious disappearance of British and Soviet submarines, forcing an unlikely alliance between 007 and a KGB officer. Their investigation leads them to a shipping tycoon whom they suspect means to use the vessels to trigger a war.
The Spy Who Loved Me is the 007 franchise taken to its fullest potential, using ingredients like an old-fashioned genius villain and epic battle sequences. The film that introduced fans to iconic henchman Jaws epitomizes the absolute best of the Moore era. From its grand action set pieces to its chilling villain and team-up story, the 1977 masterpiece is endlessly entertaining.
The Man With the Golden Gun Gave 007 A Perfect Equal
The Man With the Golden Gun is centered around the agent’s search for an elusive and brilliant assassin, Francisco Scaramanga, when he targets Bond directly. Setting out to track him down and learn the villain’s endgame, the MI6 spy discovers a plan to hold the world to ransom with a powerful weapon. Locked in one of the best battles of wits and skill in the franchise, he prepares for the ultimate showdown.
A film that belongs to the immortal charm of Christopher Lee, The Man With the Golden Gun gave 007 one of his greatest adversaries. A perfect match for the antihero, Scaramanga is an enemy who outshines even Blofeld, endearing the story to audiences. A movie that captures the high-tech gadget craze of the Moore era with each scene, it covers everything from buddy adventure to the gentlemanly warfare that inspired Fleming.
The Living Daylights Brings Cold War Bond To An End
The Living Daylights focuses on 007’s assistance of a KGB officer in defecting from the Soviet Union, only for the Russians to seemingly abduct him from within MI6 custody. Realizing the case ties in with the murder of a fellow agent, Bond sets out to recover the missing defector. Realizing he’s been double-crossed, he turns to a mysterious sniper for answers.
The Living Daylights holds a special place in the franchise’s history as the last true Cold War story for Bond before the world moved on. The first of Dalton’s mere two outings as the antihero, it represents a valiant effort at reconciling the best elements of the Moore and Connery eras, merging the dark assassin with gadgets and fun.
Dr. No Introduced the MI6 Spy Flawlessly
Back in 1962, James Bond made his cinematic debut when Sean Connery played the antihero in Dr. No. The story begins when an MI6 station chief in Jamaica is murdered, forcing the agency to send 007 to investigate. Surviving an assassination attempt as soon as he arrives, the agent realizes he’s stumbled upon something bigger than a simple attack. Teaming up with CIA operatives and a beautiful woman, he has his first run-in with an agent of SPECTRE.
The beauty of Dr. No lies in its simplicity, less an action story than it is a jungle adventure meets pulpy detective tale. As the introduction of the character, it’s the essential starting point for fans old and new, and reminds people just how cold the antihero is. It finds its strength in its setting as much as anything else, almost serving as a cozy mystery as much as a thriller, one that builds up Bond as the perfect spy.
GoldenEye Ushered In A Post-Cold War Era For Bond
In 1995, Pierce Brosnan made his debut as Bond for Martin Campbell’s GoldenEye, which begins with a failed mission that leads to the apparent death of a fellow agent. Seven years later, 007 is serving in a post-Cold War environment and is tasked with investigating the theft of a Russian weapon. Realizing a figure from his past is responsible, he teams up with a scientist to try to prevent an attack on Britain.
GoldenEye served one essential purpose in modernizing James Bond for the world after the fall of the Soviet Union. One of the most self-aware and enjoyable films in the franchise, it gives a wink and a nod at its audience every step of the way, yet manages to maintain seriousness when called for. Above all else, Brosnan established himself as one of the greatest 007s to date, perfecting the formula of what fans wanted in the character.
Skyfall Gave the Franchise Its Most Chilling Villain
As the Daniel Craig era reached its peak, viewers watched as the spy was left for dead after a failed mission, only to come out of retirement after an attack on MI6 in Skyfall. Despite being past his prime, he suits up for a revenge mission against the rogue Raoul Silva, an assassin bent on ruining M for leaving him for dead. Realizing he’s facing a tough adversary, Bond tries to force his enemy onto his own turf to gain the advantage.
Skyfall is a testament to the value that villains bring to the Bond franchise, with Javier Bardem elevating it into a chilling masterpiece. While its self-referential humor isn’t to everyone’s liking, the film has plenty going for it that ensured it would be a box office smash success. The last of the truly great modern 007 stories, it’s the standard by which Villeneuve’s film will inevitably be measured.
From Russia With Love Was Sean Connery’s Favorite Bond Movie
From Russia With Love follows the MI6 agent to Istanbul in an effort to make contact with a defector who, unknown to him, is a KGB plant. Befriending the local station chief, he tries to obtain a piece of Soviet technology, driving him into a three-way game of cat-and-mouse with SMERSH and SPECTRE. What follows is a captivating thriller that deceives its hero at every turn, throwing spies, assassins, and femme fatales at him.
From Russia With Love epitomized the Cold War era of Bond, avoiding fantasy for believable and grounded spycraft. When watching the movie, viewers are treated to one of the finest espionage tales of Hollywood’s golden age, a story that takes its cues from Alfred Hitchcock in keeping up the momentum. Often praised as one of the more grounded of its series, especially from before the Daniel Craig era, it shows how intelligent the protagonist can be.
Casino Royale Is Perfect For Darker Thriller Fans
Daniel Craig established himself as the ultimate modern Bond when he played the character in the first serious adaptation of Ian Fleming’s original novel, Casino Royale. Modernizing the Cold War story, Martin Campbell’s reboot explores the first mission of the antihero after earning his license to kill. Sent to Monte Carlo, he plans to beat a criminal banker at poker, hoping to exploit his financial ruin to force him to turn on his terrorist clients.
Casino Royale takes its time in telling its story, allowing its new actor room to breathe while telling one of Fleming’s greatest stories. A masterclass in tension unrivaled by its fellow 007 movies, it’s perfect for people who love the darker side of the franchise. Between its gripping action scene at the start and the harrowing ending are two hours of Bond at his absolute best, bucking flashy gadgets for cunning spycraft.
Goldfinger Is Quintessential James Bond
Goldfinger is centered around Bond’s investigation into the titular criminal, a rogue millionaire intent on irradiating the world’s gold supply to consolidate his own wealth and power. Aided by the sister of one of the villain’s victims, he turns to the CIA for help in repelling the sinister plan. A film that’s as much an exercise in style as substance, it didn’t take long for critics to recognize it as the best of the Connery era.
The quintessential piece of 007 media, the agent’s mission against the gold-obsessed villain, changed the face of the franchise forever. Where the previous two Connery entries had been conventional thrillers, this one created the formula that still defines it today, a mash-up of espionage, humor, tech, and mystery. Every James Bond film appeals to fans in different ways, but it’s hard to deny that Goldfinger is the masterpiece that truly has something for everyone.