I honestly think that both Brosnan and Craig hit their stride right out the gate with their debut films, and not in a negative way. They just both nailed their debuts.
Sean = From Russia With Love (Goldfinger a close second) Roger = The Spy Who Loved Me Tim = License to Kill (both are great though) Pierce = Tomorrow Never Dies Daniel = Casino Royale Great video as usual Calvin
I believe my argument for CASINO ROYALE being PEAK CRAIG is that I feel that if "Casino Royale" was just one movie, it would still feel complete. If there was no more Connery after Dr. No, Connery wouldn't feel the same; no more Roger after Live and Let Die, Roger wouldn't be the same; the same for Brosnan in GoldenEye. But if for some reason Casino Royale was a one-off, nothing would be missing, and Craig would still be beloved and hailed as a great Bond actor.
Great video as always, but I'd like to make a case for Roger Moore's performance in For Your Eyes Only being his peak as 007. Like The Spy Who Loved Me, he gets to show a great range of what his Bond is capable of. He's suave and sophisticated and witty throughout, but also tough and tenacious, with an emotional undercurrent that buoys the more dramatic scenes. Roger was a little older at this point - he turned 53 during filming - but I think he brilliantly coveys a seasoned, more experienced version of James Bond. He's not too smarmy or too serious, and gets the balance just perfect for me.
I like when he says "Before setting out for revenge dig two graves". There's a lot of weary experience in that, and although it's a comedic situation, Bond's handling of the Bibi problem shows depth to the character, and he's not just a sex machine.
Although Lazenby had one film, I say he peaked at the final scene wherein Bond's sadness and his professional dissociation push and pull while mourning Tracy's death. I think if he had continued, he would have peaked in DAF or, if he had also been in FYEO, that.
It's interesting to note that Lazenby actually wanted to cry when doing the ending [given that was his real life reaction when reading the book] but was talked out of it.
I love your unapologetic adoration of Moonraker and Rogers performance in it. I could not agree more that he is just so wonderfully fun and comfortable throughout the film, which keeps a smile on my face every minute.
I will say Dr No for Connery. In fact, the exact moment he peaked was his very first scene where he said ‘Bond, James Bond’. Somehow that one simple phrase immediately established who the character of James Bond is. One of the most iconic line deliveries in cinema history.
@@calvindyson Between Moore's ''well's'' and the ''Hahaha! OOOoooohhhh!!' at the end, it's all I hear in AVTAK. 😂 Looks like I'm going to have to give DAD another watch now, EH? 🤣
Sean Connery - Goldfinger George Lazenby - On Her Majestys Secret Service Roger Moore - For Your Eyes Only Tim Dalton - License To Kill Pierce Brosnan - Tommorow Never Dies Daniel Craig - Skyfall
Die Another Day as a movie is patchy at best but the tube station scene with M is one of the most amazing scenes in any Bond film - its something straight out of another movie completely
Brosnan also did well in the stunts/action he did himself, and remained a straight man to the bitter end against a caval of anime villains. Gotta hand it to him.
Connery: Goldfinger Lazenby: The closer towards Tracy's death scene, the better he gets Moore: The Spy Who Loved Me. Would say FYEO, but his performance is quite different there, sure it's a sign he can do dramatic stuff very well, but it doesn't seem right putting it as his peak. Dalton: Licence to Kill Brosnan: The World Is Not Enough Craig: Skyfall, he seems more at ease than in Casino Royale, even if he doesn't have as much to work with.
My favorite Lazenby Bond moment is right before Tracy finds him in the village. Blofeld’s henchmen are closing in on him, and he finally just sits down and accepts defeat. Then Tracy shows up and helps him escape, and that’s when Bond realizes that he does love her.
@@BB-te8tcThe first third is a great film stuffed up the ass of a junk food Michael Bay action film the way you'd stuff a turkey's ass on Thanksgiving.
I see Craig’s films as the stages of grief after Vesper’s death in CR. You have anger in QoS, depression in Skyfall, somewhat bargaining in Spectre and acceptance in NTTD.
This may be a controversial opinion, but my favorite Daniel Craig performance is in No Time to Die. I feel like he struck the perfect balance of “cold calculating killing machine” that his series was trying for and “classic smooth Bond” that I always enjoyed
Craig’s Casino Royale performance is not only his best Bond performance, but I genuinely think that performance deserved some award consideration. It is a masterful balancing act of brutality, charm, vulnerability and arrogance.
Craig's performance in Casino Royale was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor, losing to Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland. Being the home team, the British Academy is more charitable towards Bond than any other.
I agree with you on Brosnan"s best performance is in Die Another Day. He gives it everything despite the films many short comings. Always thought it was a shame he didn't get to do one more.
With Daniel Craig, I actually was very suprised at how James Bondy and fun he was having in SPECTRE that it was sad that it didnt carry on into NTTD. I kinda want to go with that movie for him in a way as I still really enjoy him in that. In Casino Royale I have to say, the lines "I have an ich down there, would you mind?" and "every penny of it" kinda feels like a left over line from a Draft that had Pierce Brosnan originally. not a bad thing though but I don't hear lines like that again in the other Daniel Craig films so much. Thats really good of you to talk about Die another Day Calvin and focus on what Pierce does get right with that film. It was his idea after all to have Bond captured and tortured and you can see why he wanted that. He certainly wanted to put Bond in a new challenge and have him lose, especially after making 3 movies, he wanted a change. Ha if you watch Brosnan in interveiws he does tend to say "in a word...No/Yes" like he does on the beach in Goldeneye, so even in that film there could have been a little ab libbing of such. I will say for Dalton, and even though it was all last minute casting on TLD and LTK went through a writers strike, his 3rd movie would have nailed his performance. I'd like to know how much script work was done on TLD after he was cast in order to try and fit his personae in the film? the monents like "Stuff my orders" and "I got the message" I wonder if they were there in early drafts or if it was a quick rewrite when it came to shooting. Even though Roger only came back as Bond after Mooraker for the money, he still gave it his all in those movies following. That cant be easy to be in a clown costume while a Nuke could go off. With Roger in Moonraker, he's sooooo Roger Moore in that that he doesn't even need to fire a gun or a moonraker lazer in that movie to stop the bad guys :) Connery I'll defo go with Goldfinger. But something tells me though that had Terrance Young have worked on Goldfinger I feel the transition from FRWL to Goldfinger would have been a lot smoother and I think Connery would have liked that more. On top of the fact that the movie would have definitely not have had all the fantatsy elements that we've come to know and love. it would be very interesting to see what that film would have looked like. But you'd never have the famous line "I must be dreaming" and millions of people around the world doing a Connery accent to go with it when saying the line ;) Great as always man !!
Dalton finished shooting Brenda Starr on a Friday, and by the Monday he was on his first day of TLD. So his casting was very quick. I wonder how much of the script was tailored for first hire Brosnan though.
Bond is actually a difficult character to play, i think. the literary Bond does a lot with an inner monologue, and is often fallible. its hard to show that. Connery does it well, he gets surprised a fair bit, and you can often see the wheels turning.
Sean Connery: "Thunderball"(1965). *** George Lazenby: "OHMSS"(1969). *** Roger Moore: "TSWLM"(1977). *** Timothy Dalton: "The Living Daylights"(1987). *** Pierce Brosnan: "GoldenEye"(1995). *** And yes, for me the James Bond franchise ended with DAD in 2002....................
Craig: Casino Royale, helped I think by his chemistry with Eva Green. Their rapport bolsters his performance - maybe I'm just saying that because some of my favourite scenes from his tenure are the two of them together, like the train scene or when he tells her her cover name is Stephanie Broadchest. Brosnan: I'd say TND - I really like the bits in the Hamburg Hotel, first with Paris and then with Dr Kaufman, but also I think he plays well off of Michelle Yeoh. I know I shouldn't base my judgment off of the scenes that stick in my head, but having not done an entire series watch-through in quite a while that's what I'll have to do, and those bits stick in my head as peak Brosnan. Dalton: Licence to Kill - while I think he gives a great performance in TLD, it helps that LTK was tailor made for him and it plays to his strengths more. Moore: I'd say Moonraker - TSWLM definitely feels the point when the filmmakers worked out what Moore's Bond was, but I'm giving it to Moonraker. Maybe because Moonraker was a film only Moore could've pulled off, or maybe because TSWLM has a disappointingly low amount of Safari Suit, and is it really truly a Moore performance if he's not rocking a Safari Suit at some point? Connery: Goldfinger. I think he was really strong in Dr No and FRWL, but Goldfinger is where he gets the swagger down 100%.
'In the whole Roger Vs Sean debate which has been raging for the last 20 years I have to say I'm firmly in the Roger camp, I don't believe anyone else could wear a Safari Suit with the same degree of casulaity' Dr Alan G. Partridge.
Pretty much agree with you on everything, and I'm definitely a Moore fan. Possibly I'd say that peak Lazenby was actually the very end when Tracy is killed and he just speaks softly, in his own voice, without crying. Otherwise agree.
I'd say that all the Bonds gave a great performance in their debuts. It's interesting that this rule of thumb that 'third film is peak performance' sprung up because I'd hardly say any of the debuts show an actor struggling with the role, I think they all came out of the gate pretty well. Lazenby struggled the most, probably because he was a debut actor in a film that called for a lot of dramatic acting, but it's hardly a write-off. Moore is great in Life and Let Die - it's his second film where he wobbles a bit. Dalton struggles a bit with the Moore-ish one-liners but he's still able to make the role his own pretty successfully. But Connery, Brosnan and Craig all made the role their own straight away, I'd say, none of them needed time to 'settle in' as it were.
Just realised autocorrect changed 'Live and Let Die' to 'Life and Let Die'. Or maybe it was just my stubby thumbs hitting the wrong button on my phone keyboard. I do know what I'm talking about, I swear!
Good point about Moore. LALD was Tom Mankiewicz solo and when the regular writer Richard Maibaum was brought in for 'Golden Gun' re-writers he seemed to still be writing for Connery which didn't help Moore as did the rushed production but fortunately Maibaum did adapt to Moore's preferences from 'Spy' onwards.
Roger Moore walked into a cinema me and my parents were at once and sat two rows behind us. It was a Sunday and it was empty (Leicester Square) and the film was Meteor with Sean Connery. Anyway, I'll always remember that. My dad passed 2 years ago and I only recently learnt that he had worked CIA making that encounter even stranger
Before I watch the video, I'm going to post my list of peak Bond performances and see if my list tallies with yours. 😄 Connery - my first thought originally went to Goldfinger, however I actually think that his "peak" performance was most definitely Thunderball. It was the final film he did where he did not look bored and also showed effort. Lazenby - No need to say, but his "peak" moment was most definitely the end of the movie. Moore - For Your Eyes Only. Moore very much at his best before he begins to slow down in the latter two movies. Dalton - LTK. Brosnan - It has to be TWINE. Craig - Although I really hate the movie, it has got to be Skyfall for Craig. It is, again like Connery, the movie where he still shows interest in the role.
It depends on how you define a great performance, but in terms of comfort, most Bond actors reach their peak in their third outing. Of course, many Bond actors start to lose their enthusiasm by their fifth or sixth outing.
Agree with so much of this review. Weirdly I think Lazenby’s interpretation of bond peaked in the early 2000s. That’s when everyone else seemed to catch up on what a great movie ohmss is.
I’ve always felt that every Bond actor starts with a much more serious take on the character and they tend to be more comedic performances as their respective series goes on.
For Craig, yes Casino Royale is an outstanding performance, after seeing the film back in 2006, I was left wanting more with his interpretation of the character I would have to respectfully disagree and say Brosnan’s peak is The World Is Not Enough, he really gives a gritty performance and plays the personal conflict with Elektra very well. He is cool and dashing as ever and is fantastic throughout the hard hitting action in the pre title sequence. Daltons peak is definitely Licence to Kill for me, as Dalton really chews up the dark material that film brings. I feel The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker and Octopussy could all be peak for Roger Moore as he owns those movies in ways Sean Connery maybe couldn’t. And with Sean Connery it’s a toss up between From Russia with Love and Goldfinger, both are my all time favorites, and I feel his confidence thrives in both films.
I like Pierce in The living Daylights...........oh....sorry I meant I like Pierce in his 5th movie Casino Royale........ahhh Damn it Ive done it again :(
Agree with you on Roger Moore, The Spy who Loved me was his finest, but i enjoyed his others(apart from A view t a Kill, he was way to old by then), Didn't care for Dalton, but cared even less for Craig, i just can't stand him and the direction the films went, for me they are not Bond films, they just try rival the Bourne movies.
I started really loving World is not Enough many years ago on a re-watch when it suddenly 'clicked' with me that Sophie Marceau was the REAL Bond villain (not the forgettable 'Renard'). But, the performance that really sells the movie is Marceau's, not Brosnan's. She plays the part of 'wounded doll' who's really a cold-blooded criminal mastermind expertly. And I think she so far outshines Brosnan to call it his 'best'.
Connery - Goldfinger Lazenby - Every fight scene (which was the best in the series at the time, minus the Train scene in FRWL) Moore - Moonraker Dalton - Licence to Kill Brosnan - Tomorrow Never Dies Craig - Casino Royale
Agreed. Brosnan in "World" shows he was looking to bring a more serious edge back to the character...years before the influence of Jason Bourne & Nolan's Batman.
I think deciding each actor's peak is actually pretty hard but I'll try and do a list. Daniel Craig: Casino Royale Pierce Brosnan: Goldeneye Timothy Dalton: Licence to Kill Roger Moore: The Spy who Loved Me George Lazenby: last 3rd of OHMSS Sean Connery: From Russia with Love
Great list Calvin! For me it would go: Sean Connery - Thunderball Roger Moore - Moonraker (I’ve really come to love this film 😄) Timothy Dalton - The Living Daylights Pierce Brosnan - The World is Not Enough Daniel Craig - Skyfall
Connery - From Russia With Love Lazenby - On Her Majesty’s.. Even though this was his only film and is one of faves (maybe my actual favourite) I’m not sure he did come into his own comfortably as Bond Moore - The Spy Who Loved Me Dalton - License to Kill Brosnan - Goldeneye - not only was it far and away his strongest film as Bond but I feel his performance peaked in this one and then kind of went downward, but that could be my bias towards the quality of the films’ downturn Craig - Casino Royale - again, right out the gate Craig was swinging and proving to all that Bond could be blonde (remember when the media and schoolyards were obsessed with this trivial fact). Arguably Skyfall could be put here instead though, he did wonderfully there but the focus so heavily on Dench takes away from that a bit so I’m gonna stick with Casino.
Craig - NTTD: Just loads of personality, humour, great dialogue and some genuine humility. Brosnan - Goldeneye: Hit the ground running with this one, the fact that it’s a great film helps but for me he was never better. Dalton - LTK: Cool and moody and ruthless. Moore - For Your Eyes Only: a relatively more down to Earth Bond and Moore’s performance here is his most human IMO, incorporating many of his trademark Bond elements but with additional humility. Lazenby - n/a Connery - Goldfinger: cool, influential and debonair.
I think Craig is at his most cinematic Bond in No Time to Die. That movie felt like it was a movie composed of episodes that showed what Craig would be like in Bond movies of the pre-Craig era. The Cuba scene feels like Octopussy, for example.
If we're talking purely about quality of performance, I think Craig gives the best performance of his entire run in NTTD. It may not be the most "Bond-y" performance, but that man really brings his A-game in that film. Otherwise for me it's Goldfinger for Connery, The Spy Who Loved Me for Moore, Licence to Kill for Dalton, Die Another Day for Brosnan (my least favourite Bond film, but Brosnan just got better with each instalment), and The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. for Lazenby (sorry).
I’m so glad to see you agree DAD is best brosnan performance! I’m right there with you!!! And totally agree about Moonraker and Octopussy being best Rog!!!! Loving your takes today haha
With Brosnan, IIRC Martin Campbell has been very honest he was well aware of Brosnan's acting ticks and worked hard to direct him to minimise them as much as possible. You can argue for or against that, but it's definitely why the "Eh" and "GHHHNNNNGGHHH" grunts increase every film afterwards.
Really interesting topic for a video Calvin!! Us fans have always used the third film being the best performance wise but when you really look and dive into the matter formally like you have here it really makes you wonder!! Fantastic content as usual sir!!
Such an interesting video idea. This is an absolutely ridiculous idea, but I’d be pretty curious to see someone attempt to rank every bond performance. The lists would vary like crazy between people but it’s so hard to quantify who gives best performances as all the actors are so good
I'm inclined to agree with all of your choices, especially Moonraker for Moore. And if there is one thing to praise highly in Die Another Day, it's Brosnan himself. The man really did get better with every performance, which is probably why it was very disappointing for this Bond fan when they announced his departure from the role.
I feel like some of the older Bond actors, like Connery and Moore easily had their best in the middle of their tenures... However, I feel some of the newest ones, like Dalton, Brosnan, or Craig are so damn consistent in their performances (minus Craig's Spectre). Sorry Lazenby, I suppose his peak is easy to see. But I agree, Craig, he's difficult to put in 'peak performance'... But Dalton and Brosnan are easily the most consistent, no wonder they're my favorites...
They ought to make a graphic novel based on Dalton's third unmade 007 film (just like they did with the second draft of William Gibson's *ALIEN 3* and Dan O'Ban-non's original vision of *ALIEN),* with his permission to use his likeness of course, since they ap-parently couldn't use his likeness for the *Licence To Kill* comic.
@@JOSH-lw2jv And get Dirk Maggs to do an accompanying audio drama, like they did with William Gibson's Alien 3. In fact, just more Bond audio dramas all around would be really cool.
@@JOSH-lw2jv In an ideal world that would be cool though Bond does hold onto the script in order to cherry pick ideas for later instalments [such as the opening of TND coming from a deleted stretch of Living Daylights] and there is probably copyright issues but the theory is good, especially as it would be a cool niche addition.
@@BenCol I guess your allowed to do audio from the novel's given we have audiobooks and the BBC radio adaptions. I'm not really sure what the deal is regarding the movies is given it's not really happened before [I agree a Big Finish audio series for older Bonds would be cool].
@@jamesatkinsonja I suppose it depends on whether you do a deal with Ian Fleming Publications or Danjaq, and how many movie-specific elements you use. I assume Jarvis & Ayres (who did the radio plays for BBC Radio 4) dealt with IFP considering their plays are adaptations of the Fleming books IFP own the rights to and don't use any Danjaq-owned stuff like the Monty Norman theme. Not sure if IFP can grant the rights to make original audio dramas though - according to the copyright page of every Bond book I own, Danjaq owns the trademarks on 'James Bond' and '007' that IFP uses under licence. IFP did licence out the character for the Dynamite comic books, but I assume whatever contract IFP and Danjaq have gave IFP comic book rights, as long as they don't use elements introduced in the films. Maybe IFP can do the same with audio dramas, but they wouldn't star any former Bond actors and they'd have to refer to Major Boothroyd as such and never as Q. Certainly to make an audio-movie with the film actors, characters and music you'd have to get the rights from Danjaq.
Love this idea for a video! I'd be curious to hear a discussion of each actor's debut performances too. While I think Calvin makes a great argument for his list, I'd have to say that Roger's performance in For Your Eyes Only is one of his best for me. He has so many subtle nuances in that outing. Seeing him by the grave of his wife allows him to say so much with so little. He has the depth to have the darkest scene of his tenure, as well as his most affable shrug to General Gogol at the end. Glad to see some DAD love though :)
I've agree that while Goldfinger may be Conmery's best performance as Bond, You Only Live Twice is by far my favourite of his films and Bond film in general
Great video calvin for me peak performance of all 007 actors connery goldfinger, lazenby OHMSS, Moore Spy Who Loved Me, Dalton the living daylights, brosnan tomorrow never dies, Craig casino Royale
Connery - Thunderball (he looks amazing in this and he does the one-liners superbly). Moore - Live And Let Die (slipped into the role just fine because he was more or less still playing Simon Templar). Dalton - Licence To Kill (nearest to Fleming's Bond on screen). Brosnan - Die Another Day (have to agree with you, Calvin. He's very good in it. DAD is a guilty pleasure of mine!). Craig - Casino Royale (again, I agree. Some top acting here. The scene on the train with Vesper is one of the great Bond moments for me)
I got to say I will personally stick with the 3rd film peak rule! Although Golden Eye, Casino Royale and Licence to Kill are some of my favourites films in the entire series. There is something about their presence in the 3rd films that just feels grand and very Bond!
Connery - Depending on your definition. His peak Fleming is FRWL, his peak performance is Goldfinger Lazenby - We have 1 to choose from, next. Moore - Peak performance TSWLM, peak Fleming FYEO Dalton - Never had a bad movie for me but peak Fleming was TLD, Peak film was LTK. Brosnan - Peak performance was TWINE both Fleming and for himself. Craig - Peak performance and Fleming was Casino Royale.
When it comes to George Lazenby in his one and only bond film, I think he peaked as Bond during the barn scene with Tracy and from that point forward he shows off a good balance of witty, anger with M and decent action scenes and emotional heartbreak with the death of his wife. But that's just my opinion
TND is my favorite Brosnan film, but acting wise, yes his performance DAD is his best. I say this because despite the preposterous story and script that doesn’t really deal with Bond’s possible trauma from his incarceration and torture, plus over the top, inconsistent direction, he holds steady.
With Craig, I'd definitely say Casino Royale was his best outing as Bond, with Skyfall being a very close second. However, if we were talking scenes, NTTD's Cuban scene was really Craig's best Bond., and the Bond I'd wish we'd gotten more of during his tenure.
Very interesting question. In my opinion for Connery it was Goldfinger, for Moore it was Octopussy, for Dalton it was Licence To Kill, for Brosnan it was GoldenEye, and for Craig it was Skyfall. Here's my reasoning: Connery has fully realized the character of Bond by then and he's having more fun even though I think From Russia With Love is the better movie. Same with Moore in Octopussy; granted he does great work in The Spy Who Loved Me but in Octopussy he no longer is "playing" Bond, he IS Bond. He's having a lot fun and is just effortless in every scene. My favorite scene is him in the casino where he does the no look double six roll with Kamal Khan's loaded dice. "Double sixes. Fancy that." So awesome haha. In Licence To Kill, Dalton has gone down a different route than Connery, Lazenby, and Moore and plays Bond as a gritty 80s action star while still maintaining the spirit of the character. With GoldenEye Brosnan is again effortless and knows how to play Bond in every scene. Like you said GoldenEye feels like it's his third movie not his first. I almost picked Tomorrow Never Dies as his peak because Brosnan is playing Bond as funnier than in GE. Maybe those eight years between him losing the role thanks to Remington Steele getting renewed and him getting finally getting cast helped him flesh out the character haha. And finally with Skyfall, Craig like Connery in GF has fully realized the character and is playing him as the depressed alcoholic who still somehow has it in him to be a secret agent as Fleming created. Great video! This question is a lot less cut and dry than I though it would be.
When did each James Bonds' haircut reach peak performance? Connery- Thunderball Moore- The Man with the Golden Gun Dalton- The Living Daylights Brosnan- GoldenEye Craig- Casino Royale After their initial outings Brosnan went too high and tight, Craig too short and flat. Dalton in Licence has the casino "back and high hairdo" working against him, and Living is just all around better style. A tiny bit more length in Gun was just right for Rog.
Brosnan’s performance in TWINE is fantastic. For a love at first sight story, I really believed it. And then his fury down in the bunker when Renard is needling him about Elektra is electric.
Connery - FRWL or GF or TB depending on when you ask me Moore - TSWLM Dalton - TLD or LTK depending on when you ask me Brozza - TND or TWINE or DAD depending on when you ask me Craig - SF but sometimes CR challenges it for the throne
From Russia with Love is probably my favorite Connery Bond movie. The book was very good as well. I liked all of the underwater action in Thunderball and I like to watch it when I'm missing going snorkeling but I think that From Russia with Love was better at showing Connery as Bond without having to rely on tons of flashy gadgets. It seemed to be more believable.
I do have to say that it's hard for me with Craig as I like all his performances and really the films are hard to separate from the performances. But I do have to agree with you after rewatching 'Casino Royale' recently, I still plant it as my favorite Bond film and performance. Though a close second is 'No Time to Die' because it is so different in knowing it would be his final performance; something almost no other actor knew that it would be. Brosnan, have to say my favorite performance is probably his third in The World is Not Enough. I'm just partial to it because it is a little more vulnerable in a way, and different from what you mentioned in the 'Die Another Day' though I definitely see your point in that one. But again, none of his performances were bad really. Dalton, I do wish we got one more with him, if nothing else to establish a tone. Because the way most people see it, the first one is classic fun bond and the second is his dark broody performance. I do love both in their own way. I'll agree with you on License to Kill but just barely. He gets more meat to chew on in that film, but I still think his performance in 'The Living Daylights' is so good. Admitedly I haven't seen all of Moore's yet, so it may not be fair to say. But I'll go with 'Spy Who Loved Me' as a placeholder. Though I'm interested in seeing what his performance in 'For Your Eyes Only' does for me. Connery I actually have to go with 'From Russia With Love' because I do like the more grounded approach. Doesn't mean I don't like the more fantasy fun Bond or that he gives a lesser performance in 'Goldinger'(clearly), just for personal taste, that is my favorite.
i was originally thinking this was every Bond's peak down to the moment, i think that would be cool to see since there are just so many great moments to see
Great vid as always! I have Goldeneye and Casino, completely agree on octopussy and gold finger. Rewatched the latter last week and Connery is just magic!!!
Connery was great in NSNA- the film itself was a bit dull. Craig felt most original in CR and QoS, with NTTD having his most Roger/Brosnan-like moments (w/ some Benoit Blanc in the Jamaica and Interrogation scenes). Dalton was good in TLD imo. He could pull off a light-hearted Bond but LTK was the darkest, more tailored for him. Brosnan was consistent in all films.
Easy: Sean Connery = GoldFinger Roger Moore = Octopussy Timothy Dalton = The Living Daylights Pierce Brosnan = Tomorrow Never Dies Daniel Craig =Casino Royale Also Die Another Day is actually a rather good movie, if you can suspend your disbelief of all the mad contraptions and terrible CGI tsunamis then it's actually a good film. Brosnan is excellent, Halle Berry is excellent, the action is top notch, I mean that chase in the Ice palace is amazing in my opinion, plus there's a million and one references to previous Bond films... What more do you want ( apart from everything i mentioned before).
Ooo what an interesting topic. Peak performances for me would have to be: Connery - Russia Moore - Moonraker Dalton - Licence Brosnan - GoldenEye Craig - Casino
Trend seems to be that earlier outings beat later ones. My list: Connery - Thunderball Laz - 1 hour into OHMSS Moore - Golden Gun Dalton - License to Kill Brosnan - GoldenEye Craig - Casino Royale
I honestly think that both Brosnan and Craig hit their stride right out the gate with their debut films, and not in a negative way. They just both nailed their debuts.
Indeed~
(Brosnan for his 1st and 3rd; Craig for his 1st)
Both directed by Martin Campbell, I wonder if that's part of the reason.
@@davidjames579 Likewise. He just seems to understand Bond really well.
Agree about Craig.
Brosnan was pretty good in GE. But to me he was a lot better in both TWINE and TND.
Disagree
Sean = From Russia With Love (Goldfinger a close second)
Roger = The Spy Who Loved Me
Tim = License to Kill (both are great though)
Pierce = Tomorrow Never Dies
Daniel = Casino Royale
Great video as usual Calvin
I happen to agree with every one of those selections (per actor).
based opinion
That just tells how amazing Tim is
George Lazenby = On Her Majesty’s Secret Service😅
I believe my argument for CASINO ROYALE being PEAK CRAIG is that I feel that if "Casino Royale" was just one movie, it would still feel complete. If there was no more Connery after Dr. No, Connery wouldn't feel the same; no more Roger after Live and Let Die, Roger wouldn't be the same; the same for Brosnan in GoldenEye. But if for some reason Casino Royale was a one-off, nothing would be missing, and Craig would still be beloved and hailed as a great Bond actor.
Great video as always, but I'd like to make a case for Roger Moore's performance in For Your Eyes Only being his peak as 007. Like The Spy Who Loved Me, he gets to show a great range of what his Bond is capable of. He's suave and sophisticated and witty throughout, but also tough and tenacious, with an emotional undercurrent that buoys the more dramatic scenes. Roger was a little older at this point - he turned 53 during filming - but I think he brilliantly coveys a seasoned, more experienced version of James Bond. He's not too smarmy or too serious, and gets the balance just perfect for me.
Bond kicking Locque's car off that cliff is my favorite Moore moment.
(Even if Roger wasn't particularly fond of it himself 😊)
I like when he says "Before setting out for revenge dig two graves". There's a lot of weary experience in that, and although it's a comedic situation, Bond's handling of the Bibi problem shows depth to the character, and he's not just a sex machine.
Agreed!
Although Lazenby had one film, I say he peaked at the final scene wherein Bond's sadness and his professional dissociation push and pull while mourning Tracy's death. I think if he had continued, he would have peaked in DAF or, if he had also been in FYEO, that.
It's interesting to note that Lazenby actually wanted to cry when doing the ending [given that was his real life reaction when reading the book] but was talked out of it.
Bless that man's soul
No doubt Lazenby would have been better in DAF than Connery was. At least Lazenby would have tried.
100% agreed.
@@frankb821 Agreed but I also think DAF would've been a much better movie all around had Lazenby and Hunt stayed involved.
I love your unapologetic adoration of Moonraker and Rogers performance in it. I could not agree more that he is just so wonderfully fun and comfortable throughout the film, which keeps a smile on my face every minute.
The one hardest for me to decide is which movie Lazenby hit his peak
Ummmm Calvin....... Connery's best is in Never Say Never again of course!!!! 😁
🤷♂️🤦♂️😂
Definitely!! Without a doubt
📽😆
I don’t agree, but I like your moxie.
While NSNA has its issues, the idea of an older more obsolete Bond could be interesting.
I will say Dr No for Connery. In fact, the exact moment he peaked was his very first scene where he said ‘Bond, James Bond’. Somehow that one simple phrase immediately established who the character of James Bond is. One of the most iconic line deliveries in cinema history.
I can't believe I've never noticed the Brosnan 'EH?' in DAD before! 😂
Much like how when Moore’s “well”‘s were pointed out to me, it’s all I can hear now 😂😅
@@calvindyson Between Moore's ''well's'' and the ''Hahaha! OOOoooohhhh!!' at the end, it's all I hear in AVTAK. 😂 Looks like I'm going to have to give DAD another watch now, EH? 🤣
@@neilhenderson9805 Just watch Pierce's interviews and see how many times he says "you know?"
@@davidjames579 I fear that this is the beginning of a Brosnan drinking game!
He does it in The World is Not Enough too
Sean Connery - Goldfinger
George Lazenby - On Her Majestys Secret Service
Roger Moore - For Your Eyes Only
Tim Dalton - License To Kill
Pierce Brosnan - Tommorow Never Dies
Daniel Craig - Skyfall
Skyfall to me, is kack!
Skyfall is a terrible film.
Are you sure that's Lazenby's best?
For Your Eyes Only is my favorite Moore Bond
@@mr.sinjin-smyth an excellent film. The ski chase in Cortina is one of the best in the franchise.
Die Another Day as a movie is patchy at best but the tube station scene with M is one of the most amazing scenes in any Bond film - its something straight out of another movie completely
Brosnan also did well in the stunts/action he did himself, and remained a straight man to the bitter end against a caval of anime villains. Gotta hand it to him.
Connery: Goldfinger
Lazenby: The closer towards Tracy's death scene, the better he gets
Moore: The Spy Who Loved Me. Would say FYEO, but his performance is quite different there, sure it's a sign he can do dramatic stuff very well, but it doesn't seem right putting it as his peak.
Dalton: Licence to Kill
Brosnan: The World Is Not Enough
Craig: Skyfall, he seems more at ease than in Casino Royale, even if he doesn't have as much to work with.
My favorite Lazenby Bond moment is right before Tracy finds him in the village. Blofeld’s henchmen are closing in on him, and he finally just sits down and accepts defeat. Then Tracy shows up and helps him escape, and that’s when Bond realizes that he does love her.
Calvin, agreed on Brosnan in Die Another Day -- if the movie itself had risen to the level of his committed performance, we might have had something.
DAD really does seem to be pulling between being two different types of Bond movie.
It's a shame because the first third or so of Die Another Day is so good.
@@BB-te8tcThe first third is a great film stuffed up the ass of a junk food Michael Bay action film the way you'd stuff a turkey's ass on Thanksgiving.
I see Craig’s films as the stages of grief after Vesper’s death in CR. You have anger in QoS, depression in Skyfall, somewhat bargaining in Spectre and acceptance in NTTD.
Tomorrow Never Dies always felt like a James Bond coop video game especially having a proto Uncharted vibe IMO
It did become a video game ps1
This may be a controversial opinion, but my favorite Daniel Craig performance is in No Time to Die. I feel like he struck the perfect balance of “cold calculating killing machine” that his series was trying for and “classic smooth Bond” that I always enjoyed
Craig’s Casino Royale performance is not only his best Bond performance, but I genuinely think that performance deserved some award consideration. It is a masterful balancing act of brutality, charm, vulnerability and arrogance.
Philip Seymour Hoffman won Best Actor for Capote that year. And he's dead now, so it would be unrespectable to say that Craig deserved it more.
Craig's performance in Casino Royale was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actor, losing to Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.
Being the home team, the British Academy is more charitable towards Bond than any other.
@@BenCol Whitaker deserved that BAFTA.
@@BenCol didn’t know that, cool to hear!
Can't stand the guy, his performances were terrible, watched the first, never watched another.
This channel shows there are more way to cook an egg than we'd imagine. Always entertained by your new takes on well-trodden ground.
I agree with you on Brosnan"s best performance is in Die Another Day. He gives it everything despite the films many short comings. Always thought it was a shame he didn't get to do one more.
With Daniel Craig, I actually was very suprised at how James Bondy and fun he was having in SPECTRE that it was sad that it didnt carry on into NTTD. I kinda want to go with that movie for him in a way as I still really enjoy him in that.
In Casino Royale I have to say, the lines "I have an ich down there, would you mind?" and "every penny of it" kinda feels like a left over line from a Draft that had Pierce Brosnan originally. not a bad thing though but I don't hear lines like that again in the other Daniel Craig films so much.
Thats really good of you to talk about Die another Day Calvin and focus on what Pierce does get right with that film. It was his idea after all to have Bond captured and tortured and you can see why he wanted that. He certainly wanted to put Bond in a new challenge and have him lose, especially after making 3 movies, he wanted a change.
Ha if you watch Brosnan in interveiws he does tend to say "in a word...No/Yes" like he does on the beach in Goldeneye, so even in that film there could have been a little ab libbing of such.
I will say for Dalton, and even though it was all last minute casting on TLD and LTK went through a writers strike, his 3rd movie would have nailed his performance. I'd like to know how much script work was done on TLD after he was cast in order to try and fit his personae in the film?
the monents like "Stuff my orders" and "I got the message" I wonder if they were there in early drafts or if it was a quick rewrite when it came to shooting.
Even though Roger only came back as Bond after Mooraker for the money, he still gave it his all in those movies following. That cant be easy to be in a clown costume while a Nuke could go off.
With Roger in Moonraker, he's sooooo Roger Moore in that that he doesn't even need to fire a gun or a moonraker lazer in that movie to stop the bad guys :)
Connery I'll defo go with Goldfinger. But something tells me though that had Terrance Young have worked on Goldfinger I feel the transition from FRWL to Goldfinger would have been a lot smoother and I think Connery would have liked that more.
On top of the fact that the movie would have definitely not have had all the fantatsy elements that we've come to know and love. it would be very interesting to see what that film would have looked like.
But you'd never have the famous line "I must be dreaming" and millions of people around the world doing a Connery accent to go with it when saying the line ;)
Great as always man !!
Dalton finished shooting Brenda Starr on a Friday, and by the Monday he was on his first day of TLD. So his casting was very quick. I wonder how much of the script was tailored for first hire Brosnan though.
Great video as always Calvin.
I'd probably make a case for Dr No for Connery, straight out of the gate he was the coolest guy in the world.
Good point 👌
@@klaushergersheimer8315 How are things in G section?
@@spencerkindra8822 Testing Radiation Shields?
@@davidjames579 Still same old grind, you know?
@@spencerkindra8822 yes I’m up to my eyes in radiation shields 🛡️
Bond is actually a difficult character to play, i think. the literary Bond does a lot with an inner monologue, and is often fallible. its hard to show that. Connery does it well, he gets surprised a fair bit, and you can often see the wheels turning.
Oooo I like this video topic! Always coming up with quality ideas Calvin!
Glad you like them! :D
Sean Connery: "Thunderball"(1965). *** George Lazenby: "OHMSS"(1969). *** Roger Moore: "TSWLM"(1977). *** Timothy Dalton: "The Living Daylights"(1987). *** Pierce Brosnan: "GoldenEye"(1995). *** And yes, for me the James Bond franchise ended with DAD in 2002....................
Craig’s performance in Casino Royale is Oscar worthy I think
Agreed. He did get a deserved Bafta nomination for Best Actor
Craig: Casino Royale, helped I think by his chemistry with Eva Green. Their rapport bolsters his performance - maybe I'm just saying that because some of my favourite scenes from his tenure are the two of them together, like the train scene or when he tells her her cover name is Stephanie Broadchest.
Brosnan: I'd say TND - I really like the bits in the Hamburg Hotel, first with Paris and then with Dr Kaufman, but also I think he plays well off of Michelle Yeoh. I know I shouldn't base my judgment off of the scenes that stick in my head, but having not done an entire series watch-through in quite a while that's what I'll have to do, and those bits stick in my head as peak Brosnan.
Dalton: Licence to Kill - while I think he gives a great performance in TLD, it helps that LTK was tailor made for him and it plays to his strengths more.
Moore: I'd say Moonraker - TSWLM definitely feels the point when the filmmakers worked out what Moore's Bond was, but I'm giving it to Moonraker. Maybe because Moonraker was a film only Moore could've pulled off, or maybe because TSWLM has a disappointingly low amount of Safari Suit, and is it really truly a Moore performance if he's not rocking a Safari Suit at some point?
Connery: Goldfinger. I think he was really strong in Dr No and FRWL, but Goldfinger is where he gets the swagger down 100%.
'In the whole Roger Vs Sean debate which has been raging for the last 20 years I have to say I'm firmly in the Roger camp, I don't believe anyone else could wear a Safari Suit with the same degree of casulaity' Dr Alan G. Partridge.
Yet another great video, Calvin. I truly enjoy your content.
Thanks, Chris! I appreciate that very much 😁😁
Calvin thank you for pointing out Brosnan's "eh?" Tic 🤣😂 this is why I like your channel
Pretty much agree with you on everything, and I'm definitely a Moore fan. Possibly I'd say that peak Lazenby was actually the very end when Tracy is killed and he just speaks softly, in his own voice, without crying. Otherwise agree.
It's well know now that Lazenby wanted to cry at the end but was talked out of it by Peter Hunt.
Great video idea! I love this.
I'm gonna go:
Spectre
TWINE
Daylights
TSWLM
OHMSS
Thunderball
Today was a really amazing day for me. And seeing that you uploaded makes it even better!
Daniel Craig’s best moment as Bond was the first 30 minutes of Casino Royale.
That foot chase and embassy shoot out is phenomenal.
And then he's at the poker table, having to wage psychological warfare with Mads using just his eyes, and does it even *better*
Sir Roger saw the skiing stunt at the beginning of 'the spy who loved me' and said it made him up his game.
I will never, ever get sick of seeing that clip of Cubby Broccoli claiming to be, in fact, Science Fact.
I'd say that all the Bonds gave a great performance in their debuts. It's interesting that this rule of thumb that 'third film is peak performance' sprung up because I'd hardly say any of the debuts show an actor struggling with the role, I think they all came out of the gate pretty well. Lazenby struggled the most, probably because he was a debut actor in a film that called for a lot of dramatic acting, but it's hardly a write-off. Moore is great in Life and Let Die - it's his second film where he wobbles a bit. Dalton struggles a bit with the Moore-ish one-liners but he's still able to make the role his own pretty successfully. But Connery, Brosnan and Craig all made the role their own straight away, I'd say, none of them needed time to 'settle in' as it were.
Just realised autocorrect changed 'Live and Let Die' to 'Life and Let Die'. Or maybe it was just my stubby thumbs hitting the wrong button on my phone keyboard.
I do know what I'm talking about, I swear!
Moore did.
Good point about Moore. LALD was Tom Mankiewicz solo and when the regular writer Richard Maibaum was brought in for 'Golden Gun' re-writers he seemed to still be writing for Connery which didn't help Moore as did the rushed production but fortunately Maibaum did adapt to Moore's preferences from 'Spy' onwards.
Roger Moore walked into a cinema me and my parents were at once and sat two rows behind us. It was a Sunday and it was empty (Leicester Square) and the film was Meteor with Sean Connery. Anyway, I'll always remember that. My dad passed 2 years ago and I only recently learnt that he had worked CIA making that encounter even stranger
Before I watch the video, I'm going to post my list of peak Bond performances and see if my list tallies with yours. 😄
Connery - my first thought originally went to Goldfinger, however I actually think that his "peak" performance was most definitely Thunderball. It was the final film he did where he did not look bored and also showed effort.
Lazenby - No need to say, but his "peak" moment was most definitely the end of the movie.
Moore - For Your Eyes Only. Moore very much at his best before he begins to slow down in the latter two movies.
Dalton - LTK.
Brosnan - It has to be TWINE.
Craig - Although I really hate the movie, it has got to be Skyfall for Craig. It is, again like Connery, the movie where he still shows interest in the role.
"I don't think he's given a bad performance as james bond", GE reloaded:
Brosnan saying Eh? is a tick of his. He also says it in Taffin (1988)
I do the Roger Moore “well” linguistic tick very often in speech.
To paraphrase Pierce Brosnan; "I can't remember anything after Goldeneye"
It depends on how you define a great performance, but in terms of comfort, most Bond actors reach their peak in their third outing. Of course, many Bond actors start to lose their enthusiasm by their fifth or sixth outing.
Agree with so much of this review. Weirdly I think Lazenby’s interpretation of bond peaked in the early 2000s. That’s when everyone else seemed to catch up on what a great movie ohmss is.
I’ve always felt that every Bond actor starts with a much more serious take on the character and they tend to be more comedic performances as their respective series goes on.
I think you've got to be right about that, because No Time To Die certainly was a (sad) joke. 😅
For Craig, yes Casino Royale is an outstanding performance, after seeing the film back in 2006, I was left wanting more with his interpretation of the character
I would have to respectfully disagree and say Brosnan’s peak is The World Is Not Enough, he really gives a gritty performance and plays the personal conflict with Elektra very well. He is cool and dashing as ever and is fantastic throughout the hard hitting action in the pre title sequence.
Daltons peak is definitely Licence to Kill for me, as Dalton really chews up the dark material that film brings.
I feel The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker and Octopussy could all be peak for Roger Moore as he owns those movies in ways Sean Connery maybe couldn’t.
And with Sean Connery it’s a toss up between From Russia with Love and Goldfinger, both are my all time favorites, and I feel his confidence thrives in both films.
I like Pierce in The living Daylights...........oh....sorry I meant I like Pierce in his 5th movie Casino Royale........ahhh Damn it Ive done it again :(
Yes I completely agree with you!
Agree with you on Roger Moore, The Spy who Loved me was his finest, but i enjoyed his others(apart from A view t a Kill, he was way to old by then), Didn't care for Dalton, but cared even less for Craig, i just can't stand him and the direction the films went, for me they are not Bond films, they just try rival the Bourne movies.
I started really loving World is not Enough many years ago on a re-watch when it suddenly 'clicked' with me that Sophie Marceau was the REAL Bond villain (not the forgettable 'Renard'). But, the performance that really sells the movie is Marceau's, not Brosnan's. She plays the part of 'wounded doll' who's really a cold-blooded criminal mastermind expertly. And I think she so far outshines Brosnan to call it his 'best'.
Connery - Goldfinger
Lazenby - Every fight scene (which was the best in the series at the time, minus the Train scene in FRWL)
Moore - Moonraker
Dalton - Licence to Kill
Brosnan - Tomorrow Never Dies
Craig - Casino Royale
In my opinion Pierce brosnan Best performance in the world is not enough he gave so amazing
Agreed. Brosnan in "World" shows he was looking to bring a more serious edge back to the character...years before the influence of Jason Bourne & Nolan's Batman.
I think deciding each actor's peak is actually pretty hard but I'll try and do a list.
Daniel Craig: Casino Royale
Pierce Brosnan: Goldeneye
Timothy Dalton: Licence to Kill
Roger Moore: The Spy who Loved Me
George Lazenby: last 3rd of OHMSS
Sean Connery: From Russia with Love
The Spy Who Loved Me is easily my favourite Moore film, but I think his best performance was For Your Eyes Only.
Great list Calvin! For me it would go:
Sean Connery - Thunderball
Roger Moore - Moonraker (I’ve really come to love this film 😄)
Timothy Dalton - The Living Daylights
Pierce Brosnan - The World is Not Enough
Daniel Craig - Skyfall
Connery - From Russia With Love
Lazenby - On Her Majesty’s.. Even though this was his only film and is one of faves (maybe my actual favourite) I’m not sure he did come into his own comfortably as Bond
Moore - The Spy Who Loved Me
Dalton - License to Kill
Brosnan - Goldeneye - not only was it far and away his strongest film as Bond but I feel his performance peaked in this one and then kind of went downward, but that could be my bias towards the quality of the films’ downturn
Craig - Casino Royale - again, right out the gate Craig was swinging and proving to all that Bond could be blonde (remember when the media and schoolyards were obsessed with this trivial fact). Arguably Skyfall could be put here instead though, he did wonderfully there but the focus so heavily on Dench takes away from that a bit so I’m gonna stick with Casino.
Craig - NTTD: Just loads of personality, humour, great dialogue and some genuine humility.
Brosnan - Goldeneye: Hit the ground running with this one, the fact that it’s a great film helps but for me he was never better.
Dalton - LTK: Cool and moody and ruthless.
Moore - For Your Eyes Only: a relatively more down to Earth Bond and Moore’s performance here is his most human IMO, incorporating many of his trademark Bond elements but with additional humility.
Lazenby - n/a
Connery - Goldfinger: cool, influential and debonair.
I think Craig is at his most cinematic Bond in No Time to Die. That movie felt like it was a movie composed of episodes that showed what Craig would be like in Bond movies of the pre-Craig era. The Cuba scene feels like Octopussy, for example.
If we're talking purely about quality of performance, I think Craig gives the best performance of his entire run in NTTD. It may not be the most "Bond-y" performance, but that man really brings his A-game in that film.
Otherwise for me it's Goldfinger for Connery, The Spy Who Loved Me for Moore, Licence to Kill for Dalton, Die Another Day for Brosnan (my least favourite Bond film, but Brosnan just got better with each instalment), and The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. for Lazenby (sorry).
I’m so glad to see you agree DAD is best brosnan performance! I’m right there with you!!! And totally agree about Moonraker and Octopussy being best Rog!!!! Loving your takes today haha
With Brosnan, IIRC Martin Campbell has been very honest he was well aware of Brosnan's acting ticks and worked hard to direct him to minimise them as much as possible. You can argue for or against that, but it's definitely why the "Eh" and "GHHHNNNNGGHHH" grunts increase every film afterwards.
It reminds me how Nicholas Myer worked hard to tone down William Shatner's usual style of acting on Wrath of Khan.
I love how cool Connery is in Dr. No, but I also love how campy he is in Diamonds Are Forever!
Really interesting topic for a video Calvin!! Us fans have always used the third film being the best performance wise but when you really look and dive into the matter formally like you have here it really makes you wonder!! Fantastic content as usual sir!!
i'll agree wit you there man, all ways great to see you here man :)
Such an interesting video idea. This is an absolutely ridiculous idea, but I’d be pretty curious to see someone attempt to rank every bond performance. The lists would vary like crazy between people but it’s so hard to quantify who gives best performances as all the actors are so good
I'm inclined to agree with all of your choices, especially Moonraker for Moore. And if there is one thing to praise highly in Die Another Day, it's Brosnan himself. The man really did get better with every performance, which is probably why it was very disappointing for this Bond fan when they announced his departure from the role.
I feel like some of the older Bond actors, like Connery and Moore easily had their best in the middle of their tenures... However, I feel some of the newest ones, like Dalton, Brosnan, or Craig are so damn consistent in their performances (minus Craig's Spectre). Sorry Lazenby, I suppose his peak is easy to see.
But I agree, Craig, he's difficult to put in 'peak performance'... But Dalton and Brosnan are easily the most consistent, no wonder they're my favorites...
Another reason why we needed a third Dalton film.
They ought to make a graphic novel based on Dalton's third unmade 007 film (just like they did with the second draft of William Gibson's *ALIEN 3* and Dan O'Ban-non's original vision of *ALIEN),* with his permission to use his likeness of course, since they ap-parently couldn't use his likeness for the *Licence To Kill* comic.
@@JOSH-lw2jv And get Dirk Maggs to do an accompanying audio drama, like they did with William Gibson's Alien 3.
In fact, just more Bond audio dramas all around would be really cool.
@@JOSH-lw2jv In an ideal world that would be cool though Bond does hold onto the script in order to cherry pick ideas for later instalments [such as the opening of TND coming from a deleted stretch of Living Daylights] and there is probably copyright issues but the theory is good, especially as it would be a cool niche addition.
@@BenCol I guess your allowed to do audio from the novel's given we have audiobooks and the BBC radio adaptions. I'm not really sure what the deal is regarding the movies is given it's not really happened before [I agree a Big Finish audio series for older Bonds would be cool].
@@jamesatkinsonja I suppose it depends on whether you do a deal with Ian Fleming Publications or Danjaq, and how many movie-specific elements you use. I assume Jarvis & Ayres (who did the radio plays for BBC Radio 4) dealt with IFP considering their plays are adaptations of the Fleming books IFP own the rights to and don't use any Danjaq-owned stuff like the Monty Norman theme. Not sure if IFP can grant the rights to make original audio dramas though - according to the copyright page of every Bond book I own, Danjaq owns the trademarks on 'James Bond' and '007' that IFP uses under licence. IFP did licence out the character for the Dynamite comic books, but I assume whatever contract IFP and Danjaq have gave IFP comic book rights, as long as they don't use elements introduced in the films. Maybe IFP can do the same with audio dramas, but they wouldn't star any former Bond actors and they'd have to refer to Major Boothroyd as such and never as Q.
Certainly to make an audio-movie with the film actors, characters and music you'd have to get the rights from Danjaq.
Thanks for the amazing video
I agree 100 % with Moonraker for Moore. That was the film that cemented him as my favorite.
Love this idea for a video! I'd be curious to hear a discussion of each actor's debut performances too. While I think Calvin makes a great argument for his list, I'd have to say that Roger's performance in For Your Eyes Only is one of his best for me. He has so many subtle nuances in that outing. Seeing him by the grave of his wife allows him to say so much with so little. He has the depth to have the darkest scene of his tenure, as well as his most affable shrug to General Gogol at the end. Glad to see some DAD love though :)
I've agree that while Goldfinger may be Conmery's best performance as Bond, You Only Live Twice is by far my favourite of his films and Bond film in general
Great video calvin for me peak performance of all 007 actors connery goldfinger, lazenby OHMSS, Moore Spy Who Loved Me, Dalton the living daylights, brosnan tomorrow never dies, Craig casino Royale
Connery - Thunderball (he looks amazing in this and he does the one-liners superbly). Moore - Live And Let Die (slipped into the role just fine because he was more or less still playing Simon Templar). Dalton - Licence To Kill (nearest to Fleming's Bond on screen). Brosnan - Die Another Day (have to agree with you, Calvin. He's very good in it. DAD is a guilty pleasure of mine!). Craig - Casino Royale (again, I agree. Some top acting here. The scene on the train with Vesper is one of the great Bond moments for me)
Thanks Mr. Dyson!
Oh Yeah!!!!! Here we go!!!! Bond Time!!!!!! 😅
I got to say I will personally stick with the 3rd film peak rule! Although Golden Eye, Casino Royale and Licence to Kill are some of my favourites films in the entire series. There is something about their presence in the 3rd films that just feels grand and very Bond!
Connery - Depending on your definition. His peak Fleming is FRWL, his peak performance is Goldfinger
Lazenby - We have 1 to choose from, next.
Moore - Peak performance TSWLM, peak Fleming FYEO
Dalton - Never had a bad movie for me but peak Fleming was TLD, Peak film was LTK.
Brosnan - Peak performance was TWINE both Fleming and for himself.
Craig - Peak performance and Fleming was Casino Royale.
Surely that flick about the volcano named after a pre renaissance writer was Brosnan's Peak? Huh? HUH?
Never mind. Great work as ever dude.
When it comes to George Lazenby in his one and only bond film, I think he peaked as Bond during the barn scene with Tracy and from that point forward he shows off a good balance of witty, anger with M and decent action scenes and emotional heartbreak with the death of his wife.
But that's just my opinion
TND is my favorite Brosnan film, but acting wise, yes his performance DAD is his best. I say this because despite the preposterous story and script that doesn’t really deal with Bond’s possible trauma from his incarceration and torture, plus over the top, inconsistent direction, he holds steady.
When each actor peaked as bond:
Connery: Goldfinger
Moore: The Spy Who Loved Me
Dalton: License To Kill
Brosnan: Tomorrow Never Dies
Craig: Skyfall
With Craig, I'd definitely say Casino Royale was his best outing as Bond, with Skyfall being a very close second. However, if we were talking scenes, NTTD's Cuban scene was really Craig's best Bond., and the Bond I'd wish we'd gotten more of during his tenure.
Very interesting question. In my opinion for Connery it was Goldfinger, for Moore it was Octopussy, for Dalton it was Licence To Kill, for Brosnan it was GoldenEye, and for Craig it was Skyfall. Here's my reasoning: Connery has fully realized the character of Bond by then and he's having more fun even though I think From Russia With Love is the better movie. Same with Moore in Octopussy; granted he does great work in The Spy Who Loved Me but in Octopussy he no longer is "playing" Bond, he IS Bond. He's having a lot fun and is just effortless in every scene. My favorite scene is him in the casino where he does the no look double six roll with Kamal Khan's loaded dice. "Double sixes. Fancy that." So awesome haha. In Licence To Kill, Dalton has gone down a different route than Connery, Lazenby, and Moore and plays Bond as a gritty 80s action star while still maintaining the spirit of the character. With GoldenEye Brosnan is again effortless and knows how to play Bond in every scene. Like you said GoldenEye feels like it's his third movie not his first. I almost picked Tomorrow Never Dies as his peak because Brosnan is playing Bond as funnier than in GE. Maybe those eight years between him losing the role thanks to Remington Steele getting renewed and him getting finally getting cast helped him flesh out the character haha. And finally with Skyfall, Craig like Connery in GF has fully realized the character and is playing him as the depressed alcoholic who still somehow has it in him to be a secret agent as Fleming created. Great video! This question is a lot less cut and dry than I though it would be.
For Lazenby his peak performance in OHMSS is the very ending. I always tear up watching him mourn for Tracey.
Thank you! You're the only person I'm seen or met besides myself who's willing to give Die Another Day some respect.
When did each James Bonds' haircut reach peak performance?
Connery- Thunderball
Moore- The Man with the Golden Gun
Dalton- The Living Daylights
Brosnan- GoldenEye
Craig- Casino Royale
After their initial outings Brosnan went too high and tight, Craig too short and flat. Dalton in Licence has the casino "back and high hairdo" working against him, and Living is just all around better style. A tiny bit more length in Gun was just right for Rog.
Connery: Goldfinger
Moore: The Spy Who Loved Me
Dalton: The Living Daylights
Brosnan: Goldeneye
Craig: Skyfall
I’m surprised no one has said Craig’s peak was Glass Onion.
Brosnan’s performance in TWINE is fantastic. For a love at first sight story, I really believed it. And then his fury down in the bunker when Renard is needling him about Elektra is electric.
George Lazenby peaked with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
No, with Return Of The Man From UNCLE
@@davidjames579 I’ve never heard of that motion picture.
@@MrStuDubb The forgotten Third Contender in the 1983 Battle of the Bonds.
Connery - FRWL or GF or TB depending on when you ask me
Moore - TSWLM
Dalton - TLD or LTK depending on when you ask me
Brozza - TND or TWINE or DAD depending on when you ask me
Craig - SF but sometimes CR challenges it for the throne
From Russia with Love is probably my favorite Connery Bond movie. The book was very good as well. I liked all of the underwater action in Thunderball and I like to watch it when I'm missing going snorkeling but I think that From Russia with Love was better at showing Connery as Bond without having to rely on tons of flashy gadgets. It seemed to be more believable.
Thanks, that was a fun dive.
We all know that Lazenbys peak was in his second movie
I do have to say that it's hard for me with Craig as I like all his performances and really the films are hard to separate from the performances. But I do have to agree with you after rewatching 'Casino Royale' recently, I still plant it as my favorite Bond film and performance. Though a close second is 'No Time to Die' because it is so different in knowing it would be his final performance; something almost no other actor knew that it would be.
Brosnan, have to say my favorite performance is probably his third in The World is Not Enough. I'm just partial to it because it is a little more vulnerable in a way, and different from what you mentioned in the 'Die Another Day' though I definitely see your point in that one. But again, none of his performances were bad really.
Dalton, I do wish we got one more with him, if nothing else to establish a tone. Because the way most people see it, the first one is classic fun bond and the second is his dark broody performance. I do love both in their own way. I'll agree with you on License to Kill but just barely. He gets more meat to chew on in that film, but I still think his performance in 'The Living Daylights' is so good.
Admitedly I haven't seen all of Moore's yet, so it may not be fair to say. But I'll go with 'Spy Who Loved Me' as a placeholder. Though I'm interested in seeing what his performance in 'For Your Eyes Only' does for me.
Connery I actually have to go with 'From Russia With Love' because I do like the more grounded approach. Doesn't mean I don't like the more fantasy fun Bond or that he gives a lesser performance in 'Goldinger'(clearly), just for personal taste, that is my favorite.
i was originally thinking this was every Bond's peak down to the moment, i think that would be cool to see since there are just so many great moments to see
Great vid as always! I have Goldeneye and Casino, completely agree on octopussy and gold finger. Rewatched the latter last week and Connery is just magic!!!
Here's my choices:
Connery- Thunderball
Lazenby- OHMSS
Moore- Moonraker
Dalton- Licence to Kill
Brosnan- TWINE
Dalton- Skyfall
Connery was great in NSNA- the film itself was a bit dull.
Craig felt most original in CR and QoS, with NTTD having his most Roger/Brosnan-like moments (w/ some Benoit Blanc in the Jamaica and Interrogation scenes).
Dalton was good in TLD imo. He could pull off a light-hearted Bond but LTK was the darkest, more tailored for him.
Brosnan was consistent in all films.
Lazenby, Dalton and Craig my favourite most kick Arse Realistic 007 Bond !
Easy:
Sean Connery = GoldFinger
Roger Moore = Octopussy
Timothy Dalton = The Living Daylights
Pierce Brosnan = Tomorrow Never Dies
Daniel Craig =Casino Royale
Also Die Another Day is actually a rather good movie, if you can suspend your disbelief of all the mad contraptions and terrible CGI tsunamis then it's actually a good film. Brosnan is excellent, Halle Berry is excellent, the action is top notch, I mean that chase in the Ice palace is amazing in my opinion, plus there's a million and one references to previous Bond films... What more do you want ( apart from everything i mentioned before).
Ooo what an interesting topic. Peak performances for me would have to be:
Connery - Russia
Moore - Moonraker
Dalton - Licence
Brosnan - GoldenEye
Craig - Casino
Trend seems to be that earlier outings beat later ones. My list:
Connery - Thunderball
Laz - 1 hour into OHMSS
Moore - Golden Gun
Dalton - License to Kill
Brosnan - GoldenEye
Craig - Casino Royale
Dr No said it best! "Your merely a detective." 😅