It's been a while since I last did a top 5 list but my appetite for Bond has been whetted by the news that there will be Blu-Ray releases this year for Dr No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die and Die Another Day. Now, one of those films may be my least favourite Bond movie of all time (and another one of those is certainly bottom half of my league table) but nonetheless the news has me pumped.
So when I thought to myself "What top 5 should I tackle next?" the choice was obvious. Bond has been in my blood since I first saw The Spy Who Loved Me when I was five or six and I quickly became hooked on the series.
The first films I bought on DVD when I went to University were the Bond films and I watched and rewatched them throughout my time there, on at least two occassions marathoning the films and watching them back to back.
I have seen only two movies at the theatre - the last two - and I cannot wait to see Quantum of Solace on the big screen. Suggestions that we might see a return to the gadgets disappoint me but hopefully Daniel Craig's performance will give me something to really latch onto.
Without further ado - here are my top 5 Bond movies:
5. Licence to Kill - The two Dalton movies were the last two "classic" Bonds I saw but both rank amongst my favourites these days. Licence to Kill is an interesting picture - certainly darker and more bloody than other Bond films but with a focus on the character that I found irresistible. I love the way Bond's history is used to give him a personal connection to what is taking place - it really adds something to the storyline and helped me to invest in it.
Sure, this film has its flaws. It feels distinctly of its time period (but then, don't the films from the 60s and 70s?) and its female lead feels a little bland. However its dark humour and excellent action sequences are amongst the best the series ever offered and for that reason it makes the cut.
4. From Russia With Love - No doubt some people would accuse me of pushing out Goldfinger to make room for From Russia simply to be iconoclastic but permit me a second to make my case.
From Russia With Love is gritty and has three wonderful performances at its heart. Robert Shaw is superb as Red Grant - smart and brawny, he also has an intensity that complements Connery's style beautifully. The actress playing Rosa Klebb is a very different, interesting Bond villain - smart and manipulative.
The action sequences are excellent and the supporting cast of characters really stand out. Little wonder that Sean Connery himself lists it as his favourite movie from the series.
3. Live and Let Die - Moore's debut is thrilling and a real departure of style from the previous entries. The action is superb, the humour cheeky without being too over the top and it features the magnificent Jane Seymour.
It is a shame that Moore's Bond would quickly degenerate into wisecracks and eyebrow raising but here he is charming, ruthless and cold all at the same time. His best performance and one of the best Bond movies.
2. Casino Royale - No, not the Woody Allen version - this is the 2006 Bond blockbuster that really put the franchise back on the right track, at least as far as I am concerned. Daniel Craig is intense and really plays beautifully off Eva Green.
The romantic scenes between the two of them are full of tension and layers of understanding. There is one scene which gets to me every time. Not to mention a scene which holds the honour of being the only torture scene to make me laugh.
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Lastly my favourite Bond film and one of my favourite films, period. Lazenby is under-rated as Bond, turning in a gripping and emotional performance opposite Diana Rigg.
The setting is stunning (and definitely cries out for Blu Ray conversion) whilst the action is gripping. I love the texture of this film and the awkward alliance between Bond and Tracy's father.
There is so much going on here that at some point soon I'll have to give it a review-type post of its own, but from its opening scene to its self-aware quips to its sixties "free love" influences this never puts a foot wrong for me. It's just a shame that Lazenby did not want to do more of these - he could well have developed into a great Bond.