My Top 10 Favorite 007 Action Scenes
Friday, August 7, 2015
James Bond has been in some crazy action scenes and has survived more than a dozen un-survivable situations. With 26 movies, it’s really hard to narrow down his best action scenes because there’s so many good ones to choose from. However, I’ll keep the list simple and fast as I count down my personal top 10 favorite James Bond action scenes.
10. Bike Chase– “Never Say Never Again” (1983)
When Bonds partner is found dead at a hotel, he’s quick to pursue the assassin who turns out to be none other than the beautiful but deadly Fatima Blush. What follows is a thrilling motorcycle chase, complete with long jumps, awesome stunt work and several moments in which Bond is almost captured, but he and his chopper make a potent mix. There won’t be to many action scenes from the Sean Connery films, but this is one chase that’s more than worthy to be placed among the best.
9. Airplane Take Down– “Die Another Day” (2002)
When the sinister Gustav Graves and his deadly female assassin Miranda Frost take to the sky in a huge cargo plan, they quickly put their plans into motion to start a war on a global scale. Little do they know that James bond and his partner Jinx have stowed away on the vessel with the intent of bringing it down for good. What follows in one of the most over the top, yet thrilling finales of the whole series as Bond battles an enemy wearing super powered robotic suit, and our two leading ladies get into a sword fight. There’s lots of destruction, high stakes, terrific fight choreography, narrow escapes and no shortage of eye candy in this exciting climax.
8. Chase through Madagascar – “Casino Royale” (2006)
Talk about starting your movie out on a high note. As Bond is in hot pursuit of a criminal, it leads into a thrilling chase on foot throughout various areas in Madagascar. Featuring some impressive stunt work, a heart stopping fight on a crane, and some really big jumps, this is hands down the best opening action scene of any 007 movie and set the tone for Daniel Craig's grittier Bond series. Not much else to say here, it’s just a fast passed, beautifully shot and very well choreographed fight scene that stands as one of the films biggest highlights.
7. Marines in the Stratosphere – “Moonraker” (1979)
Holly Crap, it’s James Bond in outer space with no shortage of laser shoot-out’s and high-tech space station goodness. Never has a 007 adventure featured an action scene as wild and out of control as this, in fact it doesn’t even feel like it belongs in a James Bond movie, but here it is in all its Sci-Fi glory. When the evil Drax threatens to wipe out the planet and start a new, perfect civilization is space, James Bond leads an assault on the station to destroy it from within, while space marines are waging war outside with laser cannons and jet packs. It’s an all out space war with the fate of the world in the balance, and while it’s extremely over the top even for 007, it’s still entertaining as hell and the coolest battle scene of the series.
6. Boat Chase– “Live and Let Die” (1973)
The car chase is one of Bonds most classic action movie conventions, but sometimes it’s best to change things up a little, and arguably one of his most thrilling chasses is this boat chase from “Live and Let Die”. After Bond makes a desperate escape from a group of evil voodoo priests and drug lords, 007 finds himself racing down the river with armed bad guys not far behind. As if things weren’t complicated enough, a dopy redneck police officer named Sheriff Pepper gets cot up in the chase and is determined to capture both Bond and his pursuers, only to be humiliated at every turn. It’s a good long chase scene with memorable stunts, lots of excitement and one of the funniest supporting characters to be featured in the franchise.
5. Fiery Climax– “Quantum of Solace” (2008)
With the bad guys hiding in an Eco Hotel in the desert, James Bond and his female partner Camille launch an attack in an effort to stop their evil plans and seek vengeance for personal reasons. As soon as they attack the hotel it starts a chain reaction in which everything but the kitchen sink decides to spontaneously explode. Seriously, it’s the most flammable bad guy lair in film history, but it’s deeply thrilling to watch, with some high stakes, griping action and it’s more than satisfying to see our two anti-heroes’s put the bad guys in their proper place.
4. Red Neck Car Chase– “The Man with the Golden Gun” (1974)
When 007’s beautiful partner is captured and locked in the back of a car by the evil Scaramanga, Bond doesn’t hesitate to pursue. The catch is that Bond has taken an unexpected passenger with him for the ride, and that someone turns out to be none other than the goofy redneck Sheriff Pepper. Unlike the boat chase from “Live and Let Die”, Sheriff Pepper is thrilled to be with James Bond on this adventure. Complete with silly banter, cartoony sound effects and improbable stunts, this car chase is a perfect mix of awesome and hilarious. This has always been the classic formula for a James Bond style chase in which he has to pursue a villain who kidnapped a woman, but it’s just so much more memorable here and features one of 007 most enjoyably over the top stunts as he literally launches his car off a bridge and across a lake, making it perfectly to the other side.
3. Last Stand at Skyfall Manner – “Skyfall” (2012)
Yet another exciting climax but this time it has less to do with over the top spectacles and more of a subtle cat and mouse chase. As 007 and his accomplices are held up at Bonds old stomping grounds called the Skyfall ranch, they set up various “Home Alone” style traps and Bond pulls out his classic car which is armed to the teeth. The villains soon launch an all out house attack, covering lots of ground, raising the stakes with lots of explosions, gun fire and a villain hell bent on vengeance. It’s one of the most subtle, yet genuinely thrilling showdowns of the series, which builds to a devastating character death that nobody saw coming.
2. Ninja Assault– “You Only Live Twice” (1967)
Only a James Bond villain would build a base at the center of a volcano, and none other than the evil SPECTRE who’s got a deadly surprise at the center of his headquarters. Well, if you know James Bond, you know he won’t let the bad guys nuke the world, at least not without a fight. Instead of going in alone, James Bond has a team of armed ninjas at his back and that evens the odds a bit. It’s gun firing cronies versus well trained ninjas with swords and samurai stars. To sum things up, it’s an awesome climax and the best action scene to be featured in any of Sean Connery’s 007 films.
1. Remote Control BMW – “Tomorrow Never Dies” (1997)
Whenever I think of action scenes from James Bond, immediately the two things that come to mind are his gadgets and the car chases, so it’s no wonder that for my personal favorite 007 action scene it would be a combination of both. Now “Tomorrow Never Dies” has quiet the collection of memorable, Bond worthy action scenes, including a thrilling chase in which 007 and his Asian girlfriend are handcuffed together while driving a motorcycle and trying to outrun a helicopter, but the big one is the lobby chase. With bad guys filling up a massive indoor parking lot, Bond finds himself trapped and running low on options. Fortunately for Bond, he’s got a remote control BMW that’s equipped with missile launchers, sharp spikes and just about every accessory an agent needs. He doesn’t even need to be in the front seat, he just sits back as the car powers through various obstacle put in its path by the villains. It’s almost like a video game with each level of the parking lot delivering a new challenge to get past, and it all ends with one heck of an awesome stunt involving a car sailing off a high ledge. It’s inventive, it’s fast passed, it’s the definitive James Bond action scene and my absolute favorite from the series.
James Bond countdown will return in “My Top 10 James Bond Girls”.