0 voters
Bond vs. Obanno (CR) for me.
I thought the hardest on this category. I think Obanno and Slate are in isolation DC’s two best - yet…because of the quality across the category I plumped for Fisher as it felt like the most “important” punch-up. In the same way that Brozza v Bean is the climax of GE, then it edges in front for him…
This is a tough category. I like Bond/Obanno–an intense fight for an intense Bond (though it loses half of one point for how long it takes Vesper to respond to Obanno reaching for the gun).
So it comes down to SPECTRE’s fights: I love both the helicopter fight and the Hinx fight, but will plump for Bond vs. Hinx because a) it is well-choreographed as it moves through the train; b) Madeleine is a more effective partner than Vesper; and c) it has grace notes recalling both Connery Bond and Moore Bond which deepen its watching. Also, every time I watch the helicopter fight, I feel it is a touch overlong.
I love the Obanno fight, which was and remains shockingly brutal.
But I’ve got to give it to Hinx, because Bond gets his butt handed to him. At this point in the series, Craig has bulldozered his way through legions of adversaries and smashed them like some kind of unstoppable machine. I used to call his films “Terminator in a Tux.” Finally we see his usual strategy – strike first, strike hard and get it over fast – fall to pieces. He puts everything into it from the start and Hinx shrugs it off. As the fight wears on, Craig’s got nothing left. He’s exhausted because he’s not used to things dragging out so long and he’s not as young as he used to be. For the first time, I was really considering maybe Bond is not going to survive.
I’m not generally a fan of Bond being saved by someone else – I never liked in TB even though it’s from the novel – but in this case, it works for me.
That said, out of context maybe it’s not his best fight: you have to know how his fights normally go to appreciate how differently this one unfolds. But I’m still voting for it.
Bond vs Hinx. A great oldfashion trainfight. I liked it a lot.
This might be the only time in my life I ever vote for QOS for anything, but I’m really impressed by Bond vs. Slate. It comes and goes at an ideal moment - raises the adrenaline and doesn’t outstay its welcome or interrupt the flow of the movie, insofar as it has any. It’s also the only action scene in the film that makes any sense.
Bond vs. Hinx is impressive but ultimately disappointing in some way - I’m not sure. Maybe Hinx needed to have more to him for it to deserve that kind of prominence as a set piece? Maybe it should have been a sting in the tail climax like we see in DAF or LALD? Very well mounted and executed though. Representative of Spectre as a whole - great work from all involved except the writers, who absolutely messed the bed. If any film can be fixed by a few minor tweaks to the script, it’s this one.
Bond vs Obanno sucks. It feels like they had an idea “Let’s fight on stairs!” and just left it at that. The way it unfolds just doesn’t sit as being natural. The music is awful. Craig’s stuntman annoys me on some weird animal level. The movie never looks more like a DTV Czech-filmedmartial arts action clunker than in that moment.
What I’m missing is the fight vs Molakka on the crane
Re the underwater fight vs Silva’s henchman: recently watched that scene and I wondered how it might be possible to choke someone in an underwater fight. No one is getting any air, anyway. At the end of the day, it’s just a competition about who can hold his breath for longer…
Forces the other one to reach for air quicker. Bond essentially drowned him.
Yes, the crane fight…
I’ve been thinking about that one some time - fight or chase? In the end I think the chase element is the defining trait here. Of course one might say that about Dalton’s first encounter too; also a number of other ones that change setting. It’s a no man’s land between the categories.
Hinx fight for me. I’m a big white dinner jacket fan and trains are classic Bond, so it’s two birds with one stone. The chat with Madeleine beforehand is actually one of my favourite Craig Bond moments, and one of my favourite pieces of music from Newman. Hinx being such a beast seals the deal.
Bond does an okay job at evading the attacks, and uses the environment to his advantage. But once the fight enters the kitchen he’s done. I like that Bond ultimately defeats him with assistance, and non-physically. It’s not just about intelligence but adding a degree of believability.
Quick reminder: polls are closing soon.
These are the winners: Bond vs Obanno 9 votes and Bond vs Hinx 6 votes.