One thing I will point out regarding Pierce Brosnan’s tenure is that he is the ONLY Bond actor not to have a mission based off an Ian Fleming novel OR short story. And I think his stint suffers a bit from that. George Lazenby with only one film, Timothy Dalton with two films, and even Daniel Craig who came after him got a bit of the Fleming treatment. Now that doesn’t excuse whatever problems Brosnan’s films may have had (and I love GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies), but it does leave a bit of a hole from his run.
But that said, I still think Brosnan was a great 007 and he gave it everything he had. He enjoyed being Bond and–at least at the time–everyone enjoyed him as Bond.
This is spot-on. Much of the Brosnan hate is revisionism. I’m fine with people disliking his portrayal and / or films, but many seem to presume that was always the case. The majority of the general public and fans alike did indeed like Brosnan at the time.
In a way this is the reverse of Dalton, whose films are finally garnering the appreciation they deserve.
Almost gave George his first vote! I mean, what’s more Bond than sneaking into a business he had no business getting into, thriving against the odds, and then walking away on a whim?
But alas, he only starred in my second favorite Bond movie.
As cliché as it has come to be, Pierce is and has been my Bond.
I would agree with that sharpshooter. George Lazenby was very good in the fights and his expressions–particularly during the fight with Che-Che–were also really good. You really do believe he’s actually fighting him. By the way, I’d rank Daniel Craig the second best 007 fighter with Sean Connery third and Roger Moore sixth.
Fourth and fifth is harder to determine. While in real life, I think Timothy Dalton would be a better fighter than Pierce Brosnan, he unfortunately, didn’t get a really good ground level fight to show his skills. His best ones are vs. Necros which was on a cargo net high in the air and against Franz Sanchez on the back of a moving tanker truck. Brosnan, meanwhile, had the excellent fight with Alec Trevelyan. As a result–based on what was shown on screen–I would rank Brosnan fourth and Dalton fifth. Had Dalton done more films I’m sure he would have been able to show off his fighting capability more and probably leaped over Brosnan.
You know, I quite liked Cary Grant’s performance of James Bond under the guise of Roger Thornhill in North By Northwest!
I only kid. I voted for Mr. Craig. I grew up with Pierce and loved his films as they came out. TWINE was my first Bond in theatres so that one always holds a special place in my heart. Still, I always dreamed about what it would have been like to see those early Connery Bond films on the big screen. I’d watch the John Cork documentaries about the lavish premieres and imagine the spectacle. I also found the subsequent searches for a new Bond in those documentaries extremely fascinating.
I got to finally experience all that in one go with Casino Royale. Since Pierce was my favorite at the time, I always assumed I’d be disappointed when he was no longer Bond. Instead, I found the 2002-2005ish period extremely exciting. A long search for Bond and a Fleming novel really got me excited. When Daniel Craig was finally announced, I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of him but was immediately intrigued and supportive.
Long story short - the film exceeded all expectations. That was what it must have been like to see a Connery Bond on the big screen, or at least as close as I will ever get. We repeated that again with Skyfall which, no doubt due to the 50th Anniversary, was a true event film.
QOS may have been a disappointing follow-up to CR and SPECTRE wasn’t as good as it should have been, but thanks to films 1 and 3 - Mr. Craig has sold me forever on his portrayal. Now let’s see what film number 5 can do…
Agreed. The editing style and overdubbing of the punches also created the vibe that Lazenby was fast and brutal. Take the scene when he emerges from the elevator to bash the Piz Gloria goon. He gets in about five quicks blows before knocking him out with an almighty crack. I also like the fact Lazenby is the youngest 007 actor in the history of the franchise. He was in the prime of his life.
The man is a joy to watch in interviews - constant gent. Him getting nervous about how good his NI accent was made me laugh. Good to know that, even at his stage of his career, you still get self conscious at how convincing your accent is.
Though on the topic - Craig (who has a regular bloke in the pub attitude to the above sort of interviews) would be my favourite, he gives Bond the prickly, slightly damaged, attitude that I think Bond should have, but I can’t deny that it was Brosnan’s complete control over any room performance that made me love the character in the first place.
Absolutely. I agree that Lazenby was the Bond that seemed the most believable and, also, the most book-like Bond. He was certainly the most credibly human Bond.
He’s also very probably the Bond actor I’d most like to meet.
It’s a tight race between the top two. As a characterization I lean a bit toward Dalton but Craig has had such dramatic material (and flourished with it) that overall I actually slightly prefer him.
For awhile I had Brosnan above Connery since Brosnan delivered in all four of his films (I thought he was fine but really found his approach after that) whereas Connery for me lost points for his work in YOLT but then rewatched Thunderball and Dr No and realized his highs were greater than Brosnan’s and he deserves that higher slot. Moore is a great Bond in his own way and Lazenby is ok and is helped by the fantastic film he is in.
Roger Moore, hands down. As much as I love all of them (even Lazenby), Sir Roger, to me, is the most entertaining. He just seems to enjoy the role so much and I don’t think we ever heard him talk of slitting his wrists in lieu of doing another one. It doesn’t hurt that my favorite Bond film is TSWLM. As I also mentioned in another thread, there is the absurdly misunderstood, tense, and utterly fantastic scene of Bond dressed as a clown trying to convince a tent full of people that a nuclear bomb was about to go off in OP.
If I hear 007 I automatically think of Rog. Moonraker at the cinema got me hooked, but each of his films gives something different. I caught The Man With the Golden Gun last night and actually think this might be his definitive performance. He knocks the meeting Maud Adams scene out of the park and is just as ruthless as Connery or Craig. The film has its problems: too much JWP, the swanny whistle and a really cringe character in Goodnight, but Roger absolutely shines!
I love Pierce. Seeing him catch up with the Mrs Doubtfire cast recently was heartwarming. That’s the type of guy he is. I really enjoyed his era back in the day, and still do. The Bond brand was more alive then, and Brosnan was a big part of that.
I agree. Brosnan really promoted Bond. He was Bond. And he enjoyed being Bond. There was no shame about it. Hopefully, this will be the next new norm again.
While I am not a big fan of Brosnan’s tenure as Bond, I agree that he was a great ambassador for the brand and exuded a genuine affection and passion for the role. I wish he’s gotten better movies.
By chance, I came across this article again. What an interesting idea for a parallel universe…
It appears that Pierce Brosnan may be around as James Bond for some time to come. According to Empire Online, Brosnan is currently in “secret negotiations” to sign up for not one, but four more James Bond flicks. By the time it’s done, Brosnan will have made seven 007 films. Brosnan’s buddy and 007 stunt double Douglas James explains to the site, “He wants to do seven films in all, equaling Roger’s record and – if you count Never Say Never Again – matching Sean’s total. But his record will be the best – his seventh film will be released in 2007, making it 007 in 007.”
