With the passing of Roger Moore, let’s raise our martini glass to the best Bonds ever

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This article was published 27/05/2017 (3235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sadly, cancer was able to do something countless super-villains couldn’t — claim the life of beloved British secret agent James Bond.

By Bond, of course, we mean Sir Roger Moore, the suave and handsome English actor who portrayed the world’s most famous spy in seven much-loved Bond films.

As grieving film fans already know, Moore died in Switzerland earlier this week after a brief but brave battle with cancer.

He had a long and respected career in films and TV — especially as enigmatic action hero Simon Templar in the iconic British series The Saint — and was hailed for his inspiring work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, which saw him visit Winnipeg in 1996.

But he will forever be remembered for the unique and comical way in which he brought Bond, author Ian Fleming’s legendary fictional hero, to life on the big screen.

In a heartfelt tribute to Moore, we are taking a shot at one of our most difficult lists ever, the Best Bonds of All Time:

5) Bond, James Bond: Timothy Dalton (1987 to 1989)

His greatest (film) mission: The Living Daylights (1987) was the 15th entry in the Bond film franchise and the first in which English actor Dalton picked up 007’s signature Walther PPK handgun. Assigned to facilitate the defection of a Russian agent, Dalton’s Bond discovers the situation is a lot more complicated than it appears, as he battles international mercenaries and a beautiful markswoman to prevent an evil arms dealer from starting another World War.

How we score this spy: Dalton appeared in The Living Daylights — the fourth-highest grossing Bond film at the time of its release — and 1989’s less successful Licence to Kill. The fourth actor to portray Bond in the official film franchise, he took over from Moore when Pierce Brosnan couldn’t get out of contractual commitments to the TV series Remington Steele. Most websites rank Dalton in the No. 5 spot, though some have him behind George Lazenby, who played Bond only a single time in 1969’s largely forgettable On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Some argue Dalton’s portrayal was the closest to Fleming’s original vision — a darker, angrier, grittier spy. Dalton’s deadly serious take was a sea change from Moore’s flippant portrayal and not surprising from someone who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Academy.

He also did more of his own stunts than the other actors. He had been considered as a replacement for the original Bond, Sean Connery, but decided he was too young for the role. Britain’s Telegraph newspaper declares: “Dalton was just too dour. An accomplished classical actor, he admittedly had the misfortune of coming to Bond in the middle of the late-’80s AIDS crisis, meaning his two outings as Bond were rather joylessly light on nookie.”

4) Bond, James Bond: Pierce Brosnan (1995 to 2004)

His greatest (film) mission: 1995’s GoldenEye was the 17th film in the Bond franchise and Brosnan’s first. The movie, the first not to take any elements from one of Fleming’s books, involved a powerful satellite system falling into the hands of onetime Agent 006, a former ally turned enemy, and only Bond can save the world from an awesome space weapon that, with one short pulse, could turn the planet into a parking lot. The film made something like US$350.7 million, much more than Dalton’s flicks.

How we score this spy: Bond producers had long coveted this Irish actor for the role of their super spy, but Brosnan’s commitments to his TV series Remington Steele kept him out of the mix until 1995, when he became the fifth actor to portray Bond, appearing in four films — GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Whereas Dalton was seen as dour, Brosnan brought his trademark sleek sophistication to the role. JamesBondWiki.com says Brosnan proved a well-rounded Bond — “witty, charismatic, reflective of Fleming’s original character, and believable ass-kicker” — but was hampered by some of the least believable plots in the series. He’s typically rated online in the No. 3 or No. 4 spots on the all-time Bond list. In rating him No. 4, the Telegraph griped Brosnan was simply too nice: “Bond is not a decent chap; he is, as Connery, (Daniel) Craig and Moore (yes, Moore) realized, a hard bastard, and Brosnan, for all his charm, always seemed to be doing an impersonation of 007 rather than properly inhabiting the role… Brosnan was also a victim to what these days is an almost unwatchable string of films, culminating in the black-hole awfulness of 2002’s Die Another Day. Even Connery might have struggled to look cool if required to surf to a life-or-death mission… or drive an invisible car.”

3) Bond, James Bond: Roger Moore (1973 to 1985)

His greatest (film) mission: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was the 10th film in the Bond series and the third starring the suave and sophisticated Moore. Nominated for three Academy Awards, it features Moore’s Bond skiing off the edges of cliffs and driving a car underwater and united with sexy Russian agent Anya Amasova to defeat megalomaniac shipping magnate Karl Stromberg, who is threatening to destroy New York City with nuclear weapons. It features one of Bond’s most iconic adversaries — Jaws, a seven-foot giant with steel teeth.

How we score this spy: This may seem insensitive considering the star’s recent passing, but let’s cut right to the chase — Moore was the funny Bond. When he took over from Connery (and Lazenby), Moore took the character in a totally different direction. Whereas Connery was the classic tough guy, Moore approached the role with a more relaxed and whimsical style.

His Bond was more of a lover than a fighter, though he could dispense a few karate chops when needed. With his perpetually arched eyebrow, Moore seemed to look on his character with a bemused sense of disbelief.

“To me, the Bond situations are so ridiculous, so outrageous,” he once said. “I mean, this man is supposed to be a spy, and yet everybody knows he’s a spy. Every bartender in the world offers him martinis that are shaken, not stirred.” He debuted in the role in 1973’s Live and Let Die and went on to make six more Bond films — The Man With the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only and A View to a Kill. He may not have surpassed Connery’s performance, but he made the same number of films.

The Telegraph rates him the No. 2 Bond of all time. “He made a fantastic success of his tenure, having the nous not to try to beat Connery at his own game but, rather, to introduce a degree of eyebrow-driven levity to the series.”

2) Bond, James Bond: Daniel Craig (2006 to present)

His greatest (film) mission: In 2012’s Skyfall, the 23rd Bond film and the third outing for Craig’s version of the super spy, MI6 is under attack as part of an evil plot by former agent Raoul Silva, who wants to humiliate Bond’s boss, M, as revenge for her betraying him. As they used to say, the film did boffo box office. It was the 14th film to gross more than US$1 billion worldwide and is the highest-grossing film in the entire Bond series. It also nabbed two Academy Awards and two Grammys.

How we score this spy: Craig, the sixth actor to portray Bond and the first star to have been born after the series began, was greeted with more than his fair share of skepticism when he took the baton from Brosnan’s flailing hands. At a mere 5-10 and with blond hair, the classically trained English actor didn’t fit the standard mould for the iconic role, previously filled by taller, darker-haired actors.

But after his first outing, in 2006’s Casino Royale, the critical squawking vanished. Quantum of Solace, which followed two years later, was a bit of a misfire, but the last two films, Skyfall and 2015’s Spectre, have cemented Craig in the role. The Telegraph has suggested he may be the best actor ever to pick up the Walther PPK. “He’s too short! Too blond! What are they thinking?

The Internet was ablaze with indignation in 2005 as Eon Productions decided to hire the Cheshire-born actor for Bond,” the paper says. “But Craig has had the last laugh… his incarnation is the most believable — his Bond actually, whisper it softly, feels like a real person.”

1) Bond, James Bond: Sir Sean Connery (1962 to 1971)

His greatest (film) mission: In 1964, Connery appeared in his third Bond film, Goldfinger, which is generally considered one of the best films in the entire franchise. In this classic, Bond tries to foil a plot by the evil mastermind Auric Goldfinger to raid Fort Knox and obliterate the world’s economy. Muahahaha! It was the first real Bond blockbuster, the film in which the world first heard the phrase “shaken, not stirred” and in which the super-spy got his Aston Martin and other cool gadgets. It also contains one of the most famous Bond images of all time — a dead woman whose body has been covered in gold paint.

How we score this spy: We’re going to be blunt — regardless of what anyone else says, Connery is the best Bond of all time. If you disagree, we’d be happy to strap you to a cutting table underneath an industrial laser. Connery debuted as Bond in 1962’s Dr. No. “He’s not what I envisioned of James Bond looks,” Fleming famously said of Connery’s casting.

“I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stuntman.” But that changed after his girlfriend explained the 6-2 Scottish actor had more than enough sexual charisma. But you don’t have to take our word for it. “Counter-intuitively enjoyable as it would be to put anyone else in this (No. 1) slot, Connery is the only one who deserves it,” the Telegraph says.

“Daniel Craig’s Bond is if anything even more credible, Roger Moore probably funnier. But, for his confidence in the role, for the exceptional virility of his voice, frame and body language, and for the unyielding urgency and physicality he brought to such scenes as that pulverizing fight with Robert Shaw’s assassin in From Russia With Love, Big Tam — as he was known back in the day — remains the top dog.” Trust us, nobody does it better.

We realize some of you might not agree with our rankings, so we suggest you put together your own list. Just remember, it’s For Your Eyes Only.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca