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The James Bond Films Ranked by Their Best Moment

Best foot forward, Mr. Bond.
Bond Movies Ranked By Moment
By  and  · Published on October 22nd, 2021


5. Parachute for England — The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The Spy Who Loved Me James Bond Best Moments

What happens:

Bond, on the run (or, rather, the ski) from assassins, topples off a mountain and, after falling for what feels like an eternity, opens his parachute to reveal what else but the Union Jack. 

Why it rules:

This is how you start a movie. Before the credits roll, we’re already treated to the best stunt the franchise has ever pulled off. Performed by Rick Sylvester, who falls for 20 seconds before pulling the ripcord, the stunt instantly puts your heart in your throat and a smile on your face. It’s an impressive, death-defying moment with a clever kicker that reminds us James Bond isn’t just the greatest action film star, he’s also a British icon. Nobody does it better, indeed. 


4. Poisoned martini — Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale James Bond Best Moments

What happens:

Bond is tasked with winning a high-stakes game of poker to keep S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agent Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) from pocketing the winnings. In an attempt to knock off Bond, Le Chiffre’s lover Valenka (Ivana Miličević) poisons Bond’s drink of choice. Fading out of consciousness, Bond receives remote help in his Aston Martin but faints before he can activate the defibrillator. Vesper swoops in to the rescue, and Bond resumes the game.

Why it rules:

This whole sequence feels like a heart attack: a literal and figurative pulse-pounder. This film is Bond’s origin story, and we know he survives this. But holy hell. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is it, that the film ends halfway through and the credits roll right here in the passenger’s seat. This is 21st century Bond at his best: high-octane, in peril, and dauntless to the bitter, shaken not stirred end.


3. The showdown with M — GoldenEye (1995)

Goldeneye James Bond Best Moments

What happens:

Meeting with a markedly different incarnation of M (Judi Dench took on the traditionally male role for the first time in GoldenEye), Bond is sizing up his new boss and figuring out what he can get away with. M, rightfully, calls him out as a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. Saying what we’re all thinking, she acknowledges him as a relic of the Cold War and draws direct attention to the fact that, in the six years since the last Bond film, 007’s world has changed. 

Why it rules:

This scene as a whole is an acting masterclass and a revelatory bit of screenwriting. But there’s one specific moment that always stands out. After a brief (but pretty well-deserved) verbal lashing, 007 replies with “point taken” and takes a swig of his drink. But M isn’t done. With the same steely delivery, she continues to put him in his place. This isn’t a moment where James Bond is scolded and then gets the last word, ultimately aligning us with his boyish defiance of authority. This is a moment where M knows that she’s worthy of his respect and she intends to command it. It’s a tense standoff and both actors deliver, invoking a sense of begrudging mutual respect that situates Bond in a new era and offers him an opportunity to find a place in it. 


2. Ski chase — On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

On Her Majestys Secret Service skiing

What happens:

After his cover as a dorky sexless genealogist is inevitably blown, Bond makes his escape from Blofeld’s “clinical allergy-research institute” atop the Swiss Alps. I hope you all read those scare quotes in Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil voice.

Why it rules:

Oft imitated, never replicated, all the ski sequences from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service are iconic, breathtaking, and contain one enigmatic ingredient: skiing in the 1960s was absolutely wild. Anyone who skied in this decade welcomed death with open, spandex-clad arms. Bindings stronger than an elastic band? Never heard of them. Powder-width skis? HUH? Helmets? Are you crazy? I know the past was rough or whatever but holy shit, boomers. have some respect for gravity and the sanctity of your bodies! Skis from this era look like toothpicks. And guess what? James Bond can ski down the Alps with JUST ONE OF THOSE BAD BOYS. Watching this scene is like watching a duck do pirouettes across a powerline. Laugh as much as you want at the rear projection and the fashion choices. But this is the best in-camera action sequence of the franchise as far as we’re concerned.


1. “Bond, James Bond’ — Dr. No (1962)

Dr No James Bond Best Moments
United Artists

What happens:

At a baccarat table, we see London’s finest rub shoulders and bet the house. First, we meet Sylvia Trench, a charming socialite with a cocked eyebrow and an inviting glance. She introduces herself to the player across the table. And then, with the flick of a lighter, the introduction of the horns to the score, and the immortal signature introduction, we meet Bond, James Bond.

Why it rules:

Already immersed in a smoky cool location and sitting opposite the stunning Sylvia, there’s a palpable and enchanting energy radiating off Bond before we ever see him. His world is a place of high stakes and seduction. With Connery’s performance and delivery being as enigmatic as the rules of baccarat, this scene tells us we’re in for a wild ride. Here’s a man who is at once accessible and unknowable, who can command a room and immerse himself in a crowd, and who is the most intriguing and most dangerous man wherever he finds himself. The moment is instantly iconic, cementing James Bond as a cultural titan with just the utterance of his name. This moment is the first to prove that there’s something special and ineffable about James Bond, and though it’s not the last to do so, we’d say it’s still the best.

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Anna Swanson is a Senior Contributor who hails from Toronto. She can usually be found at the nearest rep screening of a Brian De Palma film.