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”.
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