A list of James Bond’s Best Action scenes is tough to whittle down. What’s a James Bond movie without a few really top-shelf action setpieces. Even as far back as the first James Bond film, Dr. No, the folks at Eon made sure to throw in a couple of signature James Bond badass moments, although the actual craft behind the action arguably wasn’t fully established until From Russia With Love. That’s where director Terrence Young and editor Peter Hunt broke the mould with non-linear editing, jump cuts and more, setting a style of action direction that’s still in vogue sixty years later.
Since then, many James Bonds have come and gone, but the craft behind the action sequences stays consistent. Even the worst James Bond movies, such as Die Another Day, have decent action (the hovercraft chase and the sabre fight). Being able to handle action is the main prerequisite for any director that wants to take on the franchise, with stunt coordinators and second unit crews just as crucial in the end, which is why Eon is famous for using the same core group of people over and over (second unit director Alexander Witt is a current favorite of theirs – for good reason). That’s why we here at James Bond Revisited have put together our list of the best James Bond action scenes of all time. All of the 007’s are well represented on this list (George Lazenby, too!). How does the Daniel Craig parkour chase in Casino Royale fare? What Timothy Dalton scene makes the cut? Does Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan or Sean Connery come out on top in terms of action? Find out this week on James Bond Revisited!
Do you like our picks? Let us know in the talkbacks!
James Bond Revisited is written, narrated and produced by Chris Bumbray. Nick Bosworth is the editor, Berge Garabedian is the executive producer. Check out some of our most recent episodes below!