Roger Moore or Timothy Dalton ?

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  • Moore by a mudslide !!
  • edited September 2013 Posts: 140
    I don't like the title of this thread. It ought to be "Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton."

    Seriously, I love them both, albeit in very different ways. If I absolutely have to choose, however, I will have to go with Tim by a photo finish.
  • edited September 2013 Posts: 1,052
    Suprised how even this debate is, would have assumed that Timbo would have runaway with this on here but hey good to see Rog with plenty of fans.

    It should be well known by now that Rog is my favrouite but Tim has slowly worked his way up to second over the years, replacing Connery as I think his performances declined steadily towards the end.

    As mentioned earlier, despite all the the hype, I still think TLD and LTK are streets ahead of the three DC films.

  • Tim is probably the better Bond but Rog is my favourite so he wins my vote.
  • edited September 2013 Posts: 21
    I like both a lot but I'm going to have to go with Sir Roger as he was the first Bond I ever watched (AVTAK, my dad bought me the video.) However both mastered their respective approaches perfectly.
  • ThunderballThunderball playing Chemin de Fer in a casino, downing Vespers
    Posts: 776
    What, are you kidding? Dalton absolutely. In fact, I feel TLD is better than all of Moore's movies...combined. You heard me. Dalton is almost the opposite of Moore: less jokey, less flirty, more flinty, if you will. And that's a breath of fresh air.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Roger Moore. I'm not even going to apologize for it. :)
  • Moore gets more votes because he portrayed Bond in seven releases, to Tim Dalton's two. Had more opportunity to present himself and we can look back on a wider range, than Dalton's mere two appearances. I recognize Moore as a great actor, both for James Bond and the film industry as a whole, and while he did do a fine job of things for the most part, and gave us some memorable moments and overall Bond adventures, he's simply so far detached from what Fleming actually intended

    Dalton was a no-nonsense, straight faced and determined Bond. Possibly the finest ever to portray the iconic character. Minimum on humor. Roger Moore deviated so far away from that, so often enough, that I simply can't hold him in the same regard

    Dalton was James Bond. As much as Connery was Bond in his first two appearances. Sometimes it's so hard to call them apart, in those four appearances (1962, 63, 87, 89) as to what Fleming truly intended. Moore may go down well with those who want Bond to act the fool or get up to some crazy antics or ass around, but some like their Bond serious, so will always go with Dalton on this
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Dalton was James Bond. As much as Connery was Bond in his first two appearances.
    I cannot fault this line of thinking.
    ;)
  • Posts: 1,092
    I like Moore overall but Dalton is the superior actor and better Bond. I treasure all their films and Dalton not getting another is my biggest cinematic disappointment ever.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Big fan of Dalton but it has to be Sir Rog.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Big fan of Sir Rog but it has to be Tim.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Moore gave us so many truly iconic moments in his long 12 year run that helped to define film Bond for me and many others.

    Dalton gave us some great memories in his short 2 film run, and in a way, the brief time he was Bond has only helped to increase my appreciation of those films. Like something to be savoured due to the rarity of it,

    In summary, I love them both, but Moore gets the win from me, for redefining film Bond for a generation and for never giving a bad performance in all the time he was James Bond.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,372
    In late 2012, it appears I sided with Dalton. Well, while I love them both, I have to go with Moore. He's amazing in the role and never fails to impress me.
  • Posts: 11,425
    I think if Dalton had done more films it might have been more equal.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,372
    @Getafix, that was my thought when I revisited this thread: it's a bit hard comparing the two, given the amount of films both had during their tenure. It's slightly unfair.
  • Posts: 11,425
    I also think Dalton should have started earlier. He works so well in the Cold War parts of TLD. You can imagine them doing some really good late Cold War thrillers with Dlaton in the 70s and 80s. But that doesn't mean I would have wanted Sir Rog to finish sooner - OP is one of my favourites! Just in a parallel universe IT would have been great to have Tim start as a younger Bond. Dalton starting with OHMSS and giving us a full life cycle Bond - that would have been amazing.
  • ThomasCrown76ThomasCrown76 Augusta, ks
    Posts: 757
    timothy Dalton. No contest

  • SzonanaSzonana Mexico
    edited August 2015 Posts: 1,130
    Timothy Dalton since my prefer my Bond actors to have Balance and i think Dalton had that balance along with Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery.

    Daniel Craig and Roger Moore were the extremes

    Daniel overly serious and gritty and Moore way too comedic to the point of looking like a Bond parody.
  • edited August 2015 Posts: 1,778
    This is a tough one. Before Daniel Craig entered the mix these were my two favorite Bonds, neck-and-neck. There was a time where I probably would've said Dalton but my vote is going to go to Roger Moore.

    Whether it be on the big screen or on a bluray player Sir Rog had a certain larger-than-life movie star quality whereas Dalton could never quite carry a film as effortlessly as Moore.

    On top of that it's obvious that Moore's strengths were comedy where as Dalton's were in the serious dramatic department but when reversing the two I'll say that Moore could pull off a serious scene better than Dalton could pull off a comical one. There were scenes in FYEO, OP, TMWTGG, and TSWLM were Sir Rog had me totally convinced that his Bond had a dark side that he kept under wraps. Whereas Dalton, as phenomenal an actor as he was, looked so awkward and uncomfortable in the more lighthearted moments. In that respect (and I know I'm going to get hell for saying this) Moore's Bond was more diverse than Dalton's. But than again Dalton only had two shots at the role so who knows. But my vote still goes to Moore.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Yup. On balance it has to be Sir Rog.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Fan of both, but I'd pick Timothy Dalton.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,686
    In terms of bad-assery (which I enjoy a lot in action/adventure films) then it is definately Timothy Dalton. In terms of sheer entertainment and likeability, Sir Rog wins by a landslide. No direspect to the legend Tim, but Sir Rog wins by a landslide in this area against Laz, Brozza and Craig too. His only competition here is Connery.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Rog brought a touch of bad ass on occasion as well ;)
  • edited August 2015 Posts: 11,189
    Getafix wrote: »
    Rog brought a touch of bad ass on occasion as well ;)

    He did and he could be good. But, by his own admission, that wasn't his forte.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited August 2015 Posts: 45,489
    Moore does have a wider range than Brosnan. Ooops, Dalton. Moore has a wider range than Dalton.
  • Posts: 1,478
    For me, Moore is always at the bottom of my list with any head to head comparison of other Bonds.

    With Dalton you get an actor immersed in the role of Bond; with Moore, you get an actor who always seems to playing the role of Bond, but never inhabiting the role. He may have had the longest tenure as Bond, but he never owned the role. He was comfortable with the role no doubt, but his hammy, preposterously unflappable portrayal of Bond never got much beyond light comedy. The moment most often cited as 'his' Bond at his most lethal and serious is his kicking the Mercedes over the side of the mountain. I gather the opening shot with Moore at Tracy's grave is supposed to telegraph how serious both he and the film will be, something immediately derailed by the comedy of the dumping Blofeld scene. Moore was much better suited for films like the Derek Flint series or Matt Helm.

    Dalton is a Bond who bleeds and relies on his wits, not wit. You see him thinking and, even though you know he'll be around for a sequel, you sense he is in danger.

    I don't fault Moore for the direction of the series, DAF did that with a performance phoned in by Connery. With Dalton you get actor who plays Bond from the inside out. Moore is all exterior, relying on the same old bag of external techniques, but never seeming to have anything going inside.

    One of the most telling features of a Bond actor is how he announces himself.
    Does he convince you or does he appear to be delighted he is playing the role now?











  • AntiLocqueBrakesAntiLocqueBrakes The edge
    Posts: 538
    Whose films would I rather watch? Dalton.
    Who's greater/meant more to the Bond franchise? Moore (obviously).

    Hard for Dalton to compete with 7 films. Agree with @doubleohhseven, Moore's Bond was comedic while Dalton was more dramatic. When Glen gave Rog a chance to grit his teeth and grind through a Bond, it produce Roger's best effort, FYEO, imo. A couple more films like that, and Moore vs. Dalton wouldn't be a serious discussion.
  • SMC514SMC514 Station C
    Posts: 14
    As much as I love Moore's Bond and the great actor himself (such a humble and kind guy), I'd have to go with Dalton. I just don't connect with Moore's Bond as well as I do with Dalton's. I like how Dalton's Bond develops actual relationships with his leading ladies rather than just bang them all day long. Also Dalton's Bond questions authority and the order's he's given when he feels things aren't right whereas Moore's Bond seems to just accept every assignment and carry it out perfectly with no question. Plus I love how Dalton looks like he can actually kill someone whereas Moore… well idk haha :D
  • AntiLocqueBrakesAntiLocqueBrakes The edge
    edited August 2015 Posts: 538
    I love Dalton's relationship with Kara in TLD. The scene about going back to get the cello, the ride on the cello case, Ferris wheel, and pillow fight...all really tasteful. Seems odd with all that chemistry she didn't rerun in LTK. The two leads there don't connect nearly as well with Dalton.

    Rog, by comparison, is just too old to be taken seriously with his ladies after LALD (XXX being the exception). By 1985, he's in full-on Dad mode - cooking meals and tucking chicks into bed at night.

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