Favourite Bond Moments - Round 26: NTTD- Part 2: Ranking

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  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    There is much I am sad to leave out. Such a great film.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    edited November 2020 Posts: 2,426
    Thanks @mtm i haven’t forgotten you guys!

    I’ve had a very hard time coming up with a top 5 for this film, it could so easily be top 10 or 20 on the grounds of sheer popcorn fun. Anyway I’ll write a top 5 now as I’ll only keep changing my mind if I wait any longer.

    1 The car chase as a whole , especially the barrel roll and banter between Bond and JW
    2 Hip’s nieces come to the rescue
    3 The meeting between Bond and Scaramanga at the Thai boxing match
    4 Mary Goodnight in a bikini
    5 "I think I've lost my charm!" ... “Not from where I'm standing!”
  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    Posts: 2,602
    1. Solex power plant action (and just about everything about Bond Island and the power plant)
    2. Final Duel (esp. the beginning at the beach)
    3. Car chase
    4. Karate school/boat escape
    5. Flight to Bond Island
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,877
    Has anyone else noticed that when Hip shows his ID wallet to the local police, his ID card is upside down.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,375
    QBranch wrote: »
    Has anyone else noticed that when Hip shows his ID wallet to the local police, his ID card is upside down.

    No, never heard about it or realized it. Funny mistake. Not very professionel but he was probably a bit tired because he had to drive his nieces around the whole day ;)
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,375
    Any last voters before we I announce the favourite moment of TMWTGG?

    Would be a pleasure to read your top 5 @Some_Kind_Of_Hero.
  • 1. Chatting with Scaramanga ringside

    Here, all four of the film's most interesting characters (love the bikini, but sorry, Goodnight) come into play in one fascinatingly grim ménage à quatre. It's intriguing finding Bond trapped in such a crowded setting, surrounded by cheering fans yet pinned to his seat by a gun to the back as he was in Fleming's Casino Royale. Everything about the scene is so fascinatingly odd, from the midget snacking on peanuts to the recently departed Andrea Anders staring with glass eyes at the kickboxing match as if she were a wax effigy to Scaramanga's surprisingly poignant reveal about the elephant he loved in his youth. It's no coincidence, I think, that Bond's first meeting with the master assassin surrounds him quite literally with violence and death: the gun to his back, the bullet in Miss Anders, the boxers trading hard blows. Christopher Lee played Scaramanga with a dignified yet sinister sort of menace in the best of his scenes, and this ringside performance is in my opinion the very best of them all.

    2. Chula fight and Hip's nieces to the rescue

    One of the real delights of TMWTGG lies in how the film continuously delivers the unexpected, like when Bond wakes from a concussion to find himself being massaged and waited upon by three lovelies in ceremonial dress—a kind of "heaven" that soon sends 007 crashing violently back to Earth with the force of an expertly placed karate kick. Chula's actor, Yao Lin Chen, does more to establish character with his confident smile than some henchmen have with pages of dialogue, and the fight is one of Moore's better executed ones. The punches and kicks feel real as they land. Bond looks like he's genuinely having a rough go of it, outmatched as he's been few times before or since. The scene only gets better when Bond takes the fight outside the dojo. As silly as it is, I sure do like the cartoonishly orchestrated brawl with Hip's nieces (groin kicks and melons to the head and all). In a film full of questionable silliness, this is one bit that genuinely delivers.

    3. The PTS

    The smaller scale of the PTS was one of the reasons I disliked the film as a kid—I'd grown accustomed to ski jumps off mountaintops and jets pulling barrel rolls to dodge missiles—but now I see Golden Gun's opening as one of its strengths. The whole setup of Scaramanga luring hopeful hoodlums to his island for target practice is deliciously wicked, and suspense is in high order as Rodney leads the audience one panicky gunshot at a time through the funhouse scares. The PTS provides a great introduction for three of the film's principle players as well with Scaramanga and Andrea Anders enjoying the beach to Barry's playfully mysterious flutes and Nick Nack serving Black Velvets on a silver platter. Say what you will of the Mankiewiczian humor to follow, this is one PTS of which Fleming would have been proud.

    4. Showdown with Scaramanga

    Bringing things full circle to where the film opened, after a rather bizarre journey through both some of seedier and more gorgeous parts of Southeast Asia, Bond finds himself at last navigating the jangling skeletons and animatronic gangsters of Scaramanga's funhouse. It's what the audience has been waiting for, and the stakes feel stacked as high against Bond as ever before. Tracksuits and jovial pranks aside, Scaramanga has been successfully built up as Bond's greatest opponent. When Bond stands on that beach, readying himself for the duel under Nick Nack's count, his tightly gripped Walther feels hopelessly outmatched. Though it all ends with a single bullet rather than an onslaught of ninjas or aversion of nuclear disaster, the build in edits with the revolving mirrors and Barry's intensely swelling strings brings Scaramanga's end to a most gratifying climax.

    5. Bond sneaks around Macau

    As with the other best parts of TMWTGG, it's that flair of the bizarre that makes this particular scene stand out. When Bond suddenly notices a well-dressed midget standing beside him, straightening his tie in the display television on this empty street of Macau, the film somehow manages to capture that surreal feeling of being out in a foreign place well past closing when the night is still alive with activity and anything seems possible. Rarely do such experiences lead to encounters with midgets and witnessed assassinations (your mileage may vary), still I'm not sure I've ever seen that sensation captured quite so effectively in a single moment on film. Then of course there follows TMWTGG's most iconic frame: Scaramanga peering down his fountain pen barrel as he lines up his target of the night.

    Other highlights: initial confrontation with Andrea Anders, Bond visits Hai Fat with superfluous papilla in position, assassination of Hai Fat, AMC Hornet chase, lunch with Scaramanga, and the fight with Nick Nack
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,417
    5) Andrea in the PTS.

    As Scaramanga dries off after a swim, Andrea is dutifully helping him. The look of Andrea faces as Scaramanga refuses to acknowledge her, although subtle, speaks volumes, and makes her so vulnerable. It is a glance that reveals her character and intrigues the audience so.

    4) “Speak now or forever hold your piece”.

    Such a great line. Moore plays not only the line well, but the whole scene, being subtly menacing.

    3) The wonder of Thailand.

    Before Bond and Goodnight share a meal at their hotel, Hamilton spends a few moments with the local Thai dancers, immersing us in the location. Such a great travelogue-y moment that it lost in modern Bond pictures.

    2) The search for Scaramanga’s Island.

    This is it. Bond is facing possible death, hunting around for the villains lair. A great musical cue from Barry meshing nicely with the superb cinematography.

    1) As @Some_Kind_Of_Hero detailed the conversation at the kickboxing ring, in his wonderful piece above, I’ll choose instead the wonderful dinner conversation between Messrs Scaramanga and Bond. This great scene starts out polite, but soon descends into confrontation, as Bond resists Scaramanga’s attempt to say they are “one of a kind”.

    The Man With The Golden Gun is beset with problems, but such excellent moments, like these, stand out, not only in the Golden Gun itself, but in the entire Bond series.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited December 2020 Posts: 4,375
    With the last two rankings done by @Some_Kind_Of_Hero and @royale65 (both of your comments are highly appreciated =D> ) it's the perfect time to evaluate the 13 posted rankings for TMWTGG. As usual, I counted 5 points for your favourite moment, 4 points for the second best etc. This leads us to the following top five list for TMWTGG:
    1. PTS
    2. Plane flight to Scaranga's island
    3. Bond meets Lazar
    4. Car Jump (chase):
    5. Bond has lunch with Scaramanga


    We move to the most violent Bond film of the series. An absolute highlight for some, not a "real" Bond film for others. In any case, there are definitely some outstanding and very strong moments when Bond's licence to kill is revoked and he starts his vendetta against Sanchez.

    Favourite Bond Moments - Round 8: LTK- Part 1: Suggestions and discussion

    It was always written Sean Connery IS James Bond. The same should be written on the LTK poster: Rober Davi IS Franz Sanchez. He was perfectly casted for this role and there are many very strong and unforgettable scenes with him. Do you agree (?) and which moments come to your mind spontanously when you think about the highlights of LTK?


  • With Robert Davi, Benicio del Toro, Anthony Zerbe, and all the rest, Licence to Kill was spoiled for villains who looked as mean as they operated. Bond was up against a veritable rogues gallery in this one.

    It's hard to limit what I like about LTK to a top 10, let alone a top 5. The climactic tanker chase is the gasoline-soaked crown jewel of the film for me, but the thrilling escape from the Wavekrest and the LALD-inspired warehouse battle are action highlights as well, and I love Dalton's shootout with the jeep in the PTS.

    Dalton has a surfeit of badass moments as Bond here, including the confrontation with M at Hemingway House, playing cards with Lupe and posing as a waiter to gain roof access and set up the explosive for the sniping, and pitting Sanchez against his own inner circle.

    I'm probably alone on this one, but I also rather like the camp of the Barrelhead brawl with "Dirrrrty Luvvvv!" playing on the soundtrack. More than anything it's simply a great Dario scene, and Michael Kamen's lovely guitar work during the romantic moment between Bond and Pam in the stalled boat never fails to distract me from the fact it's a studio backdrop.

    I may also be alone on the involvement of Q. Seeing Q in the field as more than an armorer but as a true ally is a welcome change from formula. I especially like when they have to share a room and Q tests the mattress firmness while Bond grumbles, "I hope you don't snore, Q." Dalton's relationship with Q here was a precursor to the warmer, friendlier dynamic Llewelyn would have with Brosnan.

    Lastly (and again, I know many have a thing about the fish for some reason), splashing into the pool with Pam was a perfectly romantic way for Dalton to close out his time as 007.
  • Oh, and I just realized I didn't even mention the scene where Bond discovers Leiter! Good luck cutting this down to a top 5!
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    edited December 2020 Posts: 4,375
    I also like it that Desmond-Q has much more screen time here. All points you mentioned are also partof the reason why I like this movie a lot (well, apart from the bar fight: it doesn't bother me at all but I wouldn't mention it in the highlights; apart from del Toro's smile and from the HUGE gun under the table.)
    Feel free to write a top 10 instead of a top 5 @Some_Kind_Of_Hero (but only the first five are counted for my final ranking).
    By the way, I'm a big fan of the two leading ladies. They are very different but both stunning.
  • Posts: 6,654
    Oh man, will really have an impossible job putting together a top 5 . So many fantastic scenes and set pieces!
  • R1s1ngs0nR1s1ngs0n France
    edited December 2020 Posts: 1,995
    1. Bond and Sanchez discuss loyalty over coffee.
    2. Krest’s demise.
    3. Tanker chase
    4. ´old buddy’ Killifer gets his due.
    5. Dario’s honeymooooon (the most brilliantly sadistic line ever delivered in a Bond movie).
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Love Sanchez s introduction scene, where we see what a cold bastard he is.

    Also love the scene where Bond is dangling outside the window, fastening the explosives.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited December 2020 Posts: 6,737
    Probably my favourite of the bunch (although I will always be torn between either of Tim's entries).

    So here it goes:
    - PTS helicopter stunt
    - Killifer comes by to kiss the bride
    - Bond gets the lighter
    - Sanchez escape
    - 'You Keep It, Old Buddy'
    - Bond resigns
    - Wavekrest action sequence
    - 'Adequate room'
    - Bond makes a small deposit
    - Night at the casino
    - Uncle Q
    - Assassination attempt
    - Breakfast with Sanchez
    - Krest says boom
    - Climax from the moment Q sees the convoy (incl. gorgeous Maserati) drive by until the very final 'Yes, Sir' that Tim utters
    - Final scene + If You Asked Me To


    Hmmm, think I just mentioned about every single scene...
  • Posts: 6,654
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Probably my favourite of the bunch (although I will always be torn between either of Tim's entries).

    So here it goes:
    - PTS helicopter stunt
    - Killifer comes by to kiss the bride
    - Bond gets the lighter
    - Sanchez escape
    - 'You Keep It, Old Buddy'
    - Bond resigns
    - Wavekrest action sequence
    - 'Adequate room'
    - Bond makes a small deposit
    - Night at the casino
    - Uncle Q
    - Assassination attempt
    - Breakfast with Sanchez
    - Krest says boom
    - Climax from the moment Q sees the convoy (incl. gorgeous Maserati) drive by until the very final 'Yes, Sir' that Tim utters
    - Final scene + If You Asked Me To


    Hmmm, think I just mentioned about every single scene...

    Yep, thats it alright!
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,877
    1. snooping around Krest's warehouse (this dump gives me the creeps) and fight with the guards
    2. Bond plays cat-and-mouse at Hemingway House
    3. Bond avenges Sharkey, sabotages the submersible, and flies away like a leedle bird
    4. sniper scene, from hidden abseiling rope in the cummerbund, to being thwarted by ninja
    5. fuel tanker chase, with Bond balancing a truck on the left side wheels!

    Honourable mentions: everything else!; and watching Bond turn Sanchez against his own men.

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  • edited December 2020 Posts: 6,654
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Probably my favourite of the bunch (although I will always be torn between either of Tim's entries).

    So here it goes:
    - PTS helicopter stunt
    - Killifer comes by to kiss the bride
    - Bond gets the lighter
    - Sanchez escape
    - 'You Keep It, Old Buddy'
    - Bond resigns
    - Wavekrest action sequence
    - 'Adequate room'
    - Bond makes a small deposit
    - Night at the casino
    - Uncle Q
    - Assassination attempt
    - Breakfast with Sanchez
    - Krest says boom
    - Climax from the moment Q sees the convoy (incl. gorgeous Maserati) drive by until the very final 'Yes, Sir' that Tim utters
    - Final scene + If You Asked Me To


    Hmmm, think I just mentioned about every single scene...

    Another one i would include is when Bond confronts Pam in the bedroom, after trying to assassinate Sanchez, thinking she is working with the bad guys.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,375
    Great to see so much love for LTK from @GoldenGun and others. Certain Moore fans wouldn't show the same enthusiasm.
    R1s1ngs0n wrote: »
    1. Bond and Sanchez discuss loyalty over coffee.
    2. Krest’s demise.
    3. Tanker chase
    4. ´old buddy’ Killifer gets his due.
    5. Dario’s honeymooooon (the most brilliantly sadistic line ever delivered in a Bond movie).

    Interesting scene you choose on top! Not a scene most would think of spontaneously but this moment defintely shows a strength of this movie. The way Bond tricks Sanchez and plays the henchmen against him is awesome and badass. I also love the moment after Krest's death where Bond says that Krest was probably not alone as it it would be crazy to fight against Sanchez alone! And he's still wearing his trousers there. Bond has cojones!

    Oh and it's always VERY satisfying to see Killifer's demise.
  • Posts: 6,654
    Ok, to narrow it to a top 5!!!
    1) Bond resigns
    2) Seaplane set piece!
    3) Bond confronts Pam as working with Sanchez.
    4) Bond first meet with Sanchez at Casino!
    5) Tanker climax
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    1- Killing Killifer with poetic justice.
    2- Hemingway House sequence
    3- Bond swaggering into Sanchez's office and owning the room (I love Truman Lodge's reaction when Bond takes the piss out of them)
    4- Bond playing Sanchez like a fiddle by sowing the seeds of doubt over Krest.
    5- Tanker stunts, all done for real, great stuff
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,375
    Nice to see you here again @cwl007. You picked another great moment with your #3. Dalton is great there and Truman-Lodge's reaction is gold.

    Definitely very tricky to narrow it down to five moments.

    Favourite Bond Moments: Round 8: LTK - Part 2: Ranking
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    1 Sanchez catches Lupe and her lover
    2 Bond hanging outside the window
    3 The maiming of Leiter
    4 Bond s revenge on Killifer
    5 The aquatic warehouse
  • marcmarc Universal Exports
    Posts: 2,602
    Some more suggestions:

    - first views of Sanchez' mountain base
    - explosions in Sanchez' base and beginning of the tanker chase
    - Bond and Felix attacking Sanchez in the Bahamian forest
    1. Bond enters the casino, gambles and meets Sanchez.
    2. The following night, Bond attempts to assassinate Sanchez.
    3. Bond escapes from the Wavekrest, avenges Sharkey, battles frogmen and steals five million dollars in the process.
    4. Bond infiltrates Krest's warehouse and ultimately kills Killifer.
    5. Sanchez waits for Krest at the port and embarks on the Wavekrest to question him.
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited December 2020 Posts: 4,411
    1. Blofeld is back? (Bond meets M and escaped)
    2. Sleeping Beauty (Bond wake up at villian lair)
    3. Pam with Bar fight and escape
    4. Pretitle scene
    5. Bond, Della and Felix and she whant to give him something
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 8,105
    1/ meeting Sanchez (and seeing charming malice ("what did he promise you? His heart?.. Give her his heart")).
    2/ Bond resigns and escapes from M and his men.
    3/ escaping via water skiing and hijacking of a plane.
    4/ Bond and Sanchez have coffee (I have never had an issue with Dalton's, "you were just in time, things were about to turn nasty"... In fact I've always found it quite endearing)
    5/tanker truck battle and climax with the horrific ending to Sanchez's life!
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,737
    Tough choices here, but let's try:

    1. Coffee with Sanchez
    2. Tanke truck chase
    3. Wavekrest action sequence
    4. Resignation
    5. Confronting Pam (thanks for reminding me @Mathis1)
  • Posts: 6,654
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Tough choices here, but let's try:

    1. Coffee with Sanchez
    2. Tanke truck chase
    3. Wavekrest action sequence
    4. Resignation
    5. Confronting Pam (thanks for reminding me @Mathis1)

    No probs. Its a great scene! Among so many!
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