Rank Bond actor performances by each film

M16_Cart

The original thread was deleted, so I'm remaking. We are not judging the films as a whole - only judging based on how the Bond actor performs in that film.

1 - Casino Royale (Craig)
2 - From Russia with Love (Connery)
3 - Dr. No (Connery)
4 - Goldfinger (Connery)
5 - Goldeneye (Brosnan)

6 - No Time to Die (Craig)
7 - License to Kill (Dalton)
8 - The Living Daylights (Dalton)
9 - Quantum of Solace (Craig)
10 - Skyfall (Craig)

11 - Die Another Day (Brosnan)
12 - Live and Let Die (Moore)
13 - Thunderball (Connery)
14 - Octopussy (Moore)
15 - The Spy Who Loved Me (Moore)

16 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Lazenby)
17 - Moonraker (Moore)
18 - The World Is Not Enough (Brosnan)
19 - Tomorrow Never Dies (Brosnan)
20 - For Your Eyes Only (Moore)

21 - You Only Live Twice (Connery)
22 - Spectre (Craig)
23 - The Man with the Golden Gun (Moore)
24 - A View to a Kill (Moore)
25 - Diamonds are Forever (Connery)

Imo, most of the Bond performances were good. I only disliked the bottom few. Just because something is in the bottom 10, for example, doesn't mean I dislike it.

StirredNotShaken

25: Connery in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
24: Moore in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
23: Connery in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
22: Moore in A VIEW TO A KILL
21: Connery in THUNDERBALL
20: Brosnan in DIE ANOTHER DAY
19: Brosnan in GOLDENEYE
18: Brosnan in TOMORROW NEVER DIES
17: Moore in LIVE AND LET DIE
16: Moore in MOONRAKER
15: Brosnan in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
14: Moore in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
13: Connery in GOLDFINGER
12: Lazenby in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
11: Craig in SPECTRE
10: Moore in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
9: Connery in DR. NO
8: Moore in OCTOPUSSY
7: Craig in SKYFALL
6: Connery in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
5: Dalton in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
4: Dalton in LICENCE TO KILL
3: Craig in CASINO ROYALE
2: Craig in QUANTUM OF SOLACE
1: Craig in NO TIME TO DIE

Birdleson

This was one of the threads I regretted deleting the most (like i said elsewhere, when I hit that button I was naively thinking posts, not threads). Thank you for restarting it. I'll put up my full, revised list in the near future. The slight difference was that I had specified that I was ranking the performances in so far as they captured Bond (whatever that means to each individual). Straight acting chops, Daniel Craig will take the top spots with, almost, every film, no doubt. But capturing the essence of Bond, that is something different, and that is how I'll structure mine.

Birdleson

Very tough this time, and some major shifts. To be clear, Craig in SP is not relegated to the basement simply because that is where I place the film (many a placement here is inconsistent with my overall rankings). One of the core reasons I dislike the film so much is that Craig's attempt at Connery nonchalance comes off as bitchy and aloof, to me.

1. Sean Connery DN
2. Sean Connery FRWL
3. Sean Connery GF
4. Sean Connery TB
5. Roger Moore TMWTGG
6. Daniel Craig SF
7. Roger Moore FYEO
8. Roger Moore LALD
9. Daniel Craig QOS
10. Daniel Craig CR
11. Pierce Brosnan DAD
12. Timothy Dalton LTK
13. Timothy Dalton TLD
14. Pierce Brosnan TWINE
15. Daniel Craig NTTD
16. Roger Moore TSWLM
17. Roger Moore OP
18. Pierce Brosnan TND
19. George Lazenby OHMSS
20. Pierce Brosnan GE

All those above are strong. This is where I feel that things drop significantly.

21. Sean Connery NSNA
22. Sean Connery DAF
23. Roger Moore AVTAK
24. Sean Connery YOLT
25. Roger Moore MR
26. Daniel Craig SP

Birdleson

Is this thread really going to fall into obscurity so quickly?

M16_Cart

opinions on Moore's performances:

• Live and Let Die - His performance here was a big accomplishment. Taking over from Connery, establishing his own personality in the role and him finding a fan base from it.
• The Man with the Golden Gun - I know some people on here really like it because they prefer dark Bond. But I find him tonally inconsistent with how comedic the movie is trying to be. Being mean to women and children doesn't make you a tough guy. And I feel like Scaramanga was a mirror to Connery's Bond; Moore feels a bit miscast here.
• The Spy Who Loved Me / Moonraker - Both of these are classic Roger Moore performances. No more or less than what you'd expect.
• For Your Eyes Only - Yes, he's trying to be serious here and it's good he's trying to diversify his catalogue. There are some memorable moments like kicking the car off the cliff, but otherwise, he's mostly forgettable in this. He doesn't do it nearly as well as Connery/Craig/Dalton. He's looking (and acting) old for the part; more like a grandpa that wants to take you out for lunch than a spy. The romance isn't believable.
• Octopussy - Moore fits well here; the movie plays to his strengths. The backgammon, auction scene, the gags and especially the clown defusing the bomb. A female lead closer to his age helps too.
• A View to a Kill - Moore is trying his best, but the age gap is just way too much to salvage, he doesn't have the physicality to handle the stunts in this film and it's not believable whatsoever.

In terms of Moore's performance, imo: LALD > OP TSWLM/MR > FYEO > TMWTGG > AVTAK. (I haven't seen MR in a while, I may rerate it later on)

jobo

I think this is very difficult to rank, but I'd go something like this: (Every actor's best performance outlined in black)

1. Daniel Craig in NTTD
2. Sean Connery in FRWL
3. Sean Connery in DN
4. Daniel Craig in CR
5. Timothy Dalton in LTK
6. Sean Connery in TB
7. Daniel Craig in SF
8. Timothy Dalton in TLD
9. Sean Connery in GF
10. Daniel Craig in SP
11. Daniel Craig in QOS
12. Roger Moore in FYEO
13. Roger Moore in OP
14. Roger Moore in TSWLM
15. Sean Connery in YOLT
16. Roger Moore in LALD
17. Roger Moore in MR
18. George Lazenby in OHMSS
19. Pierce Brosnan in TND
20. Roger Moore in TMWTGG
21. Sean Connery in DAF
22. Pierce Brosnan in GE
23. Roger Moore in AVTAK
24. Pierce Brosnan in DAD
25. Pierce Brosnan in TWINE

Sorry, Brosnan fans...