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Most Competent Bond Villain

sirseanisbondsirseanisbond
edited May 2012 in Bond Movies Posts: 2,189
Of the major villains which have appeared in the Bond films, which has been the most competent? The one who’s villainous mastery has been closest to reaching success? The one who had the most realistic and profitable plan?

I argue that it’s Goldfinger, because he was able to manipulate friend and foe to make himself money, and came very near to destroying the American economy, and becoming the richest man in the world.

I know that many will say Blofeld, and I agree that he is perhaps the most competent villain of all. However, I still give the edge to Goldfinger because he did more with a smaller organization.

Share your thoughts…
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Comments

  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited May 2012 Posts: 8,034
    I'd probably say Blofeld too.
    But I'd also like to mention Alec Trevelyan, who used his ancestry to his advantage to be able to hide his faked death and build up a criminal empire before starting his scheme. His only downfall was his personal attachment to Bond, which meant they were more than equals. A lesser agent wouldn't have managed to take him down.
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    Goldfinger was the most incompetent, worthless, stupid Bond villain in history.
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    Francisco Scaramanga surely?
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,979
    My vote is for Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. He very nearly started WWIII. Bonus points for trying to shoot Bond at point blank range.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    Franz Sanchez did a pretty good job, even when Bond turned up.
  • forgotmyusernameforgotmyusername
    Posts: 2,782
    Signed_By_RogerMoore wrote:
    Francisco Scaramanga surely?

    Spot on.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited May 2012 Posts: 2,629
    1. Blofeld - Hey, he was in six films.
    2. Dr No - Found the one weak spot for his metal hands
    3. Sanchez - Would have had the world empire had it not been for Bond
    4. 006 - Got to give credit to someone thought dead for 9 years.
    5. Klebb - Could have made John Holmes sterile.
    6. Scaramanga - Should have moved the dummy.
    7. Drax - Excellent job covering up a gas leak.
    8. Kananga/Big - Effectively played two characters.
    9. Kristatos - Had Bond fooled for a while.
    10. Khan/Orlov - A second away from nuclear domination.
  • Smirnoff_PurpleSmirnoff_Purple
    edited May 2012 Posts: 110
    Given, many of the villains' failures and upsets resulted from bad fortune, but I guess I've allowed that to factor into my decisions. Upon brief reflection, I think I'd say Dr. No, Scaramanga, and/or Zorin. Their capabilities negated almost any flies in the ointment (though I admit, Zorin's attempted drowning/burning of Bond rather than killing him outright may discredit him), and they all did seem perilously close to achieving their goals. At any rate, I think risk-taking and a generally inexplicable failure to appear more competent will rule out Le Chiffre and Greene for most people.
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    Scaramanga's plan was for money and using solar energy. Hey, he would be seen as a hero nowadays.

    Kristatos was also the most realistic. He just wanted the machine to sell to the Russians, no biggy. Nothing real evil or OTT.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I really thought about Doctor No for this, he was smart and competent, well educated and had that genius about him, escaped from China with ten million dollars of bullion was it. I always like the dinner scene with Andress and when Connery tries to sneak a table knife away and you just know he's going to see it, and he does. I just think all things considered he would be a worthy inclusion here
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    I really thought about Doctor No for this, he was smart and competent, well educated and had that genius about him, escaped from China with ten million dollars of bullion was it. I always like the dinner scene with Andress and when Connery tries to sneak a table knife away and you just know he's going to see it, and he does. I just think all things considered he would be a worthy inclusion here

    HE would be...but then Bond makes the nasty quip about him having no hands and he looks genuinly hurt.
  • sirseanisbondsirseanisbond
    Posts: 2,189
    Agent007391 wrote:
    Goldfinger was the most incompetent, worthless, stupid Bond villain in history.

    Excuse me? Auric Goldfinger obtained a nuclear weapon from China, which he paid for with forced contributions by American gangsters, whom he gassed when they wanted a return on their investments. Then, when his Korean army was being defeated by the U.S. Army, he turned his suit inside out, put a U.S. cap on, and started shooting his now former employees so that he could get away. Goldfinger would have gotten away with Operation Grand-Slam had Bond not been asked to keep an eye on him in Miami, or had Bond not mentioned the name of the operation during the laser sequence, which was a shot in the dark from Bond’s point of view. I give a lot of kudos to Goldfinger for having an excellent scheme planned; not to mention the success of the one he was already using where his Roller was a method of illegally transporting undeclared gold to different parts of the world to make a profit on it. I love that ingenuity.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    And then at the end Mr Frobe makes a little error by pointing a gun at Bond and making the unforgivable mistake of waving it at the flight deck and out of harms way when Connery asks where Ms Galore is, giving Bond a perfect opportunity to act.. No 'competent' villain would do such a thing, and keep his enemy covered at all times, but that said, Goldfinger is another worthy inclusion up to that point, I think we can maybe look beyond that little instance of incompetence late on
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    Glad to see no one mentions the ridiculous Koskov/Whittaker. Buffoons. The worst part of TLD
  • karatemanchan37karatemanchan37
    edited May 2012 Posts: 584
    Can I say Lee Tamahori ? Cause he almost successfully (and single-handily) killed Bond for good with DAD! :))
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    karatemanchan37 wrote:
    Can I say Lee Tamahori ? Cause he almost successfully (and single-handily) killed Bond for good with DAD! :))

    If he's allowed Tamahori, I'm allowed to say Dench's M then :P :))
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Worst part of The Living Daylights was Maryam d'Abo, a 1980s equivalent of Lois Chiles, or Honor Blackman, or Denise Richards etc

    Lee Tamahori is fair enough, but we can't obviously include him, but can't argue that
  • Signed_By_RogerMooreSigned_By_RogerMoore
    Posts: 643
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    Worst part of The Living Daylights was Maryam d'Abo, a 1980s equivalent of Lois Chiles, or Honor Blackman, or Denise Richards etc

    Lee Tamahori is fair enough, but we can't obviously include him, but can't argue that

    I've seen her screen tests on TLD DVD and have to admit she looked very poor. Yet this is what they based there decision on...madness :S
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    sirseanisbond wrote:
    Agent007391 wrote:
    Goldfinger was the most incompetent, worthless, stupid Bond villain in history.

    Excuse me? Auric Goldfinger obtained a nuclear weapon from China, which he paid for with forced contributions by American gangsters, whom he gassed when they wanted a return on their investments. Then, when his Korean army was being defeated by the U.S. Army, he turned his suit inside out, put a U.S. cap on, and started shooting his now former employees so that he could get away. Goldfinger would have gotten away with Operation Grand-Slam had Bond not been asked to keep an eye on him in Miami, or had Bond not mentioned the name of the operation during the laser sequence, which was a shot in the dark from Bond’s point of view. I give a lot of kudos to Goldfinger for having an excellent scheme planned; not to mention the success of the one he was already using where his Roller was a method of illegally transporting undeclared gold to different parts of the world to make a profit on it. I love that ingenuity.

    Anybody with enough money can obtain a nuclear weapon from China, and as far as gassing American gangsters, how is that a villainous act? As far as switching "sides" during the shoot out, anybody who wants to get out alive could do that. That's a matter of survival, not competence. Goldfinger would have only gotten away with Operation Grand Slam if he hadn't chained Bond to the nuke, his biggest moment of incompetence. The only time that he's competent is the laser sequence, and that's only because that's the one and only moment he's holding all the cards.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited May 2012 Posts: 15,690
    karatemanchan37 wrote:
    Can I say Lee Tamahori ? Cause he almost successfully (and single-handily) killed Bond for good with DAD! :))

    because a film that was the 6th highest grossing film of 2002 would kill a franchise ? most people in hollywood dream of making a film as successful as DAD.

  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,506
    Mr White as he is still at large?!!! ;)
  • 007RogerMoore007RogerMoore
    Posts: 1,082
    Scaramanga, the best hitman in the world. And Hugo Drax. Somehow he built a space station and sent it up in space unnoticed.
  • JWESTBROOKJWESTBROOK
    Posts: 5,745
    In no particular order, Scaramanga, LeChiffre, and Mr. White.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,690
    JWESTBROOK wrote:
    LeChiffre

    He can't even fight !!
  • JWESTBROOKJWESTBROOK
    edited May 2012 Posts: 5,745
    DaltonCraig007 wrote:
    JWESTBROOK wrote:
    LeChiffre

    He can't even fight !!

    But he's one of the few that have actually come within a minute of killing Bond successfully!

    Its not about physicality, but how they manage their available resources!
  • KennonKennon
    Posts: 297
    Elektra King. Turned her kidnapper into her personal terrorist and killer. Managed to kill her father right at the MI6 HQ. Manged to get her hands on a Russian atomic sub and abducted the head of a major intelligence service. Had Bond sitting in an ancient torture device and nearly crushed his larynx. Was only stopped at the last moment by a drunken cracker stumbling in on the action.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited May 2012 Posts: 23,547
    I'm going to be a little controversial and say Greene. He actually obtained de facto ruler-ship over Bolivia (well, for like 5 minutes) and tricked the CIA. Also, the dude went berserk with an axe! Not a demonstration of competence as such but I'd still say he gave Bond a pretty rough time and he frustrated him to the point where Bond devised a rather exotic punishment. The only thing I'll hold against him is that he actually yielded when interrogated by Bond. Still, a formidable foe.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    1. Kamal Khan and General Orlov- literally one second away from nuclear devastation and total Soviet domination
    2. Ernst Stavro Blofeld- about five seconds away from sparking World War 3, and about two seconds away from destroying Washington D.C.
    3. Max Zorin- would have destroyed Silicon Valley had it not been for May Day switching sides
    4. Alec Trevelyan- seconds away from crippling the economy of London, only stopped because of Q's handy-dandy grenade pen
    5. Rosa Klebb- extremely close to killing 007 had it not been for Tatiana Romanova choosing him over Russia
  • wildboonjivewildboonjive
    edited May 2012 Posts: 299
    I'm gonna go with Sanchez on this one. Consider this... he is the ONLY one of the villains who doesn't discover that Bond is his nemesis until the very end of the story. As such, he never wastes time by giving him the dinner treatment and thus, doesn't have missed opportunities to kill him, unlike practically all the others. You could argue that he could have shot him as soon as they exited the burning lab, but he was hell bent on interrogating him, something I can't blame him for. And the method of death he quickly chose for him was a cruel one cause he was naturally very angry. But it was all done very quickly. Sanchez wasted no time once he knew who Bond was, and had it not been for Pam, he would have at least gotten away with his tanker trucks intact.
  • sirseanisbondsirseanisbond
    Posts: 2,189
    wildboonjive wrote:
    I'm gonna go with Sanchez on this one. Consider this... he is the ONLY one of the villains who doesn't discover that Bond is his nemesis until the very end of the story.

    Shooting yourself in the foot from the very start on this one. Bond playes Sanchez for almost the entire movie. Ne competent villian would let an enemy get that close so easily. Bond could have killed him whenever he wanted.
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