The Brosnan era was actually more fun for Bond fans

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  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    I must admit after the double whammy of CR and QoS the Brosnan films seemed kind of lightweight. But I like them for what they are. Undemanding and entertaining. They all have bad points but also feature a lot of good stuff. DAD was a big misstep but then so was SP.

    One thing that did make them more fun was that they were standalone missions with just a few nods to previous missions. Brosnan got better with each film and three of them had excellent scores.

    I enjoy the Craig films more but in terms of undemanding Bond entertainment they are hard to beat.
  • edited February 2020 Posts: 3,333
    Shardlake wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    WhyBond wrote: »
    Brosnan was ok but nowhere near as good an actor as Craig.

    Oh I feel they are on the same level acting skill wise. Craig is more stoic and does not show a wide variety of emotions in his acting. Craig is boosted by added makeup showing blood, his battle scars, tattered clothing, etc.

    Outside of that last fight with 006 the artists never had Brosnan have blood and such on him.

    Brosnan is on the same level as Craig at acting, my God you gave me a good laugh with that.

    I forgot being smarmy and cheesy was an acting quality.

    Skill wise you kill me, Brosnan was all surface, Craig acts Pierce off the screen.

    Not since Connery has there been an actor in the role so comfortable in his own skin from the get go.

    In terms of Bond performances, yes.

    But if we are speaking generally, Brosnan is a very capable actor and his resumé is filled with many extremely good performances in different genres.

    Craig does too. They're both good.
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    To me, Pierce his "coldest" moment was shooting Elektra.

    That's always cited as a cold moment for Brosnan, but I never bought the idea that he's "cold" in it. Given how the emotions are heightened in the scene, especially with Brosnan's performance, it's more hot blooded than anything. He even goes to her corpse to mourn her looking regretful of what he had to do.

    I think Brosnan's coldest moment is in bits nobody seems to bring up, like him knocking out Xenia swiftly "sweet dreams". He's such a dick in that moment, it's wonderful. Also shooting Davidov and making a joke that's enough to make him grin "he was buried with work".

    Shooting an unarmed woman is cold regardless of the emotions running through the scene, I feel. She could have easily been incapacitated, but he chose to kill her.

    I do like that moment with Xenia you mentioned, though. A good example.

    Our Friends In The North negates anything Brosnan has done, it blows away any other actor who's played the role.

    Also I maintain that DC will have by far the most interesting and exciting career of anyone else who's played the role after NTTD.

    Not sure I agree with this. Connery still stands head and shoulders above anyone else who played Bond, and that includes Craig.

    Watch The Offence or The Hill, and you'll see a masterclass in acting. Connery's work after Bond is a difficult one to beat. Sure, he did some forgettable crap in the 70's and 80's, but The Man who would be King is a stone cold classic. The Untouchables also gave Connery his Oscar too. Craig still hasn't won one of them yet.

    Throw in The Rock, Hunt for Red October, The Name of the Rose, Robin and Marion, Indiana Jones, etc. and that is some body of work to beat.

    Even when Connery has a bit part like Highlander, A Bridge Too Far or Time Bandits, his performance shines through and ends up being the most memorable thing about that movie.
    Thank you for mentioning those two Connery powerhouse performances @jetsetwilly. I'm guessing that @MakeshiftPython hasn't watched either The Offence or The Hill when he states that Craig's Our Friends In The North blows away any other actor who's played the role before him. @MakeshiftPython needs to remedy that and watch those 2 movies pronto, otherwise he might start believing his own ill-judged beliefs. That's not to take away Craig's own acting capabilities as I rate Craig very highly, much higher than I do Brosnan's acting chops.

    Don't blame @MakeshiftPython for that comment, that was me and I've seen both films and Connery is terrific.

    Though Craig's performance in OFITN I maintain is better, that character is a real journey, yes it is TV so the actor has more time to develop the character but Connery wouldn't have been able to nail that the way Craig does.

    It takes an actor that immerses himself in the character goes skin deep and commits, Connery rarely has shown that ability.
    Ok, then I extend my apologies to @MakeshiftPython. There's so many different opinions clumped together in one linked post, it's sometimes difficult to make out who originally said what first.

    I'm willing to concede that Craig in Our Friends in the North was very much unsuitable for Connery, if we want to use that particular BBC series as our yardstick. But to say that Connery hasn't given powerful performances elsewhere was inaccurate, hence the reason why I backed @jetsetwilly's examples. Secondly, the circumstances in which Connery made those two movies is entirely different to how Craig was allowed to flourish in his Geordie TV role. I highlight TV as there is a difference. So Craig wins the TV argument, at least for now, unless anyone wants to argue that Connery's Requiem for a Heavyweight or Anna Karenina were better. Of course The Hill was made at the height of Bondmania when Connery was finding it difficult to shake-off the Bond persona, or "monster" as he called it. On the other hand, Craig had no such qualms or preconceived public perceptions of him when he was making OFFTN as no one knew who he was. Ironically, I even met Craig after he'd made this series and I had no idea who he actually was as I'd never watched the series. I only caught up with that series many years later. The Offence wasn't a project that Sidney Lumet brought to Connery, but the other way round. Connery saw the play during its original run in London in 1968 and bought the rights, getting John Hopkins (coincidentally co-screenwriter of TB) to adapt his own play for the big screen. Connery then brought Lumet onto the project. I just want to establish that as I think some might believe this movie was all down to Sidney Lumet when it wasn't, it was Connery's own pet project to begin with.

    Some might want to have a go at Connery for his lack of accents and sticking with the Scottish brogue, but I think that works fine. For instance, Craig's Polish accent in Defiance is pretty ropey and sounds rather comical to me. Fortunately, Craig didn't attempt a Swedish one in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is quite a schizo movie as Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander does. I'm not an American, so I can't comment on his recent southern American accents in Logan Lucky or Knives Out. However, I'd be interested to know from our American cousins what they think of his attempts. Maybe as a resident of New York, he feels more comfortable performing an American accent? I don't really know.
  • Posts: 3,333
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    Can you people give me a list of Brosnan's non Bond movies (with him in the lead) that I should watch?

    :-? :D
    The Fourth Protocol
    The Thomas Crown Affair (though I still prefer Steve McQueen's original over this)
    The Tailor of Panama
    The Matador
    The Ghost Writer

    And that's it for me.
  • Posts: 3,273
    bondsum wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    WhyBond wrote: »
    Brosnan was ok but nowhere near as good an actor as Craig.

    Oh I feel they are on the same level acting skill wise. Craig is more stoic and does not show a wide variety of emotions in his acting. Craig is boosted by added makeup showing blood, his battle scars, tattered clothing, etc.

    Outside of that last fight with 006 the artists never had Brosnan have blood and such on him.

    Brosnan is on the same level as Craig at acting, my God you gave me a good laugh with that.

    I forgot being smarmy and cheesy was an acting quality.

    Skill wise you kill me, Brosnan was all surface, Craig acts Pierce off the screen.

    Not since Connery has there been an actor in the role so comfortable in his own skin from the get go.

    In terms of Bond performances, yes.

    But if we are speaking generally, Brosnan is a very capable actor and his resumé is filled with many extremely good performances in different genres.

    Craig does too. They're both good.
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    To me, Pierce his "coldest" moment was shooting Elektra.

    That's always cited as a cold moment for Brosnan, but I never bought the idea that he's "cold" in it. Given how the emotions are heightened in the scene, especially with Brosnan's performance, it's more hot blooded than anything. He even goes to her corpse to mourn her looking regretful of what he had to do.

    I think Brosnan's coldest moment is in bits nobody seems to bring up, like him knocking out Xenia swiftly "sweet dreams". He's such a dick in that moment, it's wonderful. Also shooting Davidov and making a joke that's enough to make him grin "he was buried with work".

    Shooting an unarmed woman is cold regardless of the emotions running through the scene, I feel. She could have easily been incapacitated, but he chose to kill her.

    I do like that moment with Xenia you mentioned, though. A good example.

    Our Friends In The North negates anything Brosnan has done, it blows away any other actor who's played the role.

    Also I maintain that DC will have by far the most interesting and exciting career of anyone else who's played the role after NTTD.

    Not sure I agree with this. Connery still stands head and shoulders above anyone else who played Bond, and that includes Craig.

    Watch The Offence or The Hill, and you'll see a masterclass in acting. Connery's work after Bond is a difficult one to beat. Sure, he did some forgettable crap in the 70's and 80's, but The Man who would be King is a stone cold classic. The Untouchables also gave Connery his Oscar too. Craig still hasn't won one of them yet.

    Throw in The Rock, Hunt for Red October, The Name of the Rose, Robin and Marion, Indiana Jones, etc. and that is some body of work to beat.

    Even when Connery has a bit part like Highlander, A Bridge Too Far or Time Bandits, his performance shines through and ends up being the most memorable thing about that movie.
    Thank you for mentioning those two Connery powerhouse performances @jetsetwilly. I'm guessing that @MakeshiftPython hasn't watched either The Offence or The Hill when he states that Craig's Our Friends In The North blows away any other actor who's played the role before him. @MakeshiftPython needs to remedy that and watch those 2 movies pronto, otherwise he might start believing his own ill-judged beliefs. That's not to take away Craig's own acting capabilities as I rate Craig very highly, much higher than I do Brosnan's acting chops.

    Don't blame @MakeshiftPython for that comment, that was me and I've seen both films and Connery is terrific.

    Though Craig's performance in OFITN I maintain is better, that character is a real journey, yes it is TV so the actor has more time to develop the character but Connery wouldn't have been able to nail that the way Craig does.

    It takes an actor that immerses himself in the character goes skin deep and commits, Connery rarely has shown that ability.
    Ok, then I extend my apologies to @MakeshiftPython. There's so many different opinions clumped together in one linked post, it's sometimes difficult to make out who originally said what first.

    I'm willing to concede that Craig in Our Friends in the North was very much unsuitable for Connery, if we want to use that particular BBC series as our yardstick. But to say that Connery hasn't given powerful performances elsewhere was inaccurate, hence the reason why I backed @jetsetwilly's examples. Secondly, the circumstances in which Connery made those two movies is entirely different to how Craig was allowed to flourish in his Geordie role. The Hill was made at the height of Bondmania when Connery was finding it difficult to shake-off the Bond persona, or "monster" as he called it. On the other hand, Craig had no such qualms or preconceived public perceptions of him when he was making OFFTN as no one knew who he was. Ironically, I even met Craig after he'd made this series and I had no idea who he actually was as I'd never watched the series. I only caught up with that series many years later. The Offence wasn't a project that Sidney Lumet brought to Connery, but the other way round. Connery saw the play during its original run in London in 1968 and bought the rights, getting John Hopkins (coincidentally co-screenwriter of TB) to adapt his own play for the big screen. Connery then brought Lumet onto the project. I just want to establish that as I think some might believe this movie was all down to Sidney Lumet when it wasn't, it was Connery's own pet project to begin with.

    Some might want to have a go at Connery for his lack of accents and sticking with the Scottish brogue, but I think that works fine. For instance, Craig's Polish accent in Defiance is pretty ropey and sounds rather comical to me. Fortunately, Craig didn't attempt a Swedish one in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is quite a schizo movie as Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander does. I'm not an American, so I can't comment on his recent southern American accents in Logan Lucky or Knives Out. However, I'd be interested to know from our American cousins what they think of his attempts. Maybe as a resident of New York, he feels more comfortable performing an American accent? I don't really know.

    The Offence is easily Connery's best performance. It takes real guts to play a role like that straight on the back of Bond. A burly, intimidating, angry policeman who hurls nasty abuse at his wife, and is tortured with mental images of paedophilia, due to his job.

    A similar performance is in Male of the Species - well worth watching too.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    peter wrote: »
    Very well said @Shardlake -- Connery will be unmatched in oozing charisma with every word uttered, every movement made. He is one of the most enjoyable screen presence of all time.

    And Craig is an actor. He embodies a role and plays it according to his truth (and he didn't "sink" GWTDT; you can blame Sony for releasing this fine Fincher film during the Holiday season. It still made decent bank-- not the type they were hoping, but everyone saw this as a marketing mis-fire)

    Connery was always Connery (which I happily plunked down my money to see time and again); Craig is an actor who gets into the character and brings life to it.

    Clearly Connery is the best Bond. But Connery certainly didn’t play Connery. Connery is a rough diamond of a man....reportedly, he’s nothing like Bond in real life. I agree, his acting range is limited. But he is nothing like Bond, so he was a proficient actor in the role.
  • Posts: 3,333
    The Offence is easily Connery's best performance. It takes real guts to play a role like that straight on the back of Bond. A burly, intimidating, angry policeman who hurls nasty abuse at his wife, and is tortured with mental images of paedophilia, due to his job.

    A similar performance is in Male of the Species - well worth watching too.
    I've never seen the 1969 TV movies Male of the Species. I'll need to rectify that immediately as it also stars Michael Caine and possibly one of the greatest unsung British actors Paul Scofield. Thanks for the heads-up @jetsetwilly.
  • Posts: 6,727
    bondsum wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »
    WhyBond wrote: »
    Brosnan was ok but nowhere near as good an actor as Craig.

    Oh I feel they are on the same level acting skill wise. Craig is more stoic and does not show a wide variety of emotions in his acting. Craig is boosted by added makeup showing blood, his battle scars, tattered clothing, etc.

    Outside of that last fight with 006 the artists never had Brosnan have blood and such on him.

    Brosnan is on the same level as Craig at acting, my God you gave me a good laugh with that.

    I forgot being smarmy and cheesy was an acting quality.

    Skill wise you kill me, Brosnan was all surface, Craig acts Pierce off the screen.

    Not since Connery has there been an actor in the role so comfortable in his own skin from the get go.

    In terms of Bond performances, yes.

    But if we are speaking generally, Brosnan is a very capable actor and his resumé is filled with many extremely good performances in different genres.

    Craig does too. They're both good.
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    To me, Pierce his "coldest" moment was shooting Elektra.

    That's always cited as a cold moment for Brosnan, but I never bought the idea that he's "cold" in it. Given how the emotions are heightened in the scene, especially with Brosnan's performance, it's more hot blooded than anything. He even goes to her corpse to mourn her looking regretful of what he had to do.

    I think Brosnan's coldest moment is in bits nobody seems to bring up, like him knocking out Xenia swiftly "sweet dreams". He's such a dick in that moment, it's wonderful. Also shooting Davidov and making a joke that's enough to make him grin "he was buried with work".

    Shooting an unarmed woman is cold regardless of the emotions running through the scene, I feel. She could have easily been incapacitated, but he chose to kill her.

    I do like that moment with Xenia you mentioned, though. A good example.

    Our Friends In The North negates anything Brosnan has done, it blows away any other actor who's played the role.

    Also I maintain that DC will have by far the most interesting and exciting career of anyone else who's played the role after NTTD.

    Not sure I agree with this. Connery still stands head and shoulders above anyone else who played Bond, and that includes Craig.

    Watch The Offence or The Hill, and you'll see a masterclass in acting. Connery's work after Bond is a difficult one to beat. Sure, he did some forgettable crap in the 70's and 80's, but The Man who would be King is a stone cold classic. The Untouchables also gave Connery his Oscar too. Craig still hasn't won one of them yet.

    Throw in The Rock, Hunt for Red October, The Name of the Rose, Robin and Marion, Indiana Jones, etc. and that is some body of work to beat.

    Even when Connery has a bit part like Highlander, A Bridge Too Far or Time Bandits, his performance shines through and ends up being the most memorable thing about that movie.
    Thank you for mentioning those two Connery powerhouse performances @jetsetwilly. I'm guessing that @MakeshiftPython hasn't watched either The Offence or The Hill when he states that Craig's Our Friends In The North blows away any other actor who's played the role before him. @MakeshiftPython needs to remedy that and watch those 2 movies pronto, otherwise he might start believing his own ill-judged beliefs. That's not to take away Craig's own acting capabilities as I rate Craig very highly, much higher than I do Brosnan's acting chops.

    Don't blame @MakeshiftPython for that comment, that was me and I've seen both films and Connery is terrific.

    Though Craig's performance in OFITN I maintain is better, that character is a real journey, yes it is TV so the actor has more time to develop the character but Connery wouldn't have been able to nail that the way Craig does.

    It takes an actor that immerses himself in the character goes skin deep and commits, Connery rarely has shown that ability.
    Ok, then I extend my apologies to @MakeshiftPython. There's so many different opinions clumped together in one linked post, it's sometimes difficult to make out who originally said what first.

    I'm willing to concede that Craig in Our Friends in the North was very much unsuitable for Connery, if we want to use that particular BBC series as our yardstick. But to say that Connery hasn't given powerful performances elsewhere was inaccurate, hence the reason why I backed @jetsetwilly's examples. Secondly, the circumstances in which Connery made those two movies is entirely different to how Craig was allowed to flourish in his Geordie role. The Hill was made at the height of Bondmania when Connery was finding it difficult to shake-off the Bond persona, or "monster" as he called it. On the other hand, Craig had no such qualms or preconceived public perceptions of him when he was making OFFTN as no one knew who he was. Ironically, I even met Craig after he'd made this series and I had no idea who he actually was as I'd never watched the series. I only caught up with that series many years later. The Offence wasn't a project that Sidney Lumet brought to Connery, but the other way round. Connery saw the play during its original run in London in 1968 and bought the rights, getting John Hopkins (coincidentally co-screenwriter of TB) to adapt his own play for the big screen. Connery then brought Lumet onto the project. I just want to establish that as I think some might believe this movie was all down to Sidney Lumet when it wasn't, it was Connery's own pet project to begin with.

    Some might want to have a go at Connery for his lack of accents and sticking with the Scottish brogue, but I think that works fine. For instance, Craig's Polish accent in Defiance is pretty ropey and sounds rather comical to me. Fortunately, Craig didn't attempt a Swedish one in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is quite a schizo movie as Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander does. I'm not an American, so I can't comment on his recent southern American accents in Logan Lucky or Knives Out. However, I'd be interested to know from our American cousins what they think of his attempts. Maybe as a resident of New York, he feels more comfortable performing an American accent? I don't really know.

    The Offence is easily Connery's best performance. It takes real guts to play a role like that straight on the back of Bond. A burly, intimidating, angry policeman who hurls nasty abuse at his wife, and is tortured with mental images of paedophilia, due to his job.

    A similar performance is in Male of the Species - well worth watching too.

    He is really good as an ageing Robin Hood alongside Audrey Hepburn in Robin and Marian
    ( and reunites with his old enemy Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham!)
    Theres also The Man Who would be King and The Wind and the Lion! He's excellent in both of them!
  • JamesCraigJamesCraig Ancient Rome
    edited February 2020 Posts: 3,497
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    peter wrote: »
    Very well said @Shardlake -- Connery will be unmatched in oozing charisma with every word uttered, every movement made. He is one of the most enjoyable screen presence of all time.

    And Craig is an actor. He embodies a role and plays it according to his truth (and he didn't "sink" GWTDT; you can blame Sony for releasing this fine Fincher film during the Holiday season. It still made decent bank-- not the type they were hoping, but everyone saw this as a marketing mis-fire)

    Connery was always Connery (which I happily plunked down my money to see time and again); Craig is an actor who gets into the character and brings life to it.

    Have you seen The Offence or The Hill?

    ;))

    Have you seen either of these films?

    No Willy, and tbh I had never heard of them until yesterday.

    My "giggle" is aimed at those who claim that Connery was not a versatile actor.
  • I'd say personally Craig's films are more fun because of the better plots and story arc, Brofeld excepted! But I can understand why others feel differently
  • JamesCraigJamesCraig Ancient Rome
    Posts: 3,497
    suavejmf wrote: »
    peter wrote: »
    Very well said @Shardlake -- Connery will be unmatched in oozing charisma with every word uttered, every movement made. He is one of the most enjoyable screen presence of all time.

    And Craig is an actor. He embodies a role and plays it according to his truth (and he didn't "sink" GWTDT; you can blame Sony for releasing this fine Fincher film during the Holiday season. It still made decent bank-- not the type they were hoping, but everyone saw this as a marketing mis-fire)

    Connery was always Connery (which I happily plunked down my money to see time and again); Craig is an actor who gets into the character and brings life to it.

    Clearly Connery is the best Bond. But Connery certainly didn’t play Connery. Connery is a rough diamond of a man....reportedly, he’s nothing like Bond in real life. I agree, his acting range is limited. But he is nothing like Bond, so he was a proficient actor in the role.

    Plus, he invented the word charisma I think. ;)
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    edited February 2020 Posts: 8,000
    I’ve yet to see THE OFFENCE or OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH, but I’ve seen THE HILL and that’s a pretty excellent actor‘s film and I mean that for the whole cast. In fact I’ve pretty much seen all of the Connery/Lumet collaborations with the exception of THE OFFENCE, so I obviously need to check that box soon.

    I agree with a ton of comments above, even the ones supposedly disagreeing with each other. Connery wasn’t a chameleon, he’s very much in the same league as Jack Nicholson where he’s pretty much the same guy but that doesn’t at all take away from the talent exuded in the performance of the parts. Movie stars like Connery, Nicholson, Hackman, all deserved those Oscars. It takes more than just charisma to get to their level.
  • WhyBondWhyBond USA
    edited February 2020 Posts: 65
    Sean Connery is by far and away the best overall actor when it comes to non-Bond works. What Craig does post Bond remains to be seen but as of now he ranks as a middling actor.

    Connery's legacy could of grown even bigger if he decided to be in other large franchises but he chose not to; he was wanted by producers.

    In terms of non Bond work my ranking follows as below as of now. Craig can someday move to #2.

    1. Sir Sean
    2. Pierce
    3. Craig
    4. Dalton (more invested in theatre acting)
    5. Moore
    6. Lazenby
  • Posts: 3,273
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    peter wrote: »
    Very well said @Shardlake -- Connery will be unmatched in oozing charisma with every word uttered, every movement made. He is one of the most enjoyable screen presence of all time.

    And Craig is an actor. He embodies a role and plays it according to his truth (and he didn't "sink" GWTDT; you can blame Sony for releasing this fine Fincher film during the Holiday season. It still made decent bank-- not the type they were hoping, but everyone saw this as a marketing mis-fire)

    Connery was always Connery (which I happily plunked down my money to see time and again); Craig is an actor who gets into the character and brings life to it.

    Have you seen The Offence or The Hill?

    ;))

    Have you seen either of these films?

    No Willy, and tbh I had never heard of them until yesterday.

    My "giggle" is aimed at those who claim that Connery was not a versatile actor.

    Ahhh! ;))

    You should watch them both, The Offence in particular. For me that is the ultimate showcase for his acting abilities, his Oscar performance, not The Untouchables (even though that is one of his best films).

    The Offence is a hard-going watch at times due to the subject matter, its grim and bleak but very intriguing.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    The Offence is a lot like American History X, in that both are good films, but I don't want to watch them again.
  • edited February 2020 Posts: 11,425
    peter wrote: »
    Very well said @Shardlake -- Connery will be unmatched in oozing charisma with every word uttered, every movement made. He is one of the most enjoyable screen presence of all time.

    And Craig is an actor. He embodies a role and plays it according to his truth (and he didn't "sink" GWTDT; you can blame Sony for releasing this fine Fincher film during the Holiday season. It still made decent bank-- not the type they were hoping, but everyone saw this as a marketing mis-fire)

    Connery was always Connery (which I happily plunked down my money to see time and again); Craig is an actor who gets into the character and brings life to it.

    I personally found the GWTDT underwhelming. Not a particularly good film. Didn't help that they had a mish mash of Brit and Scando actors all with different accents. Had that euro blamange vibe to it. Not Fincher's finest hour.

    I agree The Hill is well worth a watch for anyone who doubts that Connery wasn't also a talented character actor when he could be bothered. He wasn't just "playing a version of himself". Maybe he didn't get enough chances to take on interesting roles.

    For my money the Bond actor who has leveraged the role to maximum effect is Brozza.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    Posts: 330
    bondsum wrote: »
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    Can you people give me a list of Brosnan's non Bond movies (with him in the lead) that I should watch?

    :-? :D
    The Fourth Protocol
    The Thomas Crown Affair (though I still prefer Steve McQueen's original over this)
    The Tailor of Panama
    The Matador
    The Ghost Writer

    And that's it for me.

    I will add November Man as well as The Foreigner; Pierce gets more screentime than Jackie Chan if I remember correctly.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904
    Brosnan's films were entertaining. Sure they had some tropes but they embraced what the character is about. The one liners look terribly dated but I fault those with Purvis and Wade over anything Brosnan improvised on the set.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,000
    I haven’t seen NOVEMBER MAN. Looked cheesy with that one line where some guy described why they call him the “November man”.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    I haven’t seen NOVEMBER MAN. Looked cheesy with that one line where some guy described why they call him the “November man”.

    "Because death always follows..." or something, lol. Very cheesy. I've not seen The Foreigner, but I really want to, I also really, really love a good Cliff Martinez soundtrack... Do you know if it's any good?
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    I haven’t seen NOVEMBER MAN. Looked cheesy with that one line where some guy described why they call him the “November man”.

    "Because death always follows..." or something, lol. Very cheesy. I've not seen The Foreigner, but I really want to, I also really, really love a good Cliff Martinez soundtrack... Do you know if it's any good?

    The film is pretty good. The soundtrack is excellent.
  • Posts: 1,879
    I have to say one of my guilty-pleasure Brosnan films I enjoy is Nomads. A friend encouraged me to watch it back when it was first on video and I think it's developed into a sort of cult film.

    I don't share the enthusiasm for his Thomas Crown. He was decent, but the film itself I found underwhelming, particularly with the limp ending and turning the Russo character from tough to whiny in the end. November Man is good fun. I actually saw that in the cinema.

    This may sound surprising, but the one film Connery did that I didn't feel I was watching him was his performance as Henry Jones Sr. in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was built up as James Bond playing Indy's dad and I didn't get any Connery vibes when I first saw it. He really sold the doddering old man without the usual Connery characteristics, so unlike the persona we know.

    The Hill is also a great performance and also one that really seems like the real Connery - fiercely independent, defiant around authorities and fighting for what he believes in. I try to catch this whenever it airs.

    I really want to see The Offence. It's one of those holy grail films I've always looked for years but it's never been exactly widely available here in the U.S. I was just in a used video store last night and checked on the off chance it may be there, but wasn't.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    To add to some of the Brosnan love above...

    Brosnan is outstanding in Seraphim Falls. An oft-overlooked modern western. He does really great work there. He's also, of course, great in The Matador. His comic timing is very on-point. There's also some brilliant work from him in The Greatest, where he has some really emotional, tender scenes with Susan Sarandon. They play parents who lose their son in a car accident, and decide to help the son's pregnant girlfriend to full term.

    So yeah, anyone who doesn't like his performances as Bond usually have reasonable (even if I don't agree!) logic behind it. However, anyone who says that he can't act is out of their mind.
  • Daniel316Daniel316 United States
    Posts: 210
    Agreed CraigOHMSS, anyone who does say that is crazy lol. If they say that I'd direct them to the Matador in which Brosnan plays a character that is very deep and complex and is unlike anything he's ever played imo. Well other than Sam in Mamma Mia of course 😂
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    Daniel316 wrote: »
    Agreed CraigOHMSS, anyone who does say that is crazy lol. If they say that I'd direct them to the Matador in which Brosnan plays a character that is very deep and complex and is unlike anything he's ever played imo. Well other than Sam in Mamma Mia of course 😂

    I wouldn't say deep or complex, but it's a very stellar comedy performance.

    And to be fair to his stuff in Mamma Mia, he looks like he was just having a good time. Can't fault him for that, even if I found the film nearly unwatchable.
  • edited February 2020 Posts: 3,333
    Agent_47 wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    JamesCraig wrote: »
    Can you people give me a list of Brosnan's non Bond movies (with him in the lead) that I should watch?

    :-? :D
    The Fourth Protocol
    The Thomas Crown Affair (though I still prefer Steve McQueen's original over this)
    The Tailor of Panama
    The Matador
    The Ghost Writer

    And that's it for me.

    I will add November Man as well as The Foreigner; Pierce gets more screentime than Jackie Chan if I remember correctly.

    I'm not a fan of either of those two movies @Agent_47. They're okay, but not to the same standards as the list above. However, I do agree with @CraigMooreOHMSS that perhaps Seraphim Falls should also be on that list as well.
  • Daniel316Daniel316 United States
    Posts: 210
    True he did seem like he was having fun with Mamma Mia which isn't a bad thing at all, tbh he's the reason I watched the 2 Mamma Mia movies and ngl they weren't that bad. I love November Man tbh, it feels like a Craig era style Brosnan film kinda although as much as I like it, it doesn't feel too rewatchable either at the same time. I've also heard that a TV movie called Death Train which Brosnan starred in with Christopher Lee was quite good and of course you hear nonstop good things about Thomas Crown affair even though I myself couldn't finish it out of boredom.
  • Daniel316 wrote: »
    True he did seem like he was having fun with Mamma Mia which isn't a bad thing at all, tbh he's the reason I watched the 2 Mamma Mia movies and ngl they weren't that bad. I love November Man tbh, it feels like a Craig era style Brosnan film kinda although as much as I like it, it doesn't feel too rewatchable either at the same time. I've also heard that a TV movie called Death Train which Brosnan starred in with Christopher Lee was quite good and of course you hear nonstop good things about Thomas Crown affair even though I myself couldn't finish it out of boredom.

    He was brilliant in The Tailor of Panama and The Ghost. He actually does villainy quite well, would have loved him to have brought a bit of that to the table when playing Bond.
  • Daniel316Daniel316 United States
    Posts: 210
    I've also heard he was great as a villain in Survivor even if the movie itself isn't viewed so highly. Haven't heard of In The Tailor of Panama and The Ghost before though, guess I'll have to check them out whenever I get the chance to.
  • Would love to see PB in Knives Out sequel along with Tim Dalton.
  • Daniel316Daniel316 United States
    edited February 2020 Posts: 210
    Inb4 it turns into a semi Bond reunion party movie and it has Craig return as well. Haven't seen Knives Out yet so idk if anything happens to Craig or not, no spoils pls I'd like to see it at some point
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