Which film had Bond's easiest mission?

Whirlybird_FanWhirlybird_Fan Sydney, Australia
Which film(s) had Bond doing the least amount of work?
With situations where he had things easily under control?

As opposed to missions in which he had to endure considerable hardship, and had to work like hell to overcome obstacles?

I can think of GF (he was captured for much of the time, and had little to do with the final outcome of the mission), LALD and perhaps TMWTGG.
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Comments

  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited September 2022 Posts: 3,382
    For Your Eyes Only.
    Well, he's pretty calmed all the time, he didn't do much there, he's been with Kristatos all the time, he'd never experienced hardship for the majority of the film except maybe the third act.

    Maybe also Tomorrow Never Dies too, don't remember him also going through obstacles and sufferings in that film.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited September 2022 Posts: 5,921
    TSWLM comes to mind, in that Bond gets through this mission more or less effortlessly.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Going over the films in my head, GF is definitely a stand out for sure. It's interesting, because that mission is actually very tough-Bond fails constantly, to the point that you could make a drinking game out of all the times he is knocked out or caught to the point of alcohol poisoning-but Bond still doesn't do all that much in the grand scheme to right the course. He starts the film underestimating Goldfinger, resulting in Jill being murdered, he blows his spying of Goldfinger in Switzerland (with not much help from Tilly), and just kind of talks his way out of getting killed the rest of the film. I just don't like that, once we're headed to Kentucky, he just kind of lays back and stuff just happens. Even when he attempts to figure out what the plot is, he's almost immediately caught, and he never really has any actual successes to his name. The only reason the plan to thwart Goldfinger works at all is because Pussy decides to help, which I don't really give Bond credit for, and he doesn't even defuse the bomb at the end. He just constantly gets lucky, instead of acting boldly to survive. He only kills Oddjob because the perfect moment presents itself, and Goldfinger only dies because the gun goes off in the plane and sucks him out.

    There's a lot of moments in the series where Bond has bad luck, or is really against the wall, but in these moments he is commonly still acting at his best to avoid a negative outcome. Part of why GF doesn't have me in awe as it does so many is because Bond really feels asleep at the wheel for so much of it, and doesn't do as much as he should in his many situations of desperation to boldly make a better path. The sloppiness, poor thinking and indifference he sometimes displays just feels so bizarre compared to the man he was in the previous films. Which is part of why I believe that Young had a far better idea of who Bond was and how he should act than Hamilton ever did or could.
  • Posts: 14,799
    I have to give it more thought, bit on the top of my head I'd say TND: Bond is mostly in control the whole time, ends up dominating and sometimes humiliating Carver every step of the way, whatever traps and obstacles the villain sends him. At least in GF he gets cornered a few times and Goldfinger often gets the upper hand. I find Carver fun, but overall unthreatening.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,382
    I'd say DAF
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904
    Interesting question, I suppose if we are talking the effort to put into solving the mission I might throw TMWTGG in. He bungles quite a bit and gets some breaks along the way. I often wonder what if Hai Fat hadn't come upon Nick Nack and his trident. "Take him to the farm."

    If only Nick Nack had more sway and said "Let me put this trident through his neck."
  • Posts: 12,242
    CR sticks out as his hardest by far IMO, with the amount and variety of things he had to go through. Easiest is a tougher one to answer, but I can safely rule out all the Craig ones. Some potential choices I guess could be DN, DAF, and TND.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.
  • I’m struggling to think of an answer, but I’m really compelled to say perhaps Octopussy.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    I’m struggling to think of an answer, but I’m really compelled to say perhaps Octopussy.

    Blowtorch to the face.
  • echo wrote: »
    I’m struggling to think of an answer, but I’m really compelled to say perhaps Octopussy.

    Blowtorch to the face.

    I may have forgotten that part, allow me to rethink my answer
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,664
    FoxRox wrote: »
    CR sticks out as his hardest by far IMO, with the amount and variety of things he had to go through.

    Hardly! "Win a card game, or if you don't, I guess we'll take him in" is not the hardest mission he's had. Bond could even have given Le Chiffre the password and reminded him to keep him alive before he sees that it works. Then when Le Chiffre goes to a Swiss bank and takes the decryptor thing by force, which was apparently his plan, wait to hear of his certain death or arrest.

    He does have to do a lot of punching though, but that's par for the course for this guy. Remember, he was once pushed out of an airplane with no parachute.

    Anyway, I'd say Casino Royale was the easiest, given that Bond could have stayed home and everything would have turned out at least as well as did with his involvement.

    That, Thunderball, or Goldfinger. Goldfinger was described at length already, but in Thunderball, as soon as Bond lands in Nassau it's completely clear that Largo is the villain, showing off his villain ring and all. I love the underwater fight, but if Largo's men won, they were never going to make it to land and set off that bomb. They were rumbled.

  • slide_99slide_99 USA
    Posts: 648
    I would say LALD since his enemy was just a drug boss, and unlike LTK where he was on his own, in LALD he had the full support of MI6 behind him.
    Runner up would be TMWTGG since he wasn't even being targeted by Scaramange and was only drawn in by Ms. Anders. Also he's up against mostly thugs and lowlifes until he finally faces off against Scaramanga himself.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    The fascinating thing with this question is what criteria we're supposed to be applying here. There are missions that are hard, but easy for Bond because he doesn't have to do much and luck is enough on his side that things just work out in the end (again, I think of GF, for example), and then there are jobs that are far easier due to easier objectives or less threatening villains, but Bond still has moments where he has to do a lot of work to thwart things or survive.

    I don't think there's any mission that is both easy in terms of the threat of the villain and their scheme, and where Bond doesn't have to do much, which is why we're seeing people submitting variations of what I'm expressing above. I guess that's why I am basing my thinking process on instances where Bond isn't doing much, because that to me is the sticking point. I don't much care if the villain or threat isn't that big a deal compared to other adventures as much as I do that Bond is acting as he needs to per his job and mission parameters. Because if he is acting according to what is set out for him, he's not having an easy job, since an easy job would have him not needing to do much at all. Things would just roll into his lap without him having to so much as lift a finger.

    That's why missions like GF come to mind, despite how crazy the stakes are, because Bond literally sits so much of that film out. It truly is luck that leads to a positive conclusion, and he is so very absent from the mission working out favorably that it's shocking (no pun intended). It just doesn't come off right, and it's not admirable how he acts, as he should be doing more. I don't think the scripting does him any favors, and he altogether doesn't come out of the film looking all that good in any way. I'd much rather see Bond fail constantly and end up on his knees while doing his best than to just accept how things are and wait to see if things get better. It's just not who he is, as a man or an agent.
  • R1s1ngs0nR1s1ngs0n France
    Posts: 2,002
    Probably TMWTGG if we consider that Bond's only casualty is Scaramanga himself.
    You could also argue that if it were not for Goodnight's ditziness, the mission would have been even easier.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    FoxRox wrote: »
    CR sticks out as his hardest by far IMO, with the amount and variety of things he had to go through.

    Hardly! "Win a card game, or if you don't, I guess we'll take him in" is not the hardest mission he's had. Bond could even have given Le Chiffre the password and reminded him to keep him alive before he sees that it works. Then when Le Chiffre goes to a Swiss bank and takes the decryptor thing by force, which was apparently his plan, wait to hear of his certain death or arrest.

    He does have to do a lot of punching though, but that's par for the course for this guy. Remember, he was once pushed out of an airplane with no parachute.

    Anyway, I'd say Casino Royale was the easiest, given that Bond could have stayed home and everything would have turned out at least as well as did with his involvement.

    @ProfJoeButcher, I think CR was a lot harder than that. We can't forget that what you're detailing-the card game-only starts to present itself at nearly an hour into the movie. Until then, Bond was facing a whole host of threats, including thwarting a nasty bombing, wiping out a middle man and stopping a terrorist banker from winning big from the Skyfleet prototype's destruction. Bond had to do a lot of homework and leg work, and what he did lead to the stoppage of serious terroristic damage, present and future.

    But even once he gets to Montenegro, it's no easy deal. It's just a card game, sure, but a very crucial card game. MI6's concern (and the CIA's too, as Felix is there) is that if Le Chiffre wins that money is in the open and has the chance to slip through their fingers. By putting a player on site who can win the game it not only puts the pressure on Le Chiffre (who goes into the game thinking he'll clean everyone out with ease), but also puts him in a corner they're hoping he'll try to negotiate himself out of. When given the briefing on the mission, even Bond himself thinks he's just killing Le Chiffre and doing nothing more. But because of what he knows and how that information can be used, MI6 want to keep Le Chiffre alive, turn up the heat and make him run to them for protection.

    I don't think if Bond stayed at home things would be okay, as you presume. The fact is, Bond was the only person who could've won that game out of anyone there. Felix certainly wasn't going to do it, and if any of the regular players did win because lady luck kept giving Le Chiffre bad cards (and he's so damn good, he'd probably still find a way), he could just have them killed and steal the money that way. Bond needs to win the game so that the money has the guarantee of being out of Le Chiffre's hands from the offset, forcing him to act to get it, rather than it just being handed to him if he wins. If he won, MI6 would need to act to ensure that the money didn't get far, as that could fund untold levels of terrorism across the globe. Bond winning doesn't mean the job is done, as we see from what progresses following his victory, but it gives MI6 the highest chance of controlling Le Chiffre and the money, as well as what he wishes to do with it. It's a risk/benefit assessment, which is why when Bond feels he's unable to win the right way, he's prepared to just kill Le Chiffre. I have no doubts that if Bond wasn't there, Le Chiffre would've cleaned everyone out and made off with the money, one way or another, and put MI6 in a position to chase rather than be chased.

    We're not even talking about the undercurrent during that mission, of Bond falling in love, which causes him trauma and pain that never leaves him and makes the job one he never forgets. Add on to that the torture he undergoes under Le Chiffre's hand who now needs to take things that far to get his money, which pushes Bond near his breaking point. He is tested not just physically and mentally, but emotionally in CR, and that's what I think makes it such a devastating mission for him. It's a triple threat, where he has to be sharp and strategic at the card table, strong and durable to fend off his enemies and emotionally strong to diminish his vulnerability of the heart. In the end, perhaps the probability of winning the card game was the easiest thing he had to face, but everything else outside of that complicated things and made it much harder than it otherwise would've been. I don't think it's his hardest mission, to be fair, but it's certainly not his easiest.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    IMHO, any of the films with torture, from DN to MR to CR, would have to be counted out.
  • Posts: 14,799
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.

    When does he struggle in TND? Not very often. He easily overpowers every goon Carver sends him, kills a professional assassin in a matter of minutes and dispatches a few henchmen via a remote control car. He rarely if ever has it rough.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited September 2022 Posts: 8,009
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.

    When does he struggle in TND? Not very often. He easily overpowers every goon Carver sends him, kills a professional assassin in a matter of minutes and dispatches a few henchmen via a remote control car. He rarely if ever has it rough.

    My point is that it's one of the most physically-oriented films in this series due to its bombastic nature. Numerous scraps, chases, gun fights. He's absolutely battered by the end of it, as well. If TND is easy then they're all easy.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    edited September 2022 Posts: 1,664
    I have no doubts that if Bond wasn't there, Le Chiffre would've cleaned everyone out and made off with the money, one way or another, and put MI6 in a position to chase rather than be chased.

    Right, but that's the thing: "Win this card game or...the status quo doesn't change at all from last week." That's a question of stakes, sure, but that is the mission. The rest is usual Bond fare (albeit more brutally portrayed), and some odd decision-making from Bond--falling for Vesper, not giving the password to Le Chiffre (who is very confused about how the decryptor works).

    FRWL seems pretty easy too. Meet this girl, don't let a guy kill you. That's just stuff Bond does on normal missions anyway!

    I love this topic.
  • Posts: 14,799
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.

    When does he struggle in TND? Not very often. He easily overpowers every goon Carver sends him, kills a professional assassin in a matter of minutes and dispatches a few henchmen via a remote control car. He rarely if ever has it rough.

    My point is that it's one of the most physically-oriented films in this series. Numerous scraps, chases, gun fights. He's absolutely battered by the end of it, as well. If TND is easy then they're all easy.

    Yes I get that, but he doesn't really struggle, or look like he's struggling. He does a lot of physical stuff but easily overpowers his adversaries. In the end, he just makes love to Way Lin while the Royal Navy is looking for him.
  • edited September 2022 Posts: 2,749
    Not an easy question... I dunno, probably in some weird way it's FRWL. I mean, the whole thing is relatively routine on Bond's part until Kerim dies. He knows it's some sort of trap so he's not doing any sleuthing, and Grant's essentially protecting him from harm at various points in the film. I guess it's not that he has things under control in that case, it's just that up until that point it's probably a rather easy mission for him.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.

    When does he struggle in TND? Not very often. He easily overpowers every goon Carver sends him, kills a professional assassin in a matter of minutes and dispatches a few henchmen via a remote control car. He rarely if ever has it rough.

    My point is that it's one of the most physically-oriented films in this series. Numerous scraps, chases, gun fights. He's absolutely battered by the end of it, as well. If TND is easy then they're all easy.

    Yes I get that, but he doesn't really struggle, or look like he's struggling. He does a lot of physical stuff but easily overpowers his adversaries. In the end, he just makes love to Way Lin while the Royal Navy is looking for him.

    I don't agree with that at all. Stamper certainly gives him a run for his money throughout finale.
  • Posts: 14,799
    007HallY wrote: »
    Not an easy question... I dunno, probably in some weird way it's FRWL. I mean, the whole thing is relatively routine on Bond's part until Kerim dies. He knows it's some sort of trap so he's not doing any sleuthing, and Grant's essentially protecting him from harm at various points in the film. I guess it's not that he has things under control in that case, it's just that up until that point it's probably a rather easy mission for him.
    You see I think FRWL is maybe one of the most difficult, because he falls into an elaborate trap early on and he gets really cornered. Up until Grant holds him at gunpoint SPECTRE's plan has functioned without a hitch. In the novel it's even harder: Bond nearly died.
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.

    When does he struggle in TND? Not very often. He easily overpowers every goon Carver sends him, kills a professional assassin in a matter of minutes and dispatches a few henchmen via a remote control car. He rarely if ever has it rough.

    My point is that it's one of the most physically-oriented films in this series. Numerous scraps, chases, gun fights. He's absolutely battered by the end of it, as well. If TND is easy then they're all easy.

    Yes I get that, but he doesn't really struggle, or look like he's struggling. He does a lot of physical stuff but easily overpowers his adversaries. In the end, he just makes love to Way Lin while the Royal Navy is looking for him.

    I don't agree with that at all. Stamper certainly gives him a run for his money throughout finale.
    I need to rewatch that fight, but overall Bond pretty much gets through the obstacles without too much if any troubles. Heck, Way Lin could have completed the mission by herself until she suddenly becomes incompetent near the end!
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited September 2022 Posts: 3,382
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.


    He easily took those events easily, I mean speaking for what he did in the majority of the film's scenes, he's like he's just having a good time, he's certainly calmed all the time, if there's a character whom felt more struggle than Bond, it's Wai Lin as she did most of the Physical Action scenes through Martial Arts, but Bond? He's just like, "okay".
    He's just being easy, there's no feel of danger coming to him.
    He's just still being cool.
    Sure, Stamper was a tough henchman, but if we look into Bond's view (he didn't took him seriously), he's not threatened by him.

    Think of Bond's reactions to Red Grant, Fiona Volpe and her henchmen, Oddjob, Chang and Mr. Hinx (he's taking them seriously, you feel the danger, he's threatened by these henchmen, he felt scared at times, there's some seriousness), compare that to Stamper and Bond (he easily took him).

    I've watched the film and never saw any struggles from Bond, he could even make one liners after disposing some enemies, he's just calmed and cool all the time.

    There's no sense of danger, it's all fun to him.

  • Posts: 2,749
    Ludovico wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    Not an easy question... I dunno, probably in some weird way it's FRWL. I mean, the whole thing is relatively routine on Bond's part until Kerim dies. He knows it's some sort of trap so he's not doing any sleuthing, and Grant's essentially protecting him from harm at various points in the film. I guess it's not that he has things under control in that case, it's just that up until that point it's probably a rather easy mission for him.
    You see I think FRWL is maybe one of the most difficult, because he falls into an elaborate trap early on and he gets really cornered. Up until Grant holds him at gunpoint SPECTRE's plan has functioned without a hitch. In the novel it's even harder: Bond nearly died.

    Shows just how difficult to answer/subjective the question is in that case.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    Ludovico wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.

    When does he struggle in TND? Not very often. He easily overpowers every goon Carver sends him, kills a professional assassin in a matter of minutes and dispatches a few henchmen via a remote control car. He rarely if ever has it rough.

    With respect, I must point out in Vietnam Bond is challenged by a keyboard with Chinese characters. It did not end well. [And more seriously I genuinely felt for 007 as beaten in the soundproof room and at the hands of Dr. Kaufman and working his way out of the terrorists bazaar and other moments.)

    Full disclosure, I enjoy TND greatly.

  • Quantum of Solace for me. He's in the least danger and the least threatening/dangerous villain of the entire series IMO.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    MI6HQ wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.


    He easily took those events easily, I mean speaking for what he did in the majority of the film's scenes, he's like he's just having a good time, he's certainly calmed all the time, if there's a character whom felt more struggle than Bond, it's Wai Lin as she did most of the Physical Action scenes through Martial Arts, but Bond? He's just like, "okay".
    He's just being easy, there's no feel of danger coming to him.
    He's just still being cool.
    Sure, Stamper was a tough henchman, but if we look into Bond's view (he didn't took him seriously), he's not threatened by him.

    Think of Bond's reactions to Red Grant, Fiona Volpe and her henchmen, Oddjob, Chang and Mr. Hinx (he's taking them seriously, you feel the danger, he's threatened by these henchmen, he felt scared at times, there's some seriousness), compare that to Stamper and Bond (he easily took him).

    I've watched the film and never saw any struggles from Bond, he could even make one liners after disposing some enemies, he's just calmed and cool all the time.

    There's no sense of danger, it's all fun to him.

    I'm fascinated by how people can see a bloody and bruised Bond in the finale and think he's having a good time, personally.
  • MI6HQ wrote: »
    I don't know how TND could be the easiest considering the sheer amount of physicality Bond has to display throughout the whole thing. It's maybe the easiest in the sense that Carver is clearly the villain from the off, and as such there's very little for Bond to figure out. But he still has to do a lot to actually foil the plan.

    I'm actually finding it difficult to think of a mission that could answer the question fittingly.


    He easily took those events easily, I mean speaking for what he did in the majority of the film's scenes, he's like he's just having a good time, he's certainly calmed all the time, if there's a character whom felt more struggle than Bond, it's Wai Lin as she did most of the Physical Action scenes through Martial Arts, but Bond? He's just like, "okay".
    He's just being easy, there's no feel of danger coming to him.
    He's just still being cool.
    Sure, Stamper was a tough henchman, but if we look into Bond's view (he didn't took him seriously), he's not threatened by him.

    Think of Bond's reactions to Red Grant, Fiona Volpe and her henchmen, Oddjob, Chang and Mr. Hinx (he's taking them seriously, you feel the danger, he's threatened by these henchmen, he felt scared at times, there's some seriousness), compare that to Stamper and Bond (he easily took him).

    I've watched the film and never saw any struggles from Bond, he could even make one liners after disposing some enemies, he's just calmed and cool all the time.

    There's no sense of danger, it's all fun to him.

    I'm fascinated by how people can see a bloody and bruised Bond in the finale and think he's having a good time, personally.

    *Gets a Black Eye and Bloodied Lip*

    Man that was fun, let’s go again!
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