My Favorite 20th Century James Bond Movies…

I love James Bond movies. I’ve watched a few of the new ones, but they mostly miss an essential ingredient of why I like James Bond. The gadgets…I love the gadgets and they are few and far between in the new movies…so my favorites will be the 20th-century movies. I have watched the new ones…but not enough to rank them. I do like them like Skyfall and others. I just know the older ones better…and would that surprise any of my readers? Plus…to me…Sean Connery has never been topped.

I’m not going into big detail…but what I remember the most about them.

What are your favorites?

10. Live and Let Die (1974) 

This was Roger Moore’s debut in the role. It does have a Blaxploitation movie feel to it because of when it was made…and a killer theme song. I love the speedboat chases of this one.

9. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

This is one that Connery came back after being absent in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Not as good as his 1960’s Bond films but as always…a fun movie to watch.

8. Thunderball (1965)

Not as good as the top 3 of this list but the lavish sets work. I also love the Astin Martin with the bullet shield. The jetpack is pretty cool also.

7. The Living Daylights (1987)

Timothy Dalton played Bond in an intense way and it worked. I like Dalton’s Bond. He was a little more serious and it worked great.

6. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby’s one-shot at James Bond was great. I’m sure his agent was fired after telling him one was enough…he would be typecast. What a dumb decision that was! Good one where James Bond gets married.

5. You Only Live Twice (1967)

I loved the small one-man helicopter named “Little Nellie” in this one. Connery was a badass in this one. I also like the giant lair of Blofeld.

4. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

For me, this was Roger Moore’s best Bond movie. You see a young Barbara Bach who would marry Ringo Starr a little later on. The opening squence may be my favorite of any of them.

3. From Russia With Love (1963)

This one could have been number 1 easily also with me. The top 3 are hard to beat. This one is a little longer but never gets boring.

2. Goldfinger (1964)

Goldfinger is usually on top of every list I’ve seen and it could have been on this one also but Ursula Andress tipped the scales for…

1. Dr. No (1962)

In 1962…I can’t imagine the impact Ursula Andress walking out of the water must have had on audiences. It is burned into my brain. I would love to live where Doctor No did.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

69 thoughts on “My Favorite 20th Century James Bond Movies…”

    1. I will say…I could have easily put From Russia With Love at the top. Those top 3 go in any order really. Thanks for reading.

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  2. Mine are: Live and Let Die, From Russia with Love, The Spy Who Loved Me, Diamonds Are Forever, Casino Royal (Craig), Skyfall, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Never Say Never Again, Thunderball…

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  3. What a fun list to look through. It has been so long since I watched a James Bond movie. I’ve only seen the ones with Sean Connery and Roger Moore, so I can’t judge any that came after that. My favorite was probably The Spy Who Loved Me, because of Barbara Bach, and also the theme song by Carly Simon. The Spy Who Loved Me has been coming up in my streaming movie suggestions lately, so I probably need to watch it again.

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  4. Great look at the past, lots of memories. Hard to argue with that list, I haven’t really thought about ranking them before, all of them are enjoyable for me, but of course some more so than others.

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    1. I did liked Q as well! Those are some of my favorite parts of Q showing Bond how to use the different implements of destruction

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      2. He treated him like the child he was… I also liked Miss Moneypenny and the dialog between Bond and her.

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    1. These movies are escapism at it’s best. I’ve been binge watching them. I wish Dalton would have done more of them. He only did 2.

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  7. Great list. I grew up with Roger Moore as my bond and saw a lot of those in the theater. I liked Connery’s as well which I watched after Roger Moore. And I have to agree as much I like Daniel Craig’s Bond, they miss on the gadgets and a little bit of the campiness. They are more Jason Bourne movies then Bond.

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    1. I totally agree with you. They are more Jason Bourne than Bond.
      I even like the so called bad ones like Moonraker…that was the first Bond movie I ever watched.

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  8. Great post Max. To me what makes a great James Bond movie is the villains that he has to go up against and like you I do enjoy the gadgets and the pretty girls are always great to see. Thunderball was my first Bond movie, and it is filled with action, so it holds a special place for me. The gadgets were not used as much in the later movies, but Daniel Craig was the most believable Bond, as his action scenes seemed to be more plausible out of the six actors who have officially played 007. My favorite Bond flick may be Die Another Day with Halle Berry playing an NSA operative helping Pierce Brosnan, but I also like Tomorrow Never Dies with Michelle Yeoh, as she can really kick ass.

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    1. Oh yea…they turned really serious with the modern ones…I do miss some of the camp that was with the earlier films. Moonraker was my first…although rated bad…I still like it because it was the first.

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  9. I’ve seen a few of the 20th century Bond movies, but all that sticks with me are themes.

    They originally wanted Frank Sinatra to sing the theme for “You Only Live Twice,” but he turned it down. Nancy didn’t though, and I think she did a better job than Frank would have.

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    1. Yes she did…I do love the themes. My favorite is probably Goldfinger and then the Paul’s Live and Let Die

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  10. Was watching these in chronological order a while ago. I ran out of interest when I got to the middle ones. Maybe pick up again and give Craig more time. Have caught one of his. Maybe it has to do with where you jump on board. Connery was the place for me. Liked those films. Plus the locations took me on a travel log. You mention Lazenby. I liked liked that film and him. Yeah, what kid wouldn’t dig “Little Nellie”?

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    1. I liked Lazenby a lot…
      By the time Pierce Brosnan came onboard….is when I started to lose intrest. I liked some camp…but it got crazy with invisible cars.
      Moore was my first one…but Connery is hard as hell to beat. I know what you mean though its the same with Doctor Who….

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  11. ‘Live and Let Die’ I still own and is my favourite Bond movie from my youth. If I had to judge one as my favourite and best delivered, I would have go with ‘Casino Royale’ with Daniel Craig. I can’t believe that didn’t make your list! You have ‘Living Daylights’ but Casino. Are you f&%king kidding me? Haha

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    1. Nope…no Craig. It’s the 20th Century that I’m ranking not the 21st. …I’m not a big fan of the new ones….they are ok…but they are more like Jason Bourne than Bond…to me. I’ve watched them and enjoyed them….but Connery…he was the guy to me. Moore was the first one I watched.

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      1. I failed to read the title lol. I can see how they could seem more Bourne. Moore was also the first one I saw – View to a Kill, Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me. I liked them all. To be honest I have only seen and admired two Bonds, Moore and Craig. For me Casino Royale totally transformed the series and it desperately needed it. It was a dying breed after Moore.

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      2. Pierce Brosnan….when he came in…no fault on him but it got way too campy. They needed just to pull the amount of camp back. They took it too far. Although I started with Moore….I have to stick with Connery… he was just great in those 60s films.

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      3. The only thing I like with Pierce Brosnan is GhostWriter which I reviewed. I just find him so far up himself in everything Ive seen. Mind you the women love him. haha. I regrettably haven’t seen the early Connery films.

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      4. Oh Matt…the early ones are really good. Goldfinger is a good one to start with. Oh yea the women like him for sure.

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      5. Will look for it. When I look at Netflix they have few classics. Because they are sh/t. It’s hard to find a service which provides actual super movies from yesteryear.

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  12. Enjoyed them till Roger Moore made 007 into more of an Agent 86. Watched a few now and then the never got back into it.
    My brother had a poster of Dianna Rigg AND one of those Aston Martin posters tacked on his wall, showing off the revolving number plates, tyre shredders and machine guns in all their hokey glory. That poster must be worth a pretty (money)penny by now.

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    1. Even Moore said that he was getting way too long in the tooth to play him…
      THAT would be a cool poster! Loved Dianna Rigg…just looked her up last night again.

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  13. Asking me what my favorite Bond movies are is like asking me what my favorite vodka is. Some are better than others, but for the most part, vodka is vodka. I don’t separate them into centuries either, I pretty much like them all. I do like the gadgets, which seem to be more techie or CGI over time, which I don’t like.

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    1. I miss the watches that would shoot darts or whatever they had….I grew up with Moore but I lean toward Connery.

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      3. Oh right, and in the newer movies it’s a young actor I really like but he’s more of a computer nerd.

        I love the woman he’s married to also. Rachel Weisz (sp?) who is also a great actress. I bet those two have beautiful children.

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      4. I’ve been binge watching them since yesterday.

        I’ve seen an interview with her…she is a good person and they seem really good together.

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      8. Tomorrow we are leaving at around 1 or 2….I’m looking forward to it Lisa….When I was a kid…a friend had a slot machine…I loved it.
        This place has penny slots…and that is my speed lol.

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      10. Oh ok…I sure will….I never heard of those. We have a set amount in cash we are taking…no more. We are not gamblers though… but it will be fun.

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  14. Great list, Max – Badfinger, Max Badfinger!

    In my opinion, Sean Connery was the coolest James Bond, while Roger Moore had the best jokes. Overall, I prefer Connery and the old pictures.

    My absolute favorite is “Goldfinger” – great story, one of the best bad guys played by Gert Fröbe, great action action scenes with the Aston Martin DB5 and the best Bond theme song performed by the incredible Shirley Bassey – okay, I guess you get the point, I like this picture! 🙂

    My only disagreement is about Timothy Dalton – he just didn’t work for me as Bond. On the other hand, I thought Piece Brosnan was a pretty good Bond. It took me a long time to get used to Daniel Craig. I never fully warmed to him.

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    1. Goldfinger could have very well been my number 1….my top 3 could all be #1 to me. Yea my favorite theme song is Goldfinger and second is that ex Beatle…whats his name?

      I liked Piece Brosnan….but only one movie…the writing started to get really campy. Dalton…was serious…Craig is WAY too serious for me. It’s Jason Bourne now more than Bond. I miss the gadgets and the fun.

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  15. I saw this post and immediately went down a James Bond Wikipedia rabbit hole last night. GEEZUS. I grew up watching Roger Moore. My dad never liked him as he was a Connery fan. Ditto, Ken. I was fascinated with Thunderball being done, twice and Casino Royale, twice, though the first one was a parody (thank you David Niven).

    Then, I got caught up in reading about each movie’s music. Shirley Bassey, Carly Simon, Wings, Sheena Easton, Sheryl Crow, Adele, Duran Duran, Rita Coolidge…

    I loved Sean Connery but, not as Bond. I preferred his later work.

    I can’t say I am a big Bond fan. The movies are a tapestry thru most of my life, tho…

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    1. When you said you didn’t like Connery as Bond…I would have known you didn’t like the Bond movies. The modern ones I don’t like as much at all…they are no fun at all.

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  16. I’ve seen only a handful of James Bond films, but like you, I like Sean Connery’s the best. If I had to pick my favorites of the ones I have seen, they’d be Goldfinger and From Russia With Love (which was a bit intense for me when I first saw it in the theater at the age of nine).

    I have, however, ranked my 10 favorite Bond themes, in a post I wrote 7 years ago: https://eclecticmusiclover.com/2016/06/22/ten-best-james-bond-theme-songs/

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    1. I agree with From Russia With Love…it stands out more than the other ones he did.

      Thanks Jeff! It’s good to go over those themes again.

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