The way he dispatched people was just so vile. And it quite difficult to stand out with so many good actors in that film. It was my first Bond film and one of my favorites.
That clearly shows how fantastic Robert Davi was in Licence To Kill as the main villain : further supported by Anthony Zerbe as secondary antagonist (inadvertently causing a lot of the movie's events even after his character was killed by Sanchez, Krest could have been better written and given another name - instead of using an Ian Fleming Story, The Hildebrand Rarity, traits are carried over to Sanchez by Wilson and Maibaum) either way it displayed the amount effort put in by all who played each onscreen role in the movie.
@@anthonylewis2080 it's funny I watched him first in The Goonies, then LTK. It's like 'he was really mean but kind of funny' to 'holy shit!' He terrified me as a kid.
Between for your eyes only and license to kill, they are to me the most underrated of the franchise. Davi was brilliant as Sanchez. When I was a kid I had only seen him in The Goonies so I was really scared of him in LTK, but then it's quite violent.
You’re definitely spot on about the dubbing of Goldfinger. It took me years later to find out that the voice was not the actor’s own. That showed how good a job was done.
Gert Fröbe made his own dubbing in french. As Curd Jürgens, Klaus Maria Brandauer. For an unknow reason, Hervé Villechaize don't made it. Christopher Waltz is fluent in french and made it in Tarantino's but not in 007.
@@getd8556 Sometimes, actors are unable to dub themselves out of scheduling reasons or whatever. Karin Dor, a German actress who had made lots of movies in West Germany, did not dub herself in 1967's You Only Live Twice. Fröbe did dub himself in German though.
Sir Christopher Lee certainly got a platinum trophy in life. He was a Bond actor that was actually related to Ian Fleming, and he was the only Lord of the Rings actor that actually met JRR Tolkien. Also, he was a WWII veteran, a skilled swordfighter, spoke six languages, descended from Italian royalty, Muhammad Ali dedicated a victory to him, he played Count Dracula AND Count Dooku, and released heavy metal albums in his later years! The definition of legend! Rest In Peace.
It's been said that given his still secret exploits in WWII he may have actually been the inspiration for James Bond. What an actor and what a wonderful career!
Scaramanga was always my favorite. The idea of this arrogant assassin who exercises by having his henchman hire other super assassins to try and kill him was just cool in my eyes. That bad guy Christopher Walkin played was also pretty good.
@@felixcortez7604True, but he was an interesting villain. I think the best villain was Stromberg though, Blofeld felt a little cartoonish sometimes, and Stromberg felt like pure evil and like someone completely removed from empathy
The impression I always got from Largo is that he used to be a Main Henchman, sort of like Red Grant, who eventually got promoted. I mean, he *beat* Bond in _Thunderball,_ had him at actual Gunpoint and would have shot him if Domino hadn't intervened in time. He had a strong physical presence and was absolutely not afraid to dirty his hands with grunt work.
Franz Sanchez is what I would describe as the most grounded in reality. He doesn’t want to end the world, he just want to expand his empire. He doesn’t want his henchmen to die mercifully, he wants them to broil on their mistakes before he brutally executes them. But all and all, Goldfinger is the best, and yet I can barely put my finger on it. Its just… great writing and a great performance.
It’s such a shame that the motivation was so outlandishly stupid. they couldn’t give him the better motive in the book of destroying ONLY England as revenge for Germany. Instead they give him the nonsensical motive of preserving the master race in space. A damn shame because Michael Lonsdale could have been fantastic had he played drax like the book who was written so much better than the film heck the whole story is soooooooo much better in the book than the movie which was a Star Wars cash grab
@@mohammedashian8094 Just a Star Wars cash grab, was it? Perhaps it might have had SOMETHING to do with the fact that they had used ALL the Bond novels...except for THIS one. Maybe they should have skipped over it just so that people like you wouldn't question the purity of their motives!
@@tgriffin3059 don’t give me that nonsense. There was little to no connection between the movie after Fleming died except maybe on her majesty’s secret service otherwise the connection is EXTREMELY loose way too loose if ya ask me
Totally agree on Lyutsifer Safin. You can’t hate Rami Malek. But this character made absolutely no sense at all. I didn’t even get why he wanted to destroy the world
@@NCSheriff7 I disagree with saying he was out of shape. I think Craig set the bar very high when it comes to his physique compated to the other Bond’s. To old? Yeah quite a bit. Anyway, NTTD is the worst Bond movie. With way too much added drama and political/ethical nonsense.
Scaramanga is my personal favorite. The only villan to act in a not personal or passionate way. I think he's the only villan ever to let Bond go (inthe circus) scene, when he says "I hold no hard feelings agaist you Mr. Bond, and I hope our paths never crosses again". Later he acts as a real gentleman and says "I could have killed you when you arrived, but that would have been ridicolously easy" And finally invites Bond for a fair duel, "the only true test for gentleman"> This is really one of a kind, some we dont see on a bond villan, a man sctrictly cold and professional, trying to be oldschool and fair in his squirmishes. I also would say Emilio Largo should be far up in the list. A complete villan. Rich, sophisticated, bon vivant, polite and at teh same time does scuba diving, shoots clay traps and have no problems to be brutal.
All the women during Pierce Brosnan era stole the show from him. This was odd, because he was supposed to be the heir apparent. GoldenEye was good but the others were trash. Famke, Michelle Yeoh, Halle Berry and Sophie Marceau stood out and if not for them, his movies would be almost unwatchable. He was basically Remington Steele playing James Bond. It didn't work
Not a fan of Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies. I liked him alot as Remington Steele tho, there's irony there. GoldenEye was good but he still got outshined in that one. Famke Jansen's role put her on the map as one of the best femme fatale. Sean Bean did a good job. All Brosnan Bond movies he gets outshined. Michelle Yeoh did her own stunts while Pierce had body doubles. Halle Berry was good in that suckey last one. Coincidentally both these ladies have won Oscars.
That's a sensational top-3. And as I've said in some other Bond videos, I am glad "Licence To Kill" is getting the love it deserves, since I am old enough to recall how it got panned when it was released due to its violence and dark tone. Kudos!
Sir Christopher Lee was always destined to feature in the Bond series somewhere. Not only was he a cousin of Ian Flemming, he was a British Intelligence agent during WWII. His life and personality were the original template that Flemming used to create Bond in the first place. You could say that Lee WAS James Bond in the flesh.
@@michaelnally2841 If you've seen The Howling, 2, you know just how seriously he took that maxim...he emerged with his own, individual dignity intact, which is a lasting testimony to the man's strength and talent....
One trailer for Goldfinger actually used an undubbed line from Gert Frobe, that being "Choose your next witticism carefully, Mr. Bond, it may be your last." The inflection difference between him and Michael Collins was so subtle, but he oozed menace in his delivery. Given that Connery listened to only Frobe's delivery while on set, his reactions as 007 feel that much more appropriate.
Looking at Electkra's past, you can see why Bond develops the feelings he does. She was a female victim virtually abandoned by her father and MI6. He's had so many women he'd failed to save, especially Tracy. The idea of her victimized twice really brings out Bond's need to protect. It's why he's so angry when he finds out she's behind everything. As Alex Trevalyen pointed out, the ones he failed to save are foremost in Bond's thoughts. She was lost before he even met her.
Not only that, In previous story Bond lost Paris Carver... which at some point he really was in love with her in the past. Using her in such deadly game, to realized that she was killed because of him, made Bond offer us one of the most cold villain death. Elliot death was not just necessary, but also a revenge for Paris. Bond did have this affection with Elektra, because he knows how is to be betrayed and left behind. In some way, Elektra does remind bond of himself, sadly she was in a point of no return. Thats why i really like her, she is not just some villain for the sake of it! Raul Silva clearly got some inspiration of her traits!
Green is one of my favorite Bond villains. He's massively underrated and what's great about him is that he seems normal but he's very bright, very calculating, very cold, and very efficient. His plans are evil yet reasonable in scale. If there wasn't a writers strike when Quantum of Solace was being filmed, I think we would've seen the script explore more of what the actor was hinting at in his performance.
Excellent list. It's very important to note that most of the villains gave inspired performances. Gert Frobe was of course fantastic, but geeze Lee and Walker were solar flares in their outings.
I’ve been watching your video catalog and of those I’ve seen, this has the most entertaining editing. The idea of featuring the voice of the villain prior to the name or face reveal is really very clever, like a silent black screen at the beginning of a preview suddenly grabbing the audience with, say, Darth Vader’s breathing, or the first notes from Williams’ Jaws theme. I also like Octopussy far more than most, but one of the much more personal reasons is because Louis Jourdan is, for whatever reason, the only person I ever heard my mom sort of swoon over. (I’d never even heard of him at the time.) She saw the film initially just to watch him, and I remember she kind of luxuriated his name when she pronounced it, like he was made of silk or something…it was so out of character for her, adorable and very endearing. “Bond films have had a somewhat spotty record when it comes to it’s [their] treatment of women…” must be my 2023’s most understated observation. I strongly agree that Silva’s entrance was the easily the most potent in the series. I knew when I was watching it, however, that I was at a disadvantage. I’d heard that No Country For Old Men had an exceptional villain, but having never seen it, I was unfortunately bereft of any additional weight Bardem’s history probably added. In fact, with Mendes’ so brilliantly crafted introduction, presaged ominously by Severine, I was initially let down when I realized the man coming through the elevator doors wasn’t someone we already knew…it was so compelling, it was like Telly Savalas or even Gert Frobe might have somehow been reincarnated and could be walking towards Bond. But it was just some overhyped clown with bleach blonde hair. Until, of course, he told his little rat story, and the grandiosity of his debut felt, even for someone uncolored by memories of Chigurh, rather appropriate. p.s. At some point I’ll make a case for why I believe you’ve elsewhere severely underestimated, and ranked very unfairly, Skyfall. For someone so self-evidently erudite and perceptive, I have to believe a properly-supported argument will overcome whatever gossamer misapprehensions have engendered your uncharacteristic lapse in judgement. (I’m still reeling a bit from that ranking video. Fourteenth?
That's fair. I'll explain more fully when I get around to reviewing Skyfall, but for now, let me just say: it's a good movie, it does a lot of things right, and I like it more and more with every viewing, but some of the plots contrivances are a bit much for me, I'm not a big fan of the climax, and I think some of the dialogue is a bit pretentious.
Great to see Sophie Marceau's excellent work being respected here. She could have coasted on her very, very good looks and phoned a performance in. But she reeled us in as the innocent girl. And then chllled us as the psychopath beneath. Truly earning Bond's last word to her: "I never miss". One of the best moments in all the Bond films for me. The complete magnificence of Christopher Lee in war, life, film and music has already been amply discussed here. .Two other fun facts about Lee: he considered becoming an opera singer, and he is related to Charlemagne.
Great list, but opinions vary. For me personally, Drax is Number one. I loved his dryness. "Mr Bond...You continue to defy my attempts to plan an amusing death for you", is one of my favorite ever villain lines.
@@doctorlolchicken7478 I would argue that he's also the most evil Bond villain. He's the only one whose goal is the near-extermination of the human race, and his motive is eugenics and megalomania. Drax is Hitler in space.
Alec Trevelyan and Raoul Silva are both my favorite Bond villains. They were once MI6 agents, both of them were betrayed by M and they both wanted to get revenge on her and MI6 for ruining their lives. Only difference is that Alec discovered who his parents were after they committed suicide as M lied to him about his parent’s demise when he was a child which made Alec gone rogue to seek revenge, while Silva on the other hand was taken by China as M exchange him to rescue six of her agents that was held prisoners and got Silva torture for five months. Silva even try to kill himself but failed until he come to realize that he was given another chance as his purpose was to get revenge on M. Both had gone through tragedy which you gotta feel bad for because it was M’s fault for turning these two into monsters.
Judi Dench's version of M had nothing to do with Alec Trevelyan. The pre-credit sequence of Goldeneye takes place in 1986 (9 years before the rest of the film), which chronologically means that Robert Brown's version of M was Alec's boss when he was working for the MI6.
Carver and Goldfinger are close for me, Carver honestly comes out on top for me just because his entire scheme aged like a fine wine on top of him being a villain who is having genuine fun with what he does. He a villain in a realistic way too because I can fully see someone starting a war for broadcasting rights.
The funniest part about Gustav Graves being a darker image of Bond is that his actor, Toby Stephens, later played Bond himself in a series of BBC radio plays based on the original Fleming books. (He was great, by the way.)
@@phillipjrgensen1024 the villains in Bond movies have the most time power over Bond, because Bond is fighting alone, but Le Chiffre is just not a powerful villain overall, i mean he almost shit his pants against the african warlords
Tell you the truth Alec Trevelyan is better than Blofeld. Also you are spot on with Remi Malek villian. I didn't know what to think about him? He was so forgettable.
It was always going to be Goldfinger, nice to see Franz Sanchez at number 2. . BUT although I know he's technically a henchman, I really did think would see Robert Shaw's excellent turn as Red Grant high on the list.
Dude, I love your videos! We have pretty much the same top 10 here :) kuddos for mentioning that short scene of Carver sitting by himself in TND, as he just ordered his wife's death. That moment is spectacular and so underrated, it single-handedly elevated Pryce's camp delight of a performance into all time material. It was a brilliant move by the filmmakers to include such a moment of introspection at this point of the film.
Thank you for the kind words. That moment has always stuck out to me because I can't really think of too many other moments in the series like it, and it helped me pay attention to Carver more than I had.
@@stephenjarvis534Too Be Honest I Don't Like 007 A.k.a James Bond Films Many British English 🇬🇧 Series and Films Are Whack i Didn't Like Final season of Top Boy Either Peaky Blinders or Gangs of London is A Bit Okay But Many British English Films and Series Are Boring 👎🏾👎🏾😞😓😩😫🥱
Enjoyed your video and no argument with number one. But I love Curt Jurgens' Stromberg. I don't see him as a weaker villain at all. He was so cold and utterly psychotic, in the opening minutes alone he dispatches his secretary, two scientists and an unlucky helicopter pilot. Julian Glover's Kristatos is also hugely underrated. Arguably the most realistic villain in the Bond series, Glover - very fine actor that he is - does a brilliant job portraying this charming but treacherous character.
I had such fun with this, thank you. I haven't seen any James Bond films recently, and some not in at least thirty years, so my ranking was based on the memories of villains who stood out from those I couldn't remember at all. I figured, if I can't remember the villain, he / she wasn't very good / bad. I compiled my list before watching yours, and there is only one enormous dispute for me - that is Maximilian Largo from NSNA, who is in my fourth place. Although Largo doesn't do anything that is extremely villainous, he always looks as if he could tip over at any moment; and that is scary 1 Sanchez, because of what he did to Felix and Della and the guy in the decompression chamber; and because Robert Davi was just so bloody good 2 Goldfinger, because he dominates his scenes, even when he shares them with Bond 3 Zorin Easily my favourite villain, also extremely physical. Hard to take my eyes off him 4 Maximilian Largo as explained 5 Le Chiffre, because he is chilling 6 Rosa Klebb 7 Blofeld YOLT 8 Silva. Hard to keep my eyes on him 9 Drax 10 Elektra King 11 Carver 12 Scaramanga 13 Dr No 14 Trevelyan 15 Blofeld OHMSS 16 Kananga 17 Stromberg 18 Blofeld Spectre 19 Emilio Largo 20 Kamal Khan / Orloff 21 Graves 22 Koskoff / Whittaker 23 Kristatos 24 Greene 25 Saffin 26 Blofeld DAF
I actually liked Maximilian Largo exactly because of his normalcy. He is a selfmade businessman. He probably was never liked in school, or at university. He probably always felt to be the ugly duckling and is constantly working on his return as the beautiful swan. His revenge is his ruthlessness against anyone he perceives as an adversary - not necessary an enemy (that would be too personal), but just everyone who is an obstacle to his goals. He really cares about being admired or respected, not because of his villaincy, but because of his success and his charm. In the same way, if someone betrays him, his own love and admiration for that person turns into the cancellation of that person in his personal balance sheet.
I don’t necessarily agree with everything but it says a lot that I actually watched this entire 45 minute video (in multiple sittings) when usually I won't watch any over 20 minutes. You did a really good job.
Ian Fleming wanted his cousin, Sir Christopher Lee, to play Dr. No. Unfortunately, the studio disagreed. So, Lee was cast a decade later for "The Man with the Golden Gun" and had a fine performance as Scaramanga that was probably a good deal more impactful in the Bond mythos. Not the first time Lee was sought to play a seminal villain in the first film of a franchise. George Lucas wanted Lee to play Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars. But, Lee could not get out of a commitment. So, Lucas cast Lee's best friend and frequent Hammer collaborator Peter Cushing instead. Of course, Lee later played Count Dooku and has left an even bigger mark on the Star Wars universe as a consequence.
I think it was smart not to use Christopher Lee in the first one, as I prefer to remember the first one for Ursula Andress coming onto the beach. That scene alone is why I watched the movie and the only thing I hated about that movie was how anticlimatic the ending was.
I'm so upset. I wrote a very detailed comment earlier today and went point by point based on my notes, lol, I took last night when I watched this in delight and I have NO idea why it never posted. This was another phenomenal entry from you! I hope I find the energy to detail it all out again
Thank you. I never really expected to find an audience, but it's been wonderful so far. Can't wait to read the comment; I love hearing others' thoughts on the series, as I don't get to talk about it much in my day to day routine.
@stephenjarvis534 lol...I don't either, not in depth at least. I think you're fantastic at this and I accept will take another "go" at this asap This is my phone, the other, lost, comment was from my iPad lol let's see
Great list !! I would rate Silva higher. I think he was so good as a villain, it would have been terrifying to have him survive Skyfall and continue lurking about. I agree wholeheartedly on the most recent incarnation of Blowfeld. I didn't like the shared history, I thought it was too much... Would love for you do a comparison with Dr. No and Safin...as there seems to some similarities/homages built into Safin...
I think one thing we all can also appreciate about Goldfinger is he avoids the “leave the room” bond cliche. True he’s not 100% paying attention to what’s happening but he’s confident he’s won and he’s still waiting for Bond to die in the same room. And I do believe he’s one of the few early bond villains when shit goes down he’s willing to get his hands dirty.
Elektra King is a favorite of mine. She's such a unique antagonist for Bond, as she's the only evil female lead in the series, and arguably manipulates Bond's sympathetic side better than any other character (with the possible exception of Vesper Lynd). I also love that M sees Bond shoot her, as Judi Dench's M hadn't really felt much sympathy for Bond at that point, and as she was also emotionally attached to Elektra, her realization of just how cold and detached Bond has to be to do his job is felt even more strongly.
Blofeld has always been my favorite Bond villain, closely followed by Scaramanga and Dr. No. I understand that some of his appearances in movies are definitely weaker iterations, but I love ever version of Blofeld as they all have something to bring to the table. In From Russia with love and Thunderball he's extremely ominous, I especially love his voice in Thunderball. In You Only Live Twice, Pleasance plays Blofeld in one of my favorite versions of the character, still menacing while being a very effective threat onscreen. And I also think On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my favorite version Blofeld. Charles Gray plays a campy version of Blofeld perfectly, Max Von Sydow was an interesting choice that could have worked, and Christoph Waltz's Blofeld is still Blofeld, even if I hate that he's Bond's brother
I've never tried ranking Bond villains, but this list feels about right for me. I would move Alex Trevelyan and Elliot Carver down a bit, Drax, Rosa Klebb and Elektra King up a bit, but no big discrepancies. The reasoning is solid too. If I go by who is memorable, regardless of role/acting, it would be people like Goldfinger, Sanchez, Blofeld (Pleasance version), Klebb, Drax, Zorin, Scaramanga, Kananga. I always liked Kronstein in From Russia With Love. I can see why he's not on the list, and I always wished he had more to do in the film, but the idea of a chess grandmaster being the Bond villain is a cool idea, even if he supposed foolproof plan is bloody stupid. I generally like later villains less. Many Bond villains are cartoony, but Craig got this weird mix of boring and totally over the top. But I don't like the Brosnan villains much either, except for Elektra King. The video mentioned that the Dr. Kananga / Mr. Big thing in Live and Let Die didn't work because it's obviously the same actor - but I feel that's because people know it now even before seeing the film, like how The Sixth Sense is less well regarded now because everyone claims they can see the twist coming a mile off. Back in the 1970s the Big/Kananga plot twist was masterful. They made him look taller and thinner as Big, and shorter and fatter as Kananga, and Yaphet Kotto really pulled it off.
Yeah I agree he’s good in so many other things. For Your Eyes Only is still a great film and it’s my favourite Roger Moore Bond film, but unfortunately his character is really bland in comparison to other Bond villains
@@marktaylor6491 man I never realized I was in all of those movies. I guess that's the hallmark of a good actor. Gary Oldman is another example of an actor with a great range
Also in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as General Veers and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade as Indiana Jones friend and colleague turned villain Walter Donavan.
Kristatos is underrated. Dude played Bond like a fiddle for half the movie and almost tricked Bond into killing his arch-enemy for him. The way he tries to kill Bond and Melina with the boat is sinister as hell too.
Totally agree with your top nine! Too, I really liked the recognition that you gave Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill - probably the most ruthless of the Bond villains. I agree with Blofeld at #7. Neither the older Bond movies nor the new ones do him justice. They completely ruined his story arc in the older films and then the plot twist in the new films, making him Bond's "brother," was just weird. Otherwise, he should be higher. I thought Dr. No should be number 10, even though the film did not include much screen time for him. Great video!
Personally, I find that I prefer the older films villains, partially because of the unique minions. It's hard to forget Oddjob, Nick Nack or my personal favorite, Jaws. That odd line between serious and camp has stuck with me stronger than other films, although, that could be rose-tinted glasses playing its part.
only recent villain that stands out to me is Le Chiffre. I like the whole story on how he made his money, possibly being involved in 9/11 attacks, because there was money to be made and he is mostly just a middle man who's life is on the line. Then there is the very memorable torture scene
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For me its Blofeld, Goldfinger and Trevelyan and then absolute daylight. The best three Bond villains by far.
Mine is Goldfinger so far. I like my hams “Do you expect me to talk?” “No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die!” *Face of childlike glee. Lol I didn’t expect it to be number one here too!
Fun fact is that producers wanted him instead of Moore to star in Live and Let Die, but he declained and said being too young. Dalton was 24 on that time. 😂❤ He was also the primary choice for the role in Golden Eye, but passed for he had already decided to do something else. In 1995 he was 46 and could still have done 2-3 movies. 😢
I appreciate how high you ranked Carver on this list. Tomorrow Never Dies is my personal favorite Bond film (great Bond girl in Wai-Lin, fun action sequences, a plot that seems eerily relevant in modern times) and Carver is a big reason why.
I disagree about Klaus Maria Brandauer; handsome, elegant and pretty evil. I think he is doing a terrific job in Never Say Never Again; but maybe I am having a soft spot for that movie. The rest of the list seems okay to me… enjoyed watching your post! 🌈
Same here. Brandauer was easily one of the best actors to play a Bond villain. I also think YOLT is the superior version of Thunderball. It has better actors (Brandauer and Basinger, but also the hilarious Barbara Carrera), a better script and is psychologically more believable. Only the last half hours drags on for too long.
This. He was properly unhinged and the did a great job of showing that through the performance and little details. It’s the small things that make a great performance
You're right; Blofeld is Bond’s Joker in that way. He's the most prominent, the one that causes the most personal harm and is probably the one that most people think of when they think of Bond villain. However, the term "arch nemesis" has little to do with how much we like the character; it's more a statement of facts and there’s no greater personal enemy to Bond than Blofeld.
Save you the time and trouble. Ain't nobody could beat the greatest henchmen of James Bond movies.... Jaws. Richard Kiel played him twice cuz he's that powerful. Also one of few to survive at the end. 7'4 and 450 pounds. He eats Red Grants for breakfast. And green berets too
I disagree with a lot of your choices, but it speaks to the Quality of the video, that I still think it is a very good list and worthwhile watching. great job
Goldfinger is definitely the best! My list would be; 1. Goldfinger 2. Blofeld 3. Drax 4. Scaramanga 5. Zorn 6. Dr. No 7. Elektra King 8. Kananga 9. Carver 10. Alec
I like that you put Christopher Walken fairly high up, but I would have put him at the top. He's the best villain IMO. But I get these lists are subjective. Great list and a good idea for a video, thank you for sharing it.
For me numero uno is Franz Sanchez, drug lord and Sadist but for second place I personality adore Elliot Carver because he is clearly villain of our lifetime.
One thing I'd like to see in future movies is see new spins on classic villains and Scaramanga has quite a bit of potential. Since he's younger and hispanic in the book, there's fresh territory. Say he's hired by Spectre to kill Bond/someone but Bond causes him to miss and they develop a rivalry that spans over several movies. Also I always thought that Gary Oldman should've played Blofeld since the characters a master of disguise in the books and Oldman certainly is that.
A reoccurring villain that's not Blofeld would be nice, and I'd love to see that in the next reboot. Gary Oldman can do no wrong in my book. Such a chameleon of an actor.
Spot on with the Oldman observation! On the Other hand, the Scaramanga reprise... I dunno. It'd be tricky to pull it off without letting it devolve into something like Snidely Whiplash (Curses! Foiled again!) or Peter Griffin v Chicken. He'd hardly be considered the best hitman in the world if he couldn't get the job done over several movies.
Drax is too serious, lacks humor like silva which was excellent, but is in a way comical. The best look goes to the scar and blind eye guy. Goldfinger is a good choice. Inglorious basterds actor is also a good choice. Saffin is underrated. They should have the same villain not change them every time.
But overall, a good list. Nice to see Koskov not ranked at the very bottom because I think a lot of people misunderstand this character. The charming deceiver/cowardly "chickenshit heel" villain is a nice change of pace and compliments Dalton well.
Ah, no, see, you have misunderestimated Emilio Largo. Emilio Largo is the anti-Bond. Thunderball mirrors Largo and Bond many, many times... Bond is briefed by his superior in a secret headquarters surrounded by many other agents. Largo is briefed by his superior in a secret headquarters surrounded by many other agents. Bond wears a black tuxedo. Largo wears a white tuxedo. Bond has jet black hair. Largo has paper white hair. Bond plays chemin de faire. Largo plays chemin de faire. Bond is a ladies man, with a fur glove. Largo is a ladies man, with a lit cigar. Bond is a superb shot. Largo is a superb shot. Bond has Q. Largo has Kutze. Bond has access to a gadget laden car. Largo has access to a gadget laden hydrofoil. Bond is 007. Largo is Number 2. Bond kills Largo's best girl. Largo kills Bond's best girl. ...and others. Thunderball boils down to Bond Vs. Bond. Also the villain is killed by someone else entirely - the implication being that Bond's being nice to Domino is what shifts the balance - otherwise Largo wins. That's dashed rare. But he's not the most rivetting of villains either...
I think the main problem with Safin is that the movie was trying to make him be all the villains of the last three Fleming novels (OHMSS, You Only Live Twice and The Man With the Golden Gun), and his motivations got very muddled as a result. Otherwise, I think he gets the job done, and Malek really does portray a villain who manages to very nearly succeed with what he does.
I never thought about it like that, though I did notice the influence You Only Live Twice had on the film. I guess he should get a little more credit, given that he did kill Blofeld and forced Bond to kill himself.
Low key I think Elliot Carver is the best villain in the series just because he's the one who's real. And while 'buying up the media to control the narrative and foment civil unrest and control markets' might have seemed quaint in 1998, it's the reality now. But you didn't put him at the bottom, which is what contemporaries ranking the films would've done then. So that's good lol.
This was a very fun watch and a great thought exercise to ponder who the best villains are. I have to admit i really like bond films I'm not as huge a fanatic as lots of others are but i do like them. One thing that always gets me grief from friends is i am a massive fan of Timothy dalton as bond he might even be my favorite i wish he would have done more. My least favorite bond without a doubt is pierce Brosnan i never watch his bond films i find him totally wrong for the role. The living daylights, license to kill and a view to a kill are 3 of my top 5 bond flicks of all time. The living daylights and a view to a kill are my 2 favorite theme songs as well. Thanks for this cool upload i have spent a bit of time thinking about this since watching it so cheers to you for the food for thought
Yeah I pretty much agree as well. Everyone hates on Dalton, but he's my best after Sean Connery. His movies were solid. Though 1980's, they weren't corny or dated. Could happen today. Drug lords still running rampant. Pierce Brosnan is the weakest IMO. Even his gunbarrel sequence looks weird. Lazenby quit while he was ahead. Smart. His movie was good. Roger Moore made the most movies, but at nearly 60, he was grandfather James Bond. Old.
@@mcentepede i agree with everything you said there. Roger moore also played it like he does all his films, over the top and alot of comedy i like him but i never believe he is a real person. Alot of folks give me grief for my brosnan opinion but i just could not ever get into him, and every movie he made after playing bond is a slight variation on him playing the exact same character over and over again. I also really like the sean connery one called never say never again, i think thats it's title. I think it's really fun.
One of the best thing about Bond villains is their evil plan, and one of the reasons Goldfinger is among the best is that it's memorable for what people thing about it. Arguments have been raised over whether any of their plans would've ever worked, and Goldfinger's Operation Grand Slam is among the most-discussed, to the point where I recall someone revealing on TV Tropes that while Fort Knox's gold would not have been hopelessly irradiated, there would have been a change in molecular structure IN the gold that would have *destroyed it.* To that end, I propose a new Bond Villain video: Bond Villain Plans Ranked, based upon how intricate, stylish, and effective they would have actually been. This means that while a number of later films would get points for their gritty realism, they would also *lose* points if they were not especially interesting. Hope you take an interest in this one, as many a fan love to talk about it.
I think Largo is the ultimate dark reflection of Bond in the book. This works because both men act way more grounded and are less comical (no eye patch) and because the story makes Bond rely more on his knowledge and training than on luck or obscure gadgets. Largo gets to rely on his position in society and social skills way more, and Largos position is the main factor keeping Bond and his allies from getting to him in the first place. The finale is also way more fitting, pitting them against each other as leaders of their respective scuba diver units, fighting each other with spearguns and knives around a sharp coral reef and around a atom bomb, reducing their battle to a way purer form of combat than we see in the movie, where they put in that sloppy action sequence on the boat.
Sanchez was by far the most hateable of all the Bond villains, at least for me. His pure sadism is typical of many real life drug lords.
The way he dispatched people was just so vile. And it quite difficult to stand out with so many good actors in that film. It was my first Bond film and one of my favorites.
That clearly shows how fantastic Robert Davi was in Licence To Kill as the main villain : further supported by Anthony Zerbe as secondary antagonist (inadvertently causing a lot of the movie's events even after his character was killed by Sanchez, Krest could have been better written and given another name - instead of using an Ian Fleming Story, The Hildebrand Rarity, traits are carried over to Sanchez by Wilson and Maibaum) either way it displayed the amount effort put in by all who played each onscreen role in the movie.
@@anthonylewis2080 it's funny I watched him first in The Goonies, then LTK. It's like 'he was really mean but kind of funny' to 'holy shit!' He terrified me as a kid.
@@anthonylewis2080 zerbe’s a lackey he was not lethal unlike dario.
Between for your eyes only and license to kill, they are to me the most underrated of the franchise. Davi was brilliant as Sanchez. When I was a kid I had only seen him in The Goonies so I was really scared of him in LTK, but then it's quite violent.
You’re definitely spot on about the dubbing of Goldfinger. It took me years later to find out that the voice was not the actor’s own. That showed how good a job was done.
Gert Fröbe made his own dubbing in french. As Curd Jürgens, Klaus Maria Brandauer. For an unknow reason, Hervé Villechaize don't made it. Christopher Waltz is fluent in french and made it in Tarantino's but not in 007.
I watched it in German first so I didn’t know this for a long time.
@@getd8556maybe he thought it wasn’t worth the effort for that shit movie.
@@getd8556 Sometimes, actors are unable to dub themselves out of scheduling reasons or whatever. Karin Dor, a German actress who had made lots of movies in West Germany, did not dub herself in 1967's You Only Live Twice. Fröbe did dub himself in German though.
In German it´s Gert Fröbe´s own voice !
Sir Christopher Lee certainly got a platinum trophy in life. He was a Bond actor that was actually related to Ian Fleming, and he was the only Lord of the Rings actor that actually met JRR Tolkien.
Also, he was a WWII veteran, a skilled swordfighter, spoke six languages, descended from Italian royalty, Muhammad Ali dedicated a victory to him, he played Count Dracula AND Count Dooku, and released heavy metal albums in his later years! The definition of legend! Rest In Peace.
It's been said that given his still secret exploits in WWII he may have actually been the inspiration for James Bond. What an actor and what a wonderful career!
@@lefantomer that wouldn't surprise me at all! Too right!
Bro really completed the whole skill tree 💀
Wow, that's a first class resume, no wonder he was a hand-in-glove villian choice.
Don't forget his great performance as Rasputin.
Scaramanga was always my favorite. The idea of this arrogant assassin who exercises by having his henchman hire other super assassins to try and kill him was just cool in my eyes. That bad guy Christopher Walkin played was also pretty good.
The duel between Bond and Scaramanga was quite disappointing. For me Blofeld played by Donald Pleasence is the best bond villain
@@felixcortez7604True, but he was an interesting villain. I think the best villain was Stromberg though, Blofeld felt a little cartoonish sometimes, and Stromberg felt like pure evil and like someone completely removed from empathy
If Christopher Walkin married Mr. Freeze, he’d be Christopher Walkin-Freeze
The impression I always got from Largo is that he used to be a Main Henchman, sort of like Red Grant, who eventually got promoted. I mean, he *beat* Bond in _Thunderball,_ had him at actual Gunpoint and would have shot him if Domino hadn't intervened in time. He had a strong physical presence and was absolutely not afraid to dirty his hands with grunt work.
Yeah, you're right, he's one of the few primary villains who is macho...
Franz Sanchez is what I would describe as the most grounded in reality.
He doesn’t want to end the world, he just want to expand his empire.
He doesn’t want his henchmen to die mercifully, he wants them to broil on their mistakes before he brutally executes them.
But all and all, Goldfinger is the best, and yet I can barely put my finger on it. Its just… great writing and a great performance.
“I Can barely put my finger on it.”
Was that an intentional pun?😂
Goldfinger fits or has himself spawned all of the archetypes.
He is iconic, like darth vader, he is timeless in the bond universe and is the gold standard when it comes to bond villians
same for Kananga in Live and let Die he wanted to dominate the US drug market
Savalis' turn as Blofeld makes me angry that we never got to see him as Lex Luthor
True. Hackman was wonderful, but that was before Luthor became the big bad businessman in the comics, and that's what I loved to see Savallas do.
Hugo Drax is extremely underated as a villian. His wry delivery of dialogue is almost Shakespearean.
It’s such a shame that the motivation was so outlandishly stupid. they couldn’t give him the better motive in the book of destroying ONLY England as revenge for Germany. Instead they give him the nonsensical motive of preserving the master race in space. A damn shame because Michael Lonsdale could have been fantastic had he played drax like the book who was written so much better than the film heck the whole story is soooooooo much better in the book than the movie which was a Star Wars cash grab
Very true.
Yes, terrible movie, great performance - in my judgment.
@@mohammedashian8094 Just a Star Wars cash grab, was it? Perhaps it might have had SOMETHING to do with the fact that they had used ALL the Bond novels...except for THIS one. Maybe they should have skipped over it just so that people like you wouldn't question the purity of their motives!
@@tgriffin3059 don’t give me that nonsense. There was little to no connection between the movie after Fleming died except maybe on her majesty’s secret service otherwise the connection is EXTREMELY loose way too loose if ya ask me
Totally agree on Lyutsifer Safin. You can’t hate Rami Malek. But this character made absolutely no sense at all. I didn’t even get why he wanted to destroy the world
Wrong. You CAN hate Rami.
Worst Bond Movie, worst Bond (looks way too old and out of shape) also Daniel Craig was way done with his role
@@NCSheriff7 I disagree with saying he was out of shape. I think Craig set the bar very high when it comes to his physique compated to the other Bond’s. To old? Yeah quite a bit. Anyway, NTTD is the worst Bond movie. With way too much added drama and political/ethical nonsense.
@@alectrevelyan4368 why the fuck as I getting notifications from this thread
I think he made sense. He was the most conflicted villain ever in the series.
Scaramanga is my personal favorite. The only villan to act in a not personal or passionate way. I think he's the only villan ever to let Bond go (inthe circus) scene, when he says "I hold no hard feelings agaist you Mr. Bond, and I hope our paths never crosses again".
Later he acts as a real gentleman and says "I could have killed you when you arrived, but that would have been ridicolously easy" And finally invites Bond for a fair duel, "the only true test for gentleman"> This is really one of a kind, some we dont see on a bond villan, a man sctrictly cold and professional, trying to be oldschool and fair in his squirmishes.
I also would say Emilio Largo should be far up in the list. A complete villan. Rich, sophisticated, bon vivant, polite and at teh same time does scuba diving, shoots clay traps and have no problems to be brutal.
Elektra King is one of my favourite characters in Bond movies. Sophie Marceau did that role excellent.
It's a great one.
All the women during Pierce Brosnan era stole the show from him. This was odd, because he was supposed to be the heir apparent. GoldenEye was good but the others were trash. Famke, Michelle Yeoh, Halle Berry and Sophie Marceau stood out and if not for them, his movies would be almost unwatchable. He was basically Remington Steele playing James Bond. It didn't work
She was a much better villain than Carlyle in that otherwise rather boring movie.
Not a fan of Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies. I liked him alot as Remington Steele tho, there's irony there. GoldenEye was good but he still got outshined in that one. Famke Jansen's role put her on the map as one of the best femme fatale. Sean Bean did a good job. All Brosnan Bond movies he gets outshined. Michelle Yeoh did her own stunts while Pierce had body doubles. Halle Berry was good in that suckey last one. Coincidentally both these ladies have won Oscars.
@@mcentepedesame i didn’t like brosnan as much as the others
That's a sensational top-3. And as I've said in some other Bond videos, I am glad "Licence To Kill" is getting the love it deserves, since I am old enough to recall how it got panned when it was released due to its violence and dark tone. Kudos!
It's funny how the films get re-appraised as time marches on, you only have to look at OHMSS as exhibit A.
Sir Christopher Lee was always destined to feature in the Bond series somewhere. Not only was he a cousin of Ian Flemming, he was a British Intelligence agent during WWII. His life and personality were the original template that Flemming used to create Bond in the first place. You could say that Lee WAS James Bond in the flesh.
I also feel his character is one of the very few James Bond villains with a bigger body count than bond in his respective film.
In another world, Christopher Lee could have BEEN James Bond
Absolutely. Lee's screen presence was such that he made any film better just by being in it. I just wish he had been featured in a stronger film.
@@tgriffin3059 I believe he himself said something like “ever actor will be in a bad movie, it’s the actors job not to be bad in it.”
@@michaelnally2841 If you've seen The Howling, 2, you know just how seriously he took that maxim...he emerged with his own, individual dignity intact, which is a lasting testimony to the man's strength and talent....
One trailer for Goldfinger actually used an undubbed line from Gert Frobe, that being "Choose your next witticism carefully, Mr. Bond, it may be your last." The inflection difference between him and Michael Collins was so subtle, but he oozed menace in his delivery. Given that Connery listened to only Frobe's delivery while on set, his reactions as 007 feel that much more appropriate.
Well spotted.
14:41 the only condiment for the discerning villain.
Also "It can be, I believe the expression is, blown." (when the camera zooms to show Bonds eyes in the model of Fort Knox)
I think Christopher Walken's villain, Bond Movie, and performance, were vastly under rated in this video. They all belong in the top 3.
Looking at Electkra's past, you can see why Bond develops the feelings he does. She was a female victim virtually abandoned by her father and MI6. He's had so many women he'd failed to save, especially Tracy. The idea of her victimized twice really brings out Bond's need to protect. It's why he's so angry when he finds out she's behind everything. As Alex Trevalyen pointed out, the ones he failed to save are foremost in Bond's thoughts. She was lost before he even met her.
Not only that, In previous story Bond lost Paris Carver... which at some point he really was in love with her in the past. Using her in such deadly game, to realized that she was killed because of him, made Bond offer us one of the most cold villain death. Elliot death was not just necessary, but also a revenge for Paris. Bond did have this affection with Elektra, because he knows how is to be betrayed and left behind. In some way, Elektra does remind bond of himself, sadly she was in a point of no return. Thats why i really like her, she is not just some villain for the sake of it! Raul Silva clearly got some inspiration of her traits!
Green is one of my favorite Bond villains. He's massively underrated and what's great about him is that he seems normal but he's very bright, very calculating, very cold, and very efficient. His plans are evil yet reasonable in scale. If there wasn't a writers strike when Quantum of Solace was being filmed, I think we would've seen the script explore more of what the actor was hinting at in his performance.
Excellent list. It's very important to note that most of the villains gave inspired performances. Gert Frobe was of course fantastic, but geeze Lee and Walker were solar flares in their outings.
Really good list, glad you put Sanchez near the top. LTK is such a great underrated bond film/and villain in it.
You did a really good professional review. I especially liked how you used ambient scores from each film to subtlety emphasize the clips. Bravo!
My degree is in sound design, so I'm a big fan of using music. I'm glad you liked it.
I’ve been watching your video catalog and of those I’ve seen, this has the most entertaining editing. The idea of featuring the voice of the villain prior to the name or face reveal is really very clever, like a silent black screen at the beginning of a preview suddenly grabbing the audience with, say, Darth Vader’s breathing, or the first notes from Williams’ Jaws theme.
I also like Octopussy far more than most, but one of the much more personal reasons is because Louis Jourdan is, for whatever reason, the only person I ever heard my mom sort of swoon over. (I’d never even heard of him at the time.) She saw the film initially just to watch him, and I remember she kind of luxuriated his name when she pronounced it, like he was made of silk or something…it was so out of character for her, adorable and very endearing.
“Bond films have had a somewhat spotty record when it comes to it’s [their] treatment of women…” must be my 2023’s most understated observation.
I strongly agree that Silva’s entrance was the easily the most potent in the series. I knew when I was watching it, however, that I was at a disadvantage. I’d heard that No Country For Old Men had an exceptional villain, but having never seen it, I was unfortunately bereft of any additional weight Bardem’s history probably added. In fact, with Mendes’ so brilliantly crafted introduction, presaged ominously by Severine, I was initially let down when I realized the man coming through the elevator doors wasn’t someone we already knew…it was so compelling, it was like Telly Savalas or even Gert Frobe might have somehow been reincarnated and could be walking towards Bond. But it was just some overhyped clown with bleach blonde hair. Until, of course, he told his little rat story, and the grandiosity of his debut felt, even for someone uncolored by memories of Chigurh, rather appropriate.
p.s. At some point I’ll make a case for why I believe you’ve elsewhere severely underestimated, and ranked very unfairly, Skyfall. For someone so self-evidently erudite and perceptive, I have to believe a properly-supported argument will overcome whatever gossamer misapprehensions have engendered your uncharacteristic lapse in judgement. (I’m still reeling a bit from that ranking video. Fourteenth?
That's fair. I'll explain more fully when I get around to reviewing Skyfall, but for now, let me just say: it's a good movie, it does a lot of things right, and I like it more and more with every viewing, but some of the plots contrivances are a bit much for me, I'm not a big fan of the climax, and I think some of the dialogue is a bit pretentious.
Great to see Sophie Marceau's excellent work being respected here. She could have coasted on her very, very good looks and phoned a performance in. But she reeled us in as the innocent girl. And then chllled us as the psychopath beneath. Truly earning Bond's last word to her: "I never miss". One of the best moments in all the Bond films for me. The complete magnificence of Christopher Lee in war, life, film and music has already been amply discussed here. .Two other fun facts about Lee: he considered becoming an opera singer, and he is related to Charlemagne.
Sean Bean was AMAZING as Richard Sharpe, it’s said he does so much in other movies to make up how much he survived as Sharpe
Great list, but opinions vary. For me personally, Drax is Number one. I loved his dryness. "Mr Bond...You continue to defy my attempts to plan an amusing death for you", is one of my favorite ever villain lines.
I think he got tired of a methodical death, as the Jackal gave him a pretty hard time during his time as a French Detective.😅😅
The only thing that makes Drax stand out is the amazing dialogue he’s given, but it does elevate him to the top of the list.
I didn't care that much for him in the movie but he is my favorite villain from the novels.
@@jayantasarkar2532 Thumbs up for the Jackal reference. What a brilliant film.
@@doctorlolchicken7478 I would argue that he's also the most evil Bond villain. He's the only one whose goal is the near-extermination of the human race, and his motive is eugenics and megalomania. Drax is Hitler in space.
Alec Trevelyan and Raoul Silva are both my favorite Bond villains. They were once MI6 agents, both of them were betrayed by M and they both wanted to get revenge on her and MI6 for ruining their lives. Only difference is that Alec discovered who his parents were after they committed suicide as M lied to him about his parent’s demise when he was a child which made Alec gone rogue to seek revenge, while Silva on the other hand was taken by China as M exchange him to rescue six of her agents that was held prisoners and got Silva torture for five months. Silva even try to kill himself but failed until he come to realize that he was given another chance as his purpose was to get revenge on M. Both had gone through tragedy which you gotta feel bad for because it was M’s fault for turning these two into monsters.
May I add KAMAL KAHN {Louis Jourdan}
"Lieutenant, I Wish You Had Been A Chef!"
👏
Judi Dench's version of M had nothing to do with Alec Trevelyan. The pre-credit sequence of Goldeneye takes place in 1986 (9 years before the rest of the film), which chronologically means that Robert Brown's version of M was Alec's boss when he was working for the MI6.
@@kuddenchristoSo we’re connecting the previous James Bond films that has nothing to do with Judi Dench’s M in it?
@@bigcgaming9042 Yes, of course. Goldeneye is a sequel to the previous Bond films.
You know a villain is great when they have a literal Voodoo deity as a henchman.
Carver and Goldfinger are close for me, Carver honestly comes out on top for me just because his entire scheme aged like a fine wine on top of him being a villain who is having genuine fun with what he does. He a villain in a realistic way too because I can fully see someone starting a war for broadcasting rights.
The funniest part about Gustav Graves being a darker image of Bond is that his actor, Toby Stephens, later played Bond himself in a series of BBC radio plays based on the original Fleming books. (He was great, by the way.)
I've always wanted to track those down and give them a listen.
@@stephenjarvis534 I found them on TH-cam, and as far as I know, they're still there.
@@stephenjarvis534I'm pretty sure a few of them are up on TH-cam
Toby Stephens is also the son of the late actress Dame Maggie Smith, god bless that woman 💔
Le Chiffre is my favorite villain from the entire series, Sanchez is a close second.
Well played character by mikkelsen, but The Problem for me is, that he is a weak villain, he has no power over anyone
@@petesampras3188He certainly has power over Bond in one very disturbing scene
@@phillipjrgensen1024 the villains in Bond movies have the most time power over Bond, because Bond is fighting alone, but Le Chiffre is just not a powerful villain overall, i mean he almost shit his pants against the african warlords
He is such a weak nobody
Tell you the truth Alec Trevelyan is better than Blofeld. Also you are spot on with Remi Malek villian. I didn't know what to think about him? He was so forgettable.
Blofield is No 1 Bond Villian ever....
Agree about Safin
The latest film was also so weird where its going, so Rami Malek was poor villian for that reason.
Blofeld is definitely overrated.
I kind of feel that way about Malek. I don't think he's anything special as an actor, really felt like an odd choice despite being an Oscar winner.
It was always going to be Goldfinger, nice to see Franz Sanchez at number 2. . BUT although I know he's technically a henchman, I really did think would see Robert Shaw's excellent turn as Red Grant high on the list.
Good choice of music cues. I like what you're putting out here. Thank you for your honesty.
Dude, I love your videos! We have pretty much the same top 10 here :) kuddos for mentioning that short scene of Carver sitting by himself in TND, as he just ordered his wife's death. That moment is spectacular and so underrated, it single-handedly elevated Pryce's camp delight of a performance into all time material. It was a brilliant move by the filmmakers to include such a moment of introspection at this point of the film.
Thank you for the kind words. That moment has always stuck out to me because I can't really think of too many other moments in the series like it, and it helped me pay attention to Carver more than I had.
@@stephenjarvis534Too Be Honest I Don't Like 007 A.k.a James Bond Films Many British English 🇬🇧 Series and Films Are Whack i Didn't Like Final season of Top Boy Either Peaky Blinders or Gangs of London is A Bit Okay But Many British English Films and Series Are Boring 👎🏾👎🏾😞😓😩😫🥱
Enjoyed your video and no argument with number one. But I love Curt Jurgens' Stromberg. I don't see him as a weaker villain at all. He was so cold and utterly psychotic, in the opening minutes alone he dispatches his secretary, two scientists and an unlucky helicopter pilot. Julian Glover's Kristatos is also hugely underrated. Arguably the most realistic villain in the Bond series, Glover - very fine actor that he is - does a brilliant job portraying this charming but treacherous character.
I had such fun with this, thank you. I haven't seen any James Bond films recently, and some not in at least thirty years, so my ranking was based on the memories of villains who stood out from those I couldn't remember at all. I figured, if I can't remember the villain, he / she wasn't very good / bad. I compiled my list before watching yours, and there is only one enormous dispute for me - that is Maximilian Largo from NSNA, who is in my fourth place. Although Largo doesn't do anything that is extremely villainous, he always looks as if he could tip over at any moment; and that is scary
1 Sanchez, because of what he did to Felix and Della and the guy in the decompression chamber; and because Robert Davi was just so bloody good
2 Goldfinger, because he dominates his scenes, even when he shares them with Bond
3 Zorin Easily my favourite villain, also extremely physical. Hard to take my eyes off him
4 Maximilian Largo as explained
5 Le Chiffre, because he is chilling
6 Rosa Klebb
7 Blofeld YOLT
8 Silva. Hard to keep my eyes on him
9 Drax
10 Elektra King
11 Carver
12 Scaramanga
13 Dr No
14 Trevelyan
15 Blofeld OHMSS
16 Kananga
17 Stromberg
18 Blofeld Spectre
19 Emilio Largo
20 Kamal Khan / Orloff
21 Graves
22 Koskoff / Whittaker
23 Kristatos
24 Greene
25 Saffin
26 Blofeld DAF
I appreciated seeing Kronsteen at the end. He was one of my favourites that I wish had had a larger part. Great voice and delivery.
Dr No creeped me out the most hands down
I actually liked Maximilian Largo exactly because of his normalcy. He is a selfmade businessman. He probably was never liked in school, or at university. He probably always felt to be the ugly duckling and is constantly working on his return as the beautiful swan. His revenge is his ruthlessness against anyone he perceives as an adversary - not necessary an enemy (that would be too personal), but just everyone who is an obstacle to his goals. He really cares about being admired or respected, not because of his villaincy, but because of his success and his charm. In the same way, if someone betrays him, his own love and admiration for that person turns into the cancellation of that person in his personal balance sheet.
Love your channel Stephen. Keep up the great work! Your videos are always a highlight to me. Keep at it
Thank you for the kind comment. I'm hard at work on the next one.
@@stephenjarvis534 you might like this. I have an evil white cat that I had to name Blofeld.
@@DarrinKemp-lr1czTo quote Magneto, perfection.
You're very good at finding the positives in all of those negatives! Great Analysis.
Every time I watch Goldfinger I see more nuance to Gert Frobe’s performance. They’ll never do better. Ever.
There's always a possibility that we'll get someone, but they've yet to top him for me. And almost 60 years at the top counts for a lot.
It's the only Bond villian I genuinely believed Bond couldn't beat.
And he didn't understand English.
I don’t necessarily agree with everything but it says a lot that I actually watched this entire 45 minute video (in multiple sittings) when usually I won't watch any over 20 minutes. You did a really good job.
Ian Fleming wanted his cousin, Sir Christopher Lee, to play Dr. No. Unfortunately, the studio disagreed. So, Lee was cast a decade later for "The Man with the Golden Gun" and had a fine performance as Scaramanga that was probably a good deal more impactful in the Bond mythos. Not the first time Lee was sought to play a seminal villain in the first film of a franchise. George Lucas wanted Lee to play Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars. But, Lee could not get out of a commitment. So, Lucas cast Lee's best friend and frequent Hammer collaborator Peter Cushing instead. Of course, Lee later played Count Dooku and has left an even bigger mark on the Star Wars universe as a consequence.
I think it was smart not to use Christopher Lee in the first one, as I prefer to remember the first one for Ursula Andress coming onto the beach. That scene alone is why I watched the movie and the only thing I hated about that movie was how anticlimatic the ending was.
If you haven't already you all need to read about Christopher Lee's history with British intelligence during WWII
I'm so upset. I wrote a very detailed comment earlier today and went point by point based on my notes, lol, I took last night when I watched this in delight and I have NO idea why it never posted.
This was another phenomenal entry from you! I hope I find the energy to detail it all out again
Thank you. I never really expected to find an audience, but it's been wonderful so far. Can't wait to read the comment; I love hearing others' thoughts on the series, as I don't get to talk about it much in my day to day routine.
@stephenjarvis534 lol...I don't either, not in depth at least. I think you're fantastic at this and I accept will take another "go" at this asap
This is my phone, the other, lost, comment was from my iPad lol let's see
I noticed similar things. Some of my comments just disapear.
Figure it's best to make copiest just in case.
Great list !! I would rate Silva higher. I think he was so good as a villain, it would have been terrifying to have him survive Skyfall and continue lurking about. I agree wholeheartedly on the most recent incarnation of Blowfeld. I didn't like the shared history, I thought it was too much... Would love for you do a comparison with Dr. No and Safin...as there seems to some similarities/homages built into Safin...
Well done, Stephen! This essay is a big improvement from your Bond Actor Ranking (still gave it a like anyway) Keep up the good work, and thank-you!
I think one thing we all can also appreciate about Goldfinger is he avoids the “leave the room” bond cliche. True he’s not 100% paying attention to what’s happening but he’s confident he’s won and he’s still waiting for Bond to die in the same room. And I do believe he’s one of the few early bond villains when shit goes down he’s willing to get his hands dirty.
Really well done. I quibble with a few perhaps, but really appreciate your doing this. Thoughtful and well put together!
Elektra King is a favorite of mine. She's such a unique antagonist for Bond, as she's the only evil female lead in the series, and arguably manipulates Bond's sympathetic side better than any other character (with the possible exception of Vesper Lynd). I also love that M sees Bond shoot her, as Judi Dench's M hadn't really felt much sympathy for Bond at that point, and as she was also emotionally attached to Elektra, her realization of just how cold and detached Bond has to be to do his job is felt even more strongly.
All things I agree with, wholeheartedly.
It had to be Goldfinger. He really is an amazing villain. His plan was ingenious and cunning. Plus he has one of the best lines in the series
WOW! Until now I did not know that Fröbe did not actually voice Goldfinger in the final rendition.
Blofeld has always been my favorite Bond villain, closely followed by Scaramanga and Dr. No. I understand that some of his appearances in movies are definitely weaker iterations, but I love ever version of Blofeld as they all have something to bring to the table. In From Russia with love and Thunderball he's extremely ominous, I especially love his voice in Thunderball. In You Only Live Twice, Pleasance plays Blofeld in one of my favorite versions of the character, still menacing while being a very effective threat onscreen. And I also think On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my favorite version Blofeld. Charles Gray plays a campy version of Blofeld perfectly, Max Von Sydow was an interesting choice that could have worked, and Christoph Waltz's Blofeld is still Blofeld, even if I hate that he's Bond's brother
Great video.
Been a 007 fan since the 1980s.
Tbh i like them all none i find bad.
There's something to be enjoyed in each of the films, so there's a reason to rewatch any of them.
Awesome video! I hope your channel blows up
I've never tried ranking Bond villains, but this list feels about right for me. I would move Alex Trevelyan and Elliot Carver down a bit, Drax, Rosa Klebb and Elektra King up a bit, but no big discrepancies. The reasoning is solid too. If I go by who is memorable, regardless of role/acting, it would be people like Goldfinger, Sanchez, Blofeld (Pleasance version), Klebb, Drax, Zorin, Scaramanga, Kananga. I always liked Kronstein in From Russia With Love. I can see why he's not on the list, and I always wished he had more to do in the film, but the idea of a chess grandmaster being the Bond villain is a cool idea, even if he supposed foolproof plan is bloody stupid. I generally like later villains less. Many Bond villains are cartoony, but Craig got this weird mix of boring and totally over the top. But I don't like the Brosnan villains much either, except for Elektra King.
The video mentioned that the Dr. Kananga / Mr. Big thing in Live and Let Die didn't work because it's obviously the same actor - but I feel that's because people know it now even before seeing the film, like how The Sixth Sense is less well regarded now because everyone claims they can see the twist coming a mile off. Back in the 1970s the Big/Kananga plot twist was masterful. They made him look taller and thinner as Big, and shorter and fatter as Kananga, and Yaphet Kotto really pulled it off.
I must say, Elliot Carver is the most believable bond villain. I mean, he's inspired by Rupert Murdoch
Nope, Robert Maxwell. They even reference Maxwell's death with M having Moneypenny tell the press that Carver died falling overboard from his yacht.
I don't know about believable, but Jonathan Pryce gets the balance of smart and crazy perfect.
@@lister_of_smeg6545 He's a mix of Maxwell, Murdoch and Steve Jobs.
It's a pity they wasted Julian Glover because he can play a great villain as seen in the Dr Who story City Of Death.
Or Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, etc. Less a CV, more a who's who.
Yeah I agree he’s good in so many other things. For Your Eyes Only is still a great film and it’s my favourite Roger Moore Bond film, but unfortunately his character is really bland in comparison to other Bond villains
@@marktaylor6491 man I never realized I was in all of those movies. I guess that's the hallmark of a good actor.
Gary Oldman is another example of an actor with a great range
Also in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as General Veers and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade as Indiana Jones friend and colleague turned villain Walter Donavan.
Kristatos is underrated. Dude played Bond like a fiddle for half the movie and almost tricked Bond into killing his arch-enemy for him. The way he tries to kill Bond and Melina with the boat is sinister as hell too.
Totally agree with your top nine! Too, I really liked the recognition that you gave Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill - probably the most ruthless of the Bond villains. I agree with Blofeld at #7. Neither the older Bond movies nor the new ones do him justice. They completely ruined his story arc in the older films and then the plot twist in the new films, making him Bond's "brother," was just weird. Otherwise, he should be higher. I thought Dr. No should be number 10, even though the film did not include much screen time for him. Great video!
Personally, I find that I prefer the older films villains, partially because of the unique minions. It's hard to forget Oddjob, Nick Nack or my personal favorite, Jaws. That odd line between serious and camp has stuck with me stronger than other films, although, that could be rose-tinted glasses playing its part.
only recent villain that stands out to me is Le Chiffre. I like the whole story on how he made his money, possibly being involved in 9/11 attacks, because there was money to be made and he is mostly just a middle man who's life is on the line. Then there is the very memorable torture scene
For me its Blofeld, Goldfinger and Trevelyan and then absolute daylight. The best three Bond villains by far.
Mine is Goldfinger so far. I like my hams
“Do you expect me to talk?”
“No, Mister Bond, I expect you to die!” *Face of childlike glee.
Lol I didn’t expect it to be number one here too!
The most memorable line of the series😎
Mads Mikkelsen is an incredible actor that allowed Le Chifre to have a three-dimentional character where we could see his boldness, fear and despair.
I really wish we had more Dalton films - he may actually be the best portrayal of bond
Yep, and his two movies make sense - more coherent than the average Bond film.
He also had the coolest car of them all. That Aston Marton V8 was simply badass
@@nobbynobbs8182 Yeah the V8 Vantage is so beautiful, I wish it had a bit more screen time.
It's cause he actually read all of the bond books to get the best idea on how to portray Bond.
Fun fact is that producers wanted him instead of Moore to star in Live and Let Die, but he declained and said being too young. Dalton was 24 on that time. 😂❤ He was also the primary choice for the role in Golden Eye, but passed for he had already decided to do something else. In 1995 he was 46 and could still have done 2-3 movies. 😢
Your take on Blofeld was masterful. Maybe I should spend more time down at the local bar.
Finally somebody sees Safin for what he is, utter disapointment.
I appreciate how high you ranked Carver on this list. Tomorrow Never Dies is my personal favorite Bond film (great Bond girl in Wai-Lin, fun action sequences, a plot that seems eerily relevant in modern times) and Carver is a big reason why.
Raoul Da Silva was the most intimidating one to me.
"No, Mr. Bond, I expect you die!" classic!
Saw Goldfinger in 64 I was 12 and saw it 5 more times that weekend If a movie can change a persons life this was it for me
Excellent Commentary! Didn't agree totally with the placement but the top 10 were solid
I disagree about Klaus Maria Brandauer; handsome, elegant and pretty evil. I think he is doing a terrific job in Never Say Never Again; but maybe I am having a soft spot for that movie. The rest of the list seems okay to me… enjoyed watching your post! 🌈
Same here. Brandauer was easily one of the best actors to play a Bond villain. I also think YOLT is the superior version of Thunderball. It has better actors (Brandauer and Basinger, but also the hilarious Barbara Carrera), a better script and is psychologically more believable. Only the last half hours drags on for too long.
This. He was properly unhinged and the did a great job of showing that through the performance and little details. It’s the small things that make a great performance
41:04 the one thing I love about this guy is that he is actually a really really nice guy in real life.
No Hank Scorpio?
Finally, Franz Sanchez getting the recognition he deserves.
As much as I love Goldfinger, Blofeld is unquestionably Bond's arch-nemesis. He's the Joker to Batman basically. But Goldfinger is easily my #2.
You're right; Blofeld is Bond’s Joker in that way. He's the most prominent, the one that causes the most personal harm and is probably the one that most people think of when they think of Bond villain. However, the term "arch nemesis" has little to do with how much we like the character; it's more a statement of facts and there’s no greater personal enemy to Bond than Blofeld.
I think you need to do a list on the henchmen/henchwomen in the james bond series.
Sure thing. The next video will be the title songs, but the henchmen will definitely be in the queue afterwards.
And hopefully Red Grant will be at number 1
Save you the time and trouble. Ain't nobody could beat the greatest henchmen of James Bond movies.... Jaws. Richard Kiel played him twice cuz he's that powerful. Also one of few to survive at the end. 7'4 and 450 pounds. He eats Red Grants for breakfast. And green berets too
" Bond films had a somewhat spotty record when it comes to their treatment of women "
The word of the day is : understatement.
I disagree with a lot of your choices, but it speaks to the Quality of the video, that I still think it is a very good list and worthwhile watching. great job
Fair enough. Thanks for taking the time to watch it!
Goldfinger is definitely the best!
My list would be;
1. Goldfinger
2. Blofeld
3. Drax
4. Scaramanga
5. Zorn
6. Dr. No
7. Elektra King
8. Kananga
9. Carver
10. Alec
Solid list, my friend.
@@stephenjarvis534 lol - thanks - I realized that I forgot Stromberg - I would put him at seven after Dr. No, and move everyone else down one.
oh misseur.. don't forget how great Nick-Nack is with Scaramanga! So good!
wait goldfinger was dubbed over?!
I like that you put Christopher Walken fairly high up, but I would have put him at the top. He's the best villain IMO. But I get these lists are subjective. Great list and a good idea for a video, thank you for sharing it.
Goldfinger is the 007 movie gold standard. It was and will always be, the BEST.
I rewatched Goldfinger recently and was surprised when it occurred to me just how early and how much he’s in the film.
And his plan is brilliant
For me numero uno is Franz Sanchez, drug lord and Sadist but for second place I personality adore Elliot Carver because he is clearly villain of our lifetime.
One thing I'd like to see in future movies is see new spins on classic villains and Scaramanga has quite a bit of potential. Since he's younger and hispanic in the book, there's fresh territory. Say he's hired by Spectre to kill Bond/someone but Bond causes him to miss and they develop a rivalry that spans over several movies.
Also I always thought that Gary Oldman should've played Blofeld since the characters a master of disguise in the books and Oldman certainly is that.
A reoccurring villain that's not Blofeld would be nice, and I'd love to see that in the next reboot. Gary Oldman can do no wrong in my book. Such a chameleon of an actor.
Spot on with the Oldman observation! On the Other hand, the Scaramanga reprise... I dunno. It'd be tricky to pull it off without letting it devolve into something like Snidely Whiplash (Curses! Foiled again!) or Peter Griffin v Chicken. He'd hardly be considered the best hitman in the world if he couldn't get the job done over several movies.
@@Doofus5152 Well it could be a personal vendetta for Scaramanga. Plus Jaws came back after one movie, not to mention Blofeld.
@@stephenjarvis534: The Darkest Hour is fantastic and Oldman was no less than fantastic.
Drax is too serious, lacks humor like silva which was excellent, but is in a way comical. The best look goes to the scar and blind eye guy. Goldfinger is a good choice. Inglorious basterds actor is also a good choice. Saffin is underrated. They should have the same villain not change them every time.
But overall, a good list. Nice to see Koskov not ranked at the very bottom because I think a lot of people misunderstand this character. The charming deceiver/cowardly "chickenshit heel" villain is a nice change of pace and compliments Dalton well.
I'd love for you to do a video ranking the defeats/deaths of the villains. Would be a very interesting video to watch.
I'm sure if I go on long enough, I'll get around to it. The very next video is the Bond Girls ranking.
@@stephenjarvis534 That should be a good one. I imagine the Bond girls would take a long time.
'He disagreed with something that ate him!'
This was a fun video! My list would be very similar.
Ah, no, see, you have misunderestimated Emilio Largo.
Emilio Largo is the anti-Bond. Thunderball mirrors Largo and Bond many, many times...
Bond is briefed by his superior in a secret headquarters surrounded by many other agents.
Largo is briefed by his superior in a secret headquarters surrounded by many other agents.
Bond wears a black tuxedo.
Largo wears a white tuxedo.
Bond has jet black hair.
Largo has paper white hair.
Bond plays chemin de faire.
Largo plays chemin de faire.
Bond is a ladies man, with a fur glove.
Largo is a ladies man, with a lit cigar.
Bond is a superb shot.
Largo is a superb shot.
Bond has Q.
Largo has Kutze.
Bond has access to a gadget laden car.
Largo has access to a gadget laden hydrofoil.
Bond is 007.
Largo is Number 2.
Bond kills Largo's best girl.
Largo kills Bond's best girl.
...and others. Thunderball boils down to Bond Vs. Bond.
Also the villain is killed by someone else entirely - the implication being that Bond's being nice to Domino is what shifts the balance - otherwise Largo wins. That's dashed rare.
But he's not the most rivetting of villains either...
I think the main problem with Safin is that the movie was trying to make him be all the villains of the last three Fleming novels (OHMSS, You Only Live Twice and The Man With the Golden Gun), and his motivations got very muddled as a result. Otherwise, I think he gets the job done, and Malek really does portray a villain who manages to very nearly succeed with what he does.
I never thought about it like that, though I did notice the influence You Only Live Twice had on the film. I guess he should get a little more credit, given that he did kill Blofeld and forced Bond to kill himself.
Low key I think Elliot Carver is the best villain in the series just because he's the one who's real. And while 'buying up the media to control the narrative and foment civil unrest and control markets' might have seemed quaint in 1998, it's the reality now.
But you didn't put him at the bottom, which is what contemporaries ranking the films would've done then. So that's good lol.
This was a very fun watch and a great thought exercise to ponder who the best villains are. I have to admit i really like bond films I'm not as huge a fanatic as lots of others are but i do like them. One thing that always gets me grief from friends is i am a massive fan of Timothy dalton as bond he might even be my favorite i wish he would have done more. My least favorite bond without a doubt is pierce Brosnan i never watch his bond films i find him totally wrong for the role. The living daylights, license to kill and a view to a kill are 3 of my top 5 bond flicks of all time. The living daylights and a view to a kill are my 2 favorite theme songs as well. Thanks for this cool upload i have spent a bit of time thinking about this since watching it so cheers to you for the food for thought
Yeah I pretty much agree as well. Everyone hates on Dalton, but he's my best after Sean Connery. His movies were solid. Though 1980's, they weren't corny or dated. Could happen today. Drug lords still running rampant. Pierce Brosnan is the weakest IMO. Even his gunbarrel sequence looks weird. Lazenby quit while he was ahead. Smart. His movie was good. Roger Moore made the most movies, but at nearly 60, he was grandfather James Bond. Old.
@@mcentepede i agree with everything you said there. Roger moore also played it like he does all his films, over the top and alot of comedy i like him but i never believe he is a real person. Alot of folks give me grief for my brosnan opinion but i just could not ever get into him, and every movie he made after playing bond is a slight variation on him playing the exact same character over and over again. I also really like the sean connery one called never say never again, i think thats it's title. I think it's really fun.
I have to say the ultimate Bond villain is Albert Broccoli.
One of the best thing about Bond villains is their evil plan, and one of the reasons Goldfinger is among the best is that it's memorable for what people thing about it. Arguments have been raised over whether any of their plans would've ever worked, and Goldfinger's Operation Grand Slam is among the most-discussed, to the point where I recall someone revealing on TV Tropes that while Fort Knox's gold would not have been hopelessly irradiated, there would have been a change in molecular structure IN the gold that would have *destroyed it.*
To that end, I propose a new Bond Villain video: Bond Villain Plans Ranked, based upon how intricate, stylish, and effective they would have actually been. This means that while a number of later films would get points for their gritty realism, they would also *lose* points if they were not especially interesting. Hope you take an interest in this one, as many a fan love to talk about it.
Spot On! Not only is Gert Fröbe the best villain but Goldfinger is also the best Bond movie of all times.
I think Largo is the ultimate dark reflection of Bond in the book. This works because both men act way more grounded and are less comical (no eye patch) and because the story makes Bond rely more on his knowledge and training than on luck or obscure gadgets.
Largo gets to rely on his position in society and social skills way more, and Largos position is the main factor keeping Bond and his allies from getting to him in the first place.
The finale is also way more fitting, pitting them against each other as leaders of their respective scuba diver units, fighting each other with spearguns and knives around a sharp coral reef and around a atom bomb, reducing their battle to a way purer form of combat than we see in the movie, where they put in that sloppy action sequence on the boat.
Goldfinger 🐐❤️🔥
Personally, a view to a kill is one of my favorites.
1: casino royale
2: you only live twice
3: skyfall
4: goldeneye
5: a view to a kill