Best underrated Bond film

Published on Tuesday 28 October 2008 18:51

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971): Sean Connery's last outing as 007 and, by now, the tetchy Scot felt he was bigger than the franchise itself.

Here, Bond encounters the voluptuous Plenty O'Toole and the irrepressible Tiffany Case, while tangling with a flamboyant Blofeld played by Charles Gray. But stealing the show are Mr Kidd and Mr Wint. Assassins with creativity and a sense of pride in their work, they try to dispose of Bond in all manner of ways. As the gruesome twosome put it: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." I recommend you try this film again.

LIVE AND LET DIE (1973): The eighth instalment of Bond is an underrated gem. Yaphet Kotto's dual personas of Mr Big, a New Orleans drug lord, and evil voodoo master Doctor Kanaga are as imaginative as they are intense. The film has a unique ambience to it and a level of depth lacking in some other 007 films. Bond's dalliance with crocodiles is only trumped by an epic speedboat chase. Jane Seymour's Solitaire is something of a wet fish, but don't let that put you off a polished adventure.

MOONRAKER (1979): For many, the idea of Bond in space was just too far-fetched, and the film was not helped by a moment of absurdity when a pigeon did a double-take as Bond glided through St Mark's Square in Venice while riding a gondola-hovercraft. However, it is not without its superior moments, including the boat chase through the Amazon, Drax's epic mission control centre and the fight with Jaws on the cable car. Factor in one of the first in-your-face Bond girls in Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) and you have a Bond adventure worth a second viewing.

A VIEW TO A KILL: Roger Moore's final tilt at the 007 role has often been described as a remake of Goldfinger, so no bad thing then. Grace Jones is a disturbing Bond girl, but her chase with 007 from the top of the Eiffel Tower through the streets of Paris is one of the film's highlights. Christopher Walken plays Max Zorin, a truly hideous villain who enjoys a good chuckle while gunning down a pile of loyal miners in cold blood.