James Bondis a franchise that has been popular for over sixty years,and it is largely because of the saga’s willingness to innovate. While there is certainly a formula that ensures that each Bond film has certain recurring elements, the series would not have the same longevity if it did not show a willingness to crossover with other genres. More often than not, Bond films tend to work as standalone thrillers that are accessible by a wide audience, even if they are not familiarwith the other installments in the series.
Many of the best Bond films are also excellent psychological thrillers, as that is always what the original author,Ian Fleming, intended for them to be. While Bond is often associatedwith a more cheesy sensibility, it is easy to forget that Fleming’s novels were a series of dark stories about a cold-blooded assassin. Here are the ten best James Bond movies that are also great thrillers.
10‘Licence to Kill’ (1989)
Directed by John Glen
Licence to Killis without a doubt one of the darkest installments in the Bond franchise, as it is not focused on a mission for the British government at all. In his second appearance as 007,Timothy Daltonshowed how Bond was forced to go on a personal revenge mission after a friend was brutally attacked at his wedding.
Licence to Killdelved into the psychology behind Bond, and questioned whether he was willing to become a vigilante in order to achieve justice that MI6 was not willing to invest in. Although the strong violence, which felt not dissimilar from the darker 1980s action cinema at the time, was quite shocking to audiences at the time, it did help the Bond franchise make a transition; previously, the series hadbegun to become too over-the-topwith cheesy installments likeOctopussyandA View To A Kill.
Licence to Kill
James Bond goes rogue to seek revenge against drug lord Franz Sanchez after his friend Felix Leiter is brutally attacked and left for dead. Stripped of his license to kill, Bond infiltrates Sanchez’s organization, navigating a dangerous world of deception and betrayal. As he gains Sanchez’s trust, Bond meticulously dismantles the drug empire from within.
Rent on Amazon
9‘Dr. No’ (1962)
Directed by Terence Young
Dr. Nodoesn’t get enough credit for being the first installment in the Bond franchise, as it set some of the most important precedents of the series. There were obviously some aspects of the franchise that were beyond reality, but for the most part,Dr. Nopresented a fairly plausible scenario about a terrorist organization trying to spark a nuclear conflict.
Dr. Noavoided many of the trappings of the cheesier installments in the series, as it lacked the silly gadgets, over-the-top action, and relentless campy humor. Although a film from 1962 that was so focused on spectacle may not have aged very well,Dr. Nostill holds upas an essential Bond filmbecause of its worldbuilding; despite some notable differences,Terence Youngcreated a version of reality that viewers could recognize, and can even be instructive for future generations.
A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
8‘GoldenEye’ (1995)
Directed by Martin Campbell
GoldenEyewas a successful relaunch of the Bond franchisethat helped it stand out amidst the renaissance of action cinema in the 1990s; whileGoldenEyemay not have had the samelevel of spectacle as ‘90s action epicslikeDie Hard With A VengeanceorIndependence Day,the film became particularly thrilling thanks to the excellent villainous performance bySean Bean.
Bean’s character is set up to be a former ally of Bondwho once took on the codename of “006,” but decided to choose a path of villainy when he felt that MI6 had betrayed him. Bond has faced off with multiple crazed terrorists, vindictive evildoers, and other cartoonish villains across the full arc of the franchise, but making his main antagonist inGoldenEyebe a former ally made the stakes of the film even more personal and thrilling.
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7‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Live and Let Diewas one of the more experimental entries in the Bond franchise, as it worked hard to show thatRoger Moore’s era of the franchise would be radically different from the films thatSean Conneryhad starred in. While many of the films starring Connery had delved into international espionage and the Cold War,Live and Let Diesent Bond to New Orleans in an adventure that felt inspired by blacksploitation classics likeDolemiteandShaft.
Live and Let Diefelt closer to a crime thrillerthan an espionage adventure, which only made the stakes of the film feel more personal. The film also benefited from a terrifying performance by the greatYaphet Kotto, who appeared as the particularly spooky villain known as “Mr. Big.” While the rest of Moore’s films grew more comedic,Live and Let Dieremains a standout.
Live and Let Die
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6‘From Russia With Love’ (1964)
From Russia With Loveis one of the most grounded Bond filmsbecause of how relevant it felt to what was going on in the real world. As the first installment in the series released after the assassination of the United States President John F. Kennedy,From Russia With Lovewas able to delve into the tensions between democratic nations and the Soviet Unionwhilst conspiracy theories were becoming more common.
From Russia With Loveis a very tight and specific story, as a majority of the film takes place on a train; in many ways, it feels inspired by classic films byAlfred Hitchcock, such asThe Lady VanishesandStrangers on a Train. The film got an extra boost of tension thanks to the villainous performance byRobert Shaw, who proved to be one of the few antagonists that could contend with Bond on both a personal and psychological level.
From Russia With Love
5‘Goldfinger’ (1964)
Goldfingeris perhaps the most important entry in the Bond franchise, as it established many of the recurring archetypes that are still common in the series today. WhileGoldfingeris still regarded as one of themost entertaining films ever made, the innovations it made with technology and blocking were particularly groundbreaking in 1964, when action cinema had not been quite as developed.
The scope and scale ofGoldfingeris very impressive, as the film features innovative sequences of suspense that remain just as thrilling today. Although the film does have a rather cheeky sense of humor, it is clearly indicated that Bond uses his jokes as a mechanism of self-defense whenever he is under pressure to complete his mission. It’s another example of Connery knowing the character so well that he was able to add even more nuance than what was written.
Goldfinger
4‘Casino Royale’ (2006)
Casino Royalechanged the Bond franchise forever, as it served as the first proper adaptation of the inaugural novel in Fleming’s series.Daniel Craigmade his debut in the film that showed Bond’s origin story as he works with the female agent Vesper Lyn (Eva Green) to infiltrate a high stakes poker tournament in which many of the world’s terrorists have a stake.Mads Mikkelsen’s terrifying villainous performance is one of the series’ best.
Casino Royalewas very grounded in its approach, and was clearly influenced by the success of theBournetrilogy in making realistic spy movies. Although the film is shockingly violent, especially for one that managed to get a PG-13 rating from the MPAA,Casino Royalebecame particularly thrilling because ofthe heartbreaking romance at its center; for once, Bond felt like a vulnerable character who was capable of being emotionally wounded.
Casino Royale
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3‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
The Spy Who Loved Meis one of the most psychologically complex instalments in the Bond series, as it deals with the sad reality that spycraft is an inherently lonely profession. After teaming up with the Soviet Union spy known only as “XXX” (Barbara Bach), Bond realizes that he may have been responsible for the death of her former lover.
The Spy Who Loved Meexamined the fact that Bond was inherently a killer, and faced emotional consequences for everything that he did within the service of his country. Moore is often criticized for being too goofy in his approach to the character; while he did lean into camp in films likeThe Man With The Golden GunandMoonraker,The Spy Who Loved Meproved that he could be a truly great dramatic actor if he was given the right material.
The Spy Who Loved Me
2‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969)
Directed by Peter R. Hunt
On Her Majesty’s Secret Serviceis the biggest outlierwithin the Bond franchise, as it was the only entry starringGeorge Lazenbyas Bond, and essentially takes place within its own continuity. Although it does feature some of the best action within the entire franchise,On Her Majesty’s Secret Serviceis actually more of a love story than anything else, as it focuses on the romance that blossoms between Bond and his future fiancee Tracy (Diana Rigg) as they go on a mission within the Swiss Alps.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Servicedealt with the heartbreaking reality of 007, as Bond is forced to choose between staying loyal to MI6 and having a normal, happy life with Tracy. Although there is certainly a lot of fun to be had within their early adventures, the ending ofOn Her Majesty’s Secret Servicemay be the most devastating in the entire franchise.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
1‘Skyfall’ (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Skyfallwas a grandiosetribute to the legacy of Bondthat paid tribute to every single iteration of the saga. The film examined the relationship that Bond had to his longtime employer, MI6, as the agency is at the risk of being shut down thanks to the relentless series of cyberattacks by the villain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), who aims at getting revenge on M (Judi Dench).
M is just as important of a character as Bond, so seeing them forced to work together to protect the organization they’ve dedicated their entire lives to was quite thrilling.Skyfallfeatures the most elaborate action scenes ever for a Bond film, but it was the film’s willingness to engage with the characters’ faults that made it such a compelling new spin on the franchise, which ensured that it would be just as successful in the years to come.
James Bond’s loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
