15th Place: Licence to Kill (1989)
Securing the 15th position with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 61%, Licence to Kill opens with James Bond in Key West, Florida, celebrating the wedding of his close friend, Felix Leiter.
The joyous occasion is abruptly disrupted when drug kingpin Franz Sanchez manages to escape from custody and violently retaliates against Leiter and his bride. Filled with vengeance, Bond resolves to dismantle Sanchez’s operations and exact justice for his best friend.
Bond’s pursuit brings him to the Wavecrest Marine Research Center, a front for a cocaine storage facility run by Milton Krest. He eliminates the corrupt DEA Agent Killifer and, upon having his Licence to Kill revoked, decides to go rogue.
Forming an alliance with Pam Bouvier, Bond infiltrates Sanchez’s drug ring and uncovers a scheme to transport cocaine camouflaged within gasoline. Bond orchestrates a trap for Krest, simultaneously earning Sanchez’s trust and navigating a complex relationship with both Sanchez’s partner, Lupe Lamora, and Bouvier.
However, his cover is eventually blown, triggering a heated confrontation at Sanchez’s drug factory. In a pulse-racing tanker chase, Bond and Bouvier track down Sanchez, culminating in Bond seeing off Sanchez using a lighter—a gift from Leiter and his wife.
One of only two Timothy Dalton Bond movies, it’s notable for its gripping scenes, such as the visceral altercation between Bond and Killifer. And the adrenaline-fueled tanker chase involving Bond and Bouvier, and the climactic face-off between Bond and Sanchez are the perfect way to end this Bond classic.
14th Place: For Your Eyes Only (1981)
With a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 64%, For Your Eyes Only seizes the 14th spot. James Bond is called back to duty at MI6 while paying a visit to his late wife Tracy’s gravesite. His new assignment involves the retrieval of the ATAC device—crucial British defense technology that went down with a disguised fishing vessel.
During his mission, Bond partners with Melina Havelock, a woman hell-bent on avenging her parents’ murder. It soon becomes apparent that the true antagonist is Aris Kristatos, who intends to sell the ATAC to the Soviets.
Bond and Melina grapple with numerous obstacles, including a perilous climb up a steep cliff to reach a monastery and confront Kristatos. Ultimately, Bond secures the ATAC and destroys it to prevent it from landing in the hands of the Soviet Unioin.
For Your Eyes Only is remembered for several iconic scenes, including Bond’s exhilarating ski chase, the car chase in the bright yellow Citroen, and a hilarious moment where Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher unknowingly engages in a conversation with a parrot, while Bond and Melina enjoy a romantic moment.
13th Place: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
With a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 64%, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service takes the 13th spot. The movie sees George Lazenby stepping into the shoes of James Bond as he travels to Switzerland to track down Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of the criminal organization, SPECTRE.
Bond allies himself with Tracy Draco, played by Diana Rigg, the daughter of a crime syndicate leader. Bond and Tracy eventually fall in love and marry.
Upon infiltrating Blofeld’s stronghold, Piz Gloria, Bond uncovers a sinister plot involving the Angels of Death, women manipulated to spread lethal bacteria around the world. When his cover is blown, it leads to a thrilling ski chase and Tracy’s subsequent capture by Blofeld.
Despite orders to the contrary, Bond teams up with Tracy’s father, Draco, to launch an attack on Blofeld’s base. After an exciting bobsleigh chase, Blofeld appears to meet his demise. Bond retires from MI6 to enjoy a peaceful life with Tracy, but in a tragic turn of events, Blofeld and henchwoman Irma Bunt kill Tracy, leaving Bond heartbroken.
Iconic scenes from Bond 6 include Bond dining with the Angels of Death while donning a kilt and the thrilling bobsleigh chase with Blofeld. The drive by shooting is one of the most poignant moments in the Bond franchise.
12th Place: Live and Let Die (1973)
In 12th place with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 64% is Live and Let Die. This movie marked the introduction of Roger Moore as James Bond, and the plot revolves around the investigation of the mysterious deaths of three MI6 agents, all of which lead him to Dr. Kananga, a voodoo leader and dictator of San Monique.
Bond’s mission takes him from New York City to San Monique and finally New Orleans, where he uncovers Kananga’s scheme to control the heroin market. During his journey, Bond encounters Solitaire, a virgin tarot card reader, and double agent, Rosie Carver.
After Bond seduces Solitaire, causing her to lose her prophetic powers, she decides to team up with him. Together, they discover Kananga’s opium poppy fields and manage to repeatedly escape from his grip. The climax sees Bond defeating Kananga by forcing a compressed-gas pellet into his mouth, leading to Kananga’s grotesque inflation and subsequent explosion.
Live and Let Die is a relatively lowly 12th, but interestingly the critics think it should be lower and I think it deserves to be higher. The movie is remembered for some iconic scenes, including Bond’s audacious escape from crocodiles by leaping across their backs and the thrilling fight with claw-handed Tee Hee Johnson aboard a train.
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11th Place: The Living Daylights (1987)
The Living Daylights secures the 11th place with a Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score of 66%. In this movie, James Bond, played by Timothy Dalton for the first time, is tasked with aiding the defection of KGB officer General Koskov.
During the mission, Bond thwarts an assassination attempt on Koskov by cellist Kara Milovy, who later turns out to be a crucial ally.
In a twist of events, Koskov is kidnapped by Necros, a henchman who it’s later revealed is actually in cahoots with him. This leads to a manipulated plot where Bond and MI6 are deceived into believing they must eliminate the new KGB head, General Leonid Pushkin.
Bond and Kara form a formidable team and journey to Vienna, where Bond’s suspicions regarding Koskov’s deceit are confirmed. To prevent any further chaos, Bond fakes Pushkin’s death, but both he and Kara are captured and taken to a Soviet base in Afghanistan. Their eventual escape with the aid of the Mujahideen leads to the uncovering of Koskov’s nefarious opium deal.
In the final act, Bond returns to Tangiers, kills arms dealer Brad Whitaker, and hands Koskov over to Pushkin. The Living Daylights ends on a high note, with Kara realizing her dream of performing in celebrated concert halls and sharing a celebratory moment with Bond.
The movie is replete with intense action and Dalton delivered a masterful performance, and should definitely be in the top 10, IMO. The thrilling chase where the Aston Martin V8, armed with a laser beam, slices a police car in half is one of the memorable moments of the movie.