Every ’60s James Bond Movie, Ranked by Rewatchability

In the 1960s, a cinematic phenomenon unlike any other was born. Based on the gentleman spy created by author Ian Fleming, the James Bond films were successful from the jump, initially snowballing in success with each release. So much of this is thanks to Sean Connery’s dashing and dangerous performance, which was fully formed from the start. Credit must also be given to the producers for a level of quality control that would generally continue in subsequent decades.

We’re talking prime ’60s Bond here; all of these films are fun as hell, and can be revisited over and over. But which one is the most purely entertaining and rewatchable of all? The following list only discusses the central Eon series. Unstructured spin-off bad drug trip parody film Casino Royale from 1967 isn’t even watchable the first time, much less worthy of being revisited. There, that’s all you need to know. Here’s every ’60s Eon Bond movie, ranked by rewatchability.

6

‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967)

Directed by Lewis Gilbert

“Konbanwa!” Thunderball was a huge hit, a downright historic box-office success, so perhaps it makes sense that producers doubled down on its positive and negative aspects in the follow-up: things like gorgeous widescreen photography, bigger action set pieces, a wackier tone and occasionally clumsy plotting.

Many in the Bond fandom hold You Only Live Twice in high esteem, and there’s a lot to enjoy and even admire here, but the first face-to-face meeting of Bond and nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld should have been more emotionally gripping and personal. In terms of visual and narrative beats, You Only Live Twice is nearly as influential as Goldfinger, but a clunky script and visibly disinterested star (Connery was reportedly very unhappy on set and anxious to leave the franchise), it’s not as gratifying to re-watch as the gold standard. Still, it’s fun and spectacular. Ken Adam‘s volcano lair is MVP here, truly one of the greatest feats in all of production design history. Even by today’s standards, it’s a rare kind of spectacle that makes one do a double take.

5

‘Dr. No’ (1962)

Directed by Terence Young

The Eon production that started it all is a low-key affair that sees 007 investigating mysterious deaths in Jamaica, all leading to megalomaniac Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman) a genius with an eye on the U.S. space initiative. Indispensable and timeless Bond moments that built decades of mystique can be found here, most notably Connery’s smoky, perfect introduction, and Ursula Andress emerging from the ocean in Crab Key.

Dr. No is a slow-burn; there’s no way around that. Franchise newcomers may find it outright slow-going, but even the least dedicated fans can appreciate how much care went into establishing this lethal, charismatic screen presence that would dominate for decades to come. The last half-hour or so of Dr. No is iconic as hell, and tense to boot.

4

‘Thunderball’ (1965)

Directed by Terence Young

Connery’s fourth outing followed three genuinely great thrillers, and suffers a little by comparison. Based on an original story that become a novel before becoming a long-running legal battle, Thunderball sees Bond set off to the Bahamas, where he squares off with SPECTRE operatives who’ve obtained nuclear weapons. This is the first Bond film shot in ultra widescreen, and it was the highest-grossing entry in the series (adjusted for inflation) before Skyfall.

In From Russia With Love, we follow Bond as he’s walking straight into a trap that we’re privy to. In Goldfinger, we uncover the central conspiracy as he does. Both of these are superior approaches to the series of events in Thunderball, which spends too much of the first act showing us the villains’ plan before we watch Bond figure it out in acts two and three. The films also has general pacing issues and some outright clumsiness, but Connery was still in top form here, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more Bondian Bond movie. It’s fun.

3

‘From Russia With Love’ (1963)

Directed by Terence Young

The centerpiece of Connery’s initial, near-perfect trilogy is one of the best pure espionage films of all time. Based on what’s generally regarded as Ian Fleming’s finest novel, From Russia With Love sees Bond tangled in counter plots to possess a decoding device. Bond faces two of his most merciless adversaries in Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) and Red Grant (Robert Shaw) while courting the beautiful Tatiano Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), who’s, at least at first, a pawn in all of this.

What makes From Russia With Love work so well is the slow-burn but tightly focused emphasis on the relationships. We’re unsure of everyone’s motivations throughout, and it’s quite gratifying to see both Bond and Romanova come out alive. This is one of the best thriller films ever made, and just like the great Hitchcock thrillers it clearly emulates, it’s highly rewatchable.

2

‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969)

Directed by Peter Hunt

With every consecutive re-watch, it just gets easier to fully appreciate and love the black sheep of the long-running franchise. Based on what’s likely Fleming’s second-greatest novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service sees Bond infiltrate the Swiss lair of his nemesis, all whilst the agent is truly falling in love with the daughter of a crime boss.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the first and only Bond film to star Australian model George Lazenby, who willingly left the franchise at the awful advice of his agent. The film, and especially Lazenby’s performance, were long dismissed relative to other Bond films of the era. The picture has undergone significant critical and fan re-assessment over the years, and is even considered to be the greatest of all Bond films by many in the fandom. The cinematography (the franchise’s best along with Skyfall) and action (especially two ski chases) alone make it highly rewatchable.

1

‘Goldfinger’ (1964)

Directed by Guy Hamilton

Along with, say, the original Star Wars, and some of the very best of Disney, Goldfinger is a movie where virtually every moment is iconic. Cleverly adapted (with significant changes) in a way that improves upon Fleming’s book of the same name, Connery’s third outing sees Bond face off against his most memorable adversary in Gert Fröbe‘s ruthless, rapacious Auric Goldfinger, a maniac with a nuclear device.

Goldfinger was the shortest Bond movie before the release of over-caffeinated dud Quantum of Solace over four decades later, and it packs relentless suspense into that short runtime. It’s cheeky and effortlessly suave. It’s morbid and sophisticated; it’s easily one of the most rewatchable movies ever, across all genres.

NEXT: Every James Bond Movie Era, Ranked


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