53 replies to this topic

[Carver]

1.Scaramanga:yep, he was the best. I almost ended up wanting him to win!
2.Kananga: well, pretty much what everybody else has said, 'Names is for tombstones baby...' etc.
3.Zorin: Walken played out the psycho superbly.
4.Drax: a complete contrast to the novels, I like the 'take car of Mr Bond,see that some harm comes to him' line.
5.Kahn: looked deadly in a tux, loved those eyeballs!
6.Kristatos: Well, he was ok, just not the best.
7.Stromberg: boring, just sat about Atlantis pushing buttons all day, porbably an attempt at a reincarnation of Blofeld.

[Peter]

I'm surprised hardly anyone's mentioned May Day, although I really think Jaws is the best of course. Also what about Erich Kreigler from FYEO. Like Kristatos, he's not so flamboyant, but he was icy and strong, someone I don't want to meet down a dark alley!

Also, I'm surprised Scaramanga is so popular. I can't separate him from the movie which is very low on my list. He doesn't ever really seem menacing to me.

[Donovan]

This is a very interesting thread. I am surprised by all the votes for Scaramanga. I'll explain why in a second.

It's often said that a Bond film as is good as its villain. My criteria comes down to villain's plot, villain's general competence, actor's performance, and the scenes with Bond.

Fleming's description of villains are among my favorite parts of his books. I love the characters of Hugo Drax, Mr. Big, Francisco Scaramanga, and Kristatos.

1. Hugo Drax: he's clever and evil, best tension with Moore's Bond, great death scene, even with general silliness of film Drax is never light-weight
2. Prince Kamal Khan: slippery and charismatic, keeps great thugs on hand, clever plot with Orlov regarding nuclear destruction of West German airbase, at least threatens Bond with some form of ugly torture
3. Maximillion Zorin: great backstory, suitably psychotic, good one-liners, would have been great opposite Dalton
4. Francisco Scaramanga: lacked enough tension with Bond (Hamilton directed Moore and Lee to play scenes "lightly"), lacked ambition (as did entire film except stunts), living on island with one servant and one maintenance man means easier odds for Bond
5. Karl Stromberg, had good tension with Bond, only a two-dimensional cardboard character, drowning would have been more appropriate death than three gunshots at dinner table
6. Aris Kristatos: absolutely no intimidation, milque-toast demeanor, death provides no drama
7. Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big: nothing compared to book's imposing figure, worst death scene ever, the "two characters are actually same guy" trick doesn't work

-Joe

[rafterman]

I say-

Drax
Scaramanga
Zorin
Stromberg
Kananga
Khan
Kristatos

I used to really not like Walken in the role, but he's moved up now that I just watch his performance to see how whacked out he is...he's got some great faces and deliveries.....all these great pauses in the middle of his speaches...really cool stuff, but I like Drax best of all...seems the most like he could be a real evil guy, with the whole master race stuff....sure the film's outlandish as is the plot, but his goals are very basic and human...

[ThomasCrown76]

Walken is and always shall be a bona fide psychopath. The man is typecast for life! Chris Lee was really great, too. They made him too sympathetic, though, which sucked. Curt Jurgens was cool. I saw him in The Enemy Below, I think it was. Drax had his moments.

[Aston-Martin]

I like Zorin the best. I think he had the right mixture of insanity and vileness, but I don't like that Canadian-style accent, I think a British accent would have worked much better.

[00Kevin]

Scaramanga, the man with the golden gun, between a great charactor, and in my opinion the greatest Actor, next to perhpas sean connery. he was the greatest ever!

henchman: JAWS it gives you a chill down you spine, when you look up and their he is, when I first say TSWLM, as a child, I didn't open the closet for some time.

honorable mentions:

Blofeld, The Man in the Wheel Chair: "Keep your hair on" "Oh? you want to get off?" :D:D

[00Kevin]

Zorin is good too, an insane villian is just what the doctor ordered. not a family movie, However..............

[DLibrasnow]

Zorin is good too, an insane villian is just what the doctor ordered. not a family movie, However..............

Zorin is also my favorite. I also like the understated Kristatos as a villain.

[Qwerty]

Drax is my favorite, excellent lines. Zorin is on a level all on his own for the Bond villains, perhaps shared with Elliot Carver, always a riot to see those two in the films. Kananga and Scaramanga are both interesting in that they are both somewhat the dark side of Bond, I found both of them to be satisfying villains. Kamal Khan is one of my all time favorites, he has superb lines, class, sophistication and a sense of upperclass style that perfectly goes against Roger in the film. Kristatos is also a villain that I've grown to like more often now for the very fact that he has the quiet menace, as with Stromberg, another one that I enjoy despite his rather roles of mostly sitting at Atlantis, I still enjoy him.

[DLibrasnow]

I will agree that Hugo Drax had the best lines:

"Can I press you to a cucumber sandwich"

"Look after Mr. Bond, make sure some harm comes to him"

"For you only winter"

[Qwerty]

I will agree that Hugo Drax had the best lines:

"Can I press you to a cucumber sandwich"

"Look after Mr. Bond, make sure some harm comes to him"

"For you only winter"

EXACTLY.

He has an aura of sophistication about him, his peaceful talks with Bond when they first m,eet, and then his line to Chang upon Bond leaving the room to begin his tour is one of the best moments in a Bond film.

[DLibrasnow]

I remember John Brosnan describing him as some sinister Lord of an English Manor!

The scene at the pheasant shoot is also a fine exchange between Bond and Drax.

[Qwerty]

Indeed another good clash between foes in a Bond film, the peasent scene is. One thing that always amazed me is how Fleming described Drax in his novel as a sort of "Lonsdale like figure" or soemthing to that effect, nice bit of trivia I think.

[DLibrasnow]

Good catch Qwerty!

[Qwerty]

Indeed, I was taken aback when I first read it, didn't quite unserstand it then.

[Genrewriter]

My favorites are Kananga, Scaramanga, Drax and Zorin.

[DLibrasnow]

I like Zorin the best. I think he had the right mixture of insanity and vileness, but I don't like that Canadian-style accent, I think a British accent would have worked much better.

He had a Canadian accent?!

[Qwerty]

I like Zorin the best. I think he had the right mixture of insanity and vileness, but I don't like that Canadian-style accent, I think a British accent would have worked much better.

The one line I've always liked from Zorin alot, and it's the way he pronounces it: "Good. Right on Schedule."

I'm quite fond of his quirky way he says other lines as well, "You're out of your depth!"

[DLibrasnow]

Yes Walken did some great line delivery in that movie.

[Qwerty]

What I've always found interesting is that the first name of certain villains is hardly ever mentioned in the Moore films.

Karl and Hugo are said only once briefly in each film I believe, Kananga's first name isn't even given, yet in other films, the first names in Octopussy and For Your Eyes Only, Ari and Kamal are mentioned very often.

A little bit of information I had noticed.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

Thanks for the background info Qwerty!

I somewhat like/dislike Drax from Moonraker. Sure he had good lines, but he was a little low-key for me. His ultimate plan was to destroy Earth, but he still was prancing around on ways to kill Bond and eating "cucumber sandwiches." Not my fav. My favorite villian was Jaws, even though he was a henchmen. He's still a bad guy, isn't he? Dr. Kanaga was pretty good, as well as Scaramanga. But the Moore villians are too cartoonish for me... none hardly believable. Connery's villians were the best. By the way, is there a "Best Connery villians" thread? I want to know, please.

[Qwerty]

Well, I did love Drax, yes he was low-key, but his quiet, yet menacing personality was the best.

As for your question, no idea, but why not create one!

[DLibrasnow]

Yes anyone can create a new thread.

I think Drax was a great villain....once I saw a documentary on Oliver Reed when he talked about a quiet menace that he tried to inject into his villains. he obviously subscribed to the same school of thought as Michael Lonsdale.