36 replies to this topic

[Colossus]

Bond sneaks in Drax's lab in Venice, checking out the gas/liquid containers for Drax's deadly orchids and he gets one cylinder for himself to show M. Meanwhile the scientists come back and he sneaks off while accidentally leaving some of those cylinders on the edge of some metal table. One of the scientists unknowingly bumps into it knocking it to the ground breaking it while the gas completely kills both them instantly -- oops! I laughed at that dark humor , i mean the scientists weren't evil even though they were working for Drax, more like unknowing collaborators on the bad guy scale. I guess Bond would consider it collatoral damage , one of the best parts of the movie! Kind of reminds me of the old joke of screwing all the contractors who built the Death Star when it was blown up.

[Mike00spy]

They were knowingly making a lethal toxin. Screw 'em.

[Wade]

They were knowingly making a lethal toxin. Screw 'em.

Yeah! What he said!

[freemo]

At least they died knowing that the stuff worked.

[Scottlee]

They should have been wearing radiation suits messing around with toxins like that.

[james st.john smythe]

yeah, screw them!

[Genrewriter]

I'm sort of surprised that this hasn't been spoofed on The Simpsons (apologies if it has, I watch the show only sporadically). Can't you imagine Homer just giving out a huge "D'Oh!" after seeing it happen?

[thecasinoroyale]

Hey, he didn't know them and they were working for the enemy.

Plus he has a licence, so what does he care.

Oh the things Bond does for England...!

[Mister Asterix]

Certainly not as bad as the poor newspaper security guard he kills in Tomorrow Never Dies.

[Harmsway]

And it's nowhere near as bad as the countless innocent Soviet soldiers who just get shot up when Bond escapes the archives in GOLDENEYE.

[DLibrasnow]

And it's nowhere near as bad as the countless innocent Soviet soldiers who just get shot up when Bond escapes the archives in GOLDENEYE.

I always felt bad for the Soviet soldier that Bond shoots in Octopussy because he was just following Gen. Orlov's orders to "Kill him, kill him!"

As for the scientists in Moonraker, they were knowingly developing a lethal toxin so they got what they deserved.

[JimmyBond]

There's nothing accidental about it. Bond purposely puts the vial on the globe in such a way that it will fall off if bumped. He does this so he can see what kind of effect the stuff has on human beings.

[David_M]

I agree those scientists had it coming, and they had to croak on camera so we'd see what the stuff does to folks. But it is kind of funny that Bond's reaction to their gruesome deaths is along the lines of, "Oh, okay...nerve gas. Got it."

I agree with Harmsway that Bond is a lot more callous in Goldeneye, mowing down all those soldiers (who have no idea Orlov's gone rogue, they think they're doing their duty for Russia), then taking the tank onto the streets of St Petersburg and running clean over several police cars, which there's NO WAY the occupants survived. It amazes me that people love that chase scene so much; I'm always squirming in my seat worrying about the civilians. Heck, Bond probably kills as many people here as Orlov and Onnatopp do at the Severnaya installation, so how's he any better than they are? Before I can root for a hero, I need to know he's fighting actual bad guys first.

And like DLibraSnow, I always feel bad for that soldier who gets it between the eyes in "Octopussy," especially since he's so darn young-looking. Poor kid. In fact, this whole scene is funny, as the Soviets unleash thousands of rounds of automatic weapons fire on old Roger without coming close, while he plinks them off one-by-one at his leisure. Bam, one down. Bam, there's another one. This used to happen on the old "Rat Patrol" TV show every week, to the point where I decided the Nazis would have won World War II if even a single one of them could have only shot straight.

[bonds_walther]

Zay got vot zay deserved!

Hahahahahaha!

[007Travis]

There's nothing accidental about it. Bond purposely puts the vial on the globe in such a way that it will fall off if bumped. He does this so he can see what kind of effect the stuff has on human beings.

That's exactly what I was going to say. It also seems much more deadly to the audience when this happens. Otherwise it kind of looks like a little wimpy vial of liquid.

[Double-0-7]

He probably thought they were travel vials of martini and was nabbing one for the walk home. Good think he saw what that liquid was capable of!

[sorking]

I agree with Harmsway that Bond is a lot more callous in Goldeneye, mowing down all those soldiers (who have no idea Orlov's gone rogue, they think they're doing their duty for Russia), then taking the tank onto the streets of St Petersburg and running clean over several police cars, which there's NO WAY the occupants survived. It amazes me that people love that chase scene so much; I'm always squirming in my seat worrying about the civilians. Heck, Bond probably kills as many people here as Orlov and Onnatopp do at the Severnaya installation, so how's he any better than they are? Before I can root for a hero, I need to know he's fighting actual bad guys first.

I don't disagree about the mowing down of soldiers - though I do actually WANT my Bond (after X years of service) to deal death so swiftly and thoughtlessly. The greater good of removing the nerve gas...it SHOULD be a matter of mathematics. To Bond. In movies.

BUT - the tank chase bugs me for the opposite reason. Every damn car he drives over there's a 'please don't worry!' cutaway to people clambering out of the vehicle. It's like the makers are terrified of letting us decide for ourselves. They know it's likely to be a sequence that kills civilians, so they do their best to remove any concerns. It's probably more moral, but it takes me out of the sequence.

(I'm actually a big fan of the Brosnan era, but do find the tank chase horribly over-rated. The bike and car chases in TND showed far better how do to it. A hero encased in metal and practically invulnerable...well, it doesn't have the tension really, does it?)

[Scottlee]

I would consider the tank chase an average set piece, not a stinker by any means, but certainly not the classic some people think it is. The best bits are the start and the end, namely the bursting through the wall of the acvhives and then later on the dismantling of Trevelyn's train. Everything in-between that happens in the streets has never really thrilled me. Don't mention the Vietnam bike chase though as an alternative. That was just dreadful.

[Turn]

And I thought I was the only one who found the GE tank chase overrated and generally unexciting. It always reminded me of an outtake from The Blues Brothers or an unused set piece left over from the Moore era.

It's as if they sat around trying to think up a vehicle Bond has never been in and have him cause a bunch of destruction in it. I can just hear it now:

"We've got to find a way to get product placement in there."

"How about Bond runs into a Perrier truck and everybody runs after cans of the stuff."

"Brilliant, then we can force soldiers off the road into the water. That would be a scream."

That's part of my problem with GE, there are some things that seem forced in there.

[AgentPB]

Oh well I liked The Tank chase just because James Bond escaped....IN A TANK!

[bond_girl_double07]

What kills me about that scene is that bond sees what happens to the scientists and basically slides the other vial in his top pocket and walks away! If I'd seen two dudes instantly die, I'd have that stuff wrapped in about 20 layers of protective something before I got it anywhere near my top pocket!

Doesn't Austin Powers have a joke about henchmen in the wrong place at the wrong time somewhere?

Am I wrong about both of those 'facts'? Lets just say Moonraker isn't my favorite Bond film

[stamper]

Brozza's 007 actions were more like A Team action, regarding civilians, than real Bond action.

[David_M]

And I thought I was the only one who found the GE tank chase overrated and generally unexciting. It always reminded me of an outtake from The Blues Brothers or an unused set piece left over from the Moore era.

Hmm. I felt that way about the Q-boat chase in TWINE, especially when Bond takes the boat out of the Thames and into the back alleys and restaurants of London. The only thing missing was Sherrif Pepper and that guy who looks accusingly at his bottle of wine.

What kills me about that scene is that bond sees what happens to the scientists and basically slides the other vial in his top pocket and walks away! If I'd seen two dudes instantly die, I'd have that stuff wrapped in about 20 layers of protective something before I got it anywhere near my top pocket!

Well, they're setting up the "joke" that unfolds a few minutes later. Bond and Chang destroy an entire room full of priceless glass art pieces and their glass display cases, then Bond remembers the bulge in his pocket and...wow!...the little glass vial is still intact. Ha ha.

Nice coda to the fight scene, but then Bond puts it back in his pocket and continues the fight! Now that's just asking for it.

[darthbond]

Either you're with Bond or you are against him. Nough said.

darthbond

[Mr Woodpigeon]

Zay got vot zay deserved!

Hahahahahaha!

[DLibrasnow]

Oh well I liked The Tank chase just because James Bond escaped....IN A TANK!

I'm with you, I loved the tank sequience in GoldenEye...and the Q-boat sequence in The World is not Enough was the only redeeming feature of that movie.

[JimmyBond]

...and the Q-boat sequence in The World is not Enough was the only redeeming feature of that movie.

Sadly I'm starting to agree with that sentiment.

[Jim]

But..

But...

But they were eeeeeevil scientists. And balding. And therefore deserved everything they got. They were very ugly anyway so Drax would have had them jettisoned into space in any event, or left on Earth to die horribly, so not a problem.

[Genrewriter]

Plus, one of them looked like a drama teacher I had in high school so I never had any problems with the scene at all.

[bond_girl_double07]

But..

But...

But they were eeeeeevil scientists. And balding. And therefore deserved everything they got. They were very ugly anyway so Drax would have had them jettisoned into space in any event, or left on Earth to die horribly, so not a problem.

If they were hot Christmas Jones bimbo scientists, Bond would have rushed in to save them..

wait, is he a sexist dinosaur after all

Ohhhh wait, evil hot scientists still deserve to die!!!


I actually rewatched this scene this morning, and what gets me is Moore's facial expression.. he watches two healthy men crumble to the floor and takes the vial out of his pocket, glances at it quizzingly, does this eye brow raise that seems to say "hmmmmm nerve gas.. who woulda thought???" and puts it back in his pocket