12 replies to this topic

[DanMan]

1)African Rundown- By far the best action scene of the film and IMO one of the greatest action sequences of all time. The contrast of agility and brute strenght is fantastic (Bond crashing through the wall after Mollaka skillfully jumps through the small hole, Bond bulldozing through the fence after Mollaka hops it) and showcases this new Bond's toughness. Sebestian Foucan's and Daniel Craig both give there all to this sequence and there constantly trying to one-up the other in terms of inventive stunts. Nothing but pure adrenaline and excitement, one of the most visually stunning sequences I've ever scene on the big screen.

2)Miami International- Tense is one word I would use to desribe this sequence. Once again, Daniel Craig displays how his Bond is going to be much more physical and more of a "man-of-action" than his predecessors. The shot of the police car flying towards the screen had my jaw on the floor and Carlos' demise is perfect, made even more perfect by Bond's reaction.

3)Fall Of A House In Venice- This sequence has been critisized for being an "anti-climax" after the spectacular action of the first-half, but I think it's the perfect final action of the film. I think it's safe to say Bond has never kicked so much so perfectly as he does in this scene. We see Bond matching his skills with fellow assassins, and he comes out on top. My favourite part of this sequence has to be when Bond shoves one assasin away and rips a cable off the wall to elecrocute another. Gettler demise is nicely played and the scene with Vesper following is truly dramatic. One thing that I find interesting about this scene is how for the past 20 minutes we hear Bond talking about not wanting to be a spy anymore and wanting to live a normal life, but as soon as danger strikes, he's ready to jump right into action and he knows just what to do. It's instict for him by this point.

4)Stairwell Fight- By ranking this last, I'm by no means saying it's bad. Quite the opposite. It's quite brutal and exciting and once again we get to see Bond show off his fighting skills. I think it's safe to say it's the most brutal fight scene of the series, maybe tied with the bathroom fight of the PTS. I was suprised they chose to kill off Obanno as they did. While it wasn't gory, it was certainly very chilling, being strangled to death as we watch his feet kick until they slowly loose life. Hopefully Bond 22 continues this tradition of brutal fight scenes.

[DanMan]

Sorry to bump my own thread but I don't recall a CR thread dedicated exclusively to action and I'm very interested to hear people's opinions.

[sharpshooter]

1. African Rundown
The chase is quite simply one of the best in the series history. Bond simply will NOT give up. He uses his resources, determination and skill to overcome the obstacles. The conclusion to the scene was perfect. The hand over of Mollaka left me tense, followed by Mollaka's demise and the explosion. Great stuff.

2. Bathroom Fight
This fight is short, but very sweet. The black and white adds to the peice. It gives it a sense of history. I love the haunted look on Craig's face after he attempts to drown Fischer. Very exciting, hard hitting. The lead into the titles is absolutely skillfully done.

3. Venice Finale
This peice of action is a breath of fresh air from previous finales. Bond's calm, collected use of his firearm and surroundings make for a very good scene. The fall of the house was handled well, I found it believable. The demise of Vesper adds a sad touch to this.

4. Stairwell Fight
Close fighting, maybe a little hard to track. The jumping down flights of stairs is a highlight for me. Obanno's feet kicking and his hand reaching for Bond's P99 is excellent.

5. Miami International
Carlos's demise is very funny, cold and ingenious. Tension is indeed the word. I am still not sure about the scene, but im sure a second viewing will do it.

[tdalton]

1. Miami International
2. Bathroom Fight
3. Venice Finale
4. Stairwell Fight
5. African Rundown

[capungo]

OK, for me

1. African Rundown. It was the complete package, visually stunning, funny without descending into slapstick, a perfect example of Bond using the environment to his advantage, and the fact that you know that for the most part, people were really doing this. Amazing action scene, both in terms of Bond, and for any action movie. One for the Books. Also, it's resolution was great w/ Bond beating the living daylights out of Mollaka in the embassy.

2. The Bathroom fight. Seeing Bond drown a guy in a sink was a nice reality check. THIS is what a 00 would likely be spending most of his time doing. Nice and messy. Also, Arnold's chaotic soundtrack during the whole drowning part really helped too. Also, I can't talk about this scene without the excellent juxtaposition with his other kill. Really well done stuff.

3. Fall of a House in Venice. So much of this works wonders. The way Bond follows Vesper while loading and silencing his pistol, leaving one to wonder how ugly Bond would've been to Vesper had he not been seen. Also, looking back on it, it's at that moment where Bond's fighting not for the money, but for Vesper's life(ironically enough) that he seems to "sharpen up" his fighting style, and he in turn earns the first bit of overt Bond themage. Finally, the fact that (for those who read the novel) you know she's going to die gives the whole thing a tragic tinge throughout.

4. Bond-Dimitrios struggle. OK, so it may not have been as epic as the other pieces here, but it was a bit of action. In short, I loved how it's underplayed. No fancy maneuvers, no epic orchestral cues, just 2 men struggling for their lives. Bond gains the upper hand for a split second, and it's all over. It's also nice that 1/2 of the fight seems to consist of just close ups of the 2 character's facial expressions, not something one would likely have the luxury of doing in life-or-death struggles all the time.

5. The Stairwary Fight-It was a very interesting dynamic having what is essentially a vertical fight scene. Kudos to Craig for doing so much of that himself. Also, I liked how it shattered the romantic image of the tuxedo card playing gentlemen spy that Bond and Vesper had been essentially doing up until that point at the Casino. It was a well placed reality check that this is what the man does.

6. Miami International-Was a nice action piece. It, like the African Rundown, do a nice job of starting out as basic pursuits, but gradually keep on layering the insanity on until you get something epic.

Edited by capungo, 05 December 2006 - 04:34 AM.

[Double-Oh Agent]

All are good but here's mine:

1. African Rundown -- The best chase in the series. An absolute delight of exciting, jaw-dropping action. Sebastien Foucan is a stud!

2. Miami International -- From the tense, spy game first part to the desperate, all-out fisticuffs finale, it's a feast for the senses.

3. License 2 Kills -- A hard, brutal fight that gets down and dirty. Love Craig's face as he drowns Fisher.

4. Fall Of A House In Venice -- A setpiece appropriate for a grand finale. Lots of gunplay and a nice conclusion with Bond "nailing" Gettler.

5. Stairwell Fight -- Even harder and more brutal than the PTS bathroom fight and nicely orchestrated in a unique Bond fight setting.

[JimmyBond]

1) African Rundown: Like others here, I think this is the best sequence in the movie, though that doesnt take away from the others, this one just happens to be real fun. I love how Bond starts the chase, at first he's calmly standing there as Mollaka is running away, than in a split second Bond switches gears and bursts into a pursuit, this is one of the best Bond moments for me.

2) Licence 2 Kills: I read the script beforehand and I was still shocked at how brutal the bathroom fight was, gone is the jokiness of the Brosnan era, this just threw me for a loop.

3) Stairwell Fight: I loved the intensity of it all, with Bond throwing himself down the stairwell with no regard for his safety, just using everything he can to elimante the opposition. Clasic Bond.

4) Miami International: Ironic that a sequence I thought would become my favorite of the series is so low on the list. While it's a great sequence, it just doesnt really compare to the ones listed above. Most likely one of negative affects of reading the script before seeing the movie. The sequence I pictured in my head was nowhere near as spectacular as the one in the finished film.

5) Fall of A House in Venice: A bit embarrassed on this one, but the action seemed to be moving so fast I had a hard time following what was happening. I'm sure another viewing will put this higher up, but if one has a hard time following the action the first time around, somebody screwed up somewhere (or I just wasnt paying close enough attention ).

[Judo chop]

1. African rundown, and I don't seem to be the only one to think so. Bond

[Waffles, James Waffles.]

1. African Rundown
2. Stairwell Fight
3. Miami International
4. Bodyworlds (part of Miami International sort of)
5. Fall of a House in Venice
6. Licence 2 Kills (Not bad, but I just like the others better. A little short.)

[Skudor]

I can't really fault the action in this one - Craig does it amazingly well.

I tried to rank them, but couldn't bring myself to decide between them.

[zstoneVII]

1. African rundown ...why did it ever have to end!
2. Cricket changing room toilets brawl with Fisher...raw, intense and that look...we all know which one
3. Stairwell fight...no gadgets, no get out clause, just pure energy, force and will to survive...breath of fresh air from other sequences
4. Venice...to get on screen and collapsing Venice building is some feat but if it wasn't for the the moving ending this would have been very average. It seemed to be done with little co-ordination and choregraphy as it were.
5. Miami, dont think stood up to par with the others. Loved the concept of Bond hashing up again and making naive errors but like the other sequences, it will always live in African rundowns shadow!

[I Like Sharks]

1) Miami International: Loved this scene, mainly due to the fact that well it's a chase sequence with a fight inside a truck and involves lots of destruction. Thought the part where Carlos tries to knock Bond off by brushing the passing plane tug was great and the near miss with the plane coming into land was even better.The actor playing Carlos was kind of creepy. A lot like Robert Patrick in T2

2) Madagasgar: First time I saw the film I was a little dissappointed as the free running stunts seemed to be more sporadic than I expected but this is an amazing scene.I loved the concept of Bond having to think and take shortcuts to keep up with Mollaka. The scene on the crane was wonderful. This really was very original even though free running has been done in a couple of action movies before. Probably just misses out on my favourite spot because Bond beating up the embassy staff does seem to be very unproffessional...and how convieniant that the embassy for Mollaka to seek refuge in was just down the road from the construction site

3) Stairwell Fight: One of the best fight scenes I've seen in any film. I like the way Obanno knocks the gun out of Bond's hand with his machete. It's there on sceeen but theres no close up of Bond dropping his gun and

4) Venice: Great scene although I can't remember much about it. Mainly Gettler running down some stairs with the nailgun to get stuck in as if he's saying "Hey lads look what I've got! This'll finish him off!" Adrian Edmonson would have done in The Young Ones or Bottom. Incidently the nail in the eye was a bit like the dart in the eye in Bottom

5) Bathroom Fight Good but I'd of preffered to see the whole fight instead of edited flashbacks. Craig's expression after he realises he's just killed another person is one of his best moments

[Cody]

African Rundown
Venice
Miami International
Stairwell
Bathroom (if only it had been longer...)