23 replies to this topic

[Miles Miservy]

It occured to me that, with all the hype & speculation of the upcoming release of SKYFALL, there's been little attention given to our beloved henchmen. Now, the list is abundant & memorable. There've been the ones that are forever etched in our minds and then there are the ones well... not so much. When you think of OO7 bad guys, nearly 75% of anyone you ask, immediately refer to Oddjob & Jaws, in no particular order. There of course were others. A few worth mentioning might be Tee-Hee from LALD, Gobinda from OP and Dario from LTK.

I realized that since the release of DIE ANOTHER DAY, there hasn't really been a significant "Physical Villain". Say what you will about the shortcomings of DAD (where do we start?), but the truth lies with the fact that Zao, was a pretty cool, menacing bad guy. To me, he seemed WAY more evil than Gustav Graves, even without the diamonds ripped through his face.

Daniel Craig has proven himself against the "Intellectual Villain." I think it's time he went up against a huge, formidable, mindless killing machine.

[SecretAgentFan]

Bardem seems to be villain and henchman all rolled into one pretty impressive package.

And wasn´t that Rapace guy a henchman, too?

[Messervy]

I think they tried to "reintroduce" the henchman figure in QoS (Elvis), but the character was way too shallow and plain uninteresting, so that failed.
I do hope they'll resume the henchman trend, though. That's one of the substantial "bondian" elements.

[Pussfeller]

For me, the last memorable henchman was Bullion, and that was only because of his gimmick. Big, colorful henchmen work best when paired with an older, more intellectual villain. And the post-Cubby villains have tended to be young punks who do all their dirty work themselves, rather than silverbacked bosses who delegate the little chores. There's also been a tendency to dial back the zaniness of the henchmen, making them drab, vaguely creepy killers or anonymous gangsters, whereas the classic henchmen had a big dose of comedic freakiness.

[Major Tallon]

I dunno. Dr. No had Professor Dent, Thunderball had Vargas, YOLT had Hans, OHMSS had Grunther. Interesting characters, but none of them particularly memorable outside the world of Bond fandom. It seems to vary from movie to movie, regardless of era.

[Guy Haines]

The "henchmen" aspect of the Bond films has been lacking for quite a while, I think. It would be good to see one in the current, or a future Bond film who made an impact without being based on a mass media impression of what a Bond movie henchman is supposed to be.

As for my favourites:-

FRWL - Grant - by a long way. As the late John Brosnan put it in his book about Bond in the cinema, one of the few times when Bond was in real trouble was when Grant overpowered Bond and revealed his true identity.

GF - Oddjobb - The template for future Bond henchmen. Mute, and seemingly indestructable. Fitted this film perfectly. Unfortunately, from the point of view of the press, "the template for future Bond henchmen."

DAF - Mr Wint and Mr Kidd. Again, fitted the film concerned perfectly. An odd combination of sinister and camp. 007 taking on the undertakers from "The Loved One"?

LALD - Tee Hee. An overlooked henchman. Combined a less than articulate arm with more than articulate language. I'm not surprised that Julius W. Harris was in contention for the role of main villain.

[Skudor]

The "henchmen" aspect of the Bond films has been lacking for quite a while, I think. It would be good to see one in the current, or a future Bond film who made an impact without being based on a mass media impression of what a Bond movie henchman is supposed to be.

As for my favourites:-

FRWL - Grant - by a long way. As the late John Brosnan put it in his book about Bond in the cinema, one of the few times when Bond was in real trouble was when Grant overpowered Bond and revealed his true identity.

GF - Oddjobb - The template for future Bond henchmen. Mute, and seemingly indestructable. Fitted this film perfectly. Unfortunately, from the point of view of the press, "the template for future Bond henchmen."

DAF - Mr Wint and Mr Kidd. Again, fitted the film concerned perfectly. An odd combination of sinister and camp. 007 taking on the undertakers from "The Loved One"?

LALD - Tee Hee. An overlooked henchman. Combined a less than articulate arm with more than articulate language. I'm not surprised that Julius W. Harris was in contention for the role of main villain.

Nice list.

I think it's entirely possible to introduce equally interesting henchmen nowadays - they just have to be cast right, whether for physicality (Oddjob, Jaws) or menacing acting chops (Grant), or written as interesting characters in their own right (Wint and Kidd).

Caveat - on reflection I'm not so sure Oddjob would be that interesting without the bowler hat, which, frankly, wouldn't fly nowadays (in more than one way). Jaws I think might, even without the teeth - he's a big guy (and nowadays the teeth would probably have an interesting twist, and not be used to bite through thick steel cables).

[Publius]

I think they tried to "reintroduce" the henchman figure in QoS (Elvis), but the character was way too shallow and plain uninteresting, so that failed.

I think that was the point with him, though. He was irrelevant, useless, unliked, ignored, and eventually was taken out in the manner most befitting such a loser... an anticlimactic explosion that actually spared him the indignity of being destroyed by Bond after being set up for certain failure by Greene.

[Pussfeller]

There have always been various levels of henchman. Elvis is a latter-day Quist.

[thecasinoroyale]

I do miss the henchman, a classic element of a classic and memorable Bond film IF handled right. The henchmen of the Brosnan era fell flat (bar possible Xenia to Trevelyan) and have got weaker and just cardboard muscle in the background.

Oddjob, Nick Nack, Tee Hee, Jaws, Dario (ordinary, yet memorable IMO), May Day.... brilliant henchmen (women) that made the films what they were, and it's a shame we can't get a decent one in modern films.

I think seeing someone like Nick Nack or even Oddjob now would be laughed at with modern audiences as they would be seen as silly little touches, where as they were taken for what they were back in the 60s and 70s.

I'll always welcome a decent stand-alone henchman for a Craig film if they handle it right.

[Dustin]

I think they tried to "reintroduce" the henchman figure in QoS (Elvis), but the character was way too shallow and plain uninteresting, so that failed.

I think that was the point with him, though. He was irrelevant, useless, unliked, ignored, and eventually was taken out in the manner most befitting such a loser... an anticlimactic explosion that actually spared him the indignity of being destroyed by Bond after being set up for certain failure by Greene.

The question is: why would any villain worth a fraction of a US cent employ such a completely pointless underling? We don't see him doing anything more dangerous than holding a gun. And even that in a rather unconvincing manner, as if he hadn't ever seen such an artefact and was not quite sure what end was supposed to spew the bullets. Elvis is just a vaguely unpleasant character. But on the 'dangerous' scale he hardly registers even in the Nick-Nack-league. Perhaps he should have been the rapist, instead of Medrano. Or he should have been shown taking part in Fields's elimination, or something like it, just to make him at least believable as a crew member of Quantum.

On the other hand, Quantum have people everywhere, obviously even the kindergarten.

[Publius]

The question is: why would any villain worth a fraction of a US cent employ such a completely pointless underling?

You're right that he isn't very realistic. But comic relief often isn't, and given how realism, by Bond standards, ruled the day everywhere else in the movie (much to the chagrin of most fans), I don't think it hurt to have a slight deviation in the form of such a minor character.

Besides, Greene had other henchman for actual henching purposes. Maybe Elvis was just there because he enjoyed having someone to belittle. Maybe he wanted a human shield in case things got heated (Elvis stands out much more, and covers more physical area, thereby fulfilling that role nicely). Maybe he ran into a lot of puddles and liked using him as a human bridge. Maybe he wanted an ugly wingman to look better by comparison. All realistic reasons to keep a dumb, pointless, pathetic sycophant around.

[Dustin]

The question is: why would any villain worth a fraction of a US cent employ such a completely pointless underling?

You're right that he isn't very realistic. But comic relief often isn't, and given how realism, by Bond standards, ruled the day everywhere else in the movie (much to the chagrin of most fans), I don't think it hurt to have a slight deviation in the form of such a minor character.

Besides, Greene had other henchman for actual henching purposes. Maybe Elvis was just there because he enjoyed having someone to belittle. Maybe he wanted a human shield in case things got heated (Elvis stands out much more, and covers more physical area, thereby fulfilling that role nicely). Maybe he ran into a lot of puddles and liked using him as a human bridge. Maybe he wanted an ugly wingman to look better by comparison. All realistic reasons to keep a dumb, pointless, pathetic sycophant around.

Agreed, something like this must have been the basic premise when the character was developed. Sadly it wasn't shown at all. The way it is Elvis's presence is an enigma.

[Trevelyan 006]

I'd go out on a whim to even say that the main villains themselves haven't been the most memorable, even since GoldenEye. Carver was okay. Renard (played by Robert Carlyle, who I really enjoy) was okay. Never really had much taste for Graves...

Le Chiffre was probably the best we've seen since '95, and Greene wasn't my cup of tea (green tea, for that matter).


This time around however, we're getting our strongly memorable villain back. Honestly, I'd have the right mind to believe that Javier could quite possibly steal the show. I think that alone suffices!

[Guy Haines]

I'd go out on a whim to even say that the main villains themselves haven't been the most memorable, even since GoldenEye. Carver was okay. Renard (played by Robert Carlyle, who I really enjoy) was okay. Never really had much taste for Graves...

Le Chiffre was probably the best we've seen since '95, and Greene wasn't my cup of tea (green tea, for that matter).


This time around however, we're getting our strongly memorable villain back. Honestly, I'd have the right mind to believe that Javier could quite possibly steal the show. I think that alone suffices!

I've commented elsewhere on this site recently that it seemed as if the producers didn't want to cast an actor opposite their leading man who might try to steal the show. Perhaps two films starring Daniel Craig have finally convinced them that this approach, if it is the case, is unnecessary. I hope you are proved right about Javier Bardem. Bond isn't just about girls, guns and gadgets - he needs a half decent adversary to spar with.

[Joey Bond]

Looking at things from a different perspective, Le Chiffre may have been the main villain in Casino Royale, but in a way he was also a henchman to Mr White and Quantum as we later found out. Had they continued with the Quantum storyline (or, dare I say, done it right in Quantum of Solace) it would have been much more evident that Le Chiffre was just a pawn in their massive network.

With regards to the physical henchman though, I think they have been absent from recent films precisely because of characters like Jaws and Oddjob being so iconic they have now become sources of parodies (see Random Task and Fat Bastard in Austin Powers). To give these physical henchman too many physical traits/quirks risks being parodied, to give them too little character is to risk being generic (Stamper from Tomorrow Never Dies). Having said that I do miss a Moore-esque ending where Bond takes care of the main villain and thinks he's on his way to safety with the girl only to have to do one last battle the henchman (arguably this is the case with Casino Royale, although you could hardly call Gettler the main henchman)

[O.H.M.S.S.]

One thing I really miss in the reboot series are memorable henchmen.

My top 10:

1. Red Grant
2. Oddjob
3. Jaws
4. Baron Samedi
5. Necros
6. Kronsteen
7. Gobinda
8. Dario
9. Krilencu
10. Tee Hee

[Mr_Wint]

Mollaka, Carlos, Gettler, Slate, Mitchell... The typical henchman/villain in a Craig-Bond film is introduced around 0-1 minutes before Bond fights with him. He is then killed after around 2-5 minutes.

[Trevelyan 006]

Mollaka, Carlos, Gettler, Slate, Mitchell... The typical henchman/villain in a Craig-Bond film is introduced around 0-1 minutes before Bond fights with him. He is then killed after around 2-5 minutes.

Pretty accurate.

[DaveBond21]

Yes, I do miss the old style henchman. Even Stamper was at least a good physical match for Bond and also had that crazy, blind loyalty to his boss that the henchmen always seem to have.

I also agree that the henchmen have been replaced by the likes of Slate and Mitchell and even Haines' bodyguard for a physical fight, making them plot points or useful contacts, rather than simply a thug who protects the main villain. I guess it's the way the movies have gone.

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[00Twelve]

Elvis is a (seemingly obvious) parody of the henchman figure. I think the production team agreed the "henchman" archetype was a bit passe, so Elvis was intentionally made to be a neutered figure. I loved it, myself, I thought every bit of his presence was hilarious. The way Felix just ignores the living hell out of him when he asks "how much longer?" on the plane, the conversation he's having with his mother on the cell in Haiti when Camille busts in, the way his pants get blown clean off as he perishes in the explosion, and the fact that it's all played dead straight...I loved him, he was (miraculously) less useful than Vargas.

Now, is the henchman type really passe? Kinda, yeah. Unless the Bond movies can lean gracefully back into the tongue-in-cheek fantasy that Fleming threw in (a clearly formidable task) with regards to the henchmen, we may not see another henchman of the "physical oddity" persuasion. We'd be more likely to see an assassin who is cold and detached (ex. Locque) or has a unique way of assassinating (ex. Onatopp). I'd welcome that if they could put a twist on it that makes them memorable on their own.

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

What about those hordes of guys in jumpsuits mowed down with machine gun fire in the climax? Should or could they even return at all without the thing becoming farcical?
But yeah, we need another Red Grant.

[DaveBond21]

Elvis is a (seemingly obvious) parody of the henchman figure. I think the production team agreed the "henchman" archetype was a bit passe, so Elvis was intentionally made to be a neutered figure. I loved it, myself, I thought every bit of his presence was hilarious. The way Felix just ignores the living hell out of him when he asks "how much longer?" on the plane, the conversation he's having with his mother on the cell in Haiti when Camille busts in, the way his pants get blown clean off as he perishes in the explosion, and the fact that it's all played dead straight...I loved him, he was (miraculously) less useful than Vargas.

Now, is the henchman type really passe? Kinda, yeah. Unless the Bond movies can lean gracefully back into the tongue-in-cheek fantasy that Fleming threw in (a clearly formidable task) with regards to the henchmen, we may not see another henchman of the "physical oddity" persuasion. We'd be more likely to see an assassin who is cold and detached (ex. Locque) or has a unique way of assassinating (ex. Onatopp). I'd welcome that if they could put a twist on it that makes them memorable on their own.

I love Elvis too.

As for the 2nd point, what about a henchman who knows he is a stereotype and loves it. A larger than life character who does it all on purpose. There are plenty of real people like that (I'm thinking of various rock stars and rappers).

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[Colossus]

I agree Craig has been given short thrift with henchmen. Well they'll probably make for it here.