A total of eight actors have played James Bond and a 9th will definitely be announced soon after Daniel Craig confirmed he's done for good this time. But who is the best Bond of all time? Cases are always made for Sean Connery and Daniel Craig but Pierce Brosnan might actually the greatest ever 007.
The Irish-American actor first appeared as the popular British spy in 1995's GoldenEye. That specific movie is often considered his strongest. He returned for three more films before saying goodbye to the role in 2002. Here's why Pierce Brosnan was the best Bond ever.
The Highest Kill Count
Where's the fun in being a super spy if you cant kill plenty of bad guys? Brosnan's Bond was literally a serial killer of villains. No other Bond comes close to his 135 kills. Of course, he existed in an era where action heroes killed dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of people in a movie but you can't take it away from him.
The only other Bond that comes close to Brosnan's high kill-rate is Roger Moore. Sir Roger had 90 confirmed kills. Consider the fact that Moore starred in seven Bond films compared to Brosnan's four and you'll realize he was a bit slow in sending people to the afterlife. And despite the hype, Sean Connery was as lenient as Batman. He only had 75 kills.
Marvelous One-Liners
Sean Connery might claim to be the king of one-liners but does he'd be required to step away from the throne if Pierce Brosnan entered the room. The first words Brosnan ever spoke as Bond were golden. And he said them in the movie GoldenEye after entering a Soviet weapons facility through the washrooms. He simply said: "Beg your pardon, forgot to knock." And then he did some actual 'knocking' by knocking a Russian soldier out.
And when he's kissing Xenia Onatopp in the same movie, she suggests that he doesn't need to have a gun so close, to which he responds: "Well, that depends on your definition of safe sex.” Legend! And in The World Is Not Enough, he had a rather interesting way to explain to Robert Carlyle what happened to his friend Davidov: "He caught a bullet instead of the plane."
Better Charms
Brosnan's Bond managed to seduce several women, most of who were sophisticated and very intelligent. It was never just a case of him picking someone in a bar. It was almost as if Brosnan's Bond was sapiosexual. If you weren't smart, he didn't want anything to do with you.
There were many notable love interests such as Natalya Simonova the computer genius, Caroline the MI6 psychiatrist, the multilingual Professor Inga Bergstrom, Dr. Christmas Jones the nuclear physicist and Halle Berry as NSA agent Jinx.
Cooler Gadgets
Brosnan's Bond had a car that could become invisible. A little over the top but who could beat that? Out of all the Bonds, Brosnan was given the most toys to play with and he sure did have a heck of a good time with them. It was somehow unrealistic but who was complaining?
Bond was able to control his BMW using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone. He also had a laser camera, a laser watch and cool X-ray sunglasses to check for all kinds of concealed weapons. Now we know where Tony Stark got the idea for his sunglasses.
He Drove A Tank
Plenty of movie characters have driven cars. Some have done it better than others. No big deal. But how many have driven tanks? Especially in movies that are not about war. Well, James Bond has. Brosnan's James Bond to be specific.
In GoldenEye, Bond (Pierce Brosnan) careens through the streets of St. Petersburg in a massive T-54 Russian tank with ease like he's driving a Ferrari. It's arguably the best chase scene in all of the Bond movies. He smashes monuments and crashes cars while still having time to straighten his tie. All this drama to catch Colonel Ourumov who has kidnapped his love interest.
More Adventurous
Among the many things that make Bond movies great is the British spy's penchant for globetrotting. One moment he is in Mexico and the nest he is in Italy. Bond is always on the move. It's a shame that he has never started a travel vlog. He'd have millions of subscribers. Imagine his introductions: "Hey guys, this is Bond again. Last weekend I was in Monaco and I killed two guys in a yacht. Here's the video."
Statistics show that Brosnan's Bond was the most mobile of them all. On average, he visited 6 countries per movie compared to Craig's 5. The other Bonds visited 3 different countries per movie on average. Now we know whose passport has to be renewed by MI6 all the time.
He Looked Magnificent In A Tuxedo
A Bond movie can never feel complete with 007 making an entrance at a gala or a casino while wearing a tuxedo. Pierce Brosnan looked so good in a tuxedo that the producers included a clause in his contract that prohibited him from wearing a tuxedo in any other film.
And that's why in 1996's The Thomas Crown Affair, his character had to attend a black-tie event with an unbuttoned shirt and a white bow tie that he wasn't even allowed to tie around his neck. Daniel Craig and Sean Connery's tuxedo looks aren't bad either but they never looked as devilishly handsome as Brosnan's.
Stopping His Heart
Bond has pulled off a number of incredible (and sometimes outrageous) feats over the years. Moore's Bond even managed to do a 360-degree jump with a car over a bridge. And it wasn't even fake. A stuntman actually did it, forcing the producers to patent the stunt.
But there's no better moment than Brosnan's Bond decreasing his heart rate until it stops, thereby faking a heart attack that enables him to escape. All this happens while he's imprisoned in a secure military ship in Die Another Die. It's a wonder where he learned this yet we never saw him with the monks in Tibet.
He Was Carefree
All the other Bonds seem to be ruled by their emotions except Brosnan's Bond. Craig's Bond is ever too serious. He doesn't seem like he'll laugh if even Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais, and Chris Rock were on stage together. And he almost quit his job because of love, yet he was being played.
Connery's Bond always appeared to panic (picture the laser scene with Auric Goldfinger) while Moore's Bond had more of an ordinary guy's charm than 007's charm. Timothy Dalton's Bond, on the other hand, was even more serious than Craig. But Brosnan's Bond never had a care in the world. Whether he was killing or making love, it was all normal to him.
The Role Was Kept For Him
Well, not really. Other actors like Mark Frankel were considered for the role but at least the producers gave Brosnan the "You've always been our first choice" treatment. Here's exactly what happened. Initially, Brosnan had been selected to play Bond before Timothy Dalton. But then Remington Steele, the TV project he was contracted to, got un-canceled at the last minute. This meant he could no longer play Bond.
Many years later, the producers found themselves looking for another actor again after Dalton declined to continue. Who did they go to? Brosnan. It's rare to be offered the same opportunity twice in Hollywood but Brosnan did it. And that quite sets him apart.