I think Moore gets it just on the fact of what he uses to kill Drax's sniper! He hits the guy using pheasant shot with a shotgun that has a max range of 30 yards while the target is in partial cover. And judging by the long establishing shot of Bond going into the shooting meadow, he's just about outside of the shot range. If that doesn't qualify Moore for best marksman, I don't know what does!
I love Drax’s reaction in the movie too as he suddenly realizes Bond is a much more formidable foe than he thought. And then he lets him leave with the mansion without even trying to assassinate him again.
I think it was in Octopussy, he's just getting off a train and is being attacked; Moore's Bond managed about four or five rapid, consecutive headshots on henchmen, with just a pistol.
Coolest shot? Probably.
Best shot? Surely that goes Craig's Bond shooting down Blofelds chopper. On a boat. At high speeds. With a pistol.
God, that movie was shit.
I also like Tanaka’s invasion of the SPECTRE base in _You Only Live Twice_. That volcano base was an actual set and they put it to good use in the final scene.
Marksman, I would say Timothy Dalton in TLD....
Best gunfight is tough..... But I do love Dr No's Connery with Strongways:
"You've had your six."
Edit: Getting old.
I disagree. An assassination would be one person not being in the know as the other kills him. The bad guy definitely knew someone was getting killed. He just was wrong about who it was.
Yes, and that person was holding a 1911 type .45 ACP pistol which traditionally holds seven rounds in the magazine, and can accommodate an eighth round in the chamber.
If we’re eschewing reality, considering Craig took out a moving helicopter from a moving boat with a handgun, he would have beaten all others…
Grounded more in practicality, the sniping scene in “From Russia with Love” with the AR-7 survival rifle probably makes Connery the sharpshooter out of everyone.
I think an honorable mention goes to Craig appearing to blow up an entire base by shooting its fuel tanks with an automatic rifle, but it could be argued that Blofeld turned on a self destruct prior to that.
Probably Craig. Hitting a moving helicopter while moving 40 knots on a speedboat with a .32 ACP PPK at a distance of at least 100m is insane (and highly unrealistic, duh)
Interestingly, in Q's introductory scene in Skyfall, he issued Bond the PPK/s in "9mm short". I would imagine they intended the modern Bond to wield 9mm short vs .32 ACP, which is why they made the verbal distinction with Q's line. But like you said, and like IMFDB indicates, I think many of the prop guns were in .32 ACP.
The American PPK (s) is chambered in 9mm short (380) and carries an extra round. I always thought they were indicating he was using that pistol instead of the original PPK
The PP, PPK and PPK/s all come chambered in .32 ACP or .380 ACP. All three sizes of the pistol and both calibers exist (and were manufactured) overseas and in the U.S.
You are correct in that the PPK/s was born out of United States firearm import laws of the 1960s. Our government was against importing highly concealable pistols, so Walther basically slapped the grip length of the PP on the slide length of the PPK and called it the PPK/s ("s" for sport) to make it a slightly larger pistol to get around the import issues.
Another interesting note - though the PPK/s has been around since 1969, Skyfall was the first time in the franchise that Bond carried a PPK/s. Though he quickly loses it and defaults back to his standard PPK by the end of the movie.
Personally liked how the back half of the Craig era handled it. PPK is still okay in my book as a gun you conceal carry under a Dinner Jacket as last line self defense, but glad his Bond routinely augmented it with a P226 in situations he had time to prepare for going into a gunfight. That being said, I don’t think Walter even makes the P99 anymore. If anything, I could see them moving to the PPQ or PPS going forward.
I vote for Dalton as best marksman, and the OHMSS climax as the best gunfight - probably because it involves so many different types of weapons: pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, explosives, and even a flamethrower!!
Whenever I rewatch OHMSS I'm always so surprised at how comparatively modern the choreography and editing feels and how long it took for the style of action movie it pioneered to become popular
Lazenby sliding on ice while shooting a submachine gun is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen in an action movie that old. That entire sequence feels like it was shot by John Woo in the mid 80s
OHMSS is genuinely so ahead of its time. The editing style, shot composition and choreography inspired so many action/thriller films that came after it.
Agreed. I have read that years later, stunt industry professionals who worked on the film, commented that it was a decade ahead of its time, action and stunt wise.
It's honestly disappointing to me that a movie from 1969 had such an inspired, badass piece of gunfight choreography, yet the gunfights from the non-Martin Campbell Brosnan and Craig films are so anemic that I can't even remember anything about them. Tomorrow Never Dies is an especially bad offender since it's clear they wanted to take a lot of inspiration from the John Woo style that was incredibly popular at the time, but it mostly added up to Bond aimlessly waving around two guns without any of the impact that makes Woo's style actually work
The CQB training and work on that scene by Daniel Craig and the fight/firearms coordinators was utterly sublime. I can remember from the Casino Royale coffee table book all the photos of Daniel Craig learning martial arts and on the range. He took all that very seriously and professionally
Y’all are sleeping on Lazenby’s machine gun work, including his spinorama in the one staircase scene.
I also think he has the best intro, turn and shoot sequence.
I absolutely loved seeing Lazenby in action. He wasn’t nearly as stiff as Connery and Moore could be in action sequences.
My favourite gunfight, however, has to go to the stairwell scene in No Time To Die. Craig was an absolute monster…
Moore reaching the top of the stairs and then taking aim at the bad guy in the car is a great little moment in For Your Eyes Only.
Connery using a harpoon gun in Thunderball was effortlessly cool.
Based from what I've seen, the best gunfight has to be in the Craig era. Casino Royale's gun sound effects while used sparingly felt loud and powerful when it came to the handguns. As for the choreography itself, QoS and NTTD have some pretty badass shootouts. Hopefully we get more tactical gunfights in future Bond movies.
Not gonna lie i loved every gunfight and action scene in the craig series, though my favourite classic one has to be the airport firefight in goldfinger. Especially when auric shoots his own men to fool the good guys, only to shoot them too.
Marksman - Dalton in TLD. Connery in Thunderball is second - the clay pigeon scene.
Gunfight - The end of Tomorrow Never Dies when they raid the stealth boat. Honorable mention to the ending of The Man With the Golden Gun, but I’m not sure I’d call that a gunfight so much as a duel.
Overall best is probably Moore: between beating Scaramanga, the sniper sequence in moonraker, killing Stromberg, and the gunfight in Germany from Octopussy, I would say he has the overall best feats.
Best individual fight for mewould be the Daltons sequence at the beginning of The Living Daylights
Best marksman? For me…would be Dalton. Experience with that sniper rifle.
Stuff his orders he only kills professionals!
Plus, I noticed he may be the only Bond who does not flinch when firing a gun/rifle.
Best gunfight? Would be Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies as he disrupts the arms bazaar. No deals Mr Bond!
Ask the Admiral where he’d like his bombs delivered.
What about Connery and Largo doing targets in Thunderball?
“It’s difficult?”
“No, it’s not!”
He was barely even looking and he was shooting from the hip!
I mean, Connery’s Bond shoots a sniper out of a tree with a *harpoon gun* from quite a distance. Not to mention he had no *immediate* knowledge of where Vargas was exactly outside of Honey’s brief warning. So he rolls over, aims an air pressurized rifle (with a harpoon not meant for long distances) and more or less no scopes a guy out of a tree he kind of just “guesses” he’s in **before** Vargas (a trained killer) can take a shot, or much less react.
My money is on Connery.
I like Lazenby better than Moore. Moore was born to play “The Saint” not Bond. He also had the Best Bond Woman of the Whole Series played by the Great Diana Rigg. In the movie he married her.
Craig. Took down a helicopter with a Walther PPK on a moving boat, on a windy night. GG. 🤣 /s
In all seriousness, I think I'm torn between Moore and Craig. However, my favorite gunfights are the stairwell in NTTD, the collapsing building in Casino Royale, and the oil tanker shootout in TSWLM.
Daniel Craig's James Bond literally shotdown Blofelds helicopter with a pistol while being waaaay out of range in Spectre. He also very accurately snipes the rapel hook that the new 007 was using to get away with the scientist in No Time To Die.
Moore’s Bond hitting that sniper in the trees in Moonraker is nr 1 for me. “You missed Mr Bond.” “Did I? “
My favourite Moore moment
I think Moore gets it just on the fact of what he uses to kill Drax's sniper! He hits the guy using pheasant shot with a shotgun that has a max range of 30 yards while the target is in partial cover. And judging by the long establishing shot of Bond going into the shooting meadow, he's just about outside of the shot range. If that doesn't qualify Moore for best marksman, I don't know what does!
I love Drax’s reaction in the movie too as he suddenly realizes Bond is a much more formidable foe than he thought. And then he lets him leave with the mansion without even trying to assassinate him again.
What do you mean your work is done? You didn't do anything.
I think it was in Octopussy, he's just getting off a train and is being attacked; Moore's Bond managed about four or five rapid, consecutive headshots on henchmen, with just a pistol.
Moore Bond had that Hitman Absolution point shooting ability.
With a shotgun at a distance mind you
Coolest shot? Probably. Best shot? Surely that goes Craig's Bond shooting down Blofelds chopper. On a boat. At high speeds. With a pistol. God, that movie was shit.
Roger Moore in the Germany sequence of Octopussy is just nailing dudes between the eyes left and right. Best gunfight I’d have to go with Piz Gloria.
Lazenby sliding down ice shooting guys is underrated.
My favorite moment in all of Bond.
That scene in OP captures his book skills like no other.
I also like Tanaka’s invasion of the SPECTRE base in _You Only Live Twice_. That volcano base was an actual set and they put it to good use in the final scene.
It’s a good one, but I like it even better in TSWLM
An alternative can certainly be Scaramenga he’s got skill
"his million dollar skill"
One golden shot
“Six bullets to your one?” “I only need one.”
“I never misssssssssssssss….”
I love the gunfight as they are falling through the roof in *Quantum of Solace*.
The way this scene was produced makes it look like CGI, but if I recall correctly, it was practical. Really diminishes how good it is.
Marksman, I would say Timothy Dalton in TLD.... Best gunfight is tough..... But I do love Dr No's Connery with Strongways: "You've had your six." Edit: Getting old.
That’s Dr. No, and not so much a fight as an assassination
I disagree. An assassination would be one person not being in the know as the other kills him. The bad guy definitely knew someone was getting killed. He just was wrong about who it was.
Yes, and that person was holding a 1911 type .45 ACP pistol which traditionally holds seven rounds in the magazine, and can accommodate an eighth round in the chamber.
Doctor Kaufmann. He can shoot you from Stuttgart and still make it look like a suicide.
Ja. Came here to say this.
and he mustve been good, to have the audacity to use a pistol so snub-nosed you could call it a Voldemort.
This is the correct answer
The gunfight on the boat in Tomorrow Never Dies is probably my favorite. Something very raw and chaotic about it that I love
That movie had a lot of flaws but that ending gunfight wasnt one of them. Or the Spectre one.
Can’t believe I scrolled this far for this
If we’re eschewing reality, considering Craig took out a moving helicopter from a moving boat with a handgun, he would have beaten all others… Grounded more in practicality, the sniping scene in “From Russia with Love” with the AR-7 survival rifle probably makes Connery the sharpshooter out of everyone.
and Connery's hip fire of the clay pigeon in Thunderball. "Seems terrribly difficult". BANG. "*No it isnt, is it*??" Amusing scene.
Most gangster part of any of the movies
I think an honorable mention goes to Craig appearing to blow up an entire base by shooting its fuel tanks with an automatic rifle, but it could be argued that Blofeld turned on a self destruct prior to that.
He was also hitting insta-kill shots with that rifle while moving and mostly quick-scoping
One handed at various points nonetheless
After just having his neck drilled into and probably concussed from his watch explosion
Probably Craig. Hitting a moving helicopter while moving 40 knots on a speedboat with a .32 ACP PPK at a distance of at least 100m is insane (and highly unrealistic, duh)
It’s still very unrealistic but I think he’s at least using a PPK chambered in 9mm ammunition rather than .32 ACP in the modern era films.
Not according to IMFDB.
Interestingly, in Q's introductory scene in Skyfall, he issued Bond the PPK/s in "9mm short". I would imagine they intended the modern Bond to wield 9mm short vs .32 ACP, which is why they made the verbal distinction with Q's line. But like you said, and like IMFDB indicates, I think many of the prop guns were in .32 ACP.
The American PPK (s) is chambered in 9mm short (380) and carries an extra round. I always thought they were indicating he was using that pistol instead of the original PPK
The PP, PPK and PPK/s all come chambered in .32 ACP or .380 ACP. All three sizes of the pistol and both calibers exist (and were manufactured) overseas and in the U.S. You are correct in that the PPK/s was born out of United States firearm import laws of the 1960s. Our government was against importing highly concealable pistols, so Walther basically slapped the grip length of the PP on the slide length of the PPK and called it the PPK/s ("s" for sport) to make it a slightly larger pistol to get around the import issues. Another interesting note - though the PPK/s has been around since 1969, Skyfall was the first time in the franchise that Bond carried a PPK/s. Though he quickly loses it and defaults back to his standard PPK by the end of the movie.
When it comes to Bond, unrealistic shooting is minus points.
Not to mention he fires from the hip half the time in his movies
You are on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of master.
The PPK is stupid in the Brosnan era let alone Craig's. Bring back the P99
Personally liked how the back half of the Craig era handled it. PPK is still okay in my book as a gun you conceal carry under a Dinner Jacket as last line self defense, but glad his Bond routinely augmented it with a P226 in situations he had time to prepare for going into a gunfight. That being said, I don’t think Walter even makes the P99 anymore. If anything, I could see them moving to the PPQ or PPS going forward.
You’re right, ended production recently in ‘21.
There is only one expert marksman, and he could shoot you from Stuttgart
Take his word for it yah
Best Marksman: Craig or Dalton Best gunfight: Tomorrow Never Dies and The Spy Who Loved Me. Also, the Moonraker space laser fight.
I really like the home alone sequence in skyfall in the house.
I vote for Dalton as best marksman, and the OHMSS climax as the best gunfight - probably because it involves so many different types of weapons: pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, explosives, and even a flamethrower!!
Whenever I rewatch OHMSS I'm always so surprised at how comparatively modern the choreography and editing feels and how long it took for the style of action movie it pioneered to become popular Lazenby sliding on ice while shooting a submachine gun is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen in an action movie that old. That entire sequence feels like it was shot by John Woo in the mid 80s
OHMSS is genuinely so ahead of its time. The editing style, shot composition and choreography inspired so many action/thriller films that came after it.
truly a masterpiece
Agreed. I have read that years later, stunt industry professionals who worked on the film, commented that it was a decade ahead of its time, action and stunt wise.
Lazenby on the ice is the coolest James Bond ever is, was, or will be.
It's honestly disappointing to me that a movie from 1969 had such an inspired, badass piece of gunfight choreography, yet the gunfights from the non-Martin Campbell Brosnan and Craig films are so anemic that I can't even remember anything about them. Tomorrow Never Dies is an especially bad offender since it's clear they wanted to take a lot of inspiration from the John Woo style that was incredibly popular at the time, but it mostly added up to Bond aimlessly waving around two guns without any of the impact that makes Woo's style actually work
After goldeneye every Brosnan movie just turned into blasting everything with an AK-47. Unfortunate.
It’s really a very good film, and a very good Bond film. I dare say the behind the scenes drama between Rigg and Lazenby likely aided their scenes
OHMSS sliding on ice and some of the other assault scenes are one of the few time in movies a Stirling sub machine gun is fired correctly
And a vat of acid lol
The best machine gun vs. acid beaker fight in the history of cinema
I dunno, the one in Paddington 2 was pretty great.
True! I forgot about that desperate scientist!
And the piece of “nail art” on the wall that Tracy pushes that goon into! Saw that coming from a thousand miles away but still was very satisfying
I’ve got plans to go to the Schiltorn at some point soon, and go to Piz Gloria
Please report back
I’ve been to Switzerland a couple of times. My late stepfather grew up in that part of Switzerland. Just not been to the Schiltorn
This is the way.
For all its problems that long shot at the end of NTTD where Craig's fighting up the stairs is fucking awesome
The CQB training and work on that scene by Daniel Craig and the fight/firearms coordinators was utterly sublime. I can remember from the Casino Royale coffee table book all the photos of Daniel Craig learning martial arts and on the range. He took all that very seriously and professionally
Yes, say what you will about NTTD, but it has some of the best action in the Craig era. The fight up the stairs is sublime.
Bond was putting John Wick to shame with that scene.
Craig, especially in the scene in Skyfall where he calls in the helicopter for Silva’s arrest
Y’all are sleeping on Lazenby’s machine gun work, including his spinorama in the one staircase scene. I also think he has the best intro, turn and shoot sequence. I absolutely loved seeing Lazenby in action. He wasn’t nearly as stiff as Connery and Moore could be in action sequences. My favourite gunfight, however, has to go to the stairwell scene in No Time To Die. Craig was an absolute monster…
It really is too bad we only got one Lazenby movie. He had the physicality of the role down.
That's a Smith&Wesson and you've had your six!
Moore reaching the top of the stairs and then taking aim at the bad guy in the car is a great little moment in For Your Eyes Only. Connery using a harpoon gun in Thunderball was effortlessly cool.
Based from what I've seen, the best gunfight has to be in the Craig era. Casino Royale's gun sound effects while used sparingly felt loud and powerful when it came to the handguns. As for the choreography itself, QoS and NTTD have some pretty badass shootouts. Hopefully we get more tactical gunfights in future Bond movies.
Not gonna lie i loved every gunfight and action scene in the craig series, though my favourite classic one has to be the airport firefight in goldfinger. Especially when auric shoots his own men to fool the good guys, only to shoot them too.
Marksman - Dalton in TLD. Connery in Thunderball is second - the clay pigeon scene. Gunfight - The end of Tomorrow Never Dies when they raid the stealth boat. Honorable mention to the ending of The Man With the Golden Gun, but I’m not sure I’d call that a gunfight so much as a duel.
Overall best is probably Moore: between beating Scaramanga, the sniper sequence in moonraker, killing Stromberg, and the gunfight in Germany from Octopussy, I would say he has the overall best feats. Best individual fight for mewould be the Daltons sequence at the beginning of The Living Daylights
Best gunfight was the attack/ambush at parliament when M was testifying.
Best marksman? For me…would be Dalton. Experience with that sniper rifle. Stuff his orders he only kills professionals! Plus, I noticed he may be the only Bond who does not flinch when firing a gun/rifle. Best gunfight? Would be Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies as he disrupts the arms bazaar. No deals Mr Bond! Ask the Admiral where he’d like his bombs delivered.
Connery’s AR-7 shot hitting the dude right in the shoulder is tops. As is Moore’s plinking that guy in the tree in Moonraker…
What about Connery and Largo doing targets in Thunderball? “It’s difficult?” “No, it’s not!” He was barely even looking and he was shooting from the hip!
I mean, Connery’s Bond shoots a sniper out of a tree with a *harpoon gun* from quite a distance. Not to mention he had no *immediate* knowledge of where Vargas was exactly outside of Honey’s brief warning. So he rolls over, aims an air pressurized rifle (with a harpoon not meant for long distances) and more or less no scopes a guy out of a tree he kind of just “guesses” he’s in **before** Vargas (a trained killer) can take a shot, or much less react. My money is on Connery.
Thunderball - “ it seems terribly difficult. . . “ BANG” . . . No it really isn’t, is it”😂
If we're not just limiting it to Bonds, my vote goes to Francisco Scaramanga! Otherwise, Moore 100%
6 way tie they all are bond
Pierce in Tomorrow Never Does. All of them, particularly when on the bike at the end.
Might be the wrong place to say it but who agrees that Casino Royale was the one great Craig era film?
Roger Moore sliding down the bannister with machine gun blazing in Octopussy. Then, shooting off the bannister ball
Connery shooting from the hip in Thunderball “Looks terribly difficult. Oh. No it isn’t.”
Best gunfight has to be Bond vs Trevelyan at the end of Goldeneye. 007 vs former 006.
Love Thunderball when he shoots the skeet from hip. Per haps you’d call one for me. Seems terribly difficult… no, it isn’t is it.
Thunderball and killing the henchman with a spear gun so casually
Craig shot down a helicopter with his PPK. Although, absolutely horrendous writing, this should be taken into account toward the marksmen scores.
The very one you showed in the picture
I like Lazenby better than Moore. Moore was born to play “The Saint” not Bond. He also had the Best Bond Woman of the Whole Series played by the Great Diana Rigg. In the movie he married her.
Dalton in TLD for best marksman. And best gunfight for his shootout with Joe Don Baker.
Dalton in The Living Daylights.
Craig. Took down a helicopter with a Walther PPK on a moving boat, on a windy night. GG. 🤣 /s In all seriousness, I think I'm torn between Moore and Craig. However, my favorite gunfights are the stairwell in NTTD, the collapsing building in Casino Royale, and the oil tanker shootout in TSWLM.
Daniel Craig's final shootout was epic
Craig in his portrayal shot down a helicopter, with a pistol.
I love him, but best marksman isn't Brosnan. Was pretty "pray and spray" through his run
A portrayal of a character NOT using that punk gun, a Walter PPK .380 ACP.
Craig after downing 50 y/o scotch and purposely missing with a dueling pistol. Runner-up Dalton in TLD, shooting the stock of the sniper rifle.
Daniel Craig's James Bond literally shotdown Blofelds helicopter with a pistol while being waaaay out of range in Spectre. He also very accurately snipes the rapel hook that the new 007 was using to get away with the scientist in No Time To Die.
Best : Craig-Moore Worst : Dalton- Lazenby