Esquire's Best Bond Villains

Not a bad trawl through most of the Bond villains over at Esquire.

Red Grant is number one, natch, but elsewhere compiler Jacob Hall shows he knows a bit about Bond. He's not too right-on either  - who can argue with his description of Naomi as 'scantily clad helicopter pilot, tour guide, and assassin'? - even if he is somewhat ambivalent about my faves Wint and Kidd:

Quote :

... what the kids these days like to call "problematic." They're vicious, sadistic assassins who enjoy their murderous work very much…and they're totally a couple. They hold hands stroll off into the sunset after killing a man. Wint is seen putting on women's perfume. Kidd says that one female character is good looking "for a lady," earning a look of disgust from his partner. Although the film doesn't treat them like mincing stereotypes, it's not the most sensitive portrayal of a gay partnership. And yet, what must have been a "Haha, look at the queers!" joke in 1971 feels weirdly progressive now. Their sexuality isn't a plot point, it's just a thing, background color for two characters who just so happen to be in a seemingly happy partnership. In the creative desert that is Diamonds Are Forever (arguably the worst Bond movie of them all), they represent something totally unique and worth talking about, even if they take a match to political correctness.

With the shit-fest that is Spectre still fresh in the nostrils, the list is a useful reminder of why you once thought the Bond films were worth watching. Even if Kronsteen is ranked outrageously low...

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/g2496/best-james-bond-villains-ranked/

Good read, though Renard and Graves are ranked outrageously high.

On a side note, regarding Elliot Carver, one wonders if his scheme to create conflict and headlines was a product of the relative dullness and peace of that brief period ("end of history" and all that). I mean, I remember watching the news every night in the late 90's and it was all about Bill Clinton getting his dick wet.

Interesting read. Good to see Renard getting a bit of appreciation, but it was a surprise to see Ouromov so low. What was he, #62? It's also a shame to see so many background figures in CR - Obanno, Dimitrias, etc. - so high. They didn't stand out in the way Locque, Kaufman and Kronsteen did.

Not a half-bad list.

Can't imagine why anyone would put Dimitrios before Kronsteen, Wint and Kidd. He had about 10 lines in the entire film.

I never cared for Kronsteen, but yeah, Dimitrios is such a non-entity. Truthfully, Hinx was the only henchmen I would rank above acceptable in Craig's run. Mollaka would have been too if he did more than just run really really good.

Yeah Hinx is the particular stand out of the Craig era.

Even the likes of Grunther and Kriegler are too high. And Whitaker seems to only get points because he's American.