One I'd mention is Franz Sanchez. After he rescues Bond in Licence to Kill and up until Bond is rumbled and sets fire to the lab Sanchez genuinely seems to like Bond and although a villain you see a more human side to him - a nicer side to him. He also prizes loyalty above all else. Something very unique in Bond films. Another villain I like is Dr No. Other than that I concur with most of your top ten. I also think Hugo Drax has a very advanced beard.
+Calvin Dyson | James Bond Reviewer I remember your review on Licence to Kill. It doesn't feel like a Bond film but as a stand alone film it's quite good - unlike Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace.
Definitely agree about Sanchez. He has layers to him beyond just his evil plot that Bond is trying to foil. He really does take a liking to Bond, and I too love when Sanchez says that he admires loyalty. Robert Davi has excellent charisma on-screen
Completely agree! That's Sanchez's most unique trait when stacked up against other Bond villains; I almost feel a bit saddened when Bond inevitably turns on him towards the end of the movie
I personally like Red Grant from 'From Russia with Love.' He is menacing in a creepy way, following Bond around acting as Bond's guardian angel and death. In Fleming's novel, he is described as a blood-thirst serial killer and his murder lust peaks at full moon like a werewolf. Shaw did a great job portraying him but I guess Red Grant is more of a henchman.
Red was a pretty rad Anti-Double 00 Agent. Like Connery was really STUCK in that situation FAR more than any death or torture trap he’s been in. If he blinked or flinched wrong- BAM! How he outwits Red was ingenious
@@thesecondloneranger4458 Yeah I agre but Red Grant is still a villain. IMO the best villains are Jaws, Oddjob, Red Grant, Blofeld, Dr No, Auric Goldfinger, Emilio Largo
The thing I like about Christopher Lee in The Man with The Golden Gun, is that I always heard rumors that Lee himself was Flemings inspiration for James Bond, due to Lee's military service.
And Christopher Lee's early life - particularly in WWII - is almost the template for Bond himself! Look it up - this guy led an AMAZING life even before he became an actor! He famously had an exchange with Peter Jackson on the set of LOTR, Return of the King shooting Saruman's death (sadly cut from the theatrical film) where Wormtongue stabs him in the back and Jackson starts trying to explain to him the sound he should make and Christopher Lee interjects saying words to the effect of - do you know what a man being stabbed in the back actually sounds like? Because I can tell you exactly what it sounds like." Peter Jackson wisely SHUT UP and let Sir Lee play the scene HIS way. :D
Watch Sean Bean in the first action scene. When we first see him he says ‘You’re late 007’ in a perfect officer and a gentleman accent. Later when held at gunpoint he yells in Bean’s natural Sheffield accent ‘Give it to ‘em James - blow em all to hell!’
Sophie Marceau, who played Elektra in the World is not Enough, was without doubt one of the most naturally beautiful actresses ever to grace a Bond film.
In addition to all the other wonderful qualities you mentioned, Goldfinger's character was blessed by the single best line ever uttered in a Bond film: "No Mr Bond, I expect you to DIE". Which might make for an interesting topic for your next top 10 Bond list. Best lines made by a villain.
I love Eliot Carver. He’s that combination of real (I could probably see someone like him existing and controlling the media for their own ends) and megalomaniac. So he’s real, but also over-the-top enough to be entertaining.
Carver's reputation has only grown with each passing year. He went from a comically outlandish mastermind with an absolutely ridiculous plan: starting a war between England and China for unrestricted broadcast rights in China exclusively for 100 years. Today, however, in the hindsight of FOX "News" and their election lawsuits and subsequent settlement payoffs and we now look back on Carver and instinctively think (correctly) "Was Carver modeled on Rupert Murdoch?" It elevates the impact of the film and exponentially, completely removes the "laughable" part of the villain's background and intentions. "TND" has grown in quality and reception as a direct result of the $787.5M settlement payout to Dominion Voting Systems because audiences were forced to confront and accept the reality that the companies responsible for providing us with the truth and factual events... do, in fact, have agendas and... LIE TO THEIR AUDIENCES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE GOALS.
Alec Trevelyan is easily my favorite. The evil 00 Agent seems like an obvious (maybe TOO obvious) idea, but it just works really well. Favorite part is when he takes Bond's detonator watch and is like "yeah, i know that trick". He's just such a good foil for James.
It's a crime that Sanchez wasn't included on this list, easily worthy of the top 5 IMO. Even so, kudos for Elektra and Drax, both are villains that deserve far more love/respect than they're given by most fans.
Goldfinger's plot is definitely my favorite of any Bond villain. So ingenious, so layered and so nuanced. My favorite Bond villain is Alec Trevelyan/006. Sean Bean was outstanding (and could've very easily played Bond as you mentioned). I love that he isn't over the top and extreme, as Xenia and Boris have that covered in GoldenEye. The fact that he's smart, physically tough, and charming make it much more believable that he is a 00 agent and Bond's best friend. I also loved Blofeld, especially by Teddy Savalas in OHMSS. For many of the same reasons I loved Goldfinger--charm, intelligence, his plot was very nuanced and brilliant, and I love that he's the physical match of Bond. I love his Blofeld more than Pleasance's and always have
Sooooo glad to see Elliot Carver on the list. He was such a different kind of Bond villain. It’s not about “taking over the world” in any way... but about causing chaos for the sake of getting the broadcast rights to it. And Jonathan Pryce’s portrayal was incredible. He’s way underrated
Michael Lonsdale looks like the non-midget edition of Peter Dinklage. With that important observation out of the way - my !personal! Top 10 Bond Villain Ranking: I know some of them are henchmen but f*ck it - they make the main villain look pale in comparison. 01 Donald "Red" Grant - Robert Shaw (In my opinion the ultimate badass played, by a legendary actor - The perfect mixture of menace and charisma and without any doubt a more then worthy foe for James Bond. HE is and will forever remain the perfect mirrorverse version of 007) 02 Le Chiffre - Mads Mikkelsen (A very close second. A great villain played by a great actor who reads from a great screenplay and stars in the perhaps greatest Bond movie ever - not easy to beat that, but someone did) 03 Francisco Scaramanga - Christopher Lee (TMWTGG is not a great movie - but despite the confusing screenplay, questionable direction and severely miscast actor in the role as 007, the one and only Christopher Lee saves this installment by himself with ease and makes the mediocre flick he`s acting in an absolute must see!) 04 Auric Goldfinger - Gert Fröbe (Its f*cking Goldfinger!... no further explenation necessary) 05 Dominic Greene - Mathieu Amalric (A complete and utter psychopath! You can see and feel the barely contained rage behind his eyes. And when he explodes - you certainly don`t want to be in a room or burning hallway with him. I know many fans absolutely loathe this villain but luckily I dont give a flying f*ck! He always worked perfectly for me. I especially love the scene where he completely destroys General Medrano by only using his words and his villainous smarts) 06 Fiona Volpe - Luciana Paluzzi (Sexy as hell and hellishly evil. The beyond beautiful yet very deadly SPECTRE assassin was wonderfully performed by Luciana Paluzzi. Special props for how elegantly and seemingly effortlessly she dances on the edge of acting and overacting yet never going overboard and too far with her portrayal) 07 Renard - Robert Carlyle (A fantastic yet somewhat wasted character. Robert Carlyle is a more then gifted actor but the character suffers under the weak screenplay and the fact that he is not the main bad guy - Such a shame!... and still - in those few scenes in which he is able to shine - he fires on all cylinders and in those few moments only he absolutely nukes the sh*t out of many less interesting villains of the franchise who have way more screentime in their movies... yes including the VASTLY overrated and overhyped Elektra King) 08 Franz Sanchez - Robert Davi (Total mercilessness, ruthelessness and determination perfomed very well and convincingly by a suberb actor) 09 Blofeld - the Telly Savalas Edition (While not the most iconic portrayal of the man who runs SPECTRE - its certainly the one which works the best) 10 Emile Leopold Locque - Michael Gothard (The Boba Fett of the James Bond Saga. Silent, dangerous and mysterious. And the only noteworthy element of one of the weakest and most boring installments of the series) Honourable Mentions: 11 Dr. Julius No - Joseph Wiseman (The first major Bond villain. Intelligent, charismatic and very, very evil. What works best about him is his menacing and commanding presence. Has a lame and underwhelming final fight scene though.)
Hugo Drax: No, I am your father. Tyrion: Oh well that makes perfect sense. I look like you and it would explain why Tywin's been such a dick to me for the past 30 years.
I think Alec Trevelyan would of made more of an impression as a villain if he made an appearance in a previous Bond film or two as Bond's ally/friend like in A View to a Kill or License to Kill. That's just my thought though.
Maybe, if they cast a younger actor (not our baby Tom Holland) as young James Bond during his spy training. He could have have the opportunity to a first mission alongside 006 and it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Honourable Mention: Elliot Carver & Max Zorin 10: Le Chiffre 9: Kamal Khan 8: Kronsteen 7: Dr. No 6: Ernst Stavro Blofeld 5: Elektra King 4: Alec Trevelyan 3:Francisco Scaramanga 2: Franz Sanchez 1: Auric Goldfinger
I'm glad to see love for Khan and Carver, they're so underrated by some fans. I agree Renard is the henchman, Electra is the villain! Sophie Marceau is one of very few things I like in twine
I'm glad to see you give some love to Kamal Khan. I've seen him placed on lists of the worst Bond villains and I honestly can't understand it at all. His slimy performance is absolutely fantastic and he reminds me of Le Chiffre (which is a good thing).
I thoroughly agree to your No. 1 pick... Make sure to check out the German dub of Goldfinger, where Fröbe re-dubbed his lines. His original voice just adds so much for me to the character (Fröbe was also a popular recitator of German poems).
I think Sanchez from Licence To Kill should've made the list or at least a mention. His whipping his own girlfriend for cheating on him, feeding Leiter to a shark and blowing up his former business partners head via increased air pressure is evil and fun!
My !personal! Top 10 Bond Villain Ranking: I know some of them are henchmen but f*ck it - they make the main villain look pale in comparison. 01 Donald "Red" Grant - Robert Shaw (In my opinion the ultimate badass, played by a legendary actor - The perfect mixture of menace and charisma and without any doubt a more then worthy foe for James Bond. HE is and will forever remain the perfect mirrorverse version of 007) 02 Le Chiffre - Mads Mikkelsen (A very close second. A great villain played by a great actor who reads from a great screenplay and stars in the perhaps greatest Bond movie ever - not easy to beat that, but someone did) 03 Francisco Scaramanga - Christopher Lee (TMWTGG is not a great movie - but despite the confusing screenplay, questionable direction and severely miscast actor in the role as 007, the one and only Christopher Lee saves this installment by himself with ease and makes the mediocre flick he`s acting in an absolute must see!) 04 Auric Goldfinger - Gert Fröbe (Its f*cking Goldfinger!... no further explenation necessary) 05 Dominic Greene - Mathieu Amalric (A complete and utter psychopath! You can see and feel the barely contained rage behind his eyes. And when he explodes - you certainly don`t want to be in a room or burning hallway with him. I know many fans absolutely loathe this villain but I dont give a flying f*ck! He always worked perfectly for me. I especially love the scene where he completely destroys General Medrano by only using his words and his villainous smarts) 06 Fiona Volpe - Luciana Paluzzi (Sexy as hell and hellishly evil. The beyond beautiful yet very deadly SPECTRE assassin was wonderfully performed by Luciana Paluzzi. Special props for how elegantly and seemingly effortlessly she walkes on the edge of acting and overacting yet never going overboard and too far with her portrayal) 07 Renard - Robert Carlyle (A fantastic yet somewhat wasted character. Robert Carlyle is a more then gifted actor but the character suffers under the weak screenplay and the fact that he is not the main bad guy - Such a shame!... and still - in those few scenes in which he is able to shine - he fires on all cylinders and in those few moments only he absolutely nukes the sh*t out of many less interesting villains of the franchise who have way more screentime in their movies... yes including the VASTLY overrated and overhyped Elektra King) 08 Franz Sanchez - Robert Davi (Total mercilessness, ruthelessness and determination perfomed very well and convincingly by a suberb actor) 09 Blofeld - the Telly Savalas Edition (While not the most iconic portrayal of the man who runs SPECTRE - its certainly the one which works the best) 10 Emile Leopold Locque - Michael Gothard (The Boba Fett of the James Bond Saga. Silent, dangerous and mysterious. And the only noteworthy element of one of the weakest and most boring installments of the series) Honourable Mentions: 11 Dr. Julius No - Joseph Wiseman (The first major Bond villain. Intelligent, charismatic and very, very evil. What works best about him is his menacing and commanding presence. Has a lame and underwhelming final fight though.)
You really don't like "Licence To Kill", do you? Davi is an amazing baddy. As for Goldfinger, he reminds me of someone sitting in a big house in Washington, DC.
Le Chiffe is less of a bad guy, more someone whose just doing villainous things to save his own skin. But it doesn't make him one of the most sophisticated and well done villains, because it shows us how even the most feared are still fearful of something else. Hell, the torture scene says it all. You think Le Chiffe is about to win, when he's axed off and replaced by even more powerful forces. Fuck, I miss this guy.
Goldfinger had probably what I considered to be the best line and all of the Bond films when they had the exchange while James Bond was tied to the laser cutter: "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr Bond. I expect you to DIE..." Dont get any better than that 😊
my personal favourite will alwas be 006. i was always fascinated whenever we saw glimpses of other 00 agents in the earlier bond films, and to see bond working with another agent and then fighting him blew my fucking mind! Also sean bean is the goddam man glad he made it into your top 10 Cal!
The thing about Elektra for me is that I like the idea of her more than the execution. The concept of a woman Bond has genuinely fallen in love with turning out to be the evil mastermind is a great one, but the film just doesn’t develop their relationship enough to do it justice. It’s a shame because Macreau and Brosnan are talented enough that it could’ve been one of the all-time greats for the series, but the either the script is missing crucial scenes or they were cut when they shouldn’t have been.
So right about Christopher Lee's Performance as Scaramanga and i thought the Wants To Slice Of Your Face And Wear It comment was so accurate and at the same time hilarious.
Loved that you put Le Chiffre so high on this list, he is an incredible villain, and Mads is one of my favourite actors of all time, and felt like it was a perfect film to showcase his abilities to a more mainstream audience. My ranking would go more like this (top 5 only): 5. Scaramanga 4. Alec Trevelyan 3. Le Chifre 2. Elektra King 1. Raoul Silva
Yaphet Kotto is one of the few things I like about To Live and Let Die. Same thing for Christopher Lee in The Man with a Golden Gun. Same thing with Christopher Walken in A View to A Kill.
Glad to see love for Carver and Elektra! With one of your notes in Le Chiffre's segment, why is Casino Royale supposed to be Bond's first true adventure? It wasn't in the novel.
I think my top 10 would be: 1. Alec Trevelyan (Goldeneye) 2. Raoul Silva (Skyfall) 3. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (You Only Live Twice) 4. Auric Goldfinger (Goldfinger) 5. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) 6. Francisco Scaramanga (The Man with the Golden Gun) 7. Dr Kananga (Live and Let Die) 8. Elektra King (The World Is Not Enough) 9. Elliot Carver (Tomorrow Never Dies) 10. Hugo Drax (Moonraker) Honorable mentions: Dr. No (Dr. No) & Franz Sanchez (Licence to Kill) Dishonorable mention: Dominic Greene (Quantum of Solace)
I love the plot of that film. A lot more realistic. Green was a good villain. He very prickly and egotistical. The modern version of an Spectre executive outside of the name.
Ya I agree....he is easily the most realistic bond villain to date. When he goes ham with that fire axe...he displays the perfect amount of craze, desperation, and frustration. I hate how everyone says "but he isn't really a villian but a henchman or spokesman for Quantum." And you can honestly argue that with any and every villian in the franchise except for Blofeld. Le chiffre was just an accountant for Quantum and Silva was only a member of spectre etc.
I think in the case of Michel Lonsdale as Hugo Drax, it's his voice and his way of speaking that makes him a great villain. The first time I watched Moonraker, it was the dubbed German version, and Drax seems really boring and dull. But when I watched it in English, that changed completely - although very calm all the time, his voice is so menacing in the original sound...
The World is Not Enough was tremendously underrated... so relevant for the time it came out and plus so much content. Daniel Craig movies are so long but feel so short because there isn't enough tension. Just long ass action scenes.
In regards to Blofield, I think people enjoy the concept more then the man: a criminal mastermind hiding in the shadows, pulling the strings. Like a Moriarty.
I think Goldeneye has the strongest rogues gallery in all of Bond. They are all brilliantly cast, well acted and very memorable. That really is quite an achievement all things considered.
I think Franz Sanchez should be in here......Robert Darvi was one of the best personal villains for Bond in one of favorite Bond movies Licence to Kill
I guess I can make my list too. I love these. 1. Auric Goldfinger 2. Franz Sanchez 3. Raoul Silva 4. Max Zorin 5. Savalas' Blofeld 6. Elektra King 7. Alec Trevelyan 8. Elliot Carver 9. Francisco Scaramanga 10. Le Chiffre Our lists are nearly the same, just a few adjustments. As for Carver, Pryce just looks like he's having a blast and so much fun in this role and movie. Plus he adds much more to a character who was a Rupert Murdoch spoof.
+billa107 I think Pryce's enjoyment in the role is just infectious. I don't think any other actor would have played the part with as much fun as he did
for me as of right now post-"spectre" 1. raoul silva-skyfall 2. francisco scaramanga-the man with the golden gun 3. blofield-you only live twice 4. goldfinger-goldfinger 5. karl stromberg-the spy who loved me 6. alec trevelyan-goldeneye 7. franz sanchez-licence to kill 8. blofield-spectre 9. dr. no-dr. no 10. le chiffre-casino royale worst villain: gustav graves/colonel moon-die another day
I really like alec travelian as a villian because 2 of my great grandparents and one of my great aunts and uncles were killed in the betrayal of the cossacks at the death camps so I find his motivation done well
Mine: 1. Alec Trevelyan - Sean Bean - Goldeneye 2. Max Zorin - Christopher Walken - A View To A Kill 3. Francisco Scaramanga - Christopher Lee - The Man With The Golden Gun 4. Raoul Silva - Javier Bardem - Skyfall 5. Auric Goldfinger - Gert Frobe - Goldfinger 6. Dr. Kananga - Yaphet Kotto - Live And Let Die 7. Le Chiffre - Mads Mikkelsen - Casino Royale 8. Rosa Klebb - Lottie Lenya - From Russia With Love 9. Ernst Stavro Blofeld - Donald Pleasence - You Only Live Twice 10.Dr. No - Joseph Wiseman - Dr. No
+Atom Heart Mother Suite Cool list! I'm surprised at how much people are rating Alec as number 1. Not that I disagree at all, I think he's great. I just didn't realise that he was quite so loved!
I'd place Trevelyan higher. It was a big deal when he was revealed to be the true villain, first time a 00 agent had gone rouge. Also his personal history with Bond added a layer the series hadn't seen before.
Nice list Calvin keep up the good work : ) My list would be 1.Scaramanga 2.Zorin 3.Silva 4.Le Chiffre 5.Goldfinger 6.Elektra 7.Trevelyan 8.Blofeld 9.Sanchez 10.Largo
+Calvin Dyson | James Bond Reviewer Cheers. Yeah I have always found elektra to be quite a good villain due to how manipulative and deceiving she is and how it effects bond.
I think silva is honestly the best Bond villain there is. He just adds something different than all the others, he doesn't want to take over the world. Also, Bardem is incredible in the role and is personally by far the scariest and creepy villain of them all.
My top 10 bond villains 10. Emilio largo 9. Ernst starvo blofeld (telly savalas) 8. Scaramanga 7. Elektra king and renard 6. Max zorin 5. Franz Sanchez 4. Raoul Silva 3. Jaws 2. Auric goldfinger 1. Alec trevelyan Honorable mentions are elliot Carver, le chiffe, hugo drax, red grant and Ernst starvo blofeld (Donald pleasance)
I think everyone has their own personal biases when it comes to Bond, often based off the ones they grew up with. A lot of your lists lean heavily towards Brosnan’s bond era, perhaps because that was the era you grew up in. Looking impartially I still find it hard to put Elektra King above Blofeld.
Favourite ones in chronological order: Rosa Klebb from From Russia With Love Auric Goldfinger from well.... Goldfinger. Ernest Strovos Blofeld from On Her Majesty's Secret Service Mr. Big from Live and Let Die Fransciso Scramanga from The Man with the Golden Gun (yeah the film wasn't that good, but damn I love Lee in the role) Max Zorin from A View to a Kill Franz Sanchez from Licence to Kill Alec Trevelyan from GoldenEye (although I find this one a bit overrated because despite GoldenEye trying its best to convince that it is not the typical film when it comes to subverting the tropes of the series, but Alec does do some of the typical Bond villain tropes that many people joke about like not killing when he has the chance of killing him) Le Chiffre from Casino Royale (who I is actually my favourite villain in the series because he comes off a very human, yet not pathetic). Raoul Silva from Skyfall.
I always thought Carver was more like Ted Turner. But I guess he’s probably more of a combo of all those news moguls who were making headlines at the time!
Probably the most disappointing thing about The Man with the Golden Gun was that they didn't utilize the great idea that they had: The world's greatest Spy vs. The World's Greatest Assassin. I would have loved to have seen a great cat and mouse game in that film. I definitely wouldn't be against them using Francisco Scaramanga in this rebooted universe and doing just that (though it's going to be hard to top Christopher Lee).
Great video! Glad to see I'm not the only one to think that, although being really iconic, Blofeld is slightly overrated. My favourite one would be Sanchez, who looks more than any other Bond villain like a real person and is perfectly portrayed by Robert Davi, but I agree with you on a lot of them. Good job on the Blofeld rankings too!
Goddamn, watching Jonathan Pryce in TND reeks of "Having fun in the Role". He just so crazily entertaining and makes Carver feel like he knows just how sick and evil he is, and fucking RELISHES in it.
The king of Villains is still Disney. But in terms of Bond Villains...Goldfinger is my favourite by far. He is clever, his plan mostly makes sense, the only reason Bond survives the encounter with him is because it suits him at this point and Gerd Fröbe just owns the role!
Here’s my favourites: - Red Grant - Auric Goldfinger / Oddjob - Dr. Kananga / Tee Hee Johnson / Baron Samedi - Francisco Scaramanga - Hugo Drax - Maximillian Largo - Franz Sanchez - Alec Trevelyan “006” - Le Chiffre - Raoul Silva
