Bond - The Connery Years - Dr. No (1962)

Although I refer to myself as a die hard action fan, there are two major franchises in action cinema that I have never fully delved into: the Lethal Weapon series and the James Bond series. And while I will get to Lethal Weapon one day, I have decided to make it one of my goals this year to watch every single James Bond film in order from Dr. No to Skyfall. I already reviewed the latest entry, Spectre, last year, so that one is already out of the way. To be honest, I am not entirely unfamiliar with the series, as I have already seen I have seen most of Connery's films, some of Brosnan's, all of Craig's, but none of Lazenby's, Moore's, or Dalton's.

I know the tropes, the quips, the babes, the villains, and the gadgets already, but I simply have never seen all of the films from start to finish though. To be more specific, I have already seen From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, Goldeneye, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall  before embarking on this journey. I haven't even seen half of the series yet! Therefore, I can mostly certainly confirm that this is going to be one fun learning experience, as well as a pleasure to dive deep into the most well known action franchise of all time. After all, the very first adventure, Dr. No, is widely considered to be the first modern action film. And speaking of Dr. No...

Director: Terrence Young

Cast: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord

Country: United Kingdom

Rating: PG

Run Time: 109 min

The very first James Bond adventure is a lighthearted and breezy spy thriller bolstered by a wonderful pace, solid direction, and an iconic performance by Sean Connery. Director Terrence Young and Connery probably had no clue at the time that they were crafting a legacy that would go on to influence countless other filmmakers, actors, and rip-offs. But alas, that's the pleasure of retrospectively looking back on a moment in time in which a studio and a filmmaker captured lightning in a bottle and forever created the modern action film as we know it today.

Dr. No established all of the tropes of its franchise by introducing a number of firsts. It features the first gun barrel sequence, the first appearance of Bond's theme, Bond's first hat toss, Bond's first flirt with Moneypenny, Bond's first time using a Walther PPK, and most infamously, Bond's first time uttering, "Bond, James Bond," accompanied by his first reveal in cinematic history. Dr. No may have been a standalone film at the time of its release in 1962, but it means so much more when retrospectively reflected upon within the grand scheme of its franchise. Nostalgia and film history aside, Dr. No stands up fairly well as a suave and hip spy thriller with mild action and thrills. It's not particularly exciting or gripping, but it's a fun comfortable watch. 

There he is, James Bond in the flesh for the first time ever.

Dr. No introduces viewers to the iconic world of James Bond through a rather simplistic murder mystery plot that connects to the disruption of American missiles. Confused? Read on. When Strangways, a British Intelligence Chief, is murdered in Jamaica, MI6 sends James Bond (Sean Connery), one of their agents, to investigate the murder and its connection to missiles being launched at Cape Canaveral. Upon arriving in Jamaica, Bond immediately encounters trouble with assassins working for the organization linked to the murder. Bond eventually teams up with Felix Leiter, an agent of the CIA, and his trusty sidekick, Quarrel, in order to investigate an island off the coast of Jamaica where radioactive materials were located in relation to similar ones found in Strangways' office. On the island, Bond comes face to face with the scientist behind the murder and various missiles' disruption, Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), a member of SPECTRE, an evil organization.

The first James Bond picture established Sean Connery as both a movie star in his own right and the Bond to beat. It's amazing to think that Connery wasn't always a movie star, but everyone has to have their big break somewhere. Connery imbues his suave Bond with immense confidence, badassery, and sexiness to boot. He makes the secret agent both likable and admirable, even if he does sleep around with everyone woman he meets and greets. It's almost impossible to analyze and discuss the character and Connery's performance in an objective matter, as James Bond is so iconic and known the world round. Even if you haven't seen Dr. No, or a Bond film for that matter, you are probably already familiar with the character, his knack for judo chops, and his humorous witticisms.

Dr. No introduced not only Sean Connery and the character of James Bond to the world, but also several tropes that the modern action genre would become known for. One of the obvious ones is the one liner, or specifically Bond's habit of spouting witticisms, humorous one liners that get a laugh out of the viewer, draw attention to the action genre's ridiculousness, and make the character look bad ass all in the same moment. Arnold Schwarzenegger would not have been able to build a career without the notion of the one liner, a classic staple of the genre. Dr. No also helped bring once taboo material, such as casual sex and violent gun play, to the forefront within its plot. These elements would eventually become a staple of the modern action genre as well. After all, violence and sex in cinema didn't truly flourish until the late 60s with New Hollywood productions such as The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde. Therefore, Bond can also be credited with addressing and depicting graphic material in a more adult, realistic, and somewhat playful matter. If anything, the modern action film owes its entire existence to cinematic Bond, especially Terrence Young's Dr. No.

Bond, meet Felix. Felix, meet Bond.

Bond's first adventure takes him to the tropical location of Jamaica, a fitting setting for a film as breezy and lighthearted as this one. Although danger is afoot, Bond appears to be more on vacation than on the edge of toes, thereby allowing the viewer to sit back and relax as well. The bright colors and memorable soundtrack help establish this breezy tone as well. It's worth mentioning that the Bond series, as well as the espionage genre in general, would go on to become a globe trotting genre spanning various locations and countries. Even though Bond only travels to one location for his first adventure, he would eventually go on to traverse several countries within one film.

James Bond's adventures would be for naught if it were not for the memorable supporting players and villains that he encounters along the way on his missions. Dr. No does a great job setting up several characters who would go on to reappear in various other Bond adventures, especially Bond's arch nemesis, the dreaded SPECTRE. We meet M, Q, and Moneypenny, the flirtatious secretary of MI6, all for the first time within the film. Even the lesser known but classic CIA agent, Felix Leiter, is introduced for the first time as a friendly ally of Bond's. Other notable supporting players include Quarrell, the first true Bond sidekick, and Honey Ryder, essentially the first notable Bond girl. The notion of the Bond girl is also introduced within the film, as Bond beds various women throughout and teams up with a lead female of sorts.

Besides Connery, Dr. No's other excellent performance comes from none other than Joseph Wiseman, Dr. No himself. Wiseman's ominous voice and Shakespearean theatricality brings gravitas and danger to a minor, but unforgettable turn as the film's lead villain. Dr. No is built up to exceptionally well throughout the film too. When he appears the first time, we only hear his voice over an intercom and immediately sense his superiority over others, especially Professor Dent. When he appears a second time, he creeps into Bond's bedroom and touches him in his sleep with his mechanized hands. When Dr. No is finally revealed, it is within his dining room set in front of an aquarium in his lair, a true super villain's appearance if I do say so myself. 

The titular Dr. No, grumpy cat's favorite Bond villain.

Besides his all around creepiness, Dr. No is made all the more unique by his mechanized hands, a result of his knack for radiation. It helps establish Dr. No as more than just a devious villain, but one with a unique appearance to him as well, a strong Bond trope that would continue throughout the series. Dr. No also introduces the audience to SPECTRE, Bond's great villainous organization who will return throughout his entries in the series. If I were to fault Dr. No for anything, it would be that he is slightly insane for thinking that a tarantula is the way to kill Bond early on in the film. Seriously, a tarantula? Otherwise, Dr. No is the first official Bond villain, and one of the all time greats.

Of course, Bond would be nothing without action, as the series helped establish the modern action genre as we know it. For a film released in 1962, Dr. No holds up quite well as an action thriller, although it is a far cry from some of today's action cinema. Bond's first adventure doesn't truly feature any action set pieces, and instead paces out its action and violence in small beats spread throughout its run time. There's typically a moment of suspense, death, violence, danger, or intrigue every few minutes, thereby keeping the film from ever being a dull watch.

The most brutal and bad ass moment in the entire film lies in Bond's outsmarting of Professor Dent. Even though Dent thinks he has the jump on Bond when he enters his room and shoots at his bed, he is surprised when Bond surprises him from behind a door and disarms him. When Dent goes for his gun, Bond knocks it out of his hand and than shoots him twice in cold blood! Now that's what you call bad ass. See, even Bond shot first. Bond and Quarrel's battle against Dr. No's fire breathing tank is also pretty awesome, even if it does end in the horrifying death of Quarrel. And even the finale, while rushed and quite short, is quite exciting. With a price tag of a mere $1 million, Dr. No is one of the most efficiently made action films of all time.

The first true Bond girl, Ursula Andress.

Dr. No is an utterly classic spy thriller and arguably the one that popularized the entire cinematic sub-genre. It also helped establish the breezy tone that the action genre needed at the time, thereby allowing audiences a chance to bask in escapist entertainment that is both fun and thrilling. Connery's first outing as Bond is also great, an essential performance in action cinema if there ever was one. While some modern audiences may want to lower their expectations in case they are expecting a fast paced and action packed film, Dr. No still has plenty to offer and is immensely entertaining from start to finish. Required action viewing for the uninitiated.

Rating: 7/10 - Dr. No is a breezy and hip espionage thriller with mild thrills and memorable moments galore. Arguably one of the most important action films ever made.

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Note: I should mention that I will eventually cover the unofficial Bond films, Casino Royale (1954), Casino Royale (1967), and Never Say Never (1983), but plan on focusing on the official Eon produced Bonds for now though, as they are the main films within the series. However, and as all action fans known, one runs out of major action films to watch eventually, thereby leading them down the road to minor and obscure titles (case in point: the unofficial Bonds).