Ranking Every James Bond Opening Scene From Worst To Best

Clocking in at just under fourteen minuets, the opening of The World is Not Enough is the longest in the entire series, yet it never feel its length. The scene immediately grabs your attention and runs with it, delivering increasingly impressive thrills as it progresses.

James Bond meets with a Swiss banker in Spain in order to retrieve a briefcase full of money for Sir Robert King, a friend of M's. The banker is murdered and Bond is forced to make a quick escape with King's briefcase, which he does thanks to a nifty henchman-counterweight trick.

Although the aforementioned portion of this scene is admittedly average, the same simply cannot be said for what comes after it. Bond returns the briefcase to King at Mi6, but it is revealed to be booby-trapped when a nearby assassin detonates bombs that were concealed inside of it. The briefcase explodes inside Mi6, killing Sir King, and 007 pursues the assassin down the scenic river Thames.

The Q-branch boat chase is the centerpiece of this opening, and it is beautifully captured by respectable cinematography. The boat's tight maneuverability and its ability to seemingly bounce along the water allowed for some truly unique action, and Director Michael Apted and his crew used the vehicle to its full advantage, culminating with 007's wowing jump from boat to hot-air balloon.

The World is Not Enough's opening scene may start slow, but its awesome boat chase more than redeems it.