Pierce Brosnan's finest piece of theatrical villaining to date involved no more than sitting back and stealing a few scenes whilst pretending to be Tony Blair, but damn is he effective in the role. In Roman Polanski's The Ghost, Brosnan retains all the charm and self-confidence of Bond but dials up the smarm to create one of the great unofficial impressions of real figures in modern cinema. Of course, The Ghost's main twist is - spoiler alert - that Brosnan's ex-PM, Adam Lang, has actually been guided into wars and other unconscionable acts by his Lady Macbeth-alike wife, played by Olivia Williams. But he acts like a bastard all the same, either too ignorant to realise the ramifications of his actions or totally aware and so unfeeling as not to care. It's a great turn from Brosnan, quite possibly his best to date, and a performance he should rewatch as a reason for why he should stop making movies like Survivor. As ever, going bad offers him a chance to shine as he never truly did being totally good. Which examples of Bond actors turning villainous have we missed off the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
