Every Bond Girl Ranked - Worst To Best

Carey Lowell’s Pam Bouvier is believable as a tough ally that can the respect as well as the interest of Timothy Dalton’s intense Bond. Her CIA informer is feisty and capable, a far cry from some of the wimpy incompetents that Sir Roger Moore was saddled with.

She also enjoys the tremendous advantage of appearing opposite alternative, slightly more minor Bond girl Lupe Lamora who is by far one of the most insipid saps of the franchise (“I love James SO much!”). Compared to her, Pam’s relative badassery approaches stratospheric levels. Indeed, some of her most memorable scenes involve her holding Benicio Del Toro at shotgun point and using her feminine wiles to seduce Wayne Newton’s celebrity televangelist.

Her main weakness, though, is her stunning lack of iconicity. Part of the reason for that could be her recurring exchange with Bond which goes “why don’t you wait until you’re asked?” “Well why don’t you ask me?” This is meant to come off as witty and charming, but instead dates the film rather obviously as a product of 80s cheese. And let’s face it, that pretty much sums up Pam herself.

Best moment: A barroom brawl utilising chairs and giant swordfish comes to a halt when Pam unsheathes her shotgun and blasts a hole in the wall as an escape route. That’s a first for Bond girls.

Worst moment: Ranting to Bond that she was an army pilot and has been to the toughest hellholes of South America comes off as a little too eager to demonstrate her status as a strong female character. Actions speak louder than words, Pam.