Every Bond Movie Pre-Title Scene Ranked - Worst To Best

The best opening sequence of the Brosnan era succeeds because it sets up a delectable scenario - a terrorist arms bazaar - and fires a missile to set dominoes falling and unleash pure, unadulterated mayhem.

James Bond, fittingly codenamed White Knight as the ultimate hero, is where he should be, at the forefront and in full control despite the chaos. 007 fights through a ballet of bullets in order to pilot a jet equipped with nuclear torpedoes away from the scene, before the Navy’s missile can make impact.

It’s the ultimate '90s action set-piece as the clock ticks on a disaster to “make Chernobyl look like a picnic!” Scenes back at HQ are expertly done, ratcheting the tension and rallying support for our man Bond. In the face of a stubborn admiral apparently wholly unfamiliar with 007’s skill-set, M assures all that Her Majesty’s finest will get the job done. Lo and behold, she’s right.

There’s a tenuous link with the main plot due to the brief appearance of minor villain Henry Gupta, but the real aim of the scene is to raise the curtain on the film with an explosive surge of adrenaline; a resounding triumph of joy.

Best moment: 007 propels an unwelcome guest into a enemy jet lurking directly above, taking care of two birds with one stone. Not for the first time, Bond makes good use of an ejector seat. “Backseat driver…”