Ranking EVERY James Bond Henchman From Worst To Best
26. Kronsteen (From Russia With Love, 1963)
The Czechoslovakian Chessmaster himself; Kronsteen is the brainchild of a brilliant SPECTRE plot to steal a Lektor coding device and murder the hated 007 in one fell swoop.
Such is his reputation for genius, Kronsteen seems to exist in a state of permanently smug superiority. Pulling the strings from behind the scenes, he formulates his schemes as meticulously as he plays chess, and immediately gives the impression of possessing vaunted, unparalleled intellect.
His confidence in his plan to bait and trick British Intelligence derives from the idea that he has anticipated every possible countermove, and as the film unfolds, we see that his reading is absolutely correct. Not only does he accurately predict how MI6 will react to the possibility of attaining a Lektor, he foresees that they will send James Bond on the mission. Well played.
Yet, this is the facet that proves Kronsteen’s undoing. In his never-wavering belief in the perfection of his own plan, he gravely underestimates 007’s abilities. Even when confronted with the failure of his scheme, he is undeterred, confident that his own brilliance will help him avoid punishment.
Unfortunately for him, he’s then promptly executed by way of a poisonous shoe-blade. Judging by the look on his dying face, it’s the first checkmate he’s suffered in his life.