The Best Moment Of Every James Bond Film - Ranked

8. Goldeneye: "For England, James?"

Daniel Craig Casino Royale
MGM

With Goldeneye, picking the greatest moment inevitably means several other stunning scenes are left out. Still, although the opening bungee jump, the tank chase and M's (Judi Dench, making her debut here) dressing-down of Bond for his misogynistic ways are also great scenes, this beautifully bad-ass defeat just about takes it.

This fist fight between Bond and main villain Alec Trevelyan, a traitorous MI6 agent and former friend of Bond's, is already an excellent moment. It's a palm-sweating fight in a very dangerous location (a satellite dish's antennae high above the ground) and it involves one of the very best Bond incarnations (the debuting Pierce Brosnan) and one of the all-time best Bond Villains, but it's the way it ends that makes it so special.

As Alec falls, Bond catches him. Trevelyan looks up and mockingly says "For England, James?" Bond coldly replies "No. For me." He then drops his nemesis to his death.

It's a gloriously satisfying moment, featuring perhaps the best line-delivery of Brosnan's tenure as Bond, and it's lost none of its brilliance in the 25 years since the film's release.

Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.