Dr. No




That's a Smith and Wesson, and you've had your six.

Our favorite suave spy got his big screen start here. It's been a bumpy ride at times, but it appears the Bond franchise (the most successful of them all) hasn't run out of steam quite yet.

James Bond (Sean Connery), also known as 007, is assigned to investigate the death of a colleague in Jamaica. There he uncovers a plot involving the local enigmatic Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), leading him down a trail of intrigue and espionage escapades. Along the way he hitches up with the lovely Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress).

In many ways, Dr. No is the simplest of the series. The rules hadn't quite been laid down yet. As a result, we see a much more human, and for the record, more interesting version of 007. Though he is as smooth as ever when the moment fits, he does have the capacity to be surprised and downright terrified. He engages in the frills and thrills of the job and deals with them as they come. The result is a much more satisfying take on the usually billboard believable version of the character.

There's also a commendable amount of tension, which is usually absent in Bond films. Maybe it's because Bond actually seems somewhat vulnerable, but it also has to do with the careful choosing of the action. There isn't an abundance of explosions, guns and tousles, though when there are they're used to full effect. The more modern movies often have more than enough action to dull the senses. On the other hand, Dr. No uses some great editing and mood shifts to catch the audience off balance with things as simple as a murder with a silenced pistol. The film's pace may be slower than its contemporaries, but it finds an excellent niche that does well to trade off between the plot and action. And hey, this plot isn't exceptionally complicated or unbelievable, which is now something of a sin in a Bond flick.

Connery has and always will be James Bond. There's no getting around that. In this movie he proves it with the performance that launched him into the big time. In this movie, his lady acquaintance and nemesis don't show until well into the second half. Still, Ursula Andress has got more going for her than most Bond girls, being helpless yet certainly not prissy. Joseph Wiseman actually lives up to the anticipation his character builds throughout the movie as the cultured yet cold and ruthless Dr. No, making him one of the best villains of the franchise.

It ain't perfect (heck, the theme music seems to play every other minute). Though probably not the best in the series, Dr. No still thrills some forty years and nineteen sequels later.



-The Gnome