The Best Sean Connery James Bond Movie (& the One With the Best Action Sequence) Was Released on This Day

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Sean Connery, who recently passed away, was a celebrated actor in many memorable films. He starred in popular movies like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Rock, The Hunt for Red October, and The Untouchables, for which he won an Academy Award. He also appeared in cult classics such as Zardoz, Outland, and Highlander, and had significant roles in lesser-known but enjoyable films like Entrapment, Just Cause, The Presidio, The Name of the Rose, and Dragonheart. Even in more playful roles, like his appearance in The Avengers (the 1960s British series), he always brought a certain quality to the screen. However, he will forever be best remembered as the original James Bond, and many fans still consider him the best to ever play the role.

Today we’re celebrating the anniversaries of two classic James Bond films starring Sean Connery. First, there’s Goldfinger, the third Bond movie and a fan favorite, which premiered in the UK in September 1964 and in the U.S. on December 22nd. A year later, Thunderball took a different approach, debuting in the U.S. before arriving in UK theaters a week later on December 29, 1965.

What Makes Goldfinger So Special & What Makes Thunderball‘s Finale So Exciting?

Many consider Goldfinger to be the definitive Bond film because it really defined what a Bond movie would be. While From Russia with Love is a great spy thriller, Goldfinger established the fast-paced action, Bond’s playful relationship with Q, and the tradition of big, energetic theme songs – a contrast to the more romantic song in From Russia with Love.

This is where James Bond began receiving the cool gadgets he’s famous for, like those in his legendary Aston Martin DB5 – still considered the quintessential Bond car. Plus, Goldfinger marked the start of Bond’s witty one-liners, such as his memorable, “Positively shocking.”

By Goldfinger, Sean Connery truly owned the role of James Bond. He and the character became so inseparable that it was difficult to picture anyone else playing 007. Of course, eventually someone else would have to. Ultimately, Goldfinger remains the benchmark for all Bond films. It’s a perfect blend of thrilling moments – like the deaths of Jill and Tilly Masterson – comedic scenes, such as Bond’s golf match with Goldfinger, and intense action, including the iconic fight with Oddjob.

James Bond films often culminate in large-scale conflicts. These aren’t usually just Bond fighting alone, but rather teams of heroes battling the villain and their forces – often a group of hired mercenaries. For example, in Tomorrow Never Dies, the Royal Navy attacks Elliot Carver’s ship. In You Only Live Twice, a large group of ninjas assault Blofeld’s volcano hideout. And in Moonraker, the U.S. military sends a whole unit of space marines to attack Hugo Drax’s space station. That gives you a sense of how these films typically end.

However, Thunderball features the most exciting of these large-scale climaxes. It’s surprising it works so well, actually. Having a fight scene mostly underwater, where movement is slower than on land, could easily feel underwhelming, but it doesn’t.

James Bond sneaks onto the yacht of Emilio Largo while his ally, Felix Leiter, calls in the US Coast Guard and Navy to recover stolen nuclear warheads. Largo intends to use these warheads to threaten the United States and the United Kingdom. A fierce underwater battle erupts beneath Largo’s yacht, the Disco Volante, between US Navy divers and Largo’s team. They fight with spearguns, cutting each other’s air lines, and even using small, weaponized underwater vehicles – essentially jet skis with spearguns and bombs.

While Goldfinger introduced the idea of a large-scale conflict at the end of a Bond film – pitting the U.S. Army against Goldfinger’s men – Thunderball perfected it. Though war movies existed before the Bond series, Thunderball delivered something unique: a four-minute, action-packed underwater battle with divers fighting each other.

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2025-12-23 02:11