Review of Dr. No (1962) by Adam B — 22 Mar 2010

The film that launched one of cinema's greatest sagas, (not to mention a host of parodies and pop culture cliches) is in some ways overlooked. It doesn't contain the gadgets we all came to love, or the shoot outs and set piece action sequences.

It simply sets it's stall out as a classic detective story, just set somewhere far more exotic and luxurious. For some, this is no what they hoped to expect, but for others (and include myself firmly in this bracket) it serves as a fantastic series opener, giving precious information about the character and his world, whilst at the same time letting a good story develop without all the glitz that has overshadowed many films of this franchise in the years that would follow.

This is Bond stripped down to the bones and doing the dirty work, just as Ian Fleming had intended. Talking of which, he could have wished for no better a leading man than the effortlessly charming and believably ruthless Sean Connery, who is every inch the suave spy and looks so at home in this character and his tux.

For the film itself, it sticks really quite close to the original story (besides a few key points and the loss of the battle against the giant squid) and crafts the tale slowly but realistically, taking the audience with it every step of the way.

It may be too slow in parts, but I quite enjoyed the pace of it, and the whole feel of the production working to it's own schedule. Perhaps it is like this as it is unburdened with the baggage the series would later adopt, and is free to pursue it's own path (much like the revamped Daniel Craig films).

On the whole, Dr No is a really well made, finely tuned and entertaining film. It is smart, slick and has all the elements that would go on to make this series as powerful as it is today. It may not be the masterpiece that I believe many of Connery's other Bonds were (with the exception of Diamonds are forever) but it is a fantastic way into the series, and contains some really good stuff that would rival any of it's more contemporaries.

To overlook Dr No is to make a big mistake, as it really does have a lot to give.