If you want top-notch British spy action, check out this review of the best James Bond movies.
Jump into the world of espionage and travel the world with Agent 007 as he races against time to save the world.
You can also check the best spy movies streaming on Netflix for more spy action.
In this article, we will follow James Bond’s life as he jumps from one mission to another. It is going to be a thrilling ride.
Therefore, I advise you to grab popcorn as you may be tempted to stream these heroics of our favorite spy, Agent 007.
1. No Time to Die (2021)
- Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
- Star Cast: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, and Jeffrey Wright
- IMDb rating: 8.8
Award-winning American director Cary Joji took the helm of this 25th installment in the James Bond series. It is a thrilling film that features Daniel Craig in his last role as the iconic James Bond.
No Time to Die comfortably ranks among the best James Bond movies, if not the best. The film finally aired on 28 September 2021 despite several delays from the Studio.
It became an instant success among fans and critics as people rallied to watch Daniel Craig’s last act in cinemas.
James’s tranquil retirement with his lover Madeleine gets torn apart when his old CIA companion surfaces in the movie.
The peaceful soon becomes the center of a deadly pursuit as James flees in his legendary Aston Martin. As always, James Bond outsmarts his assailants, dropping bullets in them.
James Bond takes on the offer from his old CIA companion Felix Leiter to return to a peaceful life with Madeleine. However, Fate has different plans for him.
This sequel is a fantastic movie, and we see Daniel Craig at his best. We will miss him as the iconic James Bond character.
2. Casino Royale (2006)
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Star Cast: Daniel Craig, Evan Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Giancarlo Giannini, and Jesper Christensen.
- IMDb rating: 8.0
Casino Royale brought Daniel Craig to wear the iconic shoes of MI6 agent 007. It is by far one of the most mind-blowing James Bond movies, with Daniel Craig becoming dynamite onscreen.
Anyway, Bond’s personality has never been gentle; instead, he is a thorn in the flesh to those who delight in evil.
Those looking for a breath of fresh air will discover this film’s uniqueness. The movie is stellar from the beginning.
Casino Royale prides itself on being the 21st series installment from EON production.
It follows the journey of Agent 007 as he earns his license to kill, and MI6 assigns Bond to drain all the monetary resources of a terrorist financier in a poker game.
A love story picks up as Bond falls in love with Vesper Lynd, a Treasury Department employee assigned to Bond. The story arc concludes in the 2008 release Quantum of Solace.
3. Skyfall (2012)
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Star Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, and Ben Whishaw.
- IMDb rating: 7.8
Can things go right for James Bond? This film is a fast-paced, thrilling masterpiece by director Sam Mendes. Agent 007’s mission turns down the gloomy path that compromises undercover agents worldwide.
The leak forces M to relocate the agency and turn to Bond’s one man she can trust. One field agent aids Bond as he races in the shadows to pursue a trail to Silva. It becomes known that Silva has an old score to settle with M.
Daniel Craig delivers a stellar performance as Agent 007. This thrilling show contains all the spice we have expected from the best James Bond Movies. Trust me when I say it is worth watching a couple of times.
4. Goldfinger (1964)
- Director: Guy Hamilton
- Star Cast: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe, Shirley Eaton, and Tania Mallet.
- IMDb rating: 7.7
This film is one of the earliest James Bond movies to emerge as the third film in the spy series.
It could be referred to as one of the founding films that introduced the Bond character to the world. Over fifty years later, it remains one of the best James Bond movies.
The movie begins with James Bond’s getaway in Miami Beach after obliterating a medication research center in America.
M directs Bond, with the help of CIA specialist Felix Leiter, to investigate gold smuggling by Auric Goldfinger.
Goldfinger plans to contaminate the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. Its incredible storyline and exciting performances made this film the first James Bond blockbuster.
Consequently, the budget equaled that of the two preceding installments combined. Goldfinger received massive acceptance and was celebrated as the film focused on Agent 007.
5. From Russia with Love (1963)
- Director: Terrence Young
- Star Cast: Sean Connery, Pedro Armendáriz, Lotte Lenya, and Robert Shaw.
- IMDb rating: 7.4
This 1963 British spy film was among the earliest installments in the Bond series. It is the second James Bond movie, pitting Bond against Specter’s mischievous organization. They are both in a race to lay their hands on a decoder.
Spectre sends one of their best to take out MI5’s best agent, 007. Daniela Bianchi’s charm as Spectre’s agent is unarguably good. Nevertheless, no one seems to resist the allure of James Bond.
From Russia with Love earned critical and commercial success, becoming the first movie to clinch the BAFTA Award for Best Photography. Indeed, critics and the general audience considered it the best entry in the series.
6. GoldenEye (1995)
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Star Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, and Robbie Coltrane.
- IMDb rating: 7.2
Pierce Brosnan shines in his role once again as the iconic Agent 007. GoldenEye landed as the seventeenth movie in the Bond series. Furthermore, it hit a homerun of $350 million, outperforming Dalton’s film.
Alec Trevelyan, a former Agent 006 gone rogue, takes over a robust satellite framework in this film. The former partner turned foe has James Bond to reckon with as he attempts to use the weapon in his mischievous work.
James Bond faces off with Trevelyan’s partner, Xenia Onatopp, who uses delight as her definitive weapon.
Once again, James Bond is tasked with saving the world, making this one of the best James Bond movies.
The action is top-notch, delivering on expectations from fans of the series.
7. Dr. No (1962)
- Director: Terence Young
- Star Cast: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Bernard Lee, and John Kitzmiller.
- IMDb rating: 7.2
In this movie, James Bond heads to Jamaica to investigate the vanishing of a British specialist. The investigation takes him to Dr. Julius No’s underground base. The mischievous eccentric scientist plans to use a radio-bar weapon to disrupt an early American space send-off.
Dr. NO might appear dull compared to present-day norms, but you can’t deny its contribution to the series. In addition, it served as the foundation for building the six-decade-long movie series.
Fans love the movie for its secret plot and Connery’s first performance bringing the James Bond character to life. Also, we learn of how M, Moneypenny, Q, and Felix Leiter came together to spin the wheels of this exciting spy series.
The movie’s components are subtle when you watch it today. Nevertheless, it still provides a good viewing experience for those who wish to learn about the origins of the best James Bond movies.
8. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- Director: Lewis Gilbert
- Star Cast: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jürgens, Richard Kiel, and Caroline Munro.
- IMDb rating: 7.1
This film unarguably made it to the best James Bond movies list. Roger Moore stars as the main character in the movie 007. Furthermore, the film brings globe-running action to the screens with skiing and the spectacular amphibious vehicle driven by Bond.
The Spy Who Loved Me sees James Bond team up with hot Russian Specialist Anya Amasova to take Honcho Karl. Interestingly, the antagonist’s focus is on the destruction of New York City with atomic weapons.
Karl’s partner, Jaws, avails himself to become Bond’s most dangerous enemy. Indeed, a seven-foot monster with steel teeth is not an enemy anyone would want to have. Watch the movie to learn how Bond defeats this menacing enemy.
9. Spectre (2015)
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Star Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, and Andrew Scott.
- IMDb rating: 6.8
Daniel Craig stars in this thrilling installment of one of the best James Bond movies. In the film, a secret message from the past leads James Bond to Mexico City and Rome. There, he meets the pretty widow of a scandalous crook.
007 reveals the presence of the vile association Spectre before invading a mystery meeting. Furthermore, he progresses deep into Spectre’s lair in search of an adversary.
Spectre has an activity-filled nature that is proper rather than stacked on. It is a movie that will thrill you from the beginning to the end in ways that blend the entire personality of James Bond.
10. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
- Director: Peter R. Hunt
- Star Cast: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, and Ilse Steppat.
- IMDb rating: 6.8
This film might not be one of your best James Bond movies, but it is still a good entry. It also shows James Bond teaming up with the audacious Tracy Di Vicenzo.
Then, the duo fights the abhorrent Spectre organization in the tricky Swiss Alps.
It becomes an epic battle as Spectre’s strong chief, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, pushes his most disastrous plan. Bond has to devise a plan to stop this dangerous plan from seeing the light of the day.
As always, we get a well-paced action thriller that lives up to the hype of James Bond.
11. License to Kill (1989)
- Director: John Glen
- Star Cast: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, and Anthony Zerbe.
- IMDb rating: 6.7
Things get personal, even for the best-trained agents in the spy world. This theme is emphasized in this movie as Bond surrenders his permit to kill. He also ignores his orders and goes on a vengeful mission after he loses his dearest companion.
Bond’s journey takes him to Sanchez’s South American base camp after getting a lift from a lovely CIA pilot. Here, he gets recruited as a contract killer for the awful street pharmacist.
License to Kill gained notoriety for being the most ridiculously vicious Bond film, and I dare say that the title is well deserved. Nevertheless, the splendid and genuine tone makes this one of the best James Bond movies.
12. The Living Daylights (1987)
- Director: John Glen
- Star Cast: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Joe Don Baker, Art Malik, and John Rhys-Davies.
- IMDb rating: 6.7
In this film, British spy James Bond is assigned to assist KGB General Georgi Koskove in his defection. The mission is successful as Bond uses the Trans-Siberian Pipeline to smuggle the general across the border.
However, Bond disobeys a direct order to kill a female KGB sniper who poses as a cellist in the process. It becomes clear that the new KGB general has reenacted a policy to kill all spies, and this sets Bond on a trajectory back to Bratislava.
This film features a significant plot twist when Bond discovers Koskove staged the entire defection. It might not be one of the most potent Agent 007 films, but it is one of the best James Bond movies.
13. Quantum of Solace (2008)
- Director: Marc Foster
- Star Cast: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Gemma Arterton, and Anatole Taubman.
- IMDb rating: 6.6
When I first watched this movie as a kid, I had no idea what was going on, and it struck me as a tedious entry into a series I had come to love because of the fast-paced action.
However, a closer look revealed the continuation of the story arc from Casino Royale.
The action might not be as thrilling and engaging as we expect, but it still benefits from Daniel Craig’s excellent performance. It is a good movie that has ensured the continuity of the Bond series into the next decade.
14. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- Director: Roger Spottiswoode
- Star Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Götz Otto, Ricky Jay, and Joe Don Baker.
- IMDb rating: 6.5
This is one of Pierce Brosnan’s best James Bond movies, with a thrill that will excite any viewer. In the film, MI6 assigns Bond to survey a terrorist arms bazaar on the Russian border.
Unfortunately, Royal Navy Admiral Roebuck fires a Harpoon missile at the bazaar. The Admiral’s actions defy M’s insistence that Bond complete his mission.
Bond discovers nuclear torpedoes aboard the L-39 Albatros and manages to pilot it away before the missile destroys the bazaar.
Tomorrow Never Dies has great cinematography, a fantastic score, and a theme song. The script can pass for good, but the action is excellent. The first half of the plot will glue you to your seats as it flies past a series of action sequences.
15. The World is not Enough (1999)
- Director: Michael Apted
- Star Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Desmond Llewelyn, and Maria Grazia Cucinotta.
- IMDb rating: 6.4
This movie left me wondering how the title was related to the plot. It has been over two decades today, and I am still trying to figure out what made the world not enough.
Nevertheless, this is one of the best James Bond movies featuring Pierce Brosnan in his most exemplary act.
In this movie, James Bond races to find the killer of Sir Robert King after mistakenly delivering the bomb that killed him. What initially began as a mission to protect Elektra, Robert’s daughter, quickly turned into a mission to end her life.
Indeed, we see how captivity can break a person as the film pops into a significant twist in the plot. The storyline brings so much energy and vibrance that it defines the James Bond movies. Honestly, this is not a movie for those who love slow-paced action.
16. Die Another Day (2002)
- Director: Lee Tamahori
- Star Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune, Judi Dench, and John Cleese.
- IMDb rating: 6.1
In this film, North Korean special agents capture James Bond and throw him in jail. A betrayal by one of his own facilitates Bond’s capture.
This incident happened while on a mission to find out the relationship between a Korean terrorist and a diamond baron.
Die Another Day packs inspiring cinematography and locations to make it one of the better-looking Bond movies.
The film depicts the Icelandic snow palace with elegance and visual appeal. As always, fast-paced action and fluid directing characterize the movie.
The intense action is broken apart by one-liners that may come off as cringe-worthy to some. Also, Pierce Brosnan delivers a stellar performance and portrays the betrayed and vengeful Agent 007.
It is good to see Bosnian deliver an excellent role play in his last outing as the iconic James Bond.
