Ranked: James Bond meets the villain

A scene from the James Bond film ‘Thunderball’ with Sean Connery, Claudine Auger and Adolfo Celi. (Photo by MacGregor/Getty Images)

In most James Bond films, one of the more dramatic moments is Bond’s initial encounter with the villain. There is often an underlying tension, especially when the meeting occurs when both men are putting up a front. So which James Bond villains meetings are the most effective? Least effective? Let’s rank them.

To be clear, however, four films are disqualified, because the villain’s encounter with Bond is under false pretenses. Only later in the film is each of these villains actually revealed to be the villain: Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, General Koskov in The Living Daylights, Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, and Colonel Moon / Gustav Graves in Die Another Day. As a result, the audience is unaware that Bond is meeting the film’s villain, thus taking some potential suspense out of such a meeting. Join us now as we revisit the 20 best James Bond villains meetings!

20. A View to a Kill (Max Zorin, reception)

“I am happiest in the saddle,” Zorin says, as his meeting with Bond (posing as St. John “Sinjin” Smythe) centers on the topic of horses. Zorin excuses himself, all too quickly, when the subject turns to fly fishing.

19. You Only Live Twice (Blofeld, volcano lair)

While Donald Pleasence’s portrayal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld has become iconic, his initial meeting James Bond, upon Bond’s capture, lacks any real tension: he introduces himself, explains his plan, and then instructs his men to take off Bond’s clothes. Not exactly “edge of your seat” theater. But, hey: it’s Blofeld. So points for that.

18. Tomorrow Never Dies (Elliot Carver, CMGN headquarters)

Bond poses as a banker when attending Carver’s media event in Hamburg. Their first words are superficial banking banter. But then the two speak again a few moments later, under more tense circumstances, after Bond flirts with Carver’s wife, Paris — with whom Bond once had a relationship. To say that Carver feels threatened by Bond’s presence would be an understatement.

17. The World Is Not Enough (Renard, nuclear weapons storage facility)

Bond stumbles upon Renard, as he and his crew secretly work on a nuclear warhead. Their first words take place with Bond’s gun in Renard’s face. “You can’t kill me, I’m already dead,” explains Renard, before explaining how he’d manipulated Bond at every turn. Their encounter is interrupted by Dr. Christmas Jones and U.S. military personnel.

16. The Man with the Golden Gun (Scaramanga, kickboxing match)

Scaramanga approaches Bond ringside, after Bond has found Andrea Anders dead, seated upright,with a gunshot wound to the chest. The encounter is brief, too brief, and the action inside the ring draws too much of our attention.

15. Moonraker (Hugo Drax, estate)

Bond meets Hugo Drax early on in the film, and though he is not yet established as the film’s villain, the audience can come to a reasonable conclusion that he is. The two men’s initial meeting is punctuated not by what is said, but rather by the pauses and the enormity of the room they’re in, as Drax first plays piano and then feeds his dobermans.

14. Quantum of Solace (Dominic Greene, fundraiser)

Bond’s first meeting with Dominic Greene doesn’t occur until the Greene Planet fundraising event. At least, this is the first time they exchange words. Greene is full of insukts, first calling (former) lover Camille Montes “damaged goods” and then asserting that everything Bond touches seems to “wither and die.”

13. Octopussy (Kamal Khan, backgammon)

What better way for Bond and villain to meet than while gambling? In this case, the game is backgammon, and Bond gets the best of the cheating of Khan. “It’s all in the wrist,” Bond explains, when “magically” rolling a pair of sixes with Khan’s rigged dice.

12. Diamonds Are Forever (Blofeld, penthouse)

When Bond enters Willard Whyte’s penthouse, he doesn’t find one Blofeld — he finds two. Which is the real Blofeld? Bond assumes it’s the one with a white cat. He assumes wrong. Both have cats. “Wrong pussy,” Bond laments, after realizing he killed the wrong man.

11. Casino Royale (LeChiffre, casino)

The exchange takes just a few seconds. Bond and LeChiffre shake hands as LeChiffre expresses his confusion over Bond’s true identity. Is he Bond or Beech? “Well, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Bond says, with a smile.

10. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Blofeld, Piz Gloria)

Bond travels to Piz Gloria, posing as Sir Hillary Bray to meet with Blofeld, posing as Baltazar de Bleauchamp. The issue: geneaology. But the underlying tension is that both know who the other really is. And with that in mind, Blofeld takes a swipe at Bond: “The methods of the great pioneers have often puzzled conventional minds.” Ouch.

9. The Spy Who Loved Me (Karl Stromberg, Atlantis)

Again, Bond meets the villain while pretending to be someone else. In this case, he pays a visit to Karl Stromberg, posing as a marine biologist, Robert Sterling. Stromberg isn’t convinced and quizzes Bond on his knowledge of marine life. One misstep, and Bond could end up being fed to the sharks. Fortunately, Bond did his homework.

8. Thunderball (Emilio Largo, casino)

Bond encounters Largo at a baccarat table and not only takes his money but also manages to take his girl (Domino) for a drink. The highlight here is Bond’s continuous reference to “specters” in an attempt to get under Largo’s skin. It works.

7. Licence to Kill (Franz Sanchez, casino office)

After winning $250,000 in Sanchez’s casino, Bond is ushered into Sanchez’s office for a meeting. Sanchez, obviously, wants to know who this stranger is. Bond describes himself as a “Problem eliminator” in an attempt to offer his services.

6. Spectre (Blofeld, Spectre meeting)

Of course, in Spectre’s storyline, Bond and Blofeld had already met. But the reunion is the meeting that requires some focus. Though Bond doesn’t say a word, their first meeting as secret agent – super villain occurs at the end of Spectre’s meeting in Rome. Blofeld knows that Bond is present and addresses him: “Welcome James…It’s been a long time.” Of course, there is nothing worse than crashing the party and then being called out.

5. Live and Let Die (Kananga, secret room)

There’s never been a Bond-villain meeting quite like this one, as Kananga reveals himself to be Mr. Big (or is it the other way around?) by removing a latex mask. More importantly, he rages at the idea that Bond has slept with Solitaitre. There is little subtext here, when Kananga screams, “Did you mess with that?”

4. Goldfinger (Goldfinger, golf)

Forget the fact that neither Bond nor Goldfinger can putt worth a damn; this 18-hole, match-play round is full of the right amount of tension, including a bit of gamesmanship on Bond’s part.

3. Skyfall (Raoul Silva, deserted island)

Has there ever been a Bond villain entrance like Silva’s? No. His long walk, from elevator to a seated Bond, while waxing philosophic about his grandmother’s rats, is first-rate in the creepy department. Silva’s bizarre choice of wardrobe, and hint of homosexual innuendo, only adds to his mystique.

2. From Russia with Love (Red Grant, train; Rosa Klebb, hotel room)

This one is tricky and bound to cause debate. Who is the true villain in From Russia with Love? Rosa Klebb or Red Grant? Based on his role, Grant is a henchman and not a primary villain. The true villain in From Russia with Love, is SPECTRE, as a whole, with Rosa Klebb acting as its primary agent. But even she is under orders from an unseen Blofeld. For the sake of it, we’ll say it’s both Grant and Klebb, and both have memorable first encounters with Bond. Who can forget the Grant-Bond train fight or, for that matter, Rosa Klebb’s poisonous shoe spike?

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1. Dr. No (Dr. No, lair)

The best Bond-villain encounter was the first. It set the stage. After abducting Bond and Honey Rider, Dr. No dresses them and invites them to dinner, and it is here that his madness is revealed to all. Furthermore. this is the first time we have seen Dr. No: the big reveal is his mechanical hands. Tension ensues when Dr. No attempts to recruit Bond: “The successful criminal brain is always superior,” No says. But to “no” avail. Bond can’t be turned.

What is your favorite James Bond villains meeting? Let us know. And be sure to check back for more news and updates.