Rating: B-
Dir: Terence Young
Star: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord
[TC 22] A hundred million years ago, mankind’s nearest relative was only vaguely a mammal. And so it is with Dr.No, a Bond movie with legs, arms, and a head, but not much else. No gadgets beyond a Geiger counter, and the action is limited to Bond turning a valve and running away. Even the classic opening titles are little more than some rotoscoped dancers. On the plus side, Ursula Andress rising from the ocean sets a standard that few have matched, and Connery has a casual approach to killing which was slowly diluted in subsequent efforts. It’s surprisingly undated: even after 35 years, it’s tense and effective. A good movie, thus – just Bond in name only…