[SeekAndFind]

Scene from Goldfinger:

James Bond (tied up): "So, you expect me to talk?"

Goldfinger: "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

Then instead of shooting 007, Goldfinger leaves him alone to face a laser cutter (and of course, Bond escapes).

How many times should Bond have died because the Villains never shot him when they could?

[McGruff]

I'd rather pay to see a

movie than another James Bond movie.

[lurk]

Rather typical in movies. The bad guy takes his sweet time getting around to killing the hero.

Check out the end of Lord of the Rings. The wraith dude starts monologuing with the girl, giving the hobbit a chance to stab him from behind. Then the girl monologues and stabs the wraith in the face.

[AU72]

The only that got away with killing the star early is Psycho.

[Tanniker Smith]

No one wants to get their hands dirty pulling a trigger. Let a death trap that eats up more screen time.

Besides, he'd just duck under the bullet after it was fired anyway.

[chrisser]

I always find that comical as well.

They force Bond (usually at the point of a presumably effective gun) to participate in some wildly complicated, time consuming and often ridiculous slow-motion death scheme, and then they all walk away and leave him to figure a way out on his own.

Is this supposed to be some sort of criminal sporting instinct, or do all criminals harbor some secret Rube Goldberg preoccupation?

[krb]

Goldfinger leaves him alone to face a laser cutter (and of course, Bond escapes).

Actually, in that scene Goldfinger lets Bond live (and maintains him as a captive) because Bond knew the code name of the heretofore secret plot, "Operation Grand Slam."

[freedomlover]

If you are on this thread you simply must click on this link and immediately scroll down to “The Top 100 Things I’d Do
If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord”

http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

[Tublecane]

Seems odd to focus on Bonds’ ineptitude when clearly the thrust of the article is that the villians are incompetent, too.

[Tublecane]

“This sort of behavior has been mocked by ‘Austin Powers’ and ‘The Incredibles’”

Actually, it was mocked back in the 60s by the Bond imitators and continually by the likes of SNL before Austin Powers beat the dead horse. Which makes me wonder why we’re waisting our time again now. Next article this guy will write about why the whole plane should be made out of the black box.

[libstripper]

“How many times should Bond have died because the Villains never shot him when they could?”

LOL. Your remark reminds me of watching old WWII era “Batman” propaganda flicks while in college nearly 50 (!!!) years ago. Batman was fighting some truly evil “Jap” steriotype. When the heroine was captured she looked at the villian in horror and said, “You’re a Jap!” Anyway, the Evil Jap managed to capture Batman repeatedly and, before Batman inevitably escaped, would spend no end of time rubbing his hands together, gloating about the horrible, slow death he was going to inflict on Batman. This got so bad the audience started rooting for the Evil Jap. Every time Batman was captured, we’d chant, “Shoot him, just shoot him!”

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

Yup. This is why you find the followng exchange in an Austin Powers film (probably not an exact quote):

Dr. Evil: Why do my plans to kill Austin Powers keep failing?
Scott: Because you always make things too complicated and you’re a big dope.

Also:

Dr. Evil: I’m going to travel back in time to steal Austin Powers’s mojo!
Scott: Why don’t you just go back in time and shoot him while he’s on the crapper?

[allmendream]

I think part of the appeal is that - even though they KNOW Bond is an agent - he STILL infiltrates their organization, sleeps with the evil mastermind’s girlfriend - escapes the death trap - and foils the evil plan.

A properly conducted espionage infiltration would be much more boring than that - he gets the info - wires it in on a secure connection - the troops come in and shut it all down and arrest everyone - INCLUDING the infiltrating agent - so they STILL don't know who ‘ratted them out’.

[Mad Dawgg]

"How many times should Bond have died because the Villains never shot him when they could?"

[PJ-Comix]

All I know is that “Skyfall” better have a better premise than the horrible “Quantum of Solace.” In the latter flick the bad guy’s goal was to raise the water rates in Bolivia. Ho-hum!

[count-your-change]

“How many times should Bond have died because the Villains never shot him when they could?”

O.K., I'll write a Bond story. It was a dark and rainy night when Bond met the villain. The villain shot Bond dead on sight. End of story.

How does that work for a story?

[GSWarrior]

Don’t search for logic in the 007 movies. All you’ll find is plot devices and plot holes.

[SgtHooper]

In reality, the whole institution of British spy agencies were inept; MI-5 and MI-6 were heavily compromised by double agents during and after WW2. Even Roger Hollis, the director of MI-5, was highly suspected of being a Russian spy. All because grads of Cambridge were not vetted because they could not possibly be turned. Idiots.

[Oztrich Boy]

How many times should Bond have died because the Villains never shot him when they could?

Dr No.

Minion; "My plan of using mulitiple gunman firing from a distance failed due to a chance passing car, but I will succeed next time"

Fiendishly Intelligent(he'll tell you so himself) Villain: "Nothing must be left to chance! Take this tarantula and put it in Bond's bedroom"