007 has been James Bond movies. The films have sometimes been criticized for their over-reliance on gadgets. But it would be a mistake to discredit one of cinema's greatest escape artists. There are plenty of examples of Bond making an escape without help from Q-branch.
Bond is one of the sharpest characters in cinema and he has quickly acted to avoid fatal consequences. Whether it's a split-second opportunity or a lengthy chase testing the limits of his stamina, 007 has survived thanks to ingenious solutions. These such escapes have delighted Bond fans for generations.
Diving Into An Airplane Before It Crashes
Brosnan's introduction as Bond, and a rare look at a fellow 00 agent in action. But as the sequence goes on, Sean Bean's 006 is seemingly killed and 007 has to make a desperate escape.
A quick distraction allows Bond to get outside where a small airplane is heading down a runway. Seeing his chance, Bond gets after it on a motorcycle. The pilot is killed in the crossfire and the plane drops off the cliff at the end of the runway. Bond leaps after it and manages to catch up to the descent of the plane. At the last minute, he manages to pull the plane up and escape. It's an exciting moment, although not actually possible because the plane's propellor would cause it to dive faster than Bond.
Improvized Windsurfing
Fleeing from Gustav Graves's Icarus space laser, Bond raced across the Icelandic landscape in Graves' ice dragster in Die Another Day. Coming up to a cliff, Bond deployed a hook, leaving him and the dragster hanging perilously over a huge lake. It's here that Graves uses the Icarus to cut off a gigantic portion of the icy cliff.
With the entire cliff collapsing into the water Bond desperately struggles to tear off the dragster's parachute a piece from the hull. The collapsing cliff creates a gigantic tsunami and all seems lost until Bond reemerges on top of the wave thanks to his makeshift windsurfing equipment. The scene has been criticized for being far fetched and featuring shoddy CGI, but some fans appreciate it for its zaniness and the terrific piece of accompanying music by David Arnold.
Falling Out Of An Airplane Without A Parachute
Moonraker found Roger Moore at the height of his popularity as 007. The follow-up to The Spy Who Loved Me had a lot to live up to, starting with the terrific pre-credits stunt of skiing off a cliff and deploying a Union Jack parachute.
Bond's introduction in Moonraker finds him pushed out of an airplane without a parachute by Jaws, Richard Kiel's returning henchmen character from the previous film. With no gadgets to save him, Bond had only one hope, to steal someone else's parachute. By adjusting his body to be more aerodynamic, 007 was able to catch up to the pilot and steel the chute after a desperate struggle. With Jaws hot on his heels, Bond deployed the chute in the nick of time.
Sledding On A Chelo Case
After using every gadget in his Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Bond crashes it a mound of snow and has to find another way to get down the hill and escape into Austria. Pursued by Czech police, Bond and Kara Milovy use her cello case to sled down the hill.
Bond used Kara's cello itself, Stradivarius' The Lady Rose, to steer and to block Kara from a bullet. Upon ing the Austrian border checkpoint Bond proclaims "We've nothing to declare" while Kara adds "Just a cello!".
Waterskiing Onto A Plane
In his quest for revenge for the mutilation of Felix Leiter and the death of his wife Della, Timothy Dalton's 007 investigated Milton Krest's boat the Wavekrest. There, Bond interferes with a drug smuggling operation, slicing open bags of cocaine while they're being transported underwater. Krest's divers are soon all over and 007 looks sure to be out of luck.
But while the foes surround him like a pack of zombies, Bond fires a speargun at the seaplane that dropped of the shipment. The bolt sends a line up to the plane that pulls Bond out of the depths. accompanied by a terrific piece of music by Michael Kamen, Bond water skis behind the plane before hijacking it and its cargo: Franz Sanchez's money.
Outsmarting Goldfinger's Goon
One of the great overlooked moments in Goldfinger comes when Bond temporarily escapes from his cell at Goldfinger's Kentucky ranch. Sean Connery's Bond plays cute with the lone guard before disappearing from his sight. The alarmed guard opens the door to investigate, only to be jumped by 007 who was hiding above the door frame.
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It's a great example of Bond tricking an enemy without the need for gadgets. Bond is able to overhear Goldfinger's operation grand slam speech before being recaptured by Pussy Galore. The next time we visit Bond in his cell, he is being personally guarded by no less than six guards.
The Citroën 2CV Chase
After Bond's Lotis Esprit is hilariously destroyed in For Your Eyes Only, He is forced to catch a ride in Melinda Havelock's cute yellow Citroën 2CV. But their escape is not so simple, Hector Gonzales's men are hot on their heels and soon Bond has to take the wheel. It's not the type of vehicle he's used to driving, but Bond has a way of handling any car.
When the car is flipped driving through a town, Bond gets the local townspeople to help turn it right-side up. Bond takes the car offroad through an olive orchard and the last pursuing car ends up in a tree. It's a hilarious chase helped on by Moore's charm and a terrific piece of music by Bill Conti.
Carver's Banner
Captured and handcuffed in Vietnam, Bond and Wai Lin, played by Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, begin their escape from the top of Elliot Carver's Ho Chi Minh City tower. Under heavy fire, they grab adjacent ropes and leap off, slowly tearing a piece of the banner as they descend. Their descent comes to a stop and they kick in a window and presumably take the elevator the rest of the way.
The ingenuity from the handcuffed duo doesn't stop there, as they next have to find creative ways to ride a motorcycle. Pursued by Carver's men in cars and a helicopter, it's a terrific chase with incredible stunts.
The Ski Chase From Piz Gloria
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a Bond film that's a bit light on the gadgets. George Lazenby's Bond is forced to mostly use his wits to solve problems, such as using bits of junk to escape from his room in Piz Gloria. Later when he is captured he tears out his pockets and uses them as gloves to climb on the Gondola cable.
Thus begins one of the most exhilarating chains of events in the Bond movies as 007 attempts to escape Piz Gloria and get word to MI6. A thrilling rendition of the movie's theme plays as Bond is pursued by Blofeld and his men. It's the first and one of the best ski chases of the Bond movies. And the fun doesn't stop there. Blofeld's agents continue their pursuit of Bond in a sequence of events that includes an ice skating rink, a car chase between 2 cars, a car chase between many cars, a marriage proposal, another ski chase, and an avalanche.
Running On Crocodiles
Surrounded by alligators and crocodiles in Live and Let Die, Roger Moore's Bond was in one perilous situation. Bond attempted to use his Q-watch magnet to pull a small canoe his way, but the boat was tied to the shore. This letdown set up one of the most unique and memorable stunts in the whole franchise as Bond was forced to run on the crocodiles to reach safety.
The scene was not in the original novel, the stunt was suggested by and performed by Ross Kananga. Kananga was the owner of the crocodile farm seen in the film and the filmmakers named the villain of the movie after him.
