Pierce Brosnan's tenure as 007 is a divisive subject, as in discussions of the James Bond films, many write off the Irish actor as inferior to Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, and even Roger Moore. While the scripts of his movies were sometimes lacking, Brosnan put in a lot of really hard work in order to make the role of Bond his own and, at one point, saved the franchise from irrelevancy.
Some 007 fans still hold Pierce Brosnan's era in high regard, heralding him as the most underrated James Bond of all time. With all that being said, what exactly factors into that lofty claim? Well, like with just about anything, Reddit has some opinions on the matter.
He Should've Played Bond Earlier
In a discussion of Pierce Brosnan's audition for The Living Daylights, Reddit BothReality9 laments that Brosnan didn't get to start playing Bond in the '80s. As they put it "I like Dalton, I think. But would have been nice to see a Brosnan film career as Bond starting in the ’80s, ending in the 2000s."
Timothy Dalton is an underrated Bond, but it is worth wondering how The Living Daylights would have panned out if Brosnan took over the lead role. If his Remington Steele deal hadn't been extended, Brosnan could have played the role earlier and have had more time to establish himself as the super spy.
He's The Deadliest Bond
James Bond has a license to kill, so if he doesn't use it, what's the point? Something that BunyipPouch brings up when they posted a Forbes article heralding that Brosnan's incarnation of Bond is the deadliest incarnation, with his body count clocking in at 135 people.
According to the post, "Pierce Brosnan is the deadliest James Bond with 135 kills in 4 film appearances, George Lazenby is the least deadly with 5 kills in 1 film appearance." Sometimes those Bond kills went too far, sometimes they didn't go far enough, but no one can argue that Brosnan's Bond didn't use his license to kill effectively.
He Nailed Being Suave In A Way That Wouldn't Work With Other Bonds
In a post about a fan-made trailer that placed Pierce Brosnan in Spectre, a comment brings up the major difference between Brosnan's interpretation and Daniel Craig's. Psymon_Armour says that while Craig is cold-blooded, much like the Bond from the novels, Pierce Brosnan brought a suaveness to Bond and that they wouldn't fit in each other's styles.
"...Brosnan nailed the suave and sophisticated parts right up there in the discussion of the best of them. I don't think "Craig-Style" movies would suit Brosnan, and vice-versa, I don't think Craig would have been as good in GoldenEye." Brosnan just had a unique debonair quality that no other Bond ever had or has had sense, making him stand out amongst the crowd.
He Was The Hottest Bond
As pointed out in a post by FormerFruit, Pierce Brosnan is the hottest James Bond, simply stating "Pierce Brosnan was hands down the hottest Bond, IMO." Though as a few of the comments have pointed out, it's not that Brosnan has gotten ugly in his older age; in fact, quite the opposite.
It's just that the crew behind Brosnan's Bond movies took the character's visual appearance seriously, a job that Brosnan's natural good looks probably made a lot easier. Whether he is charming the ladies, making a Bond-like incredible escape, or firing at baddies with his Walther, Brosnan's 007 always looked good ding whatever dangerous stunt he was tasked with.
Three Out Of Four Of His Films Are Solid
In a post by DominicanBoi02, he ranks the Brosnan era James Bond films by stating "GoldenEye-Brosnan's best film IMO...Tomorrow Never Dies- Amazing action that keeps you entertained...The World Is Not Enough- Brosnan gives his best performance...Die Another Day- Messy film but there are things to be enjoyed."
Most of the commenters agreed that GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World Is Not Enough are either solid or just alright. The constant exception is obvious, the critically-derided Die Another Day, one of the worst Bonds, but for the most part, Brosnan's movies were consistently good and appealing to audiences.
He Gave His Best Performance In The World Is Not Enough
This one is a tad controversial, as The World Is Not Enough isn't everyone's favorite Brosnan-led Bond film, but there is one redeeming factor that most people agree on. In a poll about what film Pierce Brosnan gave his best performance in by T2-95, GoldenEye ranked highest, but The World Is Not Enough was the commenter's favorite.
hehe_nl's comment sheds some light on the subject "I agree, I think GoldenEye is his best Bond movie by far. But that wasn’t the question. His emotions with Elektra, his pain and anger he portrayed best in TWINE." As GoldenEye was Brosnan's first movie as Bond, he may have still been too new to the role to give a fleshed-out performance as he did in his third outing as 007, The World Is Not Enough.
He Was Fired Before He Could Redeem Himself
Die Another Day was not a good film, despite having some great action sequences in the Bond franchise, but that isn't Brosnan's fault. In a post asking why Brosnan was let go from the role of James Bond, ISayISayISay quoted a CBR article on the matter which stated that Brosnan was let go due to the critical failure of his last movie, not to mention his age as he was 49 when the movie was released.
Part of the quote states "The critical failings of Brosnan's fourth Bond movie set the stage for his departure. The final contributors, however, were the actor's age and his price tag. Brosnan was approaching 50 after Die Another Day and quickly reaching Moore's record of the oldest Bond actor at 58." It seems cruel that Brosnan wasn't given one more chance, especially when it was highly unlikely that his tenure would have outlasted Roger Moore's long run as 007.
He Modernized The Classic James Bond Formula
In a post discussing an A.V. Club article about how Brosnan's films were precursors for the Craig era's darker tone, 8to20 mentions an aspect of his films that most overlook. "By the time Brosnan was called the original Bond feel was gone...In GoldenEye, Brosnan's Bond is a Cold War relic and confronts a villain scarred by the past."
GoldenEye successfully rebooted a dated franchise, but it also paid tribute to what had come before, ushering Bond into a post-Cold War era and watching him struggle to find his way in a world that's left him behind. In a way, Brosnan established important characteristics of the modern conception of James Bond that Craig would later perfect.
GoldenEye Is An Amazing Movie
A post by RedTedWest sings the praises of GoldenEye, with the movie's feel resonating with the OP. "GoldenEye had the feel of a '70s Spy thriller; M even tells Bond he's a relic of the Cold War. It takes its time and allows the plot of General Ourumov and Trevelyan to build and reveal itself at a slower pace, but remains engaging."
RedTedWest also points out "GoldenEye juxtaposed with Die Another Day is really strange - Pierce Brosnan fully embodies Bond in a really strong entry before ending his run in one of the worst of the franchise." While true, GoldenEye still holds up a great Bond movie and one of the best action films of the 1990s. No matter what films came after it, the film still entertains both longtime fans and new viewers of the Bond franchise.
He Doesn't Think He Was That Good As Bond
A post on Reddit by NikKnack showcased an article by CinemaBlend where Brosnan shared his thoughts on his time as Her Majesty's favorite spy. In a candid interview, Brosnan confessed that he doesn't really think he was that good, a statement that many fans may be shocked by.
"I have no desire to watch myself as James Bond. ‘Cause, it’s just never good enough. It’s a horrible feeling." The commenters on Reddit strongly disagreed, with bipolar_sky_fairy saying "I don't think he was a bad Bond, I just think that after GoldenEye, he was served less than stellar films." While true, this doesn't diminish Brosnan's time as Bond. In fact, it s just how effective he was in the role. Although burdened with inferior scripts and questionable direction, Brosnan still made all four of his movies entertaining and appealing to the moviegoing audience.
