Dr. No

An extraordinary manifesto for not just the longest-running film series to date, but for an entire genre. People often forget just how important in the grand scheme of things a first film is, and how it was so requisite that Sean Connery had to be just right, the Bond girls, the action, music cues, opening scene, credits sequence, etc. Even though recently, Daniel Craig has at least captivated audiences to almost the same extent, he only reminded me of Connery's endearing qualities, and through …

John Chard

April 30, 2019

8/10

The Americans are fools. I offered my services, they refused. So did the East. Now they can both pay for their mistake. Dr. No is directed by Terence Young and co-adapted to screenplay by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood & Berkely Mather from the novel of the same name written by Ian Fleming. It stars Sean Connery, Joseph Wiseman, Ursula Andress, Jack Lord & John Kitzmiller. Music is by Monty Norman and cinematography by Ted Moore. And so it all began here, what was until Harry Potter ar…

Wuchak

May 18, 2021

8/10

_**Say YES to “Dr. No”**_ After an MI6 chief & his secretary are murdered in Jamaica, agent 007 (Sean Connery) is sent to investigate. He teams-up with a boatman (John Kitzmiller) with focus on a mysterious nearby island owned by a shady German-Chinese mogul (Joseph Wiseman). Jack Lord is on hand as a CIA agent and Ursula Andress as a shell diver Based on Ian Fleming’s 1958 novel, “Dr. No” (1962) was the beginning of the never-ending James Bond franchise and features the common staples: Th…

GenerationofSwine

January 11, 2023

10/10

It's the one that started it all isn't it? So of course there is that faction that says that Dr. No is the all time best 007 movie ever made... because credit I guess. I still like the From Russia with Love v Goldfinger debate. But what you have in Dr. No is the true, pompous, womanizing, alcoholic, chain smoking, gambling, brand conscious cold blooded assassin 007... you know, the Bond that we are SUPPOSED to have. The Bond that was intended to be written. He's the ultimate Bond becaus…

drystyx

April 4, 2023

6/10

Dr. No finds Sean Connery as a heroic spy named Bond. James Bond 007 to his comrades. While this is in the stage of Bond movies being spy movies, there is a hint of the extravagant classic films that follow. We don't quite get too many exotic locales, but we get a hint of them, and a hint of the beautiful women and of Bond's morality in a world of hate. Bond kills to stop killers. There's actual morality in his violence. Ursula Andress is quite striking. She isn't the hottest of the babes …

CinemaSerf

May 30, 2024

7/10

This first cinema outing for James Bond is actually quite lucky it managed to spawn any sequels at all... Sean Connery is suave and debonair as the British Secret Agent dispatched to Jamaica to investigate a mysterious murder with potentially far more serious repercussions. Ursula Andress is great as the first "Bond girl" but the film itself is a bit short on substance. It's pretty light on action, the script a little too innuendo-ridden and Dr. No hardly features at all - when he does he hardly…

Dr. No is one of the most iconic and best Bond films. If it wasn't for this we wouldn't have Goldfinger or The Spy Who Loved Me or Casino Royale or GoldenEye, this film needs more love and appreciation.

JPV852

June 7, 2025

8/10

Good first entry in the long-running franchise featuring fun action and an amazing suave performance from Sean Connery, to go along with the stunning beauty of Ursula Andress in that iconic swimsuit. I hadn't seen this one in many years and still is so entertaining even if the titular Dr. No wasn't terribly memorable. **3.75/5**