Tagarchief: Aston Martin

James Bond: Top 10 Vehicles

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

In anticipation of SPECTRE, FilmDungeon.com editor Jeppe Kleyngeld lists his favourite things about the James Bond series in 12 unique features. Enjoy!

10. BMW Z3
BMW Z3 2
Film: GOLDENEYE
Why Great? Who can explain it better than Q? Agile, five forward gears, all-point radar. Self-destruct system. And, naturally, all the usual refinements. Behind the headlights, Stinger missiles. It is a shame that this blue beauty is mostly driven by Bond’s CIA-buddy Jack Wade, and 007 told him ‘not to touch any buttons.’

9. British Balloon
British Baloon 1
Film: OCTOPUSSY
Why Great? This balloon is used to attack villain Kamal Khan’s hideout. Why is it great? We get to see Q in action for one thing. And it has her majesty’s flag, which is the best flag in the world, so thumbs up for this one, Q.

8. BMW 750iL
BMW 750Li 2
Film: TOMORROW NEVER DIES
Why Great? The look of the 750 is not the best BMW ever came up with, but the gadgetry Q came up with is. All the usual refinements – machine guns, a roof-mounted rocket launcher, self-sealing and re-inflating tires, a cable cutting device in the front hood emblem and a caltrop dispenser – are there. Add to that a GPS-tracking system with remote control. Bond uses it during a chase sequence in the Atlantic Hotel parking garage. Despite its armour that can easily withstand sledgehammer blows, the car sadly doesn’t make it to the end of the film.

7. Q’s Fishing Boat
Q's Fishing Boat 1
Film: THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
Why Great? Hey, it’s Q’s boat, need we say more? Well it’s green for one thing, and it can achieve 80mph on the water. During the making of THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, it was discovered only by accident that its 350 horsepower engines could literally force the bow of the boat under water. The move was subsequently written into the film.

6. Acrostar Jet
Acrostar Jet 2
Film: OCTOPUSSY
Why Great? The Acrostar Jet, also known as BD-5 Micro, is the world’s lightest jet aircraft. It has remarkable speed and Bond does the handling fantastically in the opening sequence of OCTOPUSSY. He manages to outmanoeuvre a heat seeking missile that he then uses to destroy the enemy base. He then takes it to the gas station. ‘Fill her up, please.’ Now, that’s James Bond.

5. Lotus Esprit
Lotus Esprit 1
Film: THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
Why Great? Another great car with a few amazing accessories, very suitable for this marine oriented entry in the Bond series. It is a small submarine as well as a super fast sports car. And naturally, it is loaded with missiles for uninvited guests.

4. Aston Martin Vanquish
Aston Martin Vanquish 1
Film: DIE ANOTHER DAY
Why Great? Bond’s favourite car now has adaptive camouflage. Tiny camera’s on all sides project the image they see onto a light-emitting polymer skin on the opposite side. Furthermore is has all the usual features PLUS added target seeking shotguns. Not bad for a new Q (John Cleese took over from Desmond Llewelyn in this movie).

3. Jetpack
Jetpack 1
Film: THUNDERBALL
Why Great? Bond uses the jetpack during an escape from gunmen in the pre-credit sequence of THUNDERBALL. It just comes so unexpected, which makes it surprising besides spectacular. The Jetpack is actually a Bell Aerosystems Rocketbelt model, a fully functional rocket pack device. It was designed for use in the army, but was rejected because of its short flying time of approximately 21 seconds. Powered by hydrogen peroxide, it could fly about 250 meters and reach a maximum altitude of 18 meters, going 55 kilometres an hour and providing 1000 brake horsepower. Despite its impracticality in the real world, the Jetpack makes a spectacular debut in THUNDERBALL.

2. Little Nellie
Little Nellie 2
Film: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Why Great? Little Nellie and her father Q arrive in Japan halfway YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE to aid Bond in his mission. Once Little Nellie is put together, it appears to be a toy helicopter, but it’s certainly not. She is equipped with two machine guns, two rockets launchers that fire heat seeking air-to-air missiles, two flame throwers firing astern, two smoke ejectors and a bunch of aerial mines, only to use directly above target. Little Nellie is ready for action and she gets some soon after. Nice.

1. Aston Martin DB5
Aston Martin DB5 2
Films: GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL, GOLDENEYE, TOMMOROW NEVER DIES, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, CASINO ROYALE, SKYFALL

Why Great? The Aston Martin is perhaps Bond’s most famous ride. It is just a fine and classy automobile. Off course, Bond’s model usually features some Q modifications. As described in GOLDFINGER: Windscreen bulletproof, as are the side and rear windows. Revolving number plates valid in all countries. A tracking device. Smoke screen, oil slick and left and right front wing machine guns. The highlight according to ‘Q’: The passenger ejector seat, which Bond puts to good use in GOLDFINGER. The car gets an occasional upgrade in later films.

Aston Martin DB5 1

 

Read also:

10 Greatest Henchmen
James Bond: 10 Greatest Henchmen

Top 20 Action Sequences
James Bond: Top 20 Action Sequences

The James Bond Films Rated From Worst To Best (Top 10)
The James Bond Films Rated From Worst To Best (Top 10)

The Cannonball Run

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Hal Needham
Written by: Brock Yates
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett

Year / Country: 1981, USA
Running Time: 95 mins.

Stuntman / director Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds were box office gold back in the late seventies / early eighties. The first two Smokey and the Bandit films, made in 1977 and 1980, had been a gigantic success. Now the time had come to make their Citizen Kane.

The screenplay for The Cannonball Run was written by car magazine journalist Brock Yates, who organized the real Cannonball Run in 1971. The story of this cross country race was the subject of two earlier racing films: The Gumball Rally and Cannonball!, both released in 1976.

The has-been racer J.J. McClure (Reynolds) and his counterpart Captain Chaos (DeLuise) participate in the Cannonball Run, a race from Connecticut to California (the record is 36 hours). They drive a Dodge Tradesman Ambulance and to appear legitimate in order to fool law enforcement, they take along Doctor Van Helsing and the attractive fake patient Pamela Glover (Farrah Fawcett), for whom J.J. has a thing.

The usual silliness ensues involving Reynolds’ team and many colorful competitors. Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin are dressed up as priests and Roger Moore plays a guy who thinks he is… Roger Moore. He participates in the race with James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, installed with the usual gadgets. Then there is also Jackie Chan, a couple of sheiks and a brief performance by Peter Fonda reprising his Easy Rider character. These supporting parts are often funny and the best thing about this film.

There is also action and stunt work to enjoy as you might expect from Needham. In a pretty hilarious scene in the beginning, Reynolds and DeLuise land an airplane in a shopping street to buy some beer. Another example is a massive brawl in which Jackie Chan demonstrates his martial arts abilities. So is this indeed Needham’s Citizen Kane? In some way: yes. Although the slapstick elements are flawed and Reynolds and especially DeLuise have some corny humor at times, the overall tone is right and there is plenty to enjoy. Don’t expect anything too subtle though.

Rating:

Biography: Hal Needham (1931 – 2013) served in the Korean war before becoming a stuntman. His break came in 1957 with TV western Have Gun – Will Travel as stunt double for Richard Boone. In the sixties he became a top stuntman working on western hit movies such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, How the West Was Won and Donovan’s Reef. In his long career, Needham also worked on many TV-shows including Gunsmoke, Rawhide and Black Saddle. In the seventies he became stunt coordinator on several Burt Reynolds movies. He made his debut as a director in 1977 with Smokey and the Bandit. It became a massive hit. Throughout the next two decades he made many follow-ups and similar films usually starring Reynolds. In the nineties, his work consisted mostly of TV projects including four Bandit TV films.

Filmography: Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), The Villain (1979), Death Car on the Freeway (1979, TV), Stunts Unlimited (1980, TV), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), The Stockers (1981, TV), The Stockers (1981, TV), Megaforce (1982), Stroker Ace (1983), Cannonball Run II (1984), Rad (1986), Body Slam (1986), B.L. Stryker (1990, TV episode), Bandit: Bandit Goes Country (1994, TV), Bandit: Bandit Bandit (1994, TV), Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit (1994, TV), Bandit: Bandit’s Silver Angel (1994, TV), Street Luge (1996), Hard Time: Hostage Hotel (1999, TV)