# Roger Moore was pretty cold blooded as Bond **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547 "2019-09-01T06:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/1 "2019-09-01T06:44:31Z")
Rewatching some of the Roger Moore era Bond films recently, its quite striking just how cold-blooded he can be, despite his era supposedly being more light-hearted. We have metioned examples here earlier (in _For Your Eyes_ he kicks a henchman down a cliff and in _The Man with the Golden Gun_ he slaps Anders until she tells him), but in all his films he has moments. Sure Craig and Dalton and Connery look more scary and intimidating at first glance and are in fact, but compare it with the internal POV. Moore Bond comes across as a somehwhat quirky middle aged Gent and suddenly, without warning a target finds themselves being ruthlessly disposed off. More effective. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/2 "2019-09-01T13:09:28Z")
One thing that Connery (and Lazenby) did that none of the others would or could were the in your face, non quick cut, one on one fights. Against Robert Shaw in From Russia, against the South American thug in Goldfinger, against the smuggler in Diamonds…they had the size and believablility to pull them off. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/3 "2019-09-01T13:33:02Z")
in the novels, Bond did not joke about killing. Moore’s Bond did. I’m uneasy about that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/4 "2019-09-01T13:38:11Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > in the novels, Bond did not joke about killing. > > Moore’s Bond did. > > I’m uneasy about that. But his appearances were bookended by Connery’s Bond (who, as far as I can tell, joked about killing) and Dalton’s Bond (who, as far as I can tell, didn’t joke about _much,_ but, yeah, killing made the short list). Why single out Moore? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/5 "2019-09-01T13:48:08Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > One thing that Connery (and Lazenby) did that none of the others would or could were the in your face, non quick cut, one on one fights. Against Robert Shaw in From Russia, against the South American thug in Goldfinger, against the smuggler in Diamonds…they had the size and believablility to pull them off. Portrayer: height Sean Connery: 6’2" David Niven: 6’0" George Lazenby: 6’2" Roger Moore: 6’1" Timothy Dalton: 6’2" Pierce Brosnan: 6’1" Daniel Craig: 5’10" ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/6 "2019-09-01T14:09:46Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Portrayer: height > > Sean Connery: 6’2" > David Niven: 6’0" > George Lazenby: 6’2" > Roger Moore: 6’1" > Timothy Dalton: 6’2" > Pierce Brosnan: 6’1" > Daniel Craig: 5’10" Connery was a street kid from Aberdeen and Lazenby was an Aussie special forcer. They could believably pull off a hand to hand fight to the death. The others not so much. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/7 "2019-09-01T14:24:27Z")
Moore had been in the Army as well. And we saw in _ **ffokes** _ that he absolutely could play the hard fighter. My point is that in his Bond portrayal he purposefully made the character look docile to others, which is why they were so easily caught out when he started beating them up. Craig’s Bond _looks_ like a special forces type when you see him. Moore’s Bond looks like a dandy. A toff. When he gets dangerous people are surprised. And anyway in a list of “Most Assholish thing 007 has ever done”, Moore’s Bond has most of the spots sown up. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/8 "2019-09-01T14:35:36Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Moore had been in the Army as well. And we saw in _ **ffokes** _ that he absolutely could play the hard fighter. I was about to post my recollection, but I thought I’d [verify](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_Hijack) first. My recollection was correct: > [@](#): > > This film was a vehicle for both Moore and Perkins to try to escape typecasting. Previously, Moore had been practically typecast as a womanising, happy-go-lucky playboy in such series as The Saint, The Persuaders! and James Bond. In contrast to those parts, he portrays a bearded, eccentric, arrogant, cat-loving misogynist with master strategist skills. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/9 "2019-09-01T14:46:07Z")
The coldest throwaway Moore Bond death, from Moonraker, was the girl he slept with the get information that Dax had killed the next day. Bond never even knew he caused her death. I wonder if it even would have matter to him if he know. That’s cold. In ffolkes I suspected ffolkes wasn’t just misogynist, but maybe gay. And maybe his men, too. “My people know their way around a man’s anatomy!” I’ll bet they do. So it would have made an interesting conflict with the gay hero facing off against a gay villain. Anti Bond. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/10 "2019-09-01T14:53:43Z")
Since _ **ffolkes** _ was heavily based on [Mike Calvert,](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-brigadier-michael-calvert-1188603.html) I suspect it’s more than just “maybe”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/11 "2019-09-01T15:22:29Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The coldest throwaway Moore Bond death, from Moonraker, was the girl he slept with the get information that Dax had killed the next day. Bond never even knew he caused her death. I wonder if it even would have matter to him if he know. That’s cold. Moore’s Bond arguably raped Solitaire with a shrug. That’s pretty danged cold. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/12 "2019-09-01T16:28:21Z")
Doesn’t Dalton try and kill that female cello player? If i recall, or says he’s going to. Craig is briefly fine with letting Vesper die. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/13 "2019-09-01T16:37:04Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Moore’s Bond arguably raped Solitaire with a shrug. > > . Raped her with a shrug? Was she sitting on his face at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/14 "2019-09-01T22:35:52Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Connery was a street kid from Aberdeen Edinburgh. ---
**Author:** ![Crossbreed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Crossbreed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crossbreed)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/15 "2019-09-02T00:05:22Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Doesn’t Dalton try and kill that female cello player…? That was a major plot point in that story. It was business as usual, but he had enough respect for innocence that he couldn’t go through with it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/16 "2019-09-02T00:12:57Z")
> [@Crossbreed](#): > > That was a major plot point in that story. It was business as usual, but he had enough respect for innocence that he couldn’t go through with it. Heck, it’s the point of the title: _“Stuff my orders; I only kill professionals; that girl didn’t know one end of a rifle from the other. Go ahead, tell M what you want; if he fires me, I’ll thank him for it.”_ [pauses as he ponders what he did instead of killing her] _“Whoever she was, I must have scared the living daylights out of her.”_ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/17 "2019-09-02T00:14:24Z")
Connery could be pretty cold-blooded as Bond, too. Witness his killing of Professor DEnt in his very first Bond film, _Dr. No_. Dent has just tried to assassinate Bond by shooting him in his sleep, only to find that Bond had set a decoy, and has turned the tables, knocking the gun out of his hand. As Bond interrogates him about No, Dent spies the gun nearby and tries to get it without Bond (who seems not to be paying attention) noticing. He finally snags the gun and pulls it on Bond, who doesn’t react as Dent pulls the trigger, finding the gun empty. “That’s a Smith and Wesson,” he says, nonchalantly, “And you’ve had your six.” Then he easily pulls the trigger on his own gun, killing Dent. Admittedly, Dent had just tried to assassinate him, but it really is pretty cold to kill essentially an unarmed man like that. The Double 0 branch operates under a different set of rules, evidently. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/18 "2019-09-02T00:16:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Heck, it’s the point of the title: _“Stuff my orders; I only kill professionals; that girl didn’t know one end of a rifle from the other. Go ahead, tell M what you want; if he fires me, I’ll thank him for it.”_ [pauses as he ponders what he did instead of killing her] _“Whoever she was, I must have scared the living daylights out of her.”_ In this case, the movie follows precisely the plot of the original story. In Fleming’s short story, Bond did see the female assassin, who transported the gun in her instrument case, and adjusted his aim at the last second to avoid killing her. His companion noticed this and said he’d have to report Bond’s actions, and Bond replied with pretty much the same words. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/19 "2019-09-02T01:27:55Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The coldest throwaway Moore Bond death, from Moonraker, was the girl he slept with the get information that Dax had killed the next day. Bond never even knew he caused her death. I wonder if it even would have matter to him if he know. That’s cold. Craig’s Bond in Casino Royal seduced Solange, Le Chiffre’s wife. She was later found dead in the hammock: > [@](#): > > James Bond : What makes your husband a bad man? > > Solange : His nature, I suppose. > > James Bond : The nature of his work? > > Solange : The mystery, I’m afraid. I’m also afraid you will sleep with me in order to get to him. > > James Bond : How afraid? > > Solange : Oh, not enough to stop. > > Solange : Apparently, he’s on the last flight to Miami. So, you have all night to question me. > > James Bond : In that case, we’re gonna need - some more champagne. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547/20 "2019-09-02T02:46:40Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Connery could be pretty cold-blooded as Bond, too. Witness his killing of Professor DEnt in his very first Bond film, _Dr. No_. Dent has just tried to assassinate Bond by shooting him in his sleep, only to find that Bond had set a decoy, and has turned the tables, knocking the gun out of his hand. As Bond interrogates him about No, Dent spies the gun nearby and tries to get it without Bond (who seems not to be paying attention) noticing. He finally snags the gun and pulls it on Bond, who doesn’t react as Dent pulls the trigger, finding the gun empty. > > “That’s a Smith and Wesson,” he says, nonchalantly, “And you’ve had your six.” > > Then he easily pulls the trigger on his own gun, killing Dent. > > Admittedly, Dent had just tried to assassinate him, but it really is pretty cold to kill essentially an unarmed man like that. The Double 0 branch operates under a different set of rules, evidently. Even better in the movie, and it must have been shocking for a 1962 movie audience, Bond not only shoots the unarmed Dent, he puts another shot into his back to make sure Dent’s dead. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cns2HKn0tDk](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cns2HKn0tDk) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-moore-was-pretty-cold-blooded-as-bond/839547.md?page=2)