Casino Royale (1953) – James Bond, agent 007 of the British Secret Service is assigned the job of beating the man known as Le Chiffre, an known agent of the Soviet assassination bureau SMERSH, in a high stakes card game at a French casino. The service hopes that Le Chiffire’s gambling debts, financed with SMERSH money, will lead the Soviets to assassinate him. For the mission Bond is accompanied by the beautiful Vesper Lynd, and the two become lovers, but Bond is unaware that she is a Russian double agent under orders to make sure that Bond doesn’t escape le Chiffre’s clutches. [CRn]
Live And Let Die (1954) – Bond is sent to investigate “Mr. Big”, an underworld voodoo leader who is suspected by M of financing Soviet spy operations in America. During the investigation Bond’s friend, CIA gent Felix Leiter is captured and fed to a shark leaving him permanently maimed. Bond absconds with Mr. Big’s fortune teller, Solitaire, and the two are recaptured in Jamacia and are about to be keel-hauled when Mr. Big’s boat explodes thanks to a limpet mine that Bond had planted earlier. [LALADn]
Moonraker (1955) – Bond proves that multi-millionaire industrialist Hugo Drax is a card cheat. To try and find out why he gets himself seconded to Drax’s Moonraker missile project being built to defend the UK against its Cold War enemies. Bond uncovers the truth that Drax is an ex-Nazi and that he plans to use the missile to destroy London. [MOONn]
Diamonds Are Forever (1956) – Bond is tasked with infiltrating a smuggling ring, which is running diamonds from African mines to the United States. Bond’s job is to travel down the “pipeline” as far as he can and find out who is behind it all. Under the name of Peter Franks, he meets a mysterious “go-between” named Tiffany Case, with whom he falls in love. Bond discovers that the smuggling ring is operated by a ruthless American gang called “The Spangled Mob”, and the pipeline ends in Las Vegas at a ghost town named “Spectreville”. [DAFn]
From Russia With Love (1957) – SMERSH lays a trap for Bond by setting pretty young cipher clerk, Corporal Tatiana Romanova, to pretend to defect from her post in Istanbul, claiming to have fallen in love with Bond after a glimpse from his file photograph. As an added incentive, Tatiana will provide the British agent with a Spektor decoder. As Bond and Tatiana flee on the Orient Express train Bond becomes engaged in a brutal fight to the death with SMERSH assassin Grant. [FRWLn]
Dr No (1958) – Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of Strangways, the head of a station in Kingston. Strangways had been investigating the activities of a Dr. No. Bond discovers that Dr. No, who ostensibly operates a business harvesting and exporting guano, is in fact working with the Russians to sabotage nearby American missile tests. [DRNOn]
Goldfinger (1959) – Bond encounters an old friend who hires him to confirm that he is being cheated at cards by a man called Auric Goldfinger. Later Goldfinger’s name comes up in relation to a possible case of gold smuggling. Bond follows Goldfinfer and eventually finds himself recruited into Goldfinger’s circle where he is included in Goldfinger’s plans to rob Fort Knox. [GFn]
From A View To A Kill (1959) (short) – While taking a break in Paris Bond is sent to investigate the murder of an army dispatch-rider who was carrying intelligence documents. To unravel the mystery Bond disguises himself as a dispatch-rider and follows the same journey as the previous rider. The assassin attempts to kill Bond, however, Bond is ready and ends up killing the assassin, and uncovering his base of operations hidden in an old gypsy encampment. [FAVTAKss]
Quantum Of Solace (1959) (short) – While at a boring dinner party one of Bond’s remarks prompts his host to tell an intriguing tale of a doomed relationship. Bond is later surprised to learn that one of the participants in the story was one of the dinner guests. [QOSss]
The Hildebrand Rarity (1960) (short) – While vacationing in the Seychelles islands with Bond is introduced to objectionable and sadistic millionaire Milton Krest, who is in search of a rare fish. Krest invites Bond to join him and his young wife Elizabeth in the hunt for the fish. A hunt that ultimately proves fatal for Krest. [HRss]
For Your Eyes Only (1960) (short) – M gives Bond a voluntary assignment to extract revenge of a Cuban hitman who has murdered friends of his. When Bond tracks the hitman to his hideout he finds out that the murdered couple’s daughter has got there first with her own plans for vengeance. [FYEOss]
Risico (1960) (short) – Bond is sent by M to investigate a drug smuggling operation based out of Italy. The investigation places Bond in the middle of a feud between two former patriots, Kristatos and Columbo and is forced to pick sides. [RISss]
Thunderball (1961) – While at the Shrubland’s health clinic Bond stumbles onto events linked to SPECTRE’s plans to steal two nuclear devices and hold NATO to ransom. Bond is sent to the Bahamas where he encounters SPECTRE agent Emil Largo, and traces the stolen bombs. [TBn]
The Living Daylights (1962) (short) – Bond is assigned as a sniper to cover the escape of a Russian defector known only as “272.” MI6 has reports that a KGB assassin known as “Trigger” has been ordered to kill “272.” Bond is surprised to discover that “Trigger” is a beautiful woman. Instead of killing her Bond shots the butt of her rifle to stop her firing. While “272” escapes unharmed the mission is deemed a failure. [TLDss]
The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) – Bond is sent to Canada to assist in the capture of a suspected SPECTRE agent. On completion of that mission while en-route to Washington DC his car suffers a blow out and he finds himself at the Dreamy Pines Motor Lodge, where he interrupts a dangerous insurance scam in progress and rescues Vivienne Michel from two mob enforcers. [SWLMn]
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963) – After Bond saves the life of Contessa Teresa (Tracy) di Vincnzo her father, Marc-Ange Drace, the head of the Union Corse criminal organization offers Bond a million dollars to marry her. Bond refuses but asks Draco to help him find Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. Information leads Bond to Blofeld’s clinic in the alps where he is brainwashing a selection of British girls to unconsciously launch a biological weapons attack on British food and wildlife stocks on their return to the UK. Despite Bond’s best efforts Blofeld escapes, but his clinic is destroyed and his biological warfare plans thwarted. A short while later Bond and Tracy marry, but as they drive away from their wedding they are attacked in a drive by shooting by Blofeld and Tracy is killed. [OHMSSn]
007 In New York (1963) (short) – Bond is sent by M to New York to warn an ex-Secret Service field officer that her boyfriend has been discovered to be a KGB agent. [007NYss]
Property Of A Lady (1963) (short) – During an auction at Sotheby’s Bond helps uncover the identity of the KGB’s Resident Director in the UK. [POALss]
You Only Live Twice (1964) – Bond is sent to Japan to try and convince the head of the Japanese secret service, Tiger Tanaka, to share information he has about the Soviet Union. Tiger and Bond form a deep friendship and Tiger agrees to Bond’s request, if Bond will carry out one task. Kill a Dr. Shatterhand, who is operating a politically embarrassing ‘Garden of Death’ where people go to commit suicide. Bond is amazed to discover that Shatterhand is in fact Blofeld and is happy to set out on his own revenge. Bond infiltrates Blofeld’s castle. Eventually facing Blofeld in a sword duel Bond kills his nemesis, but as he escapes he suffers a head injury that leaves him with no memories. Eventually Bond comes across a mention of Vladivostok in a paper and it starts to spark memories of his past life. A life he sets off to rediscover. [YOLTn]
Octopussy (1965) (short) – Bond undertakes a personal mission to Jamaica to confront a Major Dexter Smythe, who Bond has discovered murdered his childhood ski-instructor at the war’s end while stealing a cache of Nazi gold. [OPss]
The Man With The Golden Gun (1965) – A year after his disappearance James Bond reappears in London and tries to assassinate M. The assassination plot is foiled and it is revealed that Bond was brain washed by the KGB after he traveled to Vladivostok to recover his memory. Once deprogrammed M sends Bond on an apparent suicide mission to take out the renowned Cuban backed gunman Francisco Scramanga, also known as The Man With The Golden Gun. Bond locates Scaramanga in Jamaica and manages to get himself hired as a minder/personal assistant. Eventually Bond’s cover is blown and Sacramanga tries to kill him. After a gun battle on a train, the two face off in a swamp. Bond eventually kills Scaramanga but, once again, is severely wounded. [MGGn]
The James Bond Lexicon 