Revisited - Dr. No (1962)

Last week has been a very busy week for myself with me starting my new job including working basically every day for 8 hours straight but with this week, I think I got the hand of it finally and am now back on track for at least the most part. So this week or rather last week, I wanted to honer the late great Sir Sean Connery with reviewing the movie that made him a star, Dr. No. Sir Sean Connery was a great actor and man did he kill it when he portrayed suave spy James Bond. He looked the part and sure acted the part as if the role was made for him. It's no wonder that previous Bond actors as well as the current one, Daniel Craig, looked to him when they needed a starting point on how to portray the character. Sir Sean Connery was to James Bond like how Michael J. Fox was to Marty Mcfly or Christopher Reeve to Superman. They were all born to play the part that was written for them and like the others, Sir Sean Connery became the character and excelled in every step of the way.

With older films and with this one that is close to sixty years ago, It's almost awe-inspiring to say the least when you watch. Nowadays films are made to make money and I'm not saying that wasn't the case before but people now make sequels and sequels that degrade with each iteration without batting a eye while they count there cash. Of course there is examples that differ from that but Quintin Tarantino said it best when that older films just gave off a different vibe as well as making you glued to the screen while watching it. Dr. No is a great film but I wouldn't say it's the best bond film to which I think that award goes to Skyfall or Goldfinger to which Sir Sean Connery really shines but nevertheless this movie does it's job in introducing the world to not only Bond, James Bond but Sir Sean Connery.

Dr. No is a 1962 spy film directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, and Jack Lord, it is the first film in the James Bond series, and was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, a partnership that continued until 1975.In the film, James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow British agent. The trail leads him to the underground base of Dr. No, who is plotting to disrupt an early American space launch from Cape Canaveral with a radio beam weapon. Although it was the first of the Bond books to be made into a film, Dr. No was not the first of Fleming's novels. Casino Royale was the debut for the character; however, the film makes a few references to threads from earlier books. This film makes reference to later books in the series as well, such as the criminal organisation SPECTRE, which was not introduced until the 1961 novel Thunderball.

Produced on a low budget, Dr. No was a financial success. While the film received a mixed critical reaction upon release, it has gained a reputation over time as one of the series' best instalments. Dr. No also launched a genre of "secret agent" films that flourished in the 1960s. The film also spawned a comic book adaptation and soundtrack album as part of its promotion and marketing.Many aspects of a typical James Bond film were established in Dr. No: the film begins with an introduction to the character through the view of a gun barrel and a highly stylised main title sequence, both of which were created by Maurice Binder. It also established the iconic "James Bond" theme music. Production designer Ken Adam established an elaborate visual style that is one of the hallmarks of the film series.

John Strangways, an MI6 Station Chief based in Jamaica, is murdered by a trio of assassins, along with his secretary, before his home is ransacked. When news reaches M, the head of MI6, that Strangways has vanished, he assigns agent James Bond to investigate the matter and determine if it is related to Strangways' decision to co-operate on a CIA case involving the disruption of rocket launches from Cape Canaveral by radio jamming. When Bond arrives in Jamaica, he is immediately accosted by a man claiming to be a chauffeur sent to collect him, but who is really an enemy agent sent to kill him. Before Bond can interrogate him, following a struggle, the agent kills himself with a cyanide capsule. After visiting Strangways' house, Bond confronts a boatman that Strangways was acquainted with. The boatman, named Quarrel, reveals that he is aiding the CIA and introduces Bond to CIA agent Felix Leiter, who is also investigating Strangways' disappearance.

Bond inquires about the CIA case and learns from Felix that the CIA traced the radio jamming signal to Jamaica and that Strangways was helping to pinpoint its exact origins. Quarrel reveals that before Strangways disappeared, the pair collected mineral samples from an island called Crab Key. Upon finding a receipt from a local geologist, Professor R.J. Dent, Bond makes inquires with him about the samples and Crab Key but is suspicious of his answers when he claims the samples checked out as normal. Following the meeting, Dent travels to Crab Key to meet its reclusive owner, whom he works for, to inform him of Bond's visit. Under strict instructions, Dent attempts to have Bond killed with a tarantula. However, Bond kills the spider and then sets a trap for Dent. When the geologist arrives, Bond holds him at gunpoint, revealing that he believed Dent was asked to check Strangways' samples to see if they were radioactive, before killing him.

After checking Quarrel's boat with a Geiger counter, Bond determines that he must have suspected that the radio jamming was coming from Crab Key, and so convinces Quarrel to take him out there. The following day, after arriving, Bond meets with Honey Ryder while she is collecting shells. Without warning, Bond is forced to take Ryder with him and escape with Quarrel into the swamp when armed men suddenly show up. When nightfall arrives, the group encounter a flamethrower-equipped tank that locals claimed was a "dragon", which incinerates Quarrel. In the chaos, Bond and Ryder are kidnapped and taken to a hidden base, whereupon they are swiftly put into decontamination after they learn the swamp was contaminated with radiation. After being led to some private quarters set up for them, the pair are rendered unconscious with drugged coffee.

Upon awakening, the pair are escorted to dine with the base's owner Dr. No - a Chinese-German criminal scientist who has prosthetic metal hands due to radiation exposure. While dining with him, Bond learns that Dr. No was a former member of a Chinese crime Tong, until he stole $10 million in gold, and now works as an operative of the secret organisation SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion). Bond learns that the radio jamming being conducted by Dr. No is being planned to disrupt the Project Mercury space launch at Cape Canaveral using a radio beam, in hopes of creating a war between the Americans and Russians. When Bond refuses to join SPECTRE, Dr. No has Ryder taken away and Bond imprisoned. However, Bond manages to escape his cell through an air vent and disguises himself as a worker, before infiltrating the base's control centre.

Bond discovers that the radio beam being prepared to disrupt the launch is powered by a nuclear pool reactor, and quickly overloads it as the launch commences. Dr. No attempts to stop him but is knocked into the reactor pool and killed. As the base's personnel evacuate, Bond finds and frees Ryder before the two escape the island by boat, moments before the base is destroyed. Felix eventually finds the pair adrift at sea, after their boat runs out of fuel, and has them towed to safety by a Royal Navy ship. However, as Ryder shares a kiss with him, Bond lets go of the tow rope in order to embrace her.

Overall, this movie is worth a watch not only if you love James Bond but also if you just love spy movies or the occasional classic. Not only that but it's more timely than ever to pay homage and honor to the memory of the late great Sir Sean Connery and so I myself am going to do a movie marathon on James Bond which of course starts with the man himself. Later this week I also plan on make a post more dedicated on the man but I saw fit in reviewing one of his movies as well and what better way than to start where it all started. Rest in peace and love Sir Sean Connery, you did what may few do and left a great mark on this world. This has been Revisited, thanks for reading. Ricardo Signing Off