What's the best Bond movie that isn't actually a Bond movie?

Maybe Charade.

Hmmm probably Mission Impossible, for a few reasons:

• They're action movies, but not explicitly. Bond films are more about espionage, and the action is more just...something that happens, it feels like. Same with M:I movies; they try to be sneaky, but sometimes shit just has to get blown up.
• Gadgets! Can't have a Bond movie without gadgets! Same applies to M:I movies. Fancy CIA poisons, really neat masks, moving reflective stealth projector screens, and most importantly...self-destructing mission briefings.
• Classy. Bond movies always had Bond travelling to neat international locations and dressing well and meeting fancy people. M:I is the same; the crew always going to cool locations and dealing with fancy, lovely people.
• Babes. Now M:I isn't quite the same as Bond in this regard, but it does tend to feel like the M:I movies always have a babe in them, of some kind, for each feature film. Eventually it was his wife but I recall there being like at least five "M:I babes".

Mission Impossible movies.

I've always gone with the head cannon that Sean Connery was an old James Bond in The Rock, but it isn't really a Bond style movie. Mission Impossible is probably the better call.

I have always found Jason Bourne to be way better than James bond.

James bonds seems way too formulaic, repetitive and boring.

Mission Impossible.

Atomic Blonde would be my favorite of those listed. A very 80s stylish spy vs spy Cold War espionage thriller set in Berlin. Just enough gratuitous sex appeal and action but not so much to cheapen it. Excellent soundtrack and set design. And that unforgettably awesome longshot fight sequence in the second half makes it worth watching all by itself. Both Charlize Theron and James McCavoy are great in it.

I'd highly recommend Hanna if you liked Atomic Blonde (the original 2011 film, not the Amazon series). Also a very stylish designed espionage thriller. Great soundtrack too created by The Chemical Brothers. Saoirse Ronan totally owned that role, and Cate Blanchett also played a great evil wench in it.

For me it's the Mission Impossible films.

Yea, don't think I agree with that take.

I mean, take The Spy Who Loved Me. Open an epic stunt, fantastic credits, goes on to a villain with a sea base where he feeds a traitor to a shark, get an iconic henchman, Bond chased around from a helicopter babe trying to kill him in his sportscars, that turns into a submarine.

A movie like that is like a tickbox of fun for me. Something put on at the weekend now and again.

Say Jason Bourne retroactive influenced Bond, specifically Craig era. It's why I don't like it beyond Skyfall. Very miserable and more grounded.

The last move has him interact with this monotone woman he had a baby with, weird robot drama, they have the relationship of two cardboard boxes. At the end when he does die it's less "god, what a hero!" and more "God, thank **** this shit is over!" he looks legitimately glad his horror has ended.

Ana de Armas was good though, she seemed to not realize she wasn't suppose to look like she was enjoying herself.

Austin Powers. For real. Sure it's a parody but it's a damn good one, one of the best comedies of the decade, even if it's not everyone's kind of thing. And I do like Bond movies. Another one that's not mentioned is John Wick, maybe not a Bond movie per se but it's intentionally pretentious and still works well.

@PfizersaurusRex: Yea prob should have listed that. Lot of Bond "not Bond" aren't actually action movies but parodies.

Speaking of which, was trying to get my moneys worth with Disney+ and went on a Jason Statham marathon (Stathaton), def list Transporter 2 up there. Extremely Bond like, goofy Moore era stuff.

It's weird cause the first movie he's basically a criminal, driving bank robbers, dealing drugs, and happily trafficking people in a car boot. But by 2 he's basically James Bond with emphasis on car. French dude his M. Who's there for no reason lol

Goes from a action crime story in the first one, to a Bond villain with a super virus and henchmen.

Why aren't the Bourne movies on the list?

@adrian1480: Other

Bourne redefined the genre. That's what the Craig films imitated.

The answer is obvious: If Looks Could Kill

Richard Grieco's masterpiece.

Johnny English and Austin Powers naturally.

Naked Gun

@sargentd: Know trying to be off-topic, but he was in a James Bond spoof. With a badly photoshopped head. Although I do like the touch of the extra hand for no reason.

@uninspiredcup said:

@sargentd: Know trying to be off-topic, but he was in a James Bond spoof. With a badly photoshopped head. Although I do like the touch of the extra hand for no reason.

Yeah Spy hard makes more sense, spy spoof where naked Gun is more spoof of FBI/Cops, but technically in the opening scene of the first naked Gun movie Leslie is a spy undercover and single handedly beats up all the foreign dictators in one room while they were plotting to defeat America.

@sargentd: Oh right, get you now. Though still kinda not seeing it. But just rando thread whatever, so yea, go for that.

I like the Untouchables opening. That OJ Simpson guy is great. Miss movies like this, get those scary movies, epic bla bla, but they suck ass compared to Naked Gun.

Lololol God bless oj for catching those babies, the best part is when he gets he starts his touchdown dance holding the baby and almost spikes the baby in the middle of his excitement lol

Yeah man, love the naked Gun movies. All jokes aside tho the scene from the untouchables is ridiculous as hell in its own right lol

movies that act like a James Bond movie

the wacky 1998 Avengers movie

Cloak and Dagger

Remo Williams

If Looks Could Kill obviously

Leonard Part 6

Top Secret count even though its a spoof movie?

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Jason Bourne >>> James Bond.

Bourne doesnot use gadgets but he is always running away from CIA operations and being a rogue agent.