As the most famous spy in movies and television, James Bond is usually also called the best. However, when we really look at the breakdown of his missions, and the tactics he uses, we have to admit we’ve seen much better secret agents in entertainment.
From the days of Get Smart and Mission: Impossible to Chuck and Burn Notice, espionage has been a TV staple. In movies, we’ve seen a lot of Bond ripoffs, with some of them actually being better than the original. As we prepare for the next 007 to start the franchise’s new chapter, these are 10 TV and movie spies better than James Bond.
10 JACK RYAN - JACK RYAN FRANCHISE
Across five movies and one TV series, Jack Ryan is the character whose intelligence is more important than his physical abilities. Don’t get us wrong, he’s a Marine and a well trained CIA field officer, but it’s his brain, not his brawn that usually saves the day.
He’s been played by five actors, with Harrison Ford in the most well-known portrayal. Jack Ryan is a much more cerebral agent, using his knowledge of history and military tactics to always end up in the right place, at the right time, whereas Bond is much more reactionary.
9 NAPOLEON SOLO - THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
It takes a truly special character to be more interesting than James Bond in both a movie and TV series. As an American agent working with his Russian counterpart, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s Napoleon Solo has the suave, flirtatious personality of Bond, without his overpowering intensity. He uses his laid back attitude to lure his enemies into a false sense of security.
He was played on TV by Robert Vaughn, and in the 2015 film by Henry Cavill. Though the two versions have different backgrounds, they share a Cary Grant style charm that makes Solo much more likable than 007.
8 HARRY HART - KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
Like many on this list, it’s clear that Kingsman’s Harry Hart is based in large part on James Bond. In addition to his gentlemanly ways, what really sets him apart from other spies is his practical approach to his work. There’s no extra drama with Harry, he shows up, punches a clock, saves the world and goes home.
Though Colin Firth is great in both Kingsman films, he’s at his superspy best in The Secret Service. If we were new operatives joining the espionage world, we’d much rather work with Harry than James.
7 HETTY LANGE - NCIS: LOS ANGELES
The really fascinating thing about NCIS: LA’s Hetty is that we know nothing about her. Over the course of the show’s 11 seasons, we’ve gotten stories about her life as a costumer in classic Hollywood, her time in Vietnam, and have even met her former teammates. However, we still have plenty of questions about her past.
She will occasionally drop one-liners about knowing Eleanor Roosevelt, ruling small countries during revolutions, and of course, all the connections she has around the world. Despite not knowing much about her life and career, we have no doubt that Hetty will move Heaven and Earth to save us if we’re in trouble.
6 NICK FURY - MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
From the moment we met Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man, he was this mysterious presence who popped up when we least expected it and usually had the answers to most of our questions. We know he probably has all the answers, but he only gives them out when he wants to.
In Captain Marvel, we got to meet Fury when he was still a field agent, which meant we got to see his spycraft in action. If you look up spy in the dictionary, there will be a picture of Nick Fury. He’s overly paranoid, mysterious, and has contingencies for everything.
5 ETHAN HUNT - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FILMS
The big draw of the Mission: Impossible films is Tom Cruise's commitment to death-defying stunts. However, underneath all the motorcycle chases and jumping off buildings is great spycraft. He's really adept at blending in, a skill Bond has never had.
Ethan Hunt was introduced to audiences as a master of disguise. Throughout the six films, we've seen him use masks along with smoke and mirrors to trick bad guys into revealing their evil plans. Of course, then it's time to HALO jump out of a plane.
4 JIM PHELPS - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE SERIES
The fascinating thing about watching Peter Graves' Jim Phelps is that he's playing chess with his opponents. He's three moves ahead, moving everyone around the board so they're exactly where he wants them to be. His plans are meticulous and always work.
Jim is a great leader, brilliantly picking the right team for the job. James Bond is a lot of things, but you don't hear him described as a team player. Jim is an old school spy who understands the delicate balance of every operation he's working on.
3 NIKITA - LA FEMME NIKITA
For someone who never wanted to be a spy or assassin, Nikita turned out to be one of Section One’s best operatives. She worked her way up from trainee to Operations. What set her apart from the other agents was her compassion and humanity. She never became the soulless killing machine they wanted.
Even though she cared, it didn't make her weak. Nikita was a top-notch fighter and markswoman. Peta Wilson portrayed Nikita as someone who loathed the world she was caught in, but still found a way to build a family within it.
2 JASON BOURNE - THE BOURNE FILMS
The US government has devoted endless resources to capturing Jason Bourne, but he always seems to find a way to escape them. It's the one quality he shares with James Bond. Where the two differ is in Bourne's improvisational skills.
As brilliant as he is with guns, he can also turn anything around him into a weapon. Jason Bourne has an everyman quality that gives us the crazy feeling that we could find a place in his world, something we never get from Bond.
1 SYDNEY BRISTOW - ALIAS
Subterfuge, seduction, intel gathering, hand to hand combat, Sydney Bristow does everything James Bond does, only better. She works undercover, not wanting or needing enemies to know she was involved.
Her moral compass is established from day one and it never changes. Jennifer Garner delivered two distinct performances, separating Sydney's worlds, instantly drawing us in. She knows who she is and her confidence provides her with the strength to make the right call when necessary. Sydney is the spy that all the other spies aspire to be.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/39zItan
No comments: