Through 23 movies, 6 different lead actors, and 53 years of carnage, the James Bond franchise has killed scores of characters, and hasn't missed a beat! In honor of Spectre's impending 24th outing, you can watch (almost) all of them in the video below!
Thanks to the YouTubers known as the Auralnauts, we've got an awesome video that plays like the greatest hits of James Bond's career as a direct and indirect assassin. From Dr. No to Skyfall, 362 people have died in the course of the James Bond franchise; with the greatest number of those deaths were by using firearms to do the job. Those kills numbered at a total of 120 souls meeting their end due to ballistic trauma. The least used methods of death were the accidental freezing of Boris in Goldeneye, and the stranding at the end of Quantum Of Solace where Bond left baddie Dominic Greene out in the desert. Most importantly, the record for most kills in a single era of Bond goes to Roger Moore, with 121 deaths spanning his record setting 7 films in the role.
The full list of methodologies is at the end of the video, and it's not only quite comprehensive, it's bound to make you laugh when you see all of the kills in the Bond series narrowed down to simple descriptors. Though speaking of laughter, you're probably wondering how many of those kills were accompanied by James Bond's shaken, not stirred, wit. Well even if you weren't, we're still going to tell you the answer anyway. 29 of the kills in the James Bond kill count have been labeled as "Killer Puns." The latest example is Daniel Craig's pun on killing a man underwater, just after dispatching of Silva in Skyfall.
Which brings us to a major point of contention, as two of the most noticeable kills in the modern history of the Bond series were left off of this list. Our first point of contention is the death of Paris Carver, James Bond's ex-girlfriend / wife of Bond baddie, Elliot. While we don't see her death on screen, it is a direct result of her sleeping with Bond, which covers rule number 3 - which states, "Indirect kills as a result of an explicit action by Bond count." We're also covered by rule 4 on this occasion, as the scene where her body is found has a pre-recorded news cast playing in the background, announcing her death; as well as a confession from Dr. Kaufman, her murderer. We submit that scene as evidence below:
The most glaring omission though is that of M at the end of Skyfall, in which the spy mistress herself dies due to a wound that she had suffered while trying to fire on an intruder at the titular Bond family manor. Rule 4, again stipulating, "Kills must occur on screen, or be reasonably indicated through on screen action," would cover this kill. We saw M fired upon, with the bullets hitting in close enough proximity that we can safely assume this scene is the cause of her death. If we're correct in our assumption, then that would bump up the official kill count to 364. We'll just assume at least one person's getting iced in Spectre, which would leave us with enough kills for a "Death A Day" calendar for the long standing franchise!
All criticism aside, it's a hell of a feat to compile as many kills as the Auralnauts team have! We commend them for their efforts, as well as raise our Martini glasses to the history of James Bond, and his many villains. Look for Spectre to continue the tradition of excellence on November 6th.
