I just woke up to the surprising news that legendary actor Sean Connery has died at age 90. Connery was one of these guys who seemed like he would live forever -- after all he was a credible action star deep into his late 60s. He's been unofficially retired from acting for nearly 20 years, and he'd been missed, and now that's he's gone I think we can safely say we won't see another star quite like him.
He was famously a bodybuilder first who won the role of James Bond in spite of a pronounced Scottish accent and a gruffer aesthetic than author Ian Fleming initially imagined (Roger Moore was actually closer to to character's original conception). And of course the rest is history. Despite a long, successful career -- Connery's name will always be synonymous with the superspy character he created, and with good reason.
For years, and in some circles to this day, it's been taken as article of faith that Connery was (and perhaps always would be) the best actor to play Bond. This has always felt a little unfair, since Connery's portrayal was the first most audiences saw and got accustomed to and the one to which every subsequent portrayal would be compared.
I've always believed to some extent your favorite Bond usually corresponds with the one you sort of grew up with and so for many modern fans of the 007 franchise, Daniel Craig is the best -- after all, he's been occupying the role for 14 years now (albeit with long breaks in between films) and Connery is at best a distant memory.
That being said, he was spectacular in the role. There had never been a leading man quite like him before. He was aggressively sexual and confident, physically imposing, and a perfect mixture of dark and light. He was also an unforgivably misogynist character, which sadly was a reflection of Connery's problematic real life persona where he had the audacity to defend domestic abuse ON CAMERA in an interview with Barbara Walters.
In the context of the times they were made though -- these films are still terrific -- From Russia with Love and Goldfinger in particular do and should rank at or near the top of any 007 movie rankings. And for better or worse, it will be the iconic role for which he is best remembered. That being said he gave so many other fantastic performances that I want to highlight since there will be a tendency to only talk about his Bond movies when assessing his long career. Here are a few others I would strongly recommend:
The Hunt for Red October - Connery is so good in this submarine thriller that you buy him as a Russian captain, even with his unmistakable accent. He is all cool gravitas here -- smart, capable and commanding -- and an excellent counterpoint to Alec Baldwin's portrayal of a nerdy, nervous Jack Ryan. I know people are fond of The Rock, but for my money this was his best late career leading man role.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Despite their actually close proximity in age (Connery was only 12 years older than Harrison Ford) he and Ford made a great father son-pair in this, the second best Indiana Jones movie (in my opinion). Connery showed off his formidable comic chops but also delivers pathos in the emotional finale. He would go on to become the oldest man to win Sexiest Man Alive that year but he's so charming in this it's easy to see why.
The Untouchables - Connery won his only acting Oscar for this tour de force gangster movie from Brian De Palma and boy did he deserve it. He explodes on screen as a bigoted, veteran beat cop who gets a second chance at glory when he is improbably recruited by Elliot Ness to take on Al Capone. Such a quotable, unforgettable performance and probably the one he'd be best remembered for if it wasn't for James Bond.
The Offence - A little known gem from director Sidney Lumet, who is best known for his New York-based crime films but also made his fair share of British genre pictures too. This is one of the best Connery acting performances -- in what is largely a claustrophobic film centered around a brutal interrogation, he plays a deeply disturbed and violent cop with a very dark secret. A shocking departure for Connery that really subverts his hero persona.
The Man Who Would Be King - This romp starts off as an exciting adventure yarn about two rowdy hustlers (played to perfection by Connery and Michael Caine) who stumble into a situation where a relatively primitive culture mistakes them for Gods. Putting the racial politics of the movie aside, it becomes a fascinating parable about the corruption of power, and Connery in particular really relishes the scenes where his character self indulges in delusions of grandeur.
Marnie - This may be my favorite Connery performance. At first he seems like the typical, lovable Cary Grant-esque male lead foil in a Hitchcock film but scratch the surface a little bit and you'll find that his character is quite deranged (and eventually sadistic). The film perfectly captures the lightness and brooding darkness in the Connery persona as a man who must possess the leading lady to satisfy his own diminished ego. It's a complex performance in a wildly underrated psychological thriller.
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