James Bond may be the world’s most famous secret agent but where would he be without his beautiful female companion following him into danger. From the mere sex object to the seasoned agent with her own martial arts skills, Lesley Jackson takes a look at the best Bond babes have to offer.
2008 is certainly a year for Bond fans as not only did we have the new James Bond novel “Devil May Care”, written by esteemed author Sebastian Faulkes as Ian Flemming but in late October we see the next film starring Daniel Craig as the British secret agent 007 in “Quantum of Solace” which is based on a short story originally written by Flemming. As tough as our cultivated James Bond may be, it is his female counterparts who have also shown some fighting skills whether they are fighting the good fight to save the world next to 007 or as a villainess using her combat ability to thwart Bond. Either way, she will either end up dying in the process or inevitably being bedded by Bond but she will never escape unscathed.
This memorable scene combines some of Martial Edge’s favourite things; women in bikinis and interesting fighting skills. - Lesley Jackson on Diamonds are Forever
The role and usefulness of the Bond heroine seems to both reflect the era she appears on film and show the progress the female action hero has made over several decades. From 1962 the iconic scene in Dr No where Honey Ryder, played by Ursula Andress, appears out of the sea like a bikini clad Venus and acts the part of Bond’s eye candy to 2002 in Die Another Day where NSA agent Jinx, played by Halle Berry, emerges from the sea in a tribute to Ursula Andress’s scene 40 years earlier. Yet the role of Jinx is entirely different because as beautiful as she may be, she is also a trained agent in her own right who can deliver a tasty roundhouse kick when a baddie dares to enter her room. However, with the advent of Daniel Craig and the new pared down ‘back to basics’ Bond we also see a paring down of the heroine as the portrayal of Vesper shows that as exquisite as actress Eva Green may be, when it comes to getting into a tight spot, she couldn’t punch or kick her way out of a paper bag.
So in chronological order of appearance, here are some of Martial Edge’s favourite Bond babes and the fighting arts they have used.
Goldfinger (1964) Pussy Galore played by Honor Blackman
Possibly the pivotal action Bond babe, Honor Blackman’s deeply sexy tone that utters, “my name is Pussy Galore,” puts Bond on his back, quite literally, as she later proceeds to toss him over her shoulder in a hay barn. Previously playing Cathy Gale in the Avengers, Honor Blackman appears both beautiful and capable as she plays the head of Goldfinger’s team of female pilots who has the ability to defend herself with Judo. Of course, the irony with Pussy Galore is that in both the original book and the film, the character is a lesbian who is unrealistically ‘persuaded’ otherwise by Bond.
Diamonds are Forever (1971) Bambi and Thumper played by Lola Larson and Trina Parks
This memorable scene combines some of Martial Edge’s favourite things; women in bikinis and interesting fighting skills. As Bond enters a house carved from stone just outside Las Vegas, he is intrigued as he encounters two of Blofelt’s bodyguards wearing a yellow bikini and hotpants respectively. There is more to them that meets the eye though as they swing and cartwheel around the room, not to provide Bond with a titillating display but to give him a good kicking. Their Capoeria like skills show an attractive martial display with a touch of friendly innocence.
A View to a Kill (1985) Mayday played by Grace Jones
Grace Jones plays Mayday, the morally ambivalent henchwoman who switches sides to help Bond take down her former boss and lover, Max Zorrin. Of course, she dies in the process but she offers a challenge to Bond that was a bit more than he could chew. This Amazonian baddie is a female hard case who can pick up a man over her head and throw him across the room and if anyone can remember Grace Jones’s appearance in the Russell Harty show in the eighties, will know her character wasn’t that far off the mark in real life!
The Rise and Rise of the Female Action Hero
The sisters are doing it for themselves as they prove they don’t need us heroes to save them from a sticky situation, but man do we like watching them in action! For the past forty years the goggle-box in the corner of our living room has given us a selection of female martial arts action heroines, all of whom we’d like to get caught in a tight spot with...
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) Wai Lin played by Michelle Yeoh
Wai Lin is truly Bond’s secret service counterpart as she is one of the only female characters in the series that can match 007, only needing his help right at the end of the film when she eventually succumbs to his romantic charms. With a hub to rival Q’s gadgets, the Chinese agent of the ‘People's External Security Force’ most impresses us with her martial arts skills. Breathing new life into an old formula by giving us a tougher breed of Bond girl, the gorgeous former model takes on the baddies twice her size and throws them around with ease with a scene stealing kungfu performance in her electronic base.
Die Another Day (2002) Jinx and Miranda Frost played by Halle Berry and Rosamund Pike
This film gives us not one but two women proficient in fighting, one of whom is clearly on the side of good as Jinx is Bond’s NSA counterpart battling to expose the evil Zao. The audience are party to her opening scene where she plays homage to Ursula Andress when she too emerges from the sea in a well filled out bikini. That is where the similarity ends though as she is much more upfront with Bond and is also a fully trained agent who can kick, shoot and dive as well as any other. We also have a duplicitous English ice maiden who only briefly melts under Bond’s charms whilst playing for the wrong side, who also happens to be handy with a fencing foil. Bond first meets her at Blades fencing club where we also see a brief appearance by Madonna in another of her forgettable performances.
Fun and Entertainment 
James Bond may be the world’s most famous secret agent but where would he be without his beautiful female companion following him into danger. From the mere sex object to the seasoned agent with her own martial arts skills, Lesley Jackson takes a look at the best Bond babes have to offer.
Ursula Andress’s scene 40 years earlier. Yet the role of Jinx is entirely different because as beautiful as she may be, she is also a trained agent in her own right who can deliver a tasty roundhouse kick when a baddie dares to enter her room. However, with the advent of Daniel Craig and the new pared down ‘back to basics’ Bond we also see a paring down of the heroine as the portrayal of Vesper shows that as exquisite as actress Eva Green may be, when it comes to getting into a tight spot, she couldn’t punch or kick her way out of a paper bag.
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