Category: Dr. No (1962)

“Dr. No”: Politiken’s film review (1963)

Danish daily Politiken’s review of “Dr. No”, 7 April 1963

Bang on Jamaica

”Agent 007, Operation Murder” [sic], adapted from Ian Fleming's eponymous detective novel, starts out with a terrific bang, but quickly turns silly before ending in utter balderdash.

The agent James Bond, 007 to his friends and colleagues, is sent to Jamaica partly to investigate the homicide of a few English security men, partly to figure out who have been thwarting the American rocket launches from Cape Canaveral through mysterious radiation.

The perpetrator of all this evil-doing is a mad half-Chinese who has built a nuclear station so huge that it makes Risø [a Danish atomic research facility opened in 1958, ed.] look like a village school. Bond solves all of this in stride; the Americans finally manage a successful launch; the nuclear man and his extensive staff go up with a loud uranium bang, and the hero celebrates by being indecent towards a cute lass in a bikini.

007 is played by Sean Connery, who isn't half bad an actor. In America, they call him the new Lemmy; he plays the lead in a series of adaptations of Ian Fleming's other books. May they be somewhat more substantial than the film mentioned.

Written by "fano"
Translation: James Bond•O•Rama.dk

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“Dr. No”: Berlingske Tidende’s film review (1963)

Danish daily Berlingske Tidende’s review of ”Dr. No”, 7 April 1963

Childish cynicism

English detective film at Nørreport [Cinema]

The most amazing thing about the screen version of Ian Fleming's ”Dr. No” is really that it was made in England. Its shameless exploitation of violence and sex, and the pulpiness of its whole approach, differs substantially from the many recent British detective films dealing with serious problems.

”Dr. No” is entirely devoid of that kind of ambition. The protagonist is the unscrupulous Secret Service agent James Bond, a hard-boiled and hard-hitting comic book hero. He divides his time equally between vodka martinis, forthcoming girls and the disarmament of nasty gangsters, and his gamut of emotions is exceptionally limited. This superman for all immature souls is confidently played by Sean Connery, although his steely lack of conscience is by no means a match for Ralph Meeker's unforgettable Mike Hammer in ”Kiss Me Deadly”.

The skilled director Terence Young places Connery in a long series of effectively hair-raising situations without skimping on the semi-sadistic seasoning. The tone of the entire film is so incredibly cynical that it borders on the harmlessly infantile, so shamelessly ”pulpy” in its effects that it almost becomes entertaining.

By pim (Morten Piil)
Translation: James Bond•O•Rama.dk

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