(Photo by United Artists / Courtesy Everett Collection. THUNDERBALL)
All Sean Connery Movies Ranked
The latest:Thunderball celebrates its 60th anniversary! The James Bond adventure was hailed by critics for Connery’s signature dashing charm, and the film’s lavish sets.
Footballer. Bodybuilder. Navy soldier. Milkman. No, these aren’t the declassified origins of MI6 agent James Bond, but of the actor who would embody him: Sean Connery. An appropriately colorful past for a strappng Scot, Connery saved the best career change for his mid-20s when he turned down a sports contract to pursue theater and acting in the 1950s. Bit parts came quick, leading into 1959 when the very Scottish actor was cast in the very Irish movie, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, which still sticks out in his filmography as one of the rare times Connery has sung on-camera, and his only solo.
Another movie where Connery sings? You know its name: Dr. No, the first James Bond film ever adapted from the espionage books by Ian Fleming, in which Connery has a very brief duet with Ursula Andress. A tremendous financial success back then (and Certified Fresh now), it not only launched the 007 series but a whole international spy genre that would dominate the ’60s, and hang ripe for parody and resurrection for decades to come. Sequels like From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice came in rapid annual fashion.
After being freed from MI6 service and starting in the ’70s, fans never had to wait long for a new on-screen appearance from Connery, who put out two or three movies a year through the late-’90s. The Man Who Would Be King, Murder on the Orient Express, A Bridge Too Far, and Zardoz were among the most notable (and in the last’s case, peculiar) of the ’70s. And the ’80s would see him in Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, 007 swan song Never Say Never Again, action classic Highlander, and The Untouchables – the only time he’s ever been nominated for an acting Oscar (which he won!).
He closed the decade with fan-favoriteIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade as Indy’s dad, and started the ’90s with The Hunt for Red October. He then began to settle more into older statesman and mentor roles – First Knight, Entrapment, Finding Forrester — which probably seemed less appealing as the reviews came in worse and worse. The Avengers was a widely-publicized box office bomb, while The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen became but another embarrassing bullet point on Alan Moore’s list of why he hates Hollywood. But Connery was always a forceful presence, no matter the film he found himself in. The actor retired from acting after League, with only a vocal performance in homegrown Scottish animated movie Sir Billito tide audiences over in the last 15 years, and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, we sadly lost Sir Sean Connery at the age of 90.
Now, we celebrate a life in film as we rank all Sean Connery movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
Critics Consensus:Goldfinger is where James Bond as we know him comes into focus - it features one of 007's most famous lines ("A martini. Shaken, not stirred.") and a wide range of gadgets that would become the series' trademark.
Synopsis: Special agent 007 (Sean Connery) comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and [More]
Critics Consensus: The second James Bond film, From Russia with Love is a razor-sharp, briskly-paced Cold War thriller that features several electrifying action scenes.
Synopsis: Agent 007 (Sean Connery) is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret [More]
Critics Consensus: Featuring plenty of the humor, action, and escapist thrills the series would become known for, Dr. No kicks off the Bond franchise in style.
Synopsis: In the film that launched the James Bond saga, Agent 007 (Sean Connery) battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius [More]
Critics Consensus:Time Bandits is a remarkable time-travel fantasy from Terry Gilliam, who utilizes fantastic set design and homemade special effects to create a vivid, original universe.
Synopsis: Young history buff Kevin (Craig Warnock) can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former [More]
Critics Consensus: Murder, intrigue, and a star-studded cast make this stylish production of Murder on the Orient Express one of the best Agatha Christie adaptations to see the silver screen.
Synopsis: Having concluded a case, detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) settles into what he expects will be a relaxing journey home [More]
Critics Consensus: Perfectly cast and packed with suspense, The Hunt for Red October is an old-fashioned submarine thriller with plenty of firepower to spare.
Synopsis: Based on the popular Tom Clancy novel, this suspenseful movie tracks Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) as he [More]
Critics Consensus: Lavishly rendered set pieces and Sean Connery's enduring charm make Thunderball a big, fun adventure, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the series' previous heights.
Synopsis: Led by one-eyed evil mastermind Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), the terrorist group SPECTRE hijacks two warheads from a NATO plane [More]
Critics Consensus: Lighter and more comedic than its predecessor, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns the series to the brisk serial adventure of Raiders, while adding a dynamite double act between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
Synopsis: An art collector appeals to Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. He learns that another archaeologist [More]
Critics Consensus: Slick on the surface but loaded with artful touches, Brian DePalma's classical gangster thriller is a sharp look at period Chicago crime, featuring excellent performances from a top-notch cast.
Synopsis: After building an empire with bootleg alcohol, legendary crime boss Al Capone (Robert De Niro) rules Chicago with an iron [More]
Critics Consensus: A coolly constructed mystery revolving around a character who's inscrutable to a fault, Marnie finds Hitchcock luring audiences deeper into the dark.
Synopsis: Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) is a customer of one Mr. Strutt, whose business was robbed by his secretary, the mysterious [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite the predictability of its plot and its similarity to Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester has an honest, solid feel to it and good rapport between Connery and Brown.
Synopsis: A unique relationship develops between an eccentric, reclusive novelist and a young, amazingly gifted scholar-athlete. After the novelist discovers that [More]
Critics Consensus: With exotic locales, impressive special effects, and a worthy central villain, You Only Live Twice overcomes a messy and implausible story to deliver another memorable early Bond flick.
Synopsis: During the Cold War, American and Russian spacecraft go missing, leaving each superpower believing the other is to blame. As [More]
Critics Consensus: Laboriously paced and overly talky, The Great Train Robbery nevertheless pulls off a thrillingly staged finale anchored by winning performances from Donald Sutherland and Sean Connery.
Synopsis: Edward Pierce (Sean Connery) is a master thief of the Victorian Era who's never found a heist he couldn't pull [More]
Critics Consensus:Robin and Marian gives the legendary characters a somber sendoff, finding ample success in the romantic chemistry between Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn while yielding diminishing returns in its attempts at relevant satire.
Synopsis: Long after their original adventures in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood (Sean Connery) and his trusty sidekick, Little John (Nicol Williamson), [More]
Critics Consensus: While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make Never Say Never Again a watchable retread.
Synopsis: An aging James Bond (Sean Connery) makes an uncharacteristic mistake during a routine training mission, leading M (Edward Fox) to [More]
Synopsis: While visiting Moscow, British publisher Barley Blair (Sean Connery) learns of a manuscript detailing the Soviet Union's nuclear missile capabilities. [More]
Critics Consensus:Diamonds are Forever is a largely derivative affair, but it's still pretty entertaining nonetheless, thanks to great stunts, witty dialogue, and the presence of Sean Connery.
Synopsis: While investigating mysterious activities in the world diamond market, 007 (Sean Connery) discovers that his evil nemesis Blofeld (Charles Gray) [More]
Synopsis: John Milius fictionalizes the historical story of President Roosevelt's attempts to deal with the kidnapping of an American citizen by [More]
Critics Consensus: It's overly talky, but Playing By Heart benefits from witty insights into modern relationships and strong performances from an esteemed cast.
Synopsis: In this tale of how love binds 11 random people from Los Angeles, a married couple (Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands) [More]
Critics Consensus:A Bridge Too Far is a war movie too long, although top-notch talent on both sides of the camera keeps the end result consistently watchable.
Synopsis: Late in 1944, the Allies seem to have the upper hand in the European land war. A combined British and [More]
Critics Consensus:Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves brings a wonderfully villainous Alan Rickman to this oft-adapted tale, but he's robbed by big-budget bombast and a muddled screenplay.
Synopsis: Nobleman crusader Robin of Locksley breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of fellow prisoner Azeem, a Moor, [More]
Synopsis: While guiding a hunting party of clueless European aristocrats, cowboy Bosky Fulton (Stephen Boyd) leads them into hostile Apache territory. [More]
Critics Consensus:Zardoz is ambitious and epic in scope, but its philosophical musings are rendered ineffective by its supreme weirdness and rickety execution.
Synopsis: In the future, Earth is ruled by Eternals, an advanced and secret sect of beings who reign over a savage [More]
Critics Consensus:Dragonheart gives us medieval action, a splendidly mulleted Dennis Quaid, and Sean Connery as a talking dragon -- and, unfortunately, a story that largely fails to engage.
Synopsis: Disillusioned knight Bowen (Dennis Quaid) befriends Draco (Sean Connery), the last of the dragons, and the two begin scamming village [More]
Critics Consensus: This unimaginative reimagining of Arthurian legend dispenses with the magic without achieving a convincing realism in the bargain, suffering from fatal miscasting and a lack of romance.
Synopsis: Handsome swordsman Lancelot (Richard Gere) is incredibly skilled at fighting, but when he meets the lovely Guinevere (Julia Ormond), he [More]
Critics Consensus:The Presidio is too well-cast and competently directed to be truly painful, but action fans have no shortage of more compelling options.
Synopsis: Ex-military policeman Jay Austin (Mark Harmon) is now a San Francisco detective. When his former MP partner is killed at [More]
Critics Consensus: A poorly developed plot weighs down any potential chemistry between the movie's leads.
Synopsis: Insurance investigator Virginia "Gin" Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones), looking into a stolen Rembrandt painting, suspects that accomplished thief Robert "Mac" MacDougal [More]
Critics Consensus:Just Cause you round up a phenomenal cast, that doesn't mean you have everything you need for a solid legal thriller -- and this film is forgettable proof.
Synopsis: Paul Armstrong (Sean Connery), a law professor who staunchly fights the death penalty, is lured into defending a death row [More]
Critics Consensus: Just ordinary. LXG is a great premise ruined by poor execution.
Synopsis: A team of extraordinary figures culled from great adventure literature (including Alan Quatermain, vampiress Mina Harker from Dracula, the Invisible [More]
Synopsis: Brilliant, eccentric research scientist Richard Campbell (Sean Connery), after living for six years in the Amazon jungle, has possibly discovered [More]
Critics Consensus: There should have been only one.
Synopsis: In this sci-fi/fantasy sequel, Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) has become an elderly man after losing his immortality. Living in a [More]
99%
100%
59%
- -
