The Downfall of Dr. No: No and Bond Go At It – After escaping capture, and overtaking one of Dr. No’s workers and taking his Hazmat suit, amazingly, Bond disrupts the interference with the American missile launch (a Mercury capsule launch, which in 1962 was really going on – Mercury was the first astronaut program in the US, before Gemini and Apollo – remember Apollo 11 was the first to land on the moon) .

Dr. No opens the secret radio beam antenna and then, after increasing the radioactive danger level, in this scene, he battles with Dr. No himself.  As a Dr. No film fan, you must see this turning-point clip that pits the wits and strengths of Dr. No versus James Bond.  The villain must go down – literally!

The set is believable (Ken Adam, set designer), Dr. No played by Wisemen excellent, and the doomed end of Dr. No tense.   After Dr. No goes down, Bond tries to find Honey Rider – he wants to save her – another revealing characteristic that we have come to see and know in many more Bond films –  and finds her shackled to a ramp with water rising quickly to drown her.   He gets her free, and the beginning of the end is in sight!

Of course, this being the first Bond film, we wonder, why not just kill Honey Rider?  Why the slow death that might allow for escape?  Why not just kill Bond with a gunshot?   We will ask this forever, but we think these ego-maniac, diabolical villains must think they are invincible (remember Boris Grishenko in Goldeneye: “I AM INVINCIBLE”).

And as invincible, they believe they will get away with doing whatever they want to do – having an elaborate scheme to kill their arch-villains (Bond, Rider whoever) is no big deal.   And it pounds into the minds of the intended victim just who is in charge – and gives them time to think about it.