A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Sean Connery Films

Last week’s passing of Sir Sean Connery immediately sparked a world-wide look-back at his career. With over 70 films spanning many genres since 1954, the Scottish-born actor left us with a rich history of cinema; playing iconic and endearing characters that have, and will stand the test of time. Here now is Reel Speak’s Top 10 Best Sean Connery films. 

 

For this Blogger and many of my generation, our introduction to Connery was the 1959 fantasy DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE; a live-action Walt Disney production with leprechaun mischief. In 1962, Connery stepped into the role of a lifetime when he became the British secret agent James Bond in DR. NO; a role that he would reprise six more times to varying degrees of success. Leaving Bond for a new career would be a tough task for any other actor, but Connery seemed to get better with age, starring in most-excellent films such as THE HILL (1965), THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (1970), and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974). Going into the 1980’s and 90’s he took on roles as an elder statesman, but still amazingly held onto a status as a sex symbol, with notables such as THE PRESIDIO (1988), and ENTRAPMENT (1999). He also wasn’t afraid of sci-fi, appearing in films such as TIME BANDITS (1981), HIGHLANDER (1986), and the cult-favorite ZARDOZ (1974). He worked with a wide range of directors including big-names like Lumet, Huston, and DePalma. This list of Best Connery Films are the movies that are his most memorable; his best performances in the best overall films. 

 

 

 

 

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10. THE ROCK (1996)

 

One of the best action films of the last 25 years. Michael Bay directs this thriller where a rogue General (Ed Harris), captures the island of Alcatraz. Connery plays a former inmate of the Rock, recruited by a bio-weapons specialist (Nic Cage), to infiltrate the island and end the threat. Connery drew on his real-life experience in the Royal Navy and on Bond for the character, who was a mysterious man with a hidden background of international espionage. Connery’s war-of-words showdown with Harris is a highlight, and where else can we hear Connery say, in that lovely Scottish accent of his, “personally, I think you’re a fucking idiot”. The action is a thrill, is beautifully shot, and has a tremendous score by Hans Zimmer and Nick Glennie-Smith. 

 

 

 

9. ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (1991)

 

Spoiler Alert: Connery only appears in this box office smash for a few minutes, cameoing at the very end as King Richard the Lionheart. But what a cameo it was, for it’s the scene that upstages the rest of the film and a role that everyone still talks about. It’s almost a shame, because this version of the Sherwood Forest bandit is one of the best, with excellent direction by Kevin Reynolds and a terrific score.  The ensemble cast of Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Michael McShane, Brian Blessed, Michael Wincott, and the late great Alan Rickman gives it a heavyweight feel. 

 

 

 

8. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)

 

Connery’s second outing as James Bond, with 007 assisting in the defection of a Russian asset. A direct follow-up to DR. NO, this film is where Bond really started to gain momentum as an international movie icon, setting a template for the series that would be followed for decades to come. It’s definitely dated and sometimes inappropriate considering Bond’s treatment towards women, but it’s a thrill from start-to-finish…and Bond’s big fight with a SPECTRE assassin (Robert Shaw of JAWS fame) on a moving train is one of most memorable of the entire series. 

 

 

 

7. ROBIN AND MARIAN (1976)

 

One of the reasons why cinema fans went nuts over Connery’s cameo in the 1991 ROBIN HOOD was because the man actually played Hood. This take on the legend features an aging Robin, which gives Connery a lot to draw back on and makes the film a stand-out amongst a slew of Hood films over the decades. Connery is matched on screen with the late great Audrey Hepburn as Maid Marian…and the rest of the ensemble cast is one for the history books; Robert Shaw, Nicol Williamson, Richard Harris, Denholm Elliot, Ronnie Barker, and Ian Holm. 

 

 

 

6. THE NAME OF THE ROSE (1986)

 

After playing the ladies-man of Bond for so many films, one wouldn’t expect Connery to take on the role of a monk, but he did so with great success in this mystery film. Connery and his apprentice (Christian Slater), are called to a medieval abbey to solve a suspicious death. Loaded with atmosphere and a sharp script, this is a clever thinking-man’s whodunit that has sadly fallen into obscurity. Connery would rightfully win a BAFTA for Best Actor for this one. 

 

 

 

5. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)

 

Connery is joined by Michael Caine in this epic action-adventure, playing ex-soldiers journeying to Kafiristan with the intention of becoming kings. Directed by John Huston, KING operates on a massive scale, with every frame capturing a breathtaking amount. It’s an old-school adventure, and according to Connery and Caine…their favorite film they had worked on. 

 

 

 

4. GOLDFINGER (1964)

 

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE set the groundwork, and GOLDFINGER built even further on that. Bond investigates gold smuggling in this mission that would set the bar by which every Bond film would be measured, with many of the elements appearing in later films; such as the use of gadgets, an extensive pre-credits sequence that stands apart from the main storyline, multiple international locations, and cheeky humor. Tack on Shirley Bassey’s breathtaking theme song, and we’ve got pure 007. 

 

 

 

3. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

 

Steven Spielberg’s third film in the Indiana Jones franchise, with our favorite swashbuckling archeologist (Harrison Ford), in a race against the Nazi’s for the Holy Grail. Connery comes in as Indiana’s father, giving Indy not just a foil…but for the first time a backstory and history of his own. The Holy Grail itself is nearly inconsequential, for the true “grail’ that Indy is searching for is the father that he never really knew…making this the one Indy film with any true emotional depth. A father-son story, this is the perfect Father’s Day film, and a favorite of this Blogger’s family. 

 

 

 

2. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)

 

After being mixed up with a Russian defector in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, Connery plays a Soviet defector himself in another clever wink-wink. He plays Captain Marko Ramius, commander of a Soviet nuclear submarine with the ability to run silent; a first-strike weapon that could rain nukes on the U.S. with no warning. The first of many Tom Clancy adaptations, It’s one-half thriller and one-half mystery, with Ramius’ intentions not quite clear to nervous politicians and military brass. Arguablly the best film from John McTiernan of DIE HARD fame, Connery gives Ramius a weight and the film operates on a global scale with enormous stakes. This Blogger’s personal favorite. 

 

 

 

1. THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)

 

Connery won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this crime drama, playing hard-nosed, seasoned Irish Chicago cop Jimmy Malone…who assists Agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner), in a war against gangster Al Capone (Robert DeNiro). Brian DePalma helms this thriller and drama that is a classic cops-and-robbers romp, with startling sequences such as a bridge-ambush and a gunfight in a train station that take the breath away. In a film where DeNiro famously gained 30 pounds to look like Capone, it was Connery that stole the show…once again playing statesman and mentor but maintaining the charm and toughness that he was just so good at. Malone’s fate towards the end of the film is a heartbreaker, and provides an emotional wallop that most films of this genre won’t go near. Much like his character, Connery was untouchable…and this is where he reminded us so. 

REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 BEST SEAN CONNERY FILMS

1. THE UNTOUCHABLES
2. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
3. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
4. GOLDFINGER
5. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
6. THE NAME OF THE ROSE
7. ROBIN AND MARIAN
8. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
9. ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES
10. THE ROCK