‘Action of the Tigers’: The terrible movie that led Sean Connery to James Bond
It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen a James Bond film or not; everyone knows his classic catchphrase and understands its vital legacy in cinema and modern pop culture. Originating from the books by Ian Fleming, the James Bond franchise helped to put the spy genre on the map, cycling through various actors who have played the iconic titular character.
The first James Bond movie was Dr No, which emerged in 1962, with Sean Connery playing 007. He was joined by Jack Lord and Joseph Wiseman, with Ursula Andress playing the first ever ‘Bond girl’, Honey Ryder. The movie served as Connery’s breakthrough, and he subsequently reprised his role as the character in other Bond films, such as Goldfinger, Thunderball, and Diamonds Are Forever.
Before Bond, Connery had appeared in several minor roles in the theatre, which led to parts in television. In 1957, however, he landed his first movie role in No Road Back, where he played a gangster. He followed the film with Hell Drivers, which received good reviews at the time of its release but has since faded into obscurity. Connery was working hard to become a great actor, and he started to be recognised for his talents as he took on modest acting jobs.
He then received a part in Action of the Tigers, which Terence Young directed. It didn’t do very well commercially or critically, making a profit of just $25,000. You would think that a movie that failed to make an impact wouldn’t help Connery’s career, but it led to an experience that would change everything.
Young later called the movie “terrible” during an interview with Rolling Stone. The director recalled that it was “very badly directed, very badly acted — it was not a good picture. But Sean was impressive in it, and when it was all over’, he came to me and said, in a very strong Scottish accent, ‘Sir, am I going to be a success?’ I said, ‘Not after this picture, you’re not.’” Still, he believed Connery had what it took to become a star.
Young continued: “’But’, I asked him, ‘Can you swim?’ He looked rather blank and said, yes, he could swim — what’s that got to do with it? I said, ‘Well, you’d better keep swimming until I can get you a proper job and make up for what I did this time.’ And four years later, we came up with Dr No.”
After directing Dr. No, Terence Young went on to helm From Russia With Love and Thunderball, playing a pivotal role in shaping Sean Connery into an acting icon. Connery is often regarded as one of the best actors to portray James Bond, although this remains a subject of much debate. His performance set the standard for all subsequent interpretations of the character.
Sean Connery enjoyed a prolific career, earning an Oscar in 1987 for his role in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables. He starred in notable films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie, Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express, Terry Gilliam’s cult favourite Time Bandits, and even played a memorable role in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Despite the acclaim he garnered for these roles, Connery will always be most closely associated with his era-defining performances as James Bond.
