Bond - Referred to as... (SPOILERS)

The Red Kind

..An Assassin?

Hinx is an Assassin.

Perhaps I'm just being too romantic, but personally I prefer and have always known 007 as a Spy or a Secret Agent (okay, the latter is a bit childish).

Is it just me or was the 'job title' Assassin overused in SP and did anyone feel just a little uncomfortable (in a literary sense) with the term? Yes it is true to a certain extent and I appreciate its inclusion for the context of this particular story but technically that is only one part of his job. As Mallory himself says; not only is having a 00 number a licence to kill, it is also a licence NOT to kill.

Have they played up to the huge popularity of Assassins Creed and Jason Bourne being an Assassin? To portray a harder, more brutal, grittier edge? In today's world does Assassin sell better than Spy?

For me Bond isn't just a blunt instrument with the sole purpose of tracking down a target and eliminating them. Perhaps I'm just getting old..

Thunderpussy

I agree Bond may be a blunt instrument, but as M states to Denbigh, knowing when to kill and
when not to kill, is where the human element comes in. As Bond did in TLD by chosing not to
kill ( The sniper) . A simple assassin would just kill without thinking.

Matt S

Bond has long been called an assassin. Octopussy calls Bond a "paid assassin" in OP.

Thunderpussy wrote:

I agree Bond may be a blunt instrument, but as M states to Denbigh, knowing when to kill and
when not to kill, is where the human element comes in. As Bond did in TLD by chosing not to
kill ( The sniper) . A simple assassin would just kill without thinking.

But in TLD, M actually wanted to be a simple assassin and kill both the sniper and Pushkin. Bond always shows that he's better than a simple assassin, but that has long been his job even since TMWTGG when his assignment was to kill Scaramanga. In SF, Bond has even become more of an assassin than a spy when people talk about intelligence being gathered by computer. Bond is even more of an assassin these days because "every now and then a trigger has to be pulled." I would like Bond to be called a spy and not an assassin, but Bond has to stay relevant. Bond just has to be an assassin with a little something extra.

The_Commander

Strictly speaking in SIS-speak, Bond is an 'Intelligence Officer'. A bit boring, but the correct terminology none the less.

Smithers500

I didn't really pay attention and could be wrong, but didn't Swann refer to Bond as an assassin as that's pretty much how he introduced himself to her at the clinic?

Matt S

The_Commander wrote:

Strictly speaking in SIS-speak, Bond is an 'Intelligence Officer'. A bit boring, but the correct terminology none the less.

So basically a more formal term for "spy".

I never miss

I remember Octopussy referring to Rog as an assassin back in that film. I think it's a description that periodically turns up.
James Bond Radio podcast often mention how they like Bond's 'sneaky stuff' as seen around Goldfinger's factory. It'd be nice to see a return to some of this in the next few years.

Asp9mm

What do you think a 'licence to kill' is for. Assassination is part of the OO Sections remit.