A comparison of Connery and Craig fight choreography

I tried to post this post earlier, and it did post, but when I edited some typos and clicked on "Save", the post vanished for some reason.

While Craig's Bond fights are often praised for their gritty realism, there’s a case to be made that the fights in Connery's films feel more authentic. For me, Connery’s approach to combat was less about stylised choreography and more about realistic, pragmatic survival.

Connery’s Bond wasn’t a martial arts expert; his fights were raw and unpolished, like a spy trained primarily for survival. Punches were sometimes imperfect, and there was more grappling involved, giving his fights a rougher, more believable feel. For example, in From Russia with Love, the fight between Bond and Grant feels intense and claustrophobic in its realism. There are no elaborate choreographed moves—just a gritty, life-or-death struggle between two evenly matched opponents.

In contrast, the fights in Craig’s films, such as in Casino Royale and Skyfall, can sometimes feel more rehearsed and overly choreographed, which can reduce their impact.

Connery’s fights relied heavily on practical effects and in-camera stunts, which helped keep the action feeling plausible. Without the aid of CGI-enhanced effects, every move had to feel believable. On the other hand, Craig's fights reflect modern filmmaking techniques, including CGI and wirework, which can detract from their authenticity. The construction site chase in Casino Royale and the collapsing building in Venice are examples where the action can seem fantastical.

Connery’s physicality in his fights felt natural. His movements were deliberate, and his punches had a weight to them that made it seem as though he could genuinely incapacitate an opponent. Craig’s Bond, while athletic, sometimes appears superhuman. For instance, the skyscraper fight in Skyfall can stretch the limits of believability.

The differences in fight styles also reflect the evolution of filmmaking between Connery's era and Craig's. Connery’s fights were shaped by the filmmaking conventions of the 1960s, which prioritised realism and practicality. Directors like Terence Young and Guy Hamilton focused on making the action scenes feel as real as possible. By the time Craig took over, the action genre had shifted, influenced by films like The Bourne Identity and Mission: Impossible, which emphasised quick cuts, complex sequences and spectacle. The Craig Bond films followed these trends to stay competitive.

It will be interesting to see if the fight choreography for the next actor to play Bond will bring back some of the more realistic fight choreography of the Connery era.