Good spy films with some flaws

[WyreWizard]

We gotta love James Bond.  He is Ian Fleming's dashing, flashy and handsome british superspy.  And we can celebrate him more with the remake of the classic bond film Casino Royale.

Now, I know what you're all thinking "Okay Wyre, what are the implausibilities with the James Bond films?"

Well, all the implauisbilities and reality flaws with the James Bond films are too many for me to list.  But perhaps the biggest flaw in the James Bond films is James Bond himself.

The way James is, a flashy jet-setter is too unrealistic.  I mean, real spies don't try to draw attention to themselves like that.  They don't dress up like wealthy, jet-setting playboys.  Real spies try to look as ordinary and unassuming as possible.  They avoid standing out.  Most often, real spies try to match the landscape they are in.  For instance, if they are on assignment somewhere in Syria dressing up like an american tourist would be a bad idea in the extreme.  They must try to look like a middle-easterner.  But if James Bond was a real spy, the Bond films and books wouldn't have the success they have.

Another flaw with the Bond films is their gadgets.  James Bond uses equipment that real spies would never use.  One example was in the film Octop***y right at the beginning.  His car opens up and reveals a little jet inside.  So Bond is not only a spy, but also a fighter pilot.  Another gadget is a car that retracts its wheels and becomes a submarine!
Where can I get me one of those?  I'd love to explore the Mid-Atlantic ridge.  Oh wait, the Mid Atlantic ridge is so deep, that the pressures there would crush a car!  Real spies do have gadgets but none as complex and imaginary as James Bond.  They have mostly wireless microphones, wireless video cameras the size of a button on a shirt, digital cameras in a pen and other weird and somewhat disgusting gadgets like a cloth map that reveals detail when you urinate on it.

Now aside from all these flaws, James Bond is a good fictional spy.  But in my honest opinion, he wouldn't hold a candle to Jason Bourne.  I can't wait until the Bourne Ultimatum comes out on film.

[Doc Daneeka]

Now, I know what you're all thinking "Okay Wyre, what are the implausibilities with the James Bond films?"

Absolutely nothing!

The way James is, a flashy jet-setter is too unrealistic.  I mean, real spies don't try to draw attention to themselves like that.  They don't dress up like wealthy, jet-setting playboys.  Real spies try to look as ordinary and unassuming as possible.

That just happens to be Bond's way of life

Another flaw with the Bond films is their gadgets.  James Bond uses equipment that real spies would never use.  One example was in the film Octop***y right at the beginning.  His car opens up and reveals a little jet inside.  So Bond is not only a spy, but also a fighter pilot.

He is referred to in some films as her Majesty's best agent, or something like that, he probably has tons of training as jet pilots, sub pilots, etc... 

Another gadget is a car that retracts its wheels and becomes a submarine!
Where can I get me one of those?  I'd love to explore the Mid-Atlantic ridge.  Oh wait, the Mid Atlantic ridge is so deep, that the pressures there would crush a car!

MI6! I'm sure they're working on the next big thing this very instant! But seriously, if they could make a car like that would they really realease it to the general public? 

Real spies do have gadgets but none as complex and imaginary as James Bond.  They have mostly wireless microphones, wireless video cameras the size of a button on a shirt, digital cameras in a pen and other weird and somewhat disgusting gadgets like a cloth map that reveals detail when you urinate on it.

that would better make for a "The WB" show, which despite a fanbase of millions, would still be cancelled before it's second season with no satisfying conclusion

Now aside from all these flaws, James Bond is a good fictional spy.  But in my honest opinion, he wouldn't hold a candle to Jason Bourne.  I can't wait until the Bourne Ultimatum comes out on film.

Isn't Bourne just the most gritty, realistic, down to earth spy out there?!

[Yaddo 42]

Special Operations troops like the Special Forces, Delta Force, the British SAS, and the German GSG 9 train in using vehicles they might need to operate like trains, diesel semis, various kinds of boats, etc. The Soviet Spetnaz used to train in a similar fashion as well as in sabotage of industrial equipment, power plants, and vehicles like submarines, they would have to have some level of familiarity with their operation to know how to undermine them as well.

If you wanted to place a agent who resembled a local in a certain locale you would recruit a local, a native, or someone from your own turf who could pass since they had a similar background. An English agent might be placed in such an area by being part of a diplomatic, cultural, or trade group. He would have a convincing reason to be there, say as an engineer in an oil rich territory. It's not so much the other guys knowing who is the spy, but sorting out who in the group are the spies or operatives and who are just the regular folks.

Gadgets? Remember the ricin poison injecting unbrella? There's real fanciful stuff out there as it is.

Bond is wish fulfillment, action, adventure, exotic locations, sex, and cartoonish villains. If you want grounded in reality Brtish spies, read John LeCarre, or check out the non-fiction section. I enjoy George Smiley but not for the same reasons I enjoy Bond.

We watch and read Bond to see one guy save the world for Queen and Country and get the girl(s) while doing it. He's an exageration mixed with the imagination of scriptwriters. A "real" world-famous spy would have a short operational career and possibly lifespan, true, but it's entertainment.