Movie Villainess 101 Rank #3

The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), Cigar Girl (Maria Grazia Cucinotta)

Review of the villainess and pre-title henchwoman in this Pierce Brosnan James Bond movie. Summary for the Cigar Girl covers the opening in Bilbao, Spain, attack on MI6 and murder of Elektra’s father Sir Robert, and Thames action sequence with Bond pursuing the assassin past famous London landmarks, culminating in a final confrontation in Greenwich.

Second part of the review focuses on Elektra: her initial portrayal as a standard Bond girl and potential victim, the first signs of a danger at a casino run by Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane), and a plot by henchman Renard (Robert Caryle) to steal a nuclear bomb that Bond attempts to prevent with help from Christmas Jones (Denise Richards). This leads into Elektra’s reveal as the primary villainess when she kidnaps M, and ultimately a torture scene where Elektra has Bond at her mercy, before the hero confronts her at the top of Maiden’s Tower in Istanbul.

This extended review also includes summaries of the five Daniel Craig James Bond movies. A disappointing era for female villains, but with earlier reviews this completes full coverage of the official franchise from 1962 to 2021.
1) Casino Royale (2006) – Honourable mention for the henchwoman Valenka (Ivana Miličević) who poisons Bond’s drink at Casino Royale, but an otherwise limited contribution. Commentary on Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) who works for the villains, but has been coerced so doesn’t count as a true villainess.
2) Quantum of Solace (2008) – Weak entry that has Olga Kurylenko as Camille, a Bolivian agent with an not so interesting vendetta.
3) Skyfall (2012) – No true Bond female leads in this well regarded film. The closest fit is Sévérine (Bérénice Lim Marlohe), a former sex slave who meets a predictably theatric demise. A final credited appearance for Judi Dench as M.
4) Spectre (2016) – Lacklustre movie with (sadly) uninteresting roles from Monica Belucci as a suicidal widow and Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann.
5) No Time to Die (2021) – Craig’s final film that has Madeleine Swann return, Lashana Lynch as a replacement 007, and the best action female role in this Bond’s tenure: Ana De Armas as rookie CIA agent Paloma, who proves more than capable.

(Moderate to strong violence.)

WordPress blog review:

Movie Villainess 101 Rank #3

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:23 Cigar Girl
02:12 Thames Boat Chase
03:49 Up in Flames
04:46 Casino Royale
06:35 Quantum of Solace
07:32 Skyfall
08:43 Spectre
09:53 No Time to Die
11:18 Elektra King
12:42 High Roller
14:40 Bomb Threat
15:28 The Villainess
16:48 Istanbul
18:29 Zukovsky’s Fate
20:11 I Never Miss

Notes:

“Movie Villainess 101” is a series of approx. 5-15 minute narrated videos, aiming to provide commentary and brief analysis of my favourite villainesses in movie history.

Information strips (bottom right) show: Movie Villainess 101 ranking (NR if not ranked) – Movie title and year of release – Notable female villains (if applicable)

Intro reel music:
Guardians by Dream Cave – downloaded from Epidemic Sound
(Also used as stock background music for Movie Villainess 101 videos when no suitable alternative is available)

Primary Video Source Used:
The World Is Not Enough (1999) – UK Blu Ray

Secondary Video Sources Used:
Casino Royale (2006) – UK Blu Ray
Quantum of Solace (2008) – UK Blu Ray
Skyfall (2012) – UK Blu Ray
Spectre (2016) – UK Blu Ray
No Time to Die (2021) – UK Blu Ray