James Bond in Asia: 5 movies which took the superspy to Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and more
- Sean Connery’s You Only Live Twice features gorgeous Japanese locations and a climactic battle that makes the film one of Bond’s most iconic outings
- In Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh are involved in an acrobatic motorcycle chase in Saigon – though it was actually filmed in Thailand
Following the announcement that No Time To Die has been delayed for a third time, fans in Asia can always satisfy themselves with five of James Bond’s best Asian adventures.
You Only Live Twice (1967)
After faking his own death in Hong Kong and receiving a naval burial in Victoria Harbour, Bond heads to Japan in search of a pair of missing American and Soviet spacecraft.
Adapted from Ian Fleming’s novel by the author’s friend and first-time screenwriter Roald Dahl, You Only Live Twice was intended as Sean Connery’s fifth and final outing as the gentleman spy. The film sees Bond collaborate with the Japanese secret service and brings him face to face with arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld (here played by Donald Pleasence) for the first time.
Its gorgeous Japanese locations, eclectic international cast (including Japanese studio Toho starlets Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama) and outlandish set pieces – notably the “Little Nellie” gyrocopter dogfight, ninja training school and climactic battle in Spectre’s volcano lair – ensure the film remains one of Bond’s most iconic outings.
Also, it is here we learn of Bond’s “First in Oriental Languages from Cambridge” that the character would subsequently never put into practice.
The Man With the Golden Gun (1973)
This film was originally planned to follow immediately after You Only Live Twice, but in fact Bond didn’t return to Asia until four films later, with Roger Moore now in the role.