A Few Times James Bond Probably Should Have Died

James Bond has survived enough explosions, gunfights, and terrible transportation decisions to make anyone question his life insurance policy. He’s fallen from planes, driven through collapsing buildings, and escaped situations that would send most people straight to the hospital. Sometimes he gets lucky. Other times, the laws of physics seem willing to make an exception just for him. Of course, watching 007 survive increasingly ridiculous situations is half the fun, especially when he walks away without so much as a ruined suit. Across six decades of movies, he’s had plenty of close calls that probably should’ve ended his career. These escapes are particularly difficult to believe.

The Laser Was Getting Pretty Close

In Goldfinger (1964), Bond lies strapped to a table while an industrial laser inches toward him, surviving only because he convinces Goldfinger that killing him could jeopardize his plans.

Skiing Straight Off a Cliff

Roger Moore’s Bond escapes pursuing agents in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) by skiing off a massive cliff, free-falling, and opening a Union Jack parachute.

Falling Without a Parachute

In Moonraker (1979), Bond gets pushed out of an airplane without a parachute and somehow manages to catch another skydiver, wrestle with him, and steal his equipment.

Hanging on by a Rope

Bond climbs a sheer cliff toward a monastery in For Your Eyes Only (1981), only for a guard above to dislodge his climbing rope and nearly send him falling.

Fighting Outside a Flying Plane

In Octopussy (1983), Bond clings to the outside of a moving aircraft while fighting Gobinda, apparently trusting his grip more than any reasonable person would.

Breathing Through a Car Tire

After being trapped inside a sinking Rolls-Royce in A View to a Kill (1985), Bond survives underwater by taking air from one of the car’s tires.

The World’s Worst Place for a Fight

Bond battles Necros on a cargo net hanging from a flying aircraft in The Living Daylights (1987), holding on while both men struggle thousands of feet above the ground.

Driving a Tanker on Two Wheels

During the truck chase in Licence to Kill (1989), Bond tips a massive tanker onto one side to avoid a missile, then somehow gets it upright again.

Catching a Plane in Midair

Pierce Brosnan’s Bond rides a motorcycle off a cliff in GoldenEye (1995), abandons the bike, and catches a falling airplane before it crashes.

A Motorcycle Versus a Helicopter

In Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Bond and Wai Lin race through crowded streets on a motorcycle while handcuffed together, eventually jumping over a pursuing helicopter.

Helicopters With Giant Saws

Bond faces helicopters equipped with enormous circular saws in The World Is Not Enough (1999), narrowly escaping machinery capable of slicing through his car.

Surfing a Giant Wave

In Die Another Day (2002), Bond escapes a collapsing glacier by using a parachute and part of his vehicle to surf an enormous wave.

Poisoned at the Poker Table

Bond nearly dies after drinking a poisoned cocktail in Casino Royale (2006), suffering cardiac arrest before Vesper reconnects his defibrillator and saves him.

Shot Off a Moving Train

In Skyfall (2012), Bond gets accidentally shot by Moneypenny during a fight on top of a moving train, then falls from a high bridge into the river below.