Casual Racist Quips

Bond films have been around for almost six decades, and if you watch the older films, you will encounter a fair amount of casual racism. In 1983’s "Octopussy," for example, Bond hands over his casino winnings to an Indian character and says, "That'll keep you in curry for a few weeks."

National Stereotyping

Bond's high-stakes adventures take him on a world tour, but these travelogues often reproduce and reinforce national and racial stereotypes. We get a glimpse of this in "Octopussy," where the depiction of India includes men lying on beds of nails, fire-eaters, snake charmers, and sword swallowers.

Undercover

James Bond rarely goes undercover, but when he does, the results are often egregious and downright racist. In 1967’s “You Only Live Twice,” Bond travels to Japan, where he goes undercover as a Japanese fisherman with a spray tan, a wig, and prosthetic eye flaps.

Embarrassing “Kung Fu”

If you remember the final stealth ship scenes in 1997’s “Tomorrow Never Dies,” you will recall Bond villain Elliot Carver imitating stereotypical kung-fu moves and vocalizations for way, way too long. His childish mimicry will make you cringe, and it strikes a weird tone for a dramatic high-stakes ending.

Nick Nack

In 1974’s "The Man with the Golden Gun,” Bond goes after assassin Francisco Scaramanga, who has a trusty servant with dwarfism named Nick Nack. During a scuffle on a boat at the end of the film, Bond stuffs Nick Nack in a suitcase, and even though he has the right to defend himself, his treatment of Nick Nack as a mere object is undignified and dehumanizing.