My top three are
Goldfinger,
From Russia with Love, and
Casino Royale (although
Dr. No comes very close to taking that third spot).
My complete rankings:
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia with Love
3. Casino Royale
4. Dr. No
5. GoldenEye
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Thunderball
8. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
9. The Living Daylights
10. The Spy Who Loved Me
11. Octopussy
12. For Your Eyes Only
13. Diamonds Are Forever
14. Quantum of Solace
15. Moonraker
16. The Man with the Golden Gun
17. Tomorrow Never Dies
18. The World Is Not Enough
19. Die Another Day
20. Live and Let Die
21. Licence to Kill
22. A View to a Kill
As for Lazenby, he's good in the action scenes and surprisingly effective in some of the quiet tender moments with Diana Rigg, but awful with the witty banter part of the role. And anytime your lead actor has to be dubbed by someone else for a lengthy sequence it's not a good sign. The film has so many strong elements that it's a shame it didn't have Connery in the lead. It would likely be one of the top three if it had, and might have even taken the #1 spot.