Something a bit more like "From Russia with Love"

"For Your Eyes Only" wasn't really back to the basics. It deviates somewhat from the Bond formula, and Roger Moore was really too old by that point. Not that it isn't one of the better Bond films, but over-the-top isn't so bad. "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "You Only Live Twice" are incredibly outlandish, and they are among the best as well.

Personally, I think that the Bond franchise needs to abandon the "formula" and explore a different direction. They're really starting to repeat themselves. I think the franchise needs to go to the R rating and take a darker turn with the narrative and character development. The literary Bond was haunted by tragedy, and medicated himself by drinking heavily. An excellent film could be made by juxtaposing the ease with which Bond dispatches international evildoers with his difficulties in conquering his own demons.

I say let Bond smoke again...let him have sex and show it on screen...let him kill people violently...make him merciless...make him have a hard edge...in other words...go back to old school Bond...none of these big "villan destroying the world"...just make it smaller...not so big in scale...but still with sweep...I think the perfect Bond is OHMSS...and they should go back to something more personal and real...

I LOVE Brosnan as bond so much that I was very upset when he was unable to take the role earlier due to Remington Steele committments.

they did this already.
it was called Licence to Kill.
the typical "Bond Fans" hate it.

well the typical Bond fan is stupid cause Licence to Kill is one of the Top 5 Bond movies ever!

The rocky relationship between Bond and M has been pointed to before. One aspect of the last Bond film that I really liked was the "turning loose" of Bond, similar to License to Kill. This would be an interesting way to take the character (excpet that it may have been too overplayed in the last film) -- Bond gone renegade.

The character definitely needs some emotional depth: one of the strongest moments in Bond history was in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"

I thought "Diamonds are Forever" was a revenge movie for Bond?

At least the begining was (i think)