Now that’s more like it! After The Man with the Golden Gun nearly lost all the goodwill the franchise had built up with Live and Let Die, this movie earns it all back and then some. The Spy Who Loved Me is a tour-de-force in everything that makes Bond films fun and exciting.
The film opens with one of the absolute best pre-credits sequences of the whole series. From the submarine capture to the ski chase to the incredible mountaintop jump and Union Flag parachute, this sequence is better than Golden Gun and Diamonds Are Forever combined. Follow it up with the gorgeous “Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon and one of the most visually inventive opening credits in the series and the audience is hooked.
The good times don’t stop there, as the film properly introduces us to leading lady Anya Amasova, aka ‘Agent XXX’. Played by Barbara Bach, she’s as gorgeous as she is talented. While her dialogue looping could have been better, her performance onscreen is electric. You truly believe that this is an agent every bit Bond’s equal. And when she finally meets Moore’s Bond it’s brilliant. Their back-and-forth through the film is every bit as captivating as the action. It’s one of the most convincing love stories in the entire series. The only shame is that she sits out the action in the finale, but at least she gets some solid moments beforehand.
But there’s more to this film than just a fun romance between two spies on opposite sides. There’s also a plot to start World War 3 by the villainous Karl Stromberg. While Stromberg isn’t a memorable villain, his lair and headquarters are marvelous sets. The colossal chamber the climax takes place in was so huge that the crew had to build the entire studio from scratch. And of course, you can’t go without mentioning the first appearance of the best Bond Henchman in the entire series, Richard Kiel’s Jaws. Kiel is brilliant in the part. When Jaws first enters the scene at the Pyramids of Giza it feels almost like you’re watching a horror movie. Watching him slowly stalk towards his prey and kill the hapless mook with his metal teeth is an image worthy of any of the best slasher flicks. And when he goes up against Bond it’s incredibly tense. Bond is never able to fully beat him, only escape him. But the creative ways Bond keeps finding to escape Jaws’ grasp are thrilling, and help elevate the action even higher.
Speaking of the action, Lewis Gilbert returns to the director’s chair with aplomb. He did an impressive job on You Only Live Twice, and here he surpasses even its scale and spectacle. The battle in the supertanker has never truly been surpassed in any Bond film. It’s thrilling in its size and style, and Moore carries it with surprising ease. And of course, there’s the car chase that leads to Bond’s Lotus Esprit becoming a submarine. That sequence is without a doubt in the top five of Bond car chases.
So yeah, I love this movie. It’s a crazy, wonderful rollercoaster that knows just when to return to the human element. More than just my favorite Moore Bond film, this one is my favorite Bond film period.
No Bond Movie Does It Better
Now that’s more like it! After The Man with the Golden Gun nearly lost all the goodwill the franchise had built up with Live and Let Die, this movie earns it all back and then some. The Spy Who Loved Me is a tour-de-force in everything that makes Bond films fun and exciting.
The film opens with one of the absolute best pre-credits sequences of the whole series. From the submarine capture to the ski chase to the incredible mountaintop jump and Union Flag parachute, this sequence is better than Golden Gun and Diamonds Are Forever combined. Follow it up with the gorgeous “Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon and one of the most visually inventive opening credits in the series and the audience is hooked.
The good times don’t stop there, as the film properly introduces us to leading lady Anya Amasova, aka ‘Agent XXX’. Played by Barbara Bach, she’s as gorgeous as she is talented. While her dialogue looping could have been better, her performance onscreen is electric. You truly believe that this is an agent every bit Bond’s equal. And when she finally meets Moore’s Bond it’s brilliant. Their back-and-forth through the film is every bit as captivating as the action. It’s one of the most convincing love stories in the entire series. The only shame is that she sits out the action in the finale, but at least she gets some solid moments beforehand.
But there’s more to this film than just a fun romance between two spies on opposite sides. There’s also a plot to start World War 3 by the villainous Karl Stromberg. While Stromberg isn’t a memorable villain, his lair and headquarters are marvelous sets. The colossal chamber the climax takes place in was so huge that the crew had to build the entire studio from scratch. And of course, you can’t go without mentioning the first appearance of the best Bond Henchman in the entire series, Richard Kiel’s Jaws. Kiel is brilliant in the part. When Jaws first enters the scene at the Pyramids of Giza it feels almost like you’re watching a horror movie. Watching him slowly stalk towards his prey and kill the hapless mook with his metal teeth is an image worthy of any of the best slasher flicks. And when he goes up against Bond it’s incredibly tense. Bond is never able to fully beat him, only escape him. But the creative ways Bond keeps finding to escape Jaws’ grasp are thrilling, and help elevate the action even higher.
Speaking of the action, Lewis Gilbert returns to the director’s chair with aplomb. He did an impressive job on You Only Live Twice, and here he surpasses even its scale and spectacle. The battle in the supertanker has never truly been surpassed in any Bond film. It’s thrilling in its size and style, and Moore carries it with surprising ease. And of course, there’s the car chase that leads to Bond’s Lotus Esprit becoming a submarine. That sequence is without a doubt in the top five of Bond car chases.
So yeah, I love this movie. It’s a crazy, wonderful rollercoaster that knows just when to return to the human element. More than just my favorite Moore Bond film, this one is my favorite Bond film period.