directed by John Glen
written by Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson
starring Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Julian Glover, Cassandra Harris, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Michael Gothard
In the twelfth installment in the James Bond Series, a grittier aesthetic is hauled out and implemented to moderate effect. The film possesses a natural feel but occasionally it just looks plain ugly and dirty although there are some superb and terribly long sequences that are lovingly crafted.
The story involves the status of an ATAC system which British Intelligence uses to communicate with their subs. A massive mine crashes into a fishing trawler and blows it and everyone in it to bits. The film focuses on securing the device and avoiding the machinations of a sinister man named Aristotle Kristatos (Glover) who has dangerous plans for blowing up major cities worldwide.
There are some interesting long sequences that give the film a sense of purpose. There is a long car chase, a scene where Bond (Moore) and his lovely consort (Bouquet) are being dragged behind Kristatos’s yacht for a great distance, a scene where Bond climbs up the face of a mountain side to get to a monastery where Kristatos is hiding out and a long, tiresome skiing scene where Bond escapes down the side of a mountain. They all possess danger and the mountain face is particularly treacherous which the film handles well. As is usually the case with Bond, it’s his ingenuity that stands out in these scenes. He always knows precisely how to extract himself from treacherous situations and naturally he never makes a mistake. After all, it’s a film consumed with thrilling moments and it’s necessary for the featured character to have his game on all the time. In this series it is entirely predictable and the formula isn’t challenged in this film. There is a pattern which thusfar all Bond films have followed and at times it becomes rather tedious. Still, this one is exciting when it has to be and doesn’t drag too terribly much.
The character of Melina Havelock is underperformed by Carole Bouquet. She never seems altogether present although she does pose a challenge for Bond when it comes to the necessary art of getting into her panties and having the typical fun. Perhaps she is too wounded for Bond and he actually develops some scruples about bedding her in the usual fashion. Bond also shows some restraint when skating champion Bibi Dahl (Johnson) sneaks into his bed and announces herself ultra-ready for a fling in the sack. He actually manages to turn her down presumably because she’s too young. This would make sense as he offers to buy her ice cream instead.
As mentioned this film has a rawer look than many of the more recent Bonds. The colors are muted throughout and the overall impression is of an impoverished grandeur. It is a wide open film shot mainly in Greece and it retains something of an exotic air throughout.
The main point of this film is that Bond is mostly left to his own devices with no gadgets to cheat his way out of tight scrapes. He employ actual skills in order to survive the ridiculous number of difficult situations that he finds himself in. It’s rather glamourous in its way even if Bond doesn’t come a-blazin’ in with his finely tailored suits and supreme arrogance. His actions speak much louder than his mere poses in this film and it’s delightful to see Bond taken down a notch toward a less lavish hero. He doesn’t merely get by on his style points alone; he actually works to establish his appeal in this film and the production is all the better for it. He’s not even particularly dashing in this one although he still manages to exude the proper amount of charisma whenever the situation calls for it.
It all comes down to stripping all the finery away from Bond and forcing him to deal with his environment more primitively. He is grounded in this film and he actually manages to get his hands a bit dirtier than usual. It’s intoxicating to watch him come perilously close to death and this film offers many such scenarios which excite and engross the viewer completely. There is one particular scene that leaves one breathless if they consider just how close to falling 350 feet Bond is. Still, it’s really the stuntmen who deserve all the attention in these scenes as they do in every Bond film. Here we have the most hair-raising Bond stunt of them all although that is certainly debatable. It all comes down to one particular shot where we see what is supposed to be Bond falling down the side of a mountain relying entirely on the rope to hold him. It’s actually a moment that takes one out of the film slightly as the pure adrenaline of the scene takes root and it’s difficult to shake. This is a film filled with many similar moments.
Every Bond film tries to outdo its predecessors but this one doesn’t quite top 1969's “On Her Majesty's Secret Service” which is frankly never going to be topped by any film anywhere. It’s got the same style with Bond losing a ski and everything but the danger element is slightly relaxed and the end result isn’t as terrifying as in the earlier film. Still, it’s fairly dynamic and creates a nice buzz that is exploited quite effectively along the way. Again, the stunt work in this sequence is nothing short of exquisite and truly breathtaking. I always wonder just what these men are on when they decide to put there lives at risk like this. The design of all Bond films is to expand on earlier ideas and make everything more spectacular. Thus we see “Moonraker” taking Bond to outer space. This time, thankfully, they scale it back and return to the days when a great story, fantastic characters and thrilling locales (plus the flat out gorgeous women) were enough to sell the Bond mystique. We have here a Bond who is much more than a mere suave heel in a suit. He’s perhaps the closest to the pure action star of today in the series thus far.
We still don’t get anything in terms of his character but in this film that proves not to be a deficit. In the end we don’t need to know much about him. All we need is revealed in the first scene where he is putting flowers on his wife’s grave. It’s a continuation that again cements Bond in a very real time line and it enhances his humanity. In a very real sense this film was forced to literally bring Bond back down to earth. It also determines to make him more relatable to his audience and does so successfully because the final impression is of a man who has faced something within himself and triumphed over what he has found there. There’s also a spiritual aspect to the film which comes through in the thrilling view of the monastery perched high atop a mountain so remote and difficult to reach.
The antagonist in this film is a duplicitous character and the film does a great job setting him up as a likable personality who later turns out to be ruthless and deadly. It’s a nice switch around that lends a bit of mystery to the proceedings. Still, it’s difficult at times to sense just where the man is within the context of the film. He seems to disappear for great stretches so it’s confusing as to just what Bond is going up against. When we meet him he presents himself in a sensible, upstanding light. We are to believe fully in his generosity and that he possesses other fine attributes that any man would envy. He is elegant and at ease in every scene. This makes him into a formidable adversary because he is in many ways like Bond in terms of charisma and a personal code of style.
The performances in this film are uniformly excellent. Roger Moore discards many of the affectations that left him robotic and stiff in earlier films. He’s more natural in this one and his mental powers are more prominently put on display. This is the quickest thinking Bond of them all and it’s all the more enjoyable because of the danger he is placed in here. Carole Bouquet is certainly right up there with the Bond women. In fact she stands out due to her character’s tenacity to administer a personal vendetta again the man who had her parents killed. Her character has a will and an agenda all her own which makes her much more than a kill
er bod and a fine face. It’s actually to the film’s benefit that there are no cheap shots of her dressed down waiting for Bond to take her. Topol also manages to create a rather gruff but nevertheless strangely elegant character who is as charming as Bond and who is capable of great nuance. Lynn-Holly Johnson’s character Bibi is a tad too bubbly in this film as her character tends to jar the nerves just slightly when she’s on screen. She is, however, important because her overtures to Bond are not masked in clever wordplay. She clearly states what she wants from Bond and it’s thrilling to see such a superficially “good girl” playing naughty. Julian Glover as mentioned is cool and quietly relentless. Kristatos is snake like as he slithers through the film remaining elusive until the very end.
Overall, this film presents a return to the no-nonsense Bond that relies less on gadgetry and more on massive scenes of majestic beauty. There is a vastness to this one which lends itself to considerable more danger than some of the previous installments. The audience feels the severity of these scenes and the result is electrifying to the senses even if the story lags in places and can’t keep up to the sheer inventiveness of the long sequences where Bond is forced to think on his feet. Ultimately, it’s in the middle of the pack in relation to the Bonds that have come before it. The stunts are fantastic and the performances work well for the material. Roger Moore is more comfortable and the set designs are impressive.
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