Food & Adventures

Thursday 17 January 2019

Project Bond: The Spy Who Loved Me

"James, I need you."
"So does England."

In 1977 Roger Moore returned for his 3rd outing as 007 in what would become the most expensive James Bond film up to that point, The Spy Who Loved Me. Also returning where Bernard Lee as M, Desmond Llewellyn as Q and Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny. The Bond Girl this time is Barbera Bach as sexy Russian agent Anya Amasova with the ludicrous codename Agent XXX. The villains here are Curd Jürgens as Stromberg and the debut of Richard Kiel as Jaws.



The plot is standard Bond fare, a British and a Russian Nuclear submarine have gone missing and the respective governments send their best agents to get to the bottom of it. Bond is already on a mission (I.E. in bed with some floozy) Bond gets the message from M and nips off for an imprmptu ski chase off a cliff leading to one on the most Iconic moments of all Bond films.


Bond and XXX head off to Egypt after a tip off that someone is selling a device that can track submarines and therefore render the the nuclear deterrent useless. The bad guy behind it all is Stromberg, a pretty over the top villain even for a Bond film. He wants to steal the subs so he can use the nuclear weapons to destroy cities on land so he can realise his vision of an underwater city with him in charge. Stromberg's main henchman is the Silent giant with metal teeth Jaws, Stromberg sends him to Egypt to eliminate Bond and XXX.When Britain and Russia find out Stromberg is behind the missing subs they work together to stop him.


This is one of the better Roger Moore Bond films and it has all the classic action you expect from a Bond film. There is a megalomaniac threatening the world, a sexy Russian outsmarting Bond, a huge battle between Stromberg's Mercenaries and the Captured seamen (snigger). There is also some great gadgets topped off with Bond's new car. Gone is the Aston Martin and this time Q has given Bond a suped up Lotus Esprit full of all the usual trickery but this time has the handy ability to change into a submarine which leads to a great underwater battle.

Barbera Bach is a really great Bond girl and not just a damzel in distress, she can hold her own, getting the best of 007 a few times. The Dynamic between the two is different than with most Bond girls and she is FIIIT.


What I really love about The Spy Who Loved me is the Baddies, Stromberg is up there with Goldfinger and Blofeld as the best Bond villains, he is utterly crazy but rationalises his plans that mankind are doomed and only his plan will save humanity. He has a submersible fortress with an office that is an aquarium equipped with trap door that leads to a shark tank to send any one who displeases him.


The best thing though is Jaws, when I was a kid and watching these films Jaws scared the hell out of me and he is still probably my favourite Henchmen from the Bond film. Apparently he was originally going to die in the film but when they did test screenings he was so popular they decided to let hi live and bring him back in the next film. I think the newer Bond film are missing good a henchman and I think It's time they brought Jaws back again


Re-watching these film and I'm starting to think I've been too hard on Roger Moore all these years as I've really been enjoying his Bond films. The Spy Who Loved Me has some great moments and some of the best scenes are when Bond is being the cold blooded killer he really is especially when he lets one of Stromberg's cronies fall of the edge of a building after getting the info he needs from him.




Project Bond will return with Moonraker. You can check out my previous Bond reviews here. 

Well, that's all for now.

S

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2 comments

  1. I love this! It brings back memories of my childhood and you have corrected an erroneous thought in my mind. I thought Jaws appeared first of all in Moonraker. Such fun to think back to these classic Bond movies. you make me want to watch them all over again now.

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    1. I'm really enjoying the Roger Moore film a lot more than I remember as a kid. I love Jaws though, he's always been my fave baddie.

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