THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
A film review by Bill Hatfield
Copyright 1996 Bill Hatfield
Starring Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro. Featuring Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, and Geoffrey Keen. Directed by Lewis Gilbert Written by Richard Maibaum and Christopher Wood EON Productions/United Artists, 1977
Released in 1977, at a time when the once-prolfic James Bond series was sinking deeper and deeper into oblivion, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME turned out to be the turning point in the series. Agent 007 was rescued from a cinematic grave with this tenth installment in the continuing Bond saga. (I won't even mention THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.) On my list of Bond films, this has got to be one of the best ever made. Why? Simply, it takes all the fantastic elements from previous Bond films that we know and enjoy and turns it into something completely different and even more enjoyable. Recycled might be an acceptable word, but I disagree- the right word is *adapted*. The plot isn't as complex as some of the later Bonds, thankfully. It involves a madman shipping magnate by the name of Karl Stromberg, who's portrayed by German actor Curt Jurgens; and Stromberg is secretly snatching U.S. and Soviet nuclear submarines right out of the water with his gigantic tanker, the "Liparus". When British Intelligence investigates, they send James Bond, who's played by Roger Moore (in his best performance as the suave spy). Bond gets to do some kick-ass stunts, like seducing a Austrian babe who's actually a KGB agent. Then he skis off a gigantic cliff. How awesome can you get? And that's just the opening. We're treated to the seductive Barbara Bach as Major Anya Amasova of the Russian Army and the KGB. We see Richard Kiel in his first and best appearance as the seven-foot-one killer with the steel teeth, Jaws. We also get sexy Caroline Munro as Naomi, a dastardly villainess. Bond puts an end to her with a sub-surface to air missile from his well-equipped Lotus Esprit. Any low points? Not many, actually. Jaws' invincibility gets a little tiresome, but it's better than seeing him fall in love with that blonde bimbo in MOONRAKER, a far inferior sequel. Barbara Bach doesn't seem like an established actress (read: line delivery), she still is great to see on screen and handles the role better than most Bond girls. All in all, this movie is certainly one of the best of the series. While many diehard Bond fans from the Connery school will disagree with me, it's really true. While it's a fact that GOLDFINGER is probably tops, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME has been the best film ever since to emulate the standard Bond formula. The more serious ones like FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, DR. NO, and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY are in a Bondian league of their own (read: serious spying), but no Bond film since THE SPY WHO LOVED ME has really been able to emulate the glitzy, lavish atmosphere of this movie. Sure, it's nineteen years later, but it's true. As Carly Simon's title tune goes, "Nobody Does It Better!"
Bill's Rating, on a scale of 000 (poor) to 007 (excellent): 006
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Bill Hatfield --hatfield@stgeorges.edu--
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