The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The Roger Moore era of "James Bond" finally hit its stride in "The Spy Who Loved Me," easily the best or at least most iconic Bond since the early Sean Connery films. Quick-paced, full of action and laced with clever surprises, the budget poured into the 10th official "Bond" pays off.The previous few films under director Guy Hamilton, writer Tom Mankiewicz and co-produced with Harry Saltzman were particularly uninspired and formulaic. Whether the return of director Lewis Gilbert ("You Only Live Twice"), the addition of Gilbert's writer friend Christopher Wood or the reins being totally in Albert R. Broccoli's hands had anything to do with the refreshed mentality of "The Spy Who Loved Me" is anyone's guess, but it has a spring in its step to be sure.Part of that strength could have been drawn from the outside in. The massive scale of "TSWLM" rivals any "Bond" film. Legendary "Bond" production designer Ken Adam absolutely outdoes himself in this film, which sees Bond among remarkable Egyptian ruins, a dazzling underwater villain's lair and aboard a nuclear submarine. The film spares no expense bringing these set pieces to life, undoubtedly adding a great deal of prestige too.The story has Bond teaming up with KGB Agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) after British and Soviet submarines suddenly disappear. Following a lead that involves blueprints for a submarine tracking system in Cairo, Bond and Amasova - while attempting to outsmart each other - run in with the rich and powerful businessman Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens) and his steel-toothed muscle, Jaws (Richard Kiel).The movie definitely lifts elements from "Thunderball" and "From Russian with Love," but it moves like a shark and generally avoids the predictable patterns of its lesser predecessors. Stromberg and Jaws rank among the most quintessential "Bond" villains and henchmen, and though so much about her character disappoints, Bach feels more critical to this entry than most other "Bond" girls do to their respective films. A love story with a Russian spy at least adds some intrigue even if (in the '70s of all eras) she should be able to use physical strength and not just cunning to succeed. She doesn't go nearly as toe-to-toe with Bond as she ought too, especially when considering Bond kills her lover in the opening.The opening ski stunt, the underwater car, the explosive finale - these are all gimmicks to make "TSWLM" more exciting, but they actually hit their mark because of how they're used and some clever touches (like the Union Jack flag parachute). Add in great American composer Marvin Hamlisch's score and original song recorded by Carly Simon and "TSWLM" manages to check off a lot of the boxes of what made the "Bond" movies so iconic in the early '60s.The script also embraces more of Bond's past. Rather than bourbon, 007 is back to drinking vodka martinis, and at one point he's confronted about the lover he lost (specifically, who George Lazenby lost in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). It's small, but in doing so the film tips its cap to viewers who have stuck with Bond over these 10 films.Moore is also at his best, revealing, specifically, his underrated talent for spot-on facial reactions to some of the more ridiculous situations and happenings. The script seems to embrace the qualities of James Bond that he does best, namely the charm and guile."The Spy Who Loved Me" doesn't constitute a brave new direction for Bond by any means, but with all that it has going on and all that it has to look and marvel at, many of the clichés and formulaic bits feel polished and revitalized. And speaking from the perspective of nearly 25 "Bond" films, a great "Bond" simply gets us to fall in love with the series' class trademarks all over again, not grow tired of them. "The Spy Who Love Me" does just that.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

The James Bond franchise is one of those franchises that will never die. It has been going strong since the first movie rolled out in the early 1960's, and new James Bond movies are still produced today. What makes this series unique is they use multiple actors to play the titular character over the years. They all bring their own gravitas to the role, and each Bond is a different man when compared to each other (although the martini, shaken not stirred and the beautiful women among other things remain a constant.) So my first James Bond review for this blog is 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me. This wasn't my first look at the series, but it was my first look at the older movies. I really liked what I saw. This is an old-fashioned story that combines a spy drama and an action-packed war movie into one package. Like many of the older Bond movies, the story can get borderline preposterous. The cheesiness of the plot did come to grow on me after awhile, even if the main villain is Russian (remember, this came out during the Cold War) and wants to destroy the world. Also like older Bond (or 007 if you prefer) movies, this movie is invested in its gadgets. There is nothing quite like seeing Bond use these cool-looking devices that can do powerful things.James Bond (Roger Moore) is back for a new mission! This mission involves finding a Royal Navy submarine holding sixteen nuclear missiles that suddenly vanished without a trace. Bond must team up with Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to take down the mastermind of the plot named Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens) and his henchman named Jaws (Richard Kiel), whose biggest weapon is his metal teeth. The clock is ticking as Bond must find the nuclear weapons before they are fired.There are two questions to ask when watching a James Bond movie. Who are the villains? Who is the Bond girl? Both very essential to a Bond movie, as they can make or break the movie. In this case, we get two (mostly) effective villains, and a good-looking Bond lady. While Stromberg is the main villain with the plan, he is not too strong of a villain. I am more interested in Jaws. Jaws is actually labeled as one of the best villains in any Bond film, and I would wholeheartedly agree. He is quite a menace. He may be a little clumsy, but goodness once you see the teeth he has, you might rather face the shark that Jaws is named after. There are scenes here that can be quite gruesome when you see the teeth come into action. As for the girl, I think Major Anya is a good Bond lady. She is an undercover Russian agent, so the political side of that was an interesting concept given the time period.I think the film was well-acted. I believe Roger Moore is one of the weakest Bonds, but he does a solid job. He plays a little older Bond, but his sense of humor and savvy attitude fits this film very well. Richard Kiel is the man who brought Jaws to life (sorry, Spielberg) and well he was terrifying as the sharp-teethed villain. Barbara Bach does a good job as Major Anya, and I liked the rivalry she brought to Bond. Curd Jurgens was a good villain, but his goals are similar to other villains of essentially every other action movie, so his role did not move me in one way or the other.The Spy Who Loved Me is a fun, entertaining action flick and a worthy addition to the James Bond franchise. I liked the realistic tone the film was going for, given the tone of previous films. There is still cheesy parts, but what's a James Bond movie without the cheesiness. I am rather impressed with the visuals of the film. This was filmed on location in the ancient, majestic parts of Egypt and they had some really cool underwater sets and quite frankly, I loved the visuals of Stromberg's lair in the middle of the ocean. There is lots of action, although I feel the final act of the film chooses to do the obligatory action conclusions that many action movies do these days. However, the fights involving Jaws is just worth watching this movie for. If you are new to the franchise, this is a good beginning.My Grade: B+

The Third Time was a Charm for Roger Moore as James Bond after Two Previous Disappointing Films as 007. This one Clicked, and is Considered, Perhaps, Moore's Best.All the Bond Ingredients Coalesce, The Exotic Locations, the Super Villain (Curt Jurgens), the Gadgets, the Sexual Innuendos, the Bond Girl(s) Barbara Bach with Caroline Munro on the Side, an Unforgettable Sci-Fi Thug named "Jaws" (Richard Kiel), the Enormously Impressive Sets and SFX, and for Toppers, a Memorable Title Tune, "Nobody Does it Better", sung by Carly Simon.The 10th Bond Film might seem to Run a Little Long, but there is a Grand Scheme Underway and the Finale is Fitting for the Scope of the Villainy.Overall, it was Refreshing to Find the Formula could still Work after a Couple of Previous Duds. It was not at all Certain that the Franchise would Continue. But the Producers took a chance with a Big-Budget and were Rewarded with Big-Box Office and Fan Approval.

With "Diamonds Are Forever" and "The Man With The Golden Gun" the Bond franchise has taken some beating and was losing it's edge in the film industry and at the box office. So this was a important and critical Bond film, where the success of this film played a important part in keeping this franchise relevant. And also keeping it going with the back up it's been getting. So they were really banking on this movie to succeed, and you can clearly see it from the intro with a ski chase scene that ends with a parachute jump. The action in this is way better crafted while keeping the Bond essence going. They really tried to modernize and renovate the franchise, this could either work or fail and for the most part it worked for the better. They took certain elements from the previous Bond films and made a bigger and more action packed. The main drive of this film is of course the chemistry between a female spy Agent Triple X or Anya. She was a decently written female lead, well at least for a Bond film anyways. Unfortunately the actress that played her was very robotic and lacked any flare. She was suppose to a competent spy but came off more naive than anything else. If there was more build up between Bond and Anya during their escapade this film would surely have been classic Bond film. Don't get me wrong this is still a very good Bond film with Roger Moore in the lead role. Add in a kick as Bond intro song and you got yourself a noteworthy Bond movie. It even has one of Bond's most iconic villains Jaws (Richard Kiel) who also appears in the next installment.8/10