For Your Eyes Only (1981)

 

After the extreme silliness that was 'Moonraker', it was terribly refreshing to see Bond go in a more serious route once again. As a result, this is one of the more enjoyable and gritty Moore-era films. It has better ideas, cast and overall story, even if many of the beats here are on loan from earlier entries into the franchise, as we will soon see.

Disregard the opening sequence for a large part, though. 

No really. They start off sombre, with Bond visiting the grave of his late wife Tracy, which is a truly heartfelt moment, only to become a silly helicopter stunt with Blofeld moments later. It truly is ridiculous and in stark contrast with the very first minute or so. Apparently this was done to get one over on a former scriptwriter, who had the rights to the name Blofeld and thus they did away with that character, but it is so off kilter with everything else, it is weird. 

Anyway, the story proper starts when a British spy vessel sinks off the Albanian coast, with a device on board that can be used to link the British nuclear submarines. An archeologist and secret help gets brutally murdered in front of his daughter Melina, so naturally she swears revenge. She runs into Bond when they both are after the assassin, but she unceremoniously kills him with a crossbow. Then a very fun chase ensues, especially as Bond and Melina are now driving a 'Deux Chevaux', a very typical French car of the time, but not one you would expect for a chase. It is fun and Bond's quips are genuinely funny, as Roger Moore is a most charming and witty man. 

But things soon get more serious, as he is sent to Cortina to find a trader called Kristatos, who can help Bond find a killer named Locque. Kristatos sets Bond on the trail of Columbo, a smuggler who is behind all this and also a lot of heroin trafficking. 

When you know Kristatos is played by the excellent Julian Glover, you know something is off. Because of course. 

Bond eventually meets up with Columbo (a wonderfully eccentric and fun Topol) and it soon becomes clear that the true menace is Kristatos. It all comes to a head on a remote monastery in the Greek mountains, where Bond must acquire the device before it is sold to the Russians ànd deal with Kristatos in the process. 

If you have seen earlier Bond-films, you will soon come to realize that this one borrows heavily from 'From Russia With Love' and 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', but in truth: it doesn't matter. This Bond is darker, more realistic and at times grittier and it makes the entire experience that much better. The script is pretty tight but most of all the actors are all so well chosen. Roger Moore is of course his usual suave self, but Bondgirl Carole Boucquet as Melina is better written than most. She is a lot more independent and does quite a bit more than is expected, which is a nice change of pace. 

The same goes for Topol, who feels like a character in the vein of Kerim Bey, but because it's Topol is a horse of a different colour. He is one of those lovable scamps and you just instantly get a liking for the guy. 

Most of the villains are also well done, albeit not necessarily memorable. Locque has an interesting look, but doesn't say much (if anything), Kriegler is a bit too much of the old 'Nazi'-stereotype and especially Kristatos feels a bit weak, but when you have a franchise filled to the brim with over the top bad guys, a more normal bad guy feels awkwardly out of place. 

Not a lot more to say, really. 'For Your Eyes Only' is one of the more enjoyable romps of the Moore-era and all around one of the better Bondfilms, period. Sure, it does borrow a lot from other films, but still manages to feel like a fresh story despite all this.