The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

 

Talk about one of the best of the Roger Moore-era of Bond: here is one. Not because the story is that particular or intriguing, but more because here they finally decided to let Moore be his own Bond instead of trying to recreate the Connery-persona. It makes it all a lot better to digest. Also, Bond gets a nice partner in Barbara Bach and one of the most memorable henchmen of all time in Richard Kiel's Jaws. 

But I get ahead of myself. 

In freak accidents (that of course are not accidents at all), a British and Russian nuclear submarine disappear. So it does make some sense that both nations put their best on the job. In the first case, this obviously means Bond, but in the Russian's case, it is a beautiful agent called Anya Amasova, also known as Agent Triple X. 

Yes, they made that joke. Yes, it is still funny. 

Their search for a coveted microfilm leads them to Cairo, where they are in hot pursuit of a dealer named Fekkesh. Alas, they soon find that Fekkesh is dead and now they have to escape from Jaws, a giant mute killer with metal dentures. It turns out the plans and killer are both property of one Carl Stromberg, a multi-billionaire tycoon with a very elaborate underwater laboratory/base near Corsica. Stromberg is a bit of a weird one, in that he wants people to live in an undersea kingdom of his making, obviously under his rule. To that end, he has built a giant tanker that swallowed the submarines, so he can use them to unleash nuclear armageddon and then (insert diabolical laughter) RULE THE WORLD!

How do you think our intrepid agents feel about this? Will they stop him? Will the world be safe once more?

This is one of the few films that nicely balances that line between fun action, silly gadgets and a compelling story. Or at least the way in which the story is told, as Stromberg's plot is so cookie cutter, you could, well, cut cookies with it. But the design of this film is a sure winner. Stromberg's base looks awesome and even more so: as if it could bloody well work. The tanker set is also wonderful and is one of the biggest sets of the franchise. So spectacle is assured, and the fun scenes with the Lotus that transforms into a submersible give the gadget-heads some cool things to marvel at. 

But this time, the characters are what makes this one work. Moore has never been better and he is his charming self, with lots of fun quips and the gravitas for the more serious scenes. He does get some excellent opposition from Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova. Not only is she one of those exotic looking beautiful women, she feels his equal in more ways than one, even if they do occasionally try to downplay her. I don't know, for some reason, she just works and has decent chemistry with Moore. 

But the guy that steals the show is most assuredly Richard Kiel as Jaws. He doesn't say or do all that much, but like Oddjob he is so fascinating that his face and stature is what almost everyone will remember from this film. They even let him survive the end so he could make a return (which might not have been thàt good of an idea, but hey: can't win them all). 

Curd Jurgens is a good actor, but unfortunately his Stromberg is a bit too cliché. Sure, you could argue that the Bond-franchise made these characters this way, but even in 1977, the billionaire bent on world domination became a trope that was fairly tired and he doesn't get anything exciting to do anyway. Nevertheless, his cool and collected speech make him feel less over the top than some others. 

Also also: this film has the gorgeously gorgeous Caroline Monroe in a minor part as the evil Naomi. Why do I mention this? Because Caroline Monroe. Talk about boyhood crushes, dayum... 

Talk about adult crushes as well, by the way. Dayum... 

Sorry, where was I?

Ah yes, so all in all, 'The Spy Who Loved Me' is an entertaining and fun entry in the series that balances action and goofinees to an almost perfect degree and has memorable characters, even if the storyline as a whole is a little weak. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this one as one of the better installments of the Moore Era. 

Now forgive me, as I ponder miss Monroe a little longer.