For Your Eyes Only (1981)

So could anything get better going from the 70's to the 80's? Oh yes. Definitely yes. Bond goes straight from the grave of his wife to a crashing helicopter, that he in turn uses to kill arch-nemesis Blofeld. And all before the vignette. Most needed interest after the dreary puddle that was "Moonraker".

The first scene after the vignette is rather bleak as a ship full of agents is sunk with ensuing chaos, mass-death (usually reserved for a bigger, less personal scale in the end-scene) and sad destinies, made worse as Bond later swims around in corpses in an attempt to retrieve the ATAC (MacGuffin of the day). The sinking of the ship does feel as if it should have been the opening scene, leaving the very first scene to seem a bit moot. With the next scene being the cold-blooded murder of Melina's parents (ending in a most ill-adviced extreme close-up of Bouquet), it really leaves us longing for some lightness. Thankfully the next scene is Moore and Maxwell.

Casting is also vastly improved from Moonraker. Apart from key players Bouquet and Gothard, Topol and Julian Glover are excellent actors giving good value for money. Add to that a fine turn from Geoffrey Keen, and one of the finest interactions between Bond and Q, FYEO really has a bit extra here. And for an added bonus, spot a young Charles Dance trying to kill our hero. Bouquet isn't at her best when being hateful and cold, and the frequent close-ups from director John Glen does nothing to aid her. She is a more modern turn, and can kill in cold blood. Most delightful.

Barry was canned for this instalment, most likely to make room for a more 80's sound in Bill Conti. Big mistake as there are more annoying bleeps. Thankfully the action has improved, so the music can stay in the background. Particularly the chase with the biathlon-nazi is entertaining, as well as the 2CV-chase. At times, they still fall for the temptation of soft, unfunny, jokes to deteriorate the quality of the action, unfortunately. They could also have reduced the amount of winter olympic sports they try to kill Bond in, to at least single digits, but it is still varied enough to entertain.

Moore is getting a bit older here, and nothing shows it more than when a top athlete works all her charm to get him into bed and he responds with "Get your clothes on, and I'll buy you an icecream". Probably a smart move, as he has enough difficulty looking young enough for Bouquet.

So the action is good, the acting above average, the story very original for a Bond-caper (with Bond caught in the middle of a Greek turf-war), and the music terrible, though the underwater-action towards the end has plenty of late tension. Moore redeems himself from the horror that was "Moonraker".

7/10

Best car used: 1980 Lotus Esprit Turbo
Most memorable drink served: Theotaki Aspo
Henchmen: Michael Gothard as Locque. A cold, calculating bastard that feels most intimidating. Even with those glasses.
Villain: Julian Glover as Kristatos. A most conniving liar. Fresh trait for a villain.
Best one-liner: "He had no head for heights"
Song: "For Your Eyes only". Sheena Easton. A poor man's Bassey. Not the best ballade either.
Bond-girl: Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock. Now here's strong and feisty (though her car is shit).

Moonraker (1979)

So another big and important MacGuffin is stolen (in a few seconds this time around and Bond is thrown off a plane without a parachute by the only henchman ever to return to the franchise. Not very memorable, but at least Barry is back (with one of his less impressive scores).

Lois Chiles is not as believable as Bach as a strong woman, her role much less intriguing than that off Bach. That leaves her lingering between the old and the new kind of Bond-girl. Michael Lonsdale is very suave and a nice addition to the megalomaniacs that threaten Bond every two years or so. And he is equipped with the most fascinating line: "Look after mr. Bond. See that some harm comes to him". He works best when he thinks he's winning though, as his arrogance is more interesting than his annoyance. Richard Kiel has one absolutely outstanding scene in the carnival, but he doesn't really bring anything to the table this time that wasn't there last time, and when they angle him towards a petite, freckled and tiny girlfriend with pigtails, he, nor the film, has credibility left.

It does have it's moments, and Bond's insolence towards Drax is very amusing. The pheasant-scene most brilliant. The action is decent, though Gilbert still has a tendency to just increase the speed of his camera instead of trying to make it look real. As people got a shorter attention span towards the eighties, the action-scenes occur at a higher frequency. And a small homage to other sci-fi flicks is most amusing and welcome. Moore as Eastwood, really not.

But this seems to be a lazy story (with a rather stupid plot, even for this franchise) to throw Bond into the space-market created by Star Wars and others. It's got a ditto lazy score by Barry, more mediocre action from Lewis Gilbert and a re-used villain that turns into a cartoon. Probably the worst in the franchise, and certainly up until this point

4/10


Best car used: Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1973 (Bond is only a passenger in all cars)
Most memorable drink served: Bollinger '69
Henchmen: Richard Kiel again. Not as threatening this time.
Villain: Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax.
Best one-liner: "I discovered he had a crush on me"
Song: "Moonraker". One last chance for Shirley Bassey. Nice, but not dramatic enough.
Bond-girl: Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead (Oh yes).

The Spy who Loved me (1977)

There's nothing quite like kidnapping a huge vessel (submarine here) with nuclear weapons to set up some grandeur to the plot. And when both the British and Russians lose one, big politics with big consequences set a most intriguing scenario. Top that with a ski chase (done better in OHMSS), ending with a huge parachute with the British flag, and the vignette can roll proudly.

The casting deserves special mention this time. In addition to Richard Kiel and Barbara Bach, Walter Gotell is an exquisite Russian general. Add that to the regulars, Llewelyn and Lee, and quite a few scenes are better than you've come to expect from a franchise that keeps all focus on 2-3 characters. Bach's banter with Moore is most amusing, and brings out the very best of Bond's infantile teasing. A flirt where Bond has to work for it, adds a more modern touch. Curd Jürgens also has a most threatening face, particularly when he smiles whilst leaving his eyes very intense, cold and evil.

Again, they do well in the tension department. Director Gilbert takes full usage of Kiel's slow methodical movements and hulking frame to create the illusion of an immovable object that kills for fun. Bond really must stop travelling by train. It always ends in a brawl with someone very large.

They picked Marvin Hamlisch to compose the score here, and that was a big mistake. Apart from the titlesong, it's mostly bad synth and other unwanted bleeps, apart from variations on the main theme done on a dozen different instruments. There is some excellent usage of classical music early on though, particularly Bach's "Air" set to the background of a terrified young woman being thrown to the shark.

So there is tension, brilliant flirting and mediocre action. Though Gilbert keeps his action-sequences blissfully short, so they still have merit. Apart from where he increases speed of film. That looks stupid in any film age. The end set-piece aboard the tanker is excellent, but with horrid music, and mediocrity in action, the general casting and the fine chemistry of the leads doesn't quite make this film quite stand out

6/10


Best car used: Lotus Esprit S1 - Wet Nellie
Most memorable drink served: Vodka martini, shaken not stirred (ordered by Bach)
Henchmen: Richard Kiel as Jaws. The only henchman cool enough to appear twice.
Villain: Karl Stromberg played by Curd Jürgens. He has a most wicked smile.
Best one-liner: "All those feathers and he still can't fly"
Song: "Nobody does it better". A lovely ballad by Carly Simon
Bond-girl: Barbara Bach as Russian Agent XXX. Feisty and a perfect match to Roger Moore's youthful swagger and charm.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

John Barry sets up a wonderfully sneaky tune for the intro, and the exoticness of the location and beauty of the woman, gives hope that this will be an improvement of the former instalment. A most agile Christopher Lee brings further hope. The intro is filled with suspense and ends on a great one-liner. Fine start!

Bond's first scene with M is also a treat. As usual, 80% of the conversation is implied. As it should be. Generally, Moore seems more comfortable this time around, making full use of his wit and looks, slipping seamlessly between brutality and charm at the wink of an eye, rounding it off with sheer callousness. Yup, all in the same scene.

The film works best at the smaller, suspenseful details. The eyes of Lee over a gun in the dark, with a sly, slow jazz-tune. Fantastic. Another fine detail is the HQ in Hong Kong. Not to mention Scaramanga's island. Even as Bond goes, it doesn't get more exotic than that. And Lee really is a stroke of genius. So many scenes are better due to the sheer quality of his acting.

Unfortunately, after setting up what seemed interesting, director Guy Hamilton, falls for the temptation to increase silliness. He even, for reasons unknown to every living creature on every planet chartered, decides to re-introduce us to Clifton James' insufferable Sheriff Pepper (leaving him yammering and wailing throughout what would otherwise be a decent car-hunt). And then went on to ruin one of the finest car-stunts in film history, with a stupid cork-screw sound.

Furthermore, there are some script-glitches concerning miss Anders. Why would she want Bond to save her, and then not cooperate?

So in conclusion, it's better than "Live and let Die" but strains to find the level of realism vs humour it wants to display, and is therefore uneven throughout. Suspense brilliant, action decent, humour just god-awful. Perhaps they just rushed it. Pity.

6/10


Best car used: 1974 AMC Hornet ... This film's a travesty car-wise
Most memorable drink served: Dom Perignon '64
Henchmen: Hervè Villechaize as Nick Nack. Something for the kids.
Villain: Scaramanga. You can't really go wrong with Christopher Lee, though an assassin with a third nipple is hardly the most spectacular backstory.
Best one-liner: "You have no idea what it went through to get here"
Song: "The Man with the Golden Gun" by Lulu. Most jazzy and cool.
Bond-girl: Brit Ekland as Mary Goodnight. Very hippie and fit for her times. The second Bond-girl in 3 films to put something useful in her bikini-bottom.

Live and let Die (1973)

Three killings in the opening, one of which the legendary New Orleans jazz funeral-murder. A most fine entrance for Roger Moore. If not for the voodoo-scene, that has not survived the test of time. No Roger Moore, though

When he does appear, it's with a beautiful woman, fine coffee (probably a homage to Len Deighton's Harry Palmer) and trying hard not show M the former. The brilliant Bernard Lee is perfect at his most surly, and that he certainly is over Bond's shenanigans.

Moore doesn't have the raw machismo as Connery, and could never shoot an unarmed man in the back. Hence this instalment is played rather light. The problem with the mood in general is that when you spice it up with 2 henchmen that giggle incessantly, generally overact and prance around like maniacs, topped with Pepper, there really isn't much seriousness left.

That Bond drives and double-decker and races around a small airport in an even smaller aircraft, just adds injury to insult. There is a rather lengthy boat-chase with some decent stunts, though littered with aforementioned Pepper.

The characters are mostly props in this rather shallow flick, so it's refreshing that Seymour makes the most of her part, showing silent and dignified desperation and fear, as well as stoic strength and stubbornness in the face of danger. One of the best Bond-girls.

Barry has been better, but he does have a nice new theme for us. Most considerate.

The film does have the exotic locations, a shark tank and gives a thorough insight, though somewhat racist in today's world, into New Orleans and jazz-clubs. Tee Hee's little speech amongst the crocodiles is quite good, and the tension is at times well above average. But at this point, it seems like the franchise is struggling to settle with what it wants to be, and very much like the poster, this film is rather chaotic.

5/10

Best car used: 1972 Chevrolet Impala Sport
Most memorable drink served: Bollinger, vintage not given
Henchmen: Julius Harris as Tee Hee. Most gleefully evil.
Villain: Yaphet Kotto as Mr. Big. Very forgettable.
Best one-liner: "He always did have an inflated opinion of himself"
Song: Wings - Live and Let Die. A most dramatic and cool tune.
Bond-girl: Jane Seymour. Hard to be more beautiful. Perhaps a bit demure, but undoubtedly a good actress.

Diamonds are forever (1971)

Though George Lazenby probably was underrated, he was certainly no Sean Connery. So the studio threw a pile of money at Connery and persuaded him to don the 00-digit one last time. Was it worth the splash?

Well the introduction is fine as he punches his way towards Blofeld, including strangling a pretty girl with her on bikini. Most determined man. He even kills Blofeld before the vignette (we're led to believe).

The henchmen are quite delectable this time around as Putter Smith and Bruce Glover kill with indiscriminately with a sly smile and more puns than Bond by a mile. Glover speaks slow and meticulously, with exaggerated facial motions, whereas Smith has a rather daft grin on his face. Most worthy opponents.

The action is all right, but as with most things, less is often more, as the best scene is a two-man brawl in an elevator. And there are quite a few attempts at killing here (mostly successful as Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint are most efficient and love their jobs). No real set-pieces apart from the end-game, just a very cool stunt with the Mustang. As this is mostly set in Las Vegas in the early seventies, there is no shortage of big, beautiful American cars.

Blofeld is played by Charles Grey (he actually had a small role in YOLT, most unusual). His British arrogance impeccable, but the menace of Donald Pleasance is most missed. Particularly when he's losing. He has plenty of swagger, but not any real threat. That is probably the reason why there is no real fight between him and Bond, only tinkering with toys of threat, whoever is in charge.

The tone of the film is mostly light. There are some great expressions from Connery as he struggles to fathom the stupidity of human kind, St. John plays it very light and the name Plenty O'Toole also sets a bar.

Barry's score is good, and the theme for the henchmen is spot on. Sneaky and a bit strange but with a steady beat.

This flick never gets the feeling of a true Bond. There is much murdering and sneakyness, the car and the women are there, but the suspense and grandeur not so much.

6/10

Best car used: Ford Mustang Mach 1 (1971) (though the moon-buggy is great fun)
Most memorable drink served: Sherry Solera, 1851.
Henchmen: Mr. Kidd & Mr Wint. A gay couple. Most peculiar pair (particularly Putter Smith who was specifically cast for his appearance)
Villain: Ernest Stavro Blofeld.
Best one-liner: "Provided the collars and cuffs match"
Song: Diamonds are forever, Shirley Bassey. Dramatic, but the dull synth-riff does it no good. Bassey tries her hardest, though.
Bond-girl: Jill St. John. Nowhere near the most memorable apart from the fact that she wears about 5 different sets of lingerie in the first half of the film.

On her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

It's said that you should never start a lecture by making excuses as it shines a spotlight to your shortcomings, and perhaps even unnecessarily. So having the first non-Connery Bond look straight into the camera and say "This never happened to the other fellow" is perhaps not a stroke of genius. Other than that the intro is decent, showing off some good bare-knuckled fighting from Lazenby. This is the first (and still only) flick not to have the film's song after the intro. Barry is utterly at his best here, so it's fine.

Diana Rigg was the first established actor to play a Bond-girl as the producers felt they needed to balance out the inexperienced Lazenby. And it fits perfectly as Lazenby can't pull off Connery's raw sexuality, hence it fits him better with a cold, arrogant woman he has to chase for most of the film. Rigg has the upper hand most of the time, despite Bond bailing her out regularly. Lazenby is a bit on the stiff side (his alter ego Edmund Hillary works well in that respect), so false courtesy and genuine patience is a most fitting way for him to get his best chemistry. Though Connery is missed at times, it seems harsh not to give his replacement more than one attempt. Lazenby is nowhere near as macho and naturally threatening as Connery, playing it more with mirth and cool. Closer to to what Roger Moore would provide later.

The script is in part a love-story as Teresa doesn't need the exciting, flamboyant Bond. She needs the calmly dominant and stoic Bond and as he wears her down, she finds the anchor in her life she's been seeking. Surely not written that way by the misogynistic Fleming. For further evidence, witness the early montage with love-soaked lyrics from Armstrong and the foolish grins on the lovers. She does disappear for the better part of an hour, though, disturbing the flow.

So the plot is fittingly ridiculous, the action is very good (bobsleigh anyone?) and there are some cool set-ups (though one stolen from "The Ipcress Files". The cutting is a bit jagged and frantic at times, but that was common in the day. Worse is the editing. Apart from the ending, it has a lighter tone in both humour and flirtations.

OHMSS is the only Bond-film to end on a sad note, making it the perfect entrance for Satchmo's brilliant ballad. An end to remember, with a shattered Bond in disbelief.

At 142 minutes, it was by a distance the longest Bond-film, and the pace suffers a bit as a consequence. It doesn't help it that the action is a bit unevenly distributed. Still, it's a different instalment in the franchise and an underrated one at that.

7/10

Best car used: 1968 Aston Martin DBS (The Mercury Cougar is a thing of beauty, though)
Most memorable drink served: Dom Perignon '57 and a dry Martini, shaken not stirred
Henchmen: Irma Bunt. Short, ugly women are never good for Bond. Not really a problem for Bond until the final scene.
Villain: Telly Savalas as Blofeld. Seems much more pompous than Pleasance, and much, much less threatening.
Best one-liner: "Just a slight stiffness coming on"
Song: "We have all the time in the world" by Louis Armstrong. A dwelling, sad ballad. Fantastic.
Bond-Girl: Diana Rigg. The first to really have her own character. And she does make a meal of it. Wonderfully playful, fragile and headstrong.