After a trip to space the producers course corrected the direction of the series and Roger Moore's fifth outing is a more grounded adventure with smaller stakes, and in all honesty the franchise was better for it.
1. Although the character of Bill Tanner, M's chief of staff, was onscreen but went nameless in The Man with the Golden Gun, this is the first onscreen portrayal of Tanner that the viewer actually gets to know. The literary character is Bond's best friend in the service and well-liked among fans. We will get two other actors in the role who do a much better job with the part later, but it is nice to see Tanner finally make an entrance in the film series.
2. After 11 movies of Bond driving fast cars and evading capture in gadget-laden vehicles, it is interesting to see this movie turn that trope on its head. When the viewer sees Bond running to his Lotus Espirit you expect another thrilling chase and new gadgets that Q has outfitted in the car. However, one of those gadgets, the burglary protection, results in Bond and Melina having to flee in a Citroen CV2. It's not the greatest chase scene in the world, but certainly gives us something new.
3. Another great Q lab scene and we get the introduction to lab assistant Smithers, who Star Wars nerds will know is played by Jeremy Bulloch, who is the man in the Boba Fett suit in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
4. Many fans have derided the character of Bibi Dahl for mostly good reasons, however, Lynn-Holly Johnson's portrayal is actually really good. She doesn't get much credit, but I like the skater-turned-actress' work in the role.
5. When Bond is at the top of the ski jump you can actually see he is fearful of what might happen. He doesn't have much of a plan in the moment and isn't sure how he is going to get out of this one. You don't often get to see Bond recognize the peril he is in and it shouldn't happen a lot, but when it comes along it is a welcome reminder that he is actually human and recognizes his mortality.
6. The raid on Kristatos' warehouse is a finely crafted action set piece, but the best part of it all is when Bond catches up to Locque and causes his car to veer onto the cliff's edge. The brutality of Bond in that moment is something Roger Moore didn't want to convey as he was not a violent man (ironic since he was playing the most famous secret agent in cinema history), but he and the director settled on having the car start to slip off when he throws the pin in the car and then stomps on the door to seal the henchman's fate.
7. While this is more behind-the-scenes trivia than actual movie enjoyment, the scenes with Carole Bouquet underwater are all done with movie magic as the French model and actress had sinus issues that resulted in her not being able to dive underwater. Any time you see a close-up of Bouquet underwater, it is a fake shot on a dry set.
8. Dragging Bond and Melina behind the boat is taken from the Bond novel Live and Let Die. It is much more gripping in the novel and Fleming gives the reader a glimpse into the thought process of Bond as he is expecting to die, but the filmed version is still good.
9. "Forgive me father, for I have sinned." "That's putting it mildly 007!"
10. My favorite part of this film is the climactic rock climb. It is beautifully shot, has some great thrills throughout, and shows that Bond can rely on his wits and ingenuity to survive when in a tight spot.
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