Review of Octopussy (1983) by Levi R — 27 Apr 2011

The thirteenth installment in the venerable Bond franchise covers territory both familiar -Cold War intrigues, and exotic- the Indian subcontinent. This installment is notable as the first to be produced without Harry Salzmann, and for having one the most overtly sexual titles of any non-porno film.

The story begins with one of the more unusual scenes in the series: a clown being pursued through the forests of East Berlin by a pair of knife throwers. But this is not just any clown. He is British double 'O' agent who, despite fatal injuries, succeeds in reaching the British embassy with a most precious delivery- a near perfect forgery of a Faberge egg. The search for answers soon puts Bond on the trail of exiled Afghan prince Kahmel Khan, whom Bond peruses to India. As Bond probes Khan's connections with the mysterious Queen-of-thieves Octopussy, and the corrupt Soviet general Orlov, it becomes clear that there is far more at stake than diamond smuggling.

There are many action sequences, including a chase through the streets of New Delhi on three-wheeled taxi-carts, and a traditional tiger hunt, with Bond in place of the tiger, plus the inevitable final assault on the bad guy's palace. The high point of the movie is the extended train chase across the German border and the circus scene that follows. This section contains the most suspense, and is helped by the more serious tone of the action- bullets rather than fisticuffs.

There is of course, the part where Bond is captured, but the villains decide to keep him alive awhile, thus allowing him to make a daring escape. This I do not mind, it is only to be expected in a Bond film. What I do mind is the scene in which Bond swings from vines over the heads of his assailants. Under no circumstances should Roger Moore ever try to channel Johnny Weissmuller. I also object to the unnecessary inclusion of a hot air balloon emblazoned with the Union Jack. A helicopter would have worked just as well in that situation, or a zip line for that matter.

Moore still does fairly well with his role, although his age is beginning to show by this point in the series. This brings up another related point, the female lead. Here it is played by Maude Adams, who had already appeared in the Man with the Golden Gun eight years prior. She's still quite pretty, but, once again, her age is starting to show. I also felt her character, being allied with Khan, should have had stronger reason for her affinity to Bond.

Overall, EON Productions has done well, but they've left in a few flaws that threaten to undercut this production. Octopussy is still mostly entertaining, but not as much as it could have been with some minor script work.