Review of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) by Trent C — 16 Nov 2008

Roger Moore's top-flight Bond film, this film was very typical of the 1970s Bond films. Bernard Lee would soon fall ill and would not appear in another Bond film as 007's boss, M. The plot is bonkers.

Kurt Jurgens is a shipping magnate who hijacks both British and Soviet nuclear submarines and plans to use them to start WWIII so he can safely build his ideal undersea society ("Oceania"). He employs the menacing Richard Kiel as his chief assasin and also a bikini-clad Caroline Munro who later tries to blow Bond up with her helicopter.

Bond partners up with Soviet agent XXX (Barbara Bach) who looks stunning in an evening gown or a Soviet military uniform. Bond is responsible for the death of her lover so she plans to kill him after the mission is completed.

Lots of unbelievable stunts, particularly in the ski chase scene in the Austrian Alps in the teaser. As usual, the dapper Moore makes witty asides and meets lots of sexy women with silly names but there is a reference to the late Tracy Bond in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE; Bond does not wish to talk about it and snaps at his Soviet counterpart for mentioning his late wife.

Its a nice bit of humanizing of Bond's character; otherwise he is a superhero throughout this film.