If you can't sit through a Bond film without a dozen wild gadgets, a brain-dead Playboy centerfold, and a villain from a Batman comic, then this one isn't for you. But if you thought "From Russia With Love" was one of the best, you'll love this one.
Bond gets a chance to show what he can do with almost no fancy gimmicks at all, and it works wonderfully. He finally resembles a resourceful agent instead of a cartoon character. A highly inventive and colorful car chase with a battered Citroen instead of a tech-heavy Lotus, a ski/motorcycle chase filled with incredible stuntwork, a breathtaking rock climbing sequence (but bring jummars next time, fella)...the humans are the special effects in this one. And they've kept me watching it more than any other Bond flick.
The elegant and pensive Bond girl, Carole Bouquet, carries out her role with understated panache and is tremendously attractive and sympathetic. She even saves a few lives instead of screaming for help. If only the producers could always figure out the benefits of a Bond girl who's a real human being. As a Greek smuggler, Topol plants his tongue firmly in cheek the whole time and almost goes over the top, but he gets a great sequence assaulting an Albanian warehouse.
The plot is touch-and-go (mostly go), the disco score is dated, and the figure skating character played by Lynn-Holly Johnson is a waste of time. But the reliance on actual characters and human skill instead of shallow computerized action sequences can't be beat, and the cinematography team had a field day.
A flawed but delightful film with a lot to teach future Bond productions. Let's hope they learn from it.
Bond gets a chance to show what he can do with almost no fancy gimmicks at all, and it works wonderfully. He finally resembles a resourceful agent instead of a cartoon character. A highly inventive and colorful car chase with a battered Citroen instead of a tech-heavy Lotus, a ski/motorcycle chase filled with incredible stuntwork, a breathtaking rock climbing sequence (but bring jummars next time, fella)...the humans are the special effects in this one. And they've kept me watching it more than any other Bond flick.
The elegant and pensive Bond girl, Carole Bouquet, carries out her role with understated panache and is tremendously attractive and sympathetic. She even saves a few lives instead of screaming for help. If only the producers could always figure out the benefits of a Bond girl who's a real human being. As a Greek smuggler, Topol plants his tongue firmly in cheek the whole time and almost goes over the top, but he gets a great sequence assaulting an Albanian warehouse.
The plot is touch-and-go (mostly go), the disco score is dated, and the figure skating character played by Lynn-Holly Johnson is a waste of time. But the reliance on actual characters and human skill instead of shallow computerized action sequences can't be beat, and the cinematography team had a field day.
A flawed but delightful film with a lot to teach future Bond productions. Let's hope they learn from it.