The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) United Artists/Action-Adventure RT: 125 minutes Rated PG (language, violence, sexual situations) Director: Lewis Gilbert Screenplay: Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum Music: Marvin Hamlisch Cinematography: Claude Renoir Release date: July 8, 1977 (UK)/August 3, 1977 (US) Cast: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Geoffrey Keen, Walter Gotell, Edward De Souza, Vernon Dobtcheff, George Baker, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Michael Billington, Bernard Lee, Shane Rimmer, Sydney Tafler, Bryan Marshall, Valerie Leon, Sue Vanner, Nadim Sawalha, Bob Sherman, Eva Rueber-Staier, Olga Bisera. Opening Song: “Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon Box Office: $46.8M (US)
Rating: *** ½
Nobody does it better than James Bond 007…..save the world, that is. He really has his work cut out for him in The Spy Who Loved Me, the tenth movie in the series. It’s one of the great ones. It’s also the first solo outing for producer Albert R. Broccoli. His partner Harry Saltzman was forced to sell his half of the franchise due to financial issues.
As the movie opens, British and Soviet nuclear submarines have mysteriously disappeared. James Bond (Moore) is called off an assignment in Austria to come and investigate the matter. He learns there’s a secret microfilm with plans for a submarine tracking system making its way through the black market in Egypt. When he arrives in Cairo, he finds out he’s not the only spy on the case. KGB Major Anya Amasova aka “Agent XXX” (Bach, Caveman) is also trying to acquire the microfilm for her superiors. She’s also mourning the loss of her lover, a fellow KGB agent who was killed in a shooting in Austria.
What follows is a spy game between Bond and Anya as they try to outwit each other in the acquisition of the microfilm. When they finally make their way back to Cairo, after a near-fatal encounter with a hulking assassin named Jaws (Kiel, The Longest Yard) so named for his set of steel teeth that can bite through anything, they find out their respective superiors, M (Lee) and KGB General Gogol (Gotell, Black Sunday), have made a truce and will be working together instead of against each other.
They find evidence linking the missing subs to Karl Stromberg (Jurgens, The Blue Angel), a reclusive shipping tycoon who lives in an underwater vessel. No spoiler here, he’s behind the thefts and has a seriously insane plan for starting a new world order. Bond and Anya have to set aside their differences, both political and personal, in order to stop Stromberg from carrying out his evil plan.
There’s a lot going on in The Spy Who Loved Me, easily one of the most entertaining and exciting entries in the series. Moore continues his magnificent portrayal of the superspy who can survive any potentially fatal situation in which he finds himself. Stromberg is a pretty cool villain. His quest for world control is a conceit I like to see in a Bond nemesis. Plus, he gets off one really great line. As he leaves 007 to be killed by his men (after explaining his entire plan in detail, of course), he says, “Farewell Mr. Bond. That word has, I must admit, a welcome ring of permanency about it.” It ranks right alongside the famous line uttered by Auric Goldfinger. You know the one.
Jaws is one of greatest Bond villains of all time. He’s indestructible, surviving every attempt by Bond to put him down for good. He’s unstoppable. He even survives being submerged in a tank full of sharks by biting one of them to death. It’s the perfect role for Kiel who stood over seven feet tall. Bach, in a role originally intended for French actress Catherine Deneuve, is one of the greatest Bond Girls. She’s certainly one of the most formidable. She’s attracted to Bond even while she nurses a personal grudge for which she intends to kill him once the mission is completed. Caroline Munro (Maniac) shows up briefly as Naomi, an associate of Stromberg’s who tries to kill 007. I would have liked to see more of her character.
The action in The Spy Who Loved Me is incredible, especially the chase along the winding roads of Sardinia as assassins, including one on a motorcycle with an explosive rocket sidecar, try to do away with our heroes. Naturally, Bond has a few tricks of his own. His car, a Lotus Esprit, converts into a submarine making it easier for him to escape his pursuers. There is some great underwater cinematography courtesy of Claude Renoir, the grandson of the famous French painter. It never once looks murky. The Spy Who Loved Me also boasts some neat special effects. This is a spy movie on a grand scale.
What’s really interesting about The Spy Who Loved Me from today’s standpoint is how it reflects the Cold War politics of the time and how ideological differences can be set aside for the greater good of the world. In this case, it involves taking down a dangerous megalomaniac with the power to destroy the world. In the role, German actor Jurgens is terrific. He’s right up there with Blofeld in the pantheon of Bond villains.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert (You Only Live Twice), The Spy Who Loved Me is an excellent action movie and one of the best Bond adventures. It’s a lot of fun if you don’t take it seriously, but why would you? Bond films are pure escapism. You watch to them for the thrill of seeing a superspy take on a supervillain with a ridiculous scheme to take over the world. The Spy Who Loved Me is filled with action, intrigue, romance and humor. It should serve as a template for contemporary action movies.
