The Spy Who Loved Me

As per usual, traversing through these Bond films that I've not seen before has been a real treat. 

One of my biggest realizations is that, much like any other movie series, there are the ups and downs; the good ones and the merely "okay" ones (and then there's Diamonds Are Forever).

Now in hindsight, I'm surprised that I feel like I haven't heard of The Spy Who Loved Me talked about more often within Bond circles. Sure there are the clear spoofs like The Spy Who Shagged Me or The Spy Who Dumped Me, but I'm not sure I've ever really heard the high praise for this film. 

That so strange to me because, almost without competition aside from Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Bond film thus far (keep in mind when I say that, we're starting from Dr. No and not yet including the Brosnan/Craig era that I've already seen).

This is part of the joy I was alluding to with revisiting the old Bond films: I had no expectations for The Spy Who Loved Me. In fact, after a half-step backward for Moore with The Man with the Golden Gun, I kind of expected a similar treatment here. Instead, I got a total blockbuster that feels like the most epic Bond film yet, and is a true "return to form" for the franchise - which is an interesting phrase because I feel like that's suggesting many films before it were fantastic when they're good/great, but not all time classics. 

The Spy Who Loved Me starts with a mysterious submarine opening followed by a thrilling ski chase, a clear homage to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. From there, it feels like it rarely lets up on the spectacle or excitement. There's a segment in the shadows of the pyramids of Egypt that's both tense, well shot, features wonderful music usage, and is - most important of all - exciting. It genuinely feels like something almost ahead of its time; something that would fit into the Daniel Craig era (to a certain extent). From there we get menacing villains (Stromberg) and henchmen (Jaws), the best Bond girl since OHMSS (Anya Amasova aka Agent Triple X...take that Vin Diesel!), a mind-blowing new Bond car in the Lotus Espirit, underwater lairs, cliffside car chases, and a nuclear showdown. The story is nothing "new" to Bond, or the spy genre for that matter, but it's all done so well and with compelling characters that the simplicity isn't an issue. Bond and Amasova's competition and sexual tension is some of the best Bond/Bond girl interaction in the entire franchise (yes, even including the stuff I've already seen here) and everyone seems to be on their A-game. 

A fun duo with even more fun tension and competition

Some of the best car scenes of the franchise

For Moore, this is the most confident we've seen him in the role yet and it's the first film to make me really forget about the Connery guy that came before him. Here, more than the past 2 films (of which I still liked Moore, to be fair), Moore is Bond. Barbara Bach as Amasova cements herself as one of the most exciting Bond girls who gives Bond a run for his money and who feels like the most genuine connection he's had since...well...you know, the girl he married and they forgot about. Curd Jurgens' Karl Stromberg feels like a undervalued villain in the franchise given that I've truly not been familiar with him before this. His opening scenes prove that he's brutal and willing to kill, and his elusive but impressively designed (and decorated) underwater lair is equal parts silly and frightening. Given how poorly Blofeld was handled by the end of it all, Stromberg feels like he could be the next "big" archnemesis...but alas. Jaws (Richard Kiel) is clearly one of Bond's most memorable, outlandish, and effective foes. Kiel's towering physical presence here is daunting and while the teeth are corny, his overall design makes him a clear threat. Plus the dude just does NOT die! There's few Bond films where Bond, the Bond girl, and the villains are all standouts at the same time, but for The Spy Who Loved Me that is - much to the benefit of the film - the case. 

We're also given a flat-out, kick-ass movie here. This is a 1977 film but ages the best of any Bonds I've seen thus far when it comes to cinematography, action, and editing. It feels organically epic in scope, largely due to the high degree of globetrotting it gets to do, and the cinematography is quite fantastic, giving us some iconic scenes. In particular, a cliffside car chase between a dangerously low-flying helicopter and the Lotus Espirit/submarine (tangent: LEGO please make a 007 version of this car like the DB5!!) is something that had me on the edge of my seat in 2020. It was blisteringly fast and I couldn't believe how aggressively the helicopter was flying with very-clearly real effects. Then to end it all with a underwater torpedo from a car-turned-submarine? This had to be one of the coolest scenes of 1977 and while it may be my favorite, there's many additional moments like this throughout the film. This feels like a true blockbuster that achieves its potential. To top it all off, we also get the Bond theme song on a recurring basis, a great Bond song, and some 70's "psychedelic twang" to compliment most of the action. The latter annoyed me at first, but I learned to love it by the end. 

"I love you so much, James. I'ma kiss ya!! Come here!"

The Spy Who Loved Me seems to be an undersold entry of the Bond franchise (or either I'm not as well tapped into general consensus as I thought I was). For me, it's the best Bond thus far in this engaging journey and the first I'd give a perfect score to. It's an absolute blast and has aged impressively.  

CONS

• Probably a tad too long and the ending is somewhat generic
• Overall story has been done before

PROS

• Engaging characters all around. Amasova is an iconic Bond girl, Stromberg is a menacing villain, and Jaws is one of the all-time best Bond henchmen
• Moore is at his best here. Truly feels like Bond without any shadow of previous actors behind him now
• Tension and play between Bond and Amasova is some of the best Bond/Bond girl interaction of the franchise
• Well-shot and edited. This is a high-quality film that has aged well and doesn't have the "rough around the edges" feeling that sometimes comes with older movies
• Stupendous and exciting action. There are certainly highlights (Lotus car chase) but almost every time there's action, I was impressed
• But for real, I need a LEGO of the Bond Lotus Espirit...
• Probably one of the films that leans on and uses the Bond theme most effectively. Combines it with 70's funk which is fun once you get used to it
• Highly entertaining throughout, this is some of the best Bond the franchise has to offer

Retro Rath's Review Score |

10/10 - Instant Classic