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Ranking James Bond Films: #4 – “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977)
The Spy Who Loved Me surpassed expectations and stands tall as Roger Moore’s crowning achievement as 007.
“James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads, with the help of a K.G.B. agent whose lover he killed.”
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Writers: Richard Maibaum, Ian Fleming, Christopher Wood
Cast: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Walter Gotell, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell
Release Date: August 3, 1977
IMDB
The Spy Who Loved Me surpassed expectations and stands tall as Roger Moore’s crowning achievement as 007. The movie takes the bold step of giving Bond a partner who is not totally incompetent and takes extra pride in the chemistry between the two international spies.
Barbara Bach as Major Anya Amesova, better known as XXX, is one of the best female characters to appear in this espionage universe. The twist at the start, where it is actually her bed that she and the other Russian agent share, is a quick bit of storytelling genius. And the fact her lover died just before getting to see Bond jump off a cliff and unfurl a flag of his country as a parachute…that’s just a tough break.
The Spy Who Loved Me also has another notch in its favor with the outstanding side character of Jaws. A man with steel teeth is a crazy concept for a villain, but the zaniness of it works. The magnet at the end to drop Jaws in the pool of sharks is clever, but Jaws killing the shark is awesome. Imagine seeing that for the first time and not knowing he would be back?
We can’t move past The Spy Who Loved Me without stating that it’s one of the best-looking Bond movies. The lighting in Cairo is great, and the car chase scene is well-edited. The Spy Who Loved Me also scales a lot better than most other 007 adventures.
STANKO RATING: B+
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