Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
Roger Moore stars as 007, hunted by Christopher Lee as a skilled assassin.
Loved
Christopher Lee.
Liked
The winking-at-the-audience style.
Disliked
Stupid sidekicks.
Thoughts
An underrated Bond flick.
This was my first Roger Moore movie, and he was pretty good. His style and looks reminded me of Pierce Brosnan's performances. Being younger, he was able to do more physical stunts than aged Connery could. I really enjoyed his ability to pull off deadpan deliveries of the cheesy lines.
The biggest draw was the great Christopher Lee, and he did not disappoint. He was fantastic, badass and full of gravitas.
Thanks to better budgets and technology, the sets and stunts have gotten much cooler. I was impressed by the slanted MI6 headquarters in a sunken ship. One of my favorites was the twist on the car chase moment via ramp. Also, Lee's modified car was fricking awesome.
Least favorite part of the film was the stupid sidekicks, like the bimbo Goodnight, and the return of J.W. Pepper a dumb American tourist. Seriously, was there such a crowd response that they could not get enough of the annoying redneck? Though it was kind of amusing to see what kind of bad stereotypes British movie makers think about for those from the States. While most of the winking humor worked, the overused, forced slapstick comedy was cringe-inducing.
Obviously, it was no Sean Connery film, but I liked that they played to Moore's strength. I was surprisingly pleased with this attempt, thanks to the humor and Lee's presence.
What I would change
Made Goodnight less, dumb, and got rid of the American sidekick.
