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And this point is nixed by Melina "seeking" revenge, getting it, and feeling no ill effects. Never mind that her killing Kristatos is during a mission/fight and it is an opportunity that comes up! The only difference between her and Colombo killing Kristatos is that we get less emotional payoff from the latter because his personal troubles with Kristatos is less expanded on.
Regardless, it is a missed opportunity that they didn't emphasize or confirm this with the Gonzales death, or with any other character in any other situation. Instead of spouting proverbs Moore could have at least said the contents of the short story QoS, so that we have a real example. But instead the theme only applies to Melina, after she's already killed someone!
The whole movie and its talk of revenge feels like when Moore said speak only when necessary and spent the whole diving session making wisecracks.
The ruthlessness of his actions through the film meant to demonstrate the cost to his soul of a life lived at least partially fueled by revenge and hate.
We know this darker take on Bond is not one Sir Roger bought into and the film is likely the poorer for his interpretation of the role. At the very least on a thematic level.
For my part, I try to appreciate Sir Roger for what he could do rather than what he couldn't. Take the flower shop scene in FYEO. Almost the epitome of Roger Moore Bond for me. The Craig era lack of overt humor has allowed me to appreciate Roger Moore take on Bond on another level entirely.
It’s obviously more grounded than the two previous entries. Sir Rog plays Bond in a much more serious and avuncular way than he has before. I do agree that making Melina the love interest in the end was a mismatch. Throughout the film, Bond has been more of a guardian or protector for Melina. To have them become sexual partners seems off. Especially with the age difference between the two stars.
Had they not killed her off, Bond and Lisl would’ve been a much more believable match.
After their night together, there’s a nice touch on the beach walk, where Bond grabs he hand to hold it. it’s subtle, it a nice touch I find.
I agree @Ludovico ... Would loved to have seen Dance play a lager role (he's so good he could have played, of course, an antagonizing type of character, or one who may seem that way, but becomes an ally of Bond (in the Saunders mo/uld)...
Yes I think that's totally fair, he'd have made a great villain in the later 80s or 90s.
It's probably one for when we eventually get onto it, but I totally agree re:TLD. I remember watching Hudson Hawk(!) and James Coburn plays a slightly mad military general wannabe who isn't a dissimilar character to Brad Whitaker (I think he's even in military uniform by the end), and good though Joe Don Baker is, it was hard not to imagine Coburn in that part and thinking how much more impact he'd have made. He just had movie star charisma. Someone like him would have pepped the film up I think.
Dick being a dick, again, blaming others.
It's the most Euston Films-feeling 007 flick, so I can imagine Lewis Collins being good in it. He was always better at being totally self-assured and cocky, so I can actually imagine him in it easier than I can Dalton.
I'm not sure he wouldn't have made a better Bond than Dalton, but I guess that's another story.
I guess there's a more interesting story in there somewhere, with Bond accepting that he can't stop this woman going on the path for revenge she hungers for but instead sort of taking her under his wing, guiding her on the best path to vengeance without losing her soul in the process. Really it's ground that QoS covered much better.
Michael Billington was considered in the event that Moore didn’t return. Apparently he was also screen tested using the scene from Dr. No where Bond executes Dent, and the scenes in FRWL where Bond orders Breakfest, and beds Tatiana. There was even a costume photo shoot too.
It usually starts with the screenplay. People usually read it in different ways. Maibaum didn’t see that, because of his ego, I’d say. Plus he needed to remember that some of the people were in key positions for the first time. He could have put his foot down in more ways than one, if their viewpoints really bothered him. Let’s be thankful that he never directed a Bond movie. He’d probably be more dictator than director.
Thanks- I see they also briefly considered Michael Jayston at that point too. I think that neither Jayston nor Billington were massive missed opportunities to be honest.
Neither do I. I actually really like Moore’s performance in FYEO so I’m happy he stuck with it.
I don't buy into this revisionist history of Maibaum. He was as responsible for the cinematic Bond as Barry, Connery, Young, Broccoli, and Saltzman.
So he said (or done) some negative things--so what? They all have.
I was just thinking: if they had got a new, grittier 007 actor in, the blowing up of the Lotus would perhaps have felt like more of a cutting of the cord from the previous light hearted approach. Big red Aston V8 from Cortina onwards :D
I must admit, since it came up this evening, as much as I love Roger I've been playing the idea of a FYEO starring Lewis Collins in my head and it makes so much more sense. Roger is good in it but he is a touch uncomfortable, and bringing in a new, tougher hairy-chested, Euan Lloyd-style Bond for the 80s from here would have worked really well, and Collins was the guy for it. Have a watch of Codename: Wild Geese on Youtube (I don't like to link to it as the whole film is there) but he just is Bond. Go to about 15mins in where he has his equivalent of an M scene, and he's got the swagger than Dalton never had.
A new Bond in the early 80's could have worked. Less competition than in the late 80s.
If Moore wasn't in FYEO, we wouldn't have OP, pretty much his crowning achievement. And I think he's quite good in FYEO but the love interest at the end is forced. AVTAK on the other hand could have been skipped altogether.
And you could *only* greenlight the title OP in the somewhat seedy early '80s, so that timing was right. Not to mention "Make It Last All Night"! That song, my god. You could write a dissertation on that scene...it's so weird, it's good. Sex and death; it's all right there.
I've watched a couple of his vids and we have very different opinions of Bond! :) His ranking of the theme songs baffled me a bit.
Anyway, I agree that Dalton could've make this one better, the film was obviously written with him in mind or just with a new Bond actor in mind, since Melina was mentioned here, I may also add Kristatos, he's such a weak villain for me, his intentions are blurry and not fleshed out, why he wants the ATAC? What's his intention to it? Why does he want to sell it to the Russians? Also his Opium factory also came in as an afterthought after Columbo revealed it to Bond, it was used as a plot device to have Columbo gain Bond's trust.
I think Kristatos as a villain is a missed opportunity, he ranks low in my rankings of Bond villains.
He's not that memorable, nor leaves any impression to the viewer, he's just bland, his henchmen were bland too.
I thought his reason was just money. I mean it works; and he's a quite realistic villain. It's quite true that he is bland: I think a more lively character, someone like Darko or Mathis or somebody who seems like the "firm, dry handshake" provider Fleming often wrote about, would make the twist more interesting.
I do remember some John Le Carre saying something along the lines of if James Bond was really a spy he'd be really easy to turn if you gave him cheap booze and available women. Especially after all the madness in Moonraker, putting that in one character and as the villain in the next movie would make an interesting contrast
The possible reason, but again, the guy had a lots of money, he could pay his henchmen, he had an opium warehouse or even a factory, he's even sponsoring a figure skater, so I don't think his needs for money is a viable reason if we think of these things, I don't know.
But his intentions or motivations weren't clear, he's just shallow as a villain, realistic yes, he's no Stromberg, Kananga or Drax, but him being a villain is where it all falls apart, because in writing a good villain needs to have strong and plausible motivation, the plot around him needs to be clear, but Kristatos wasn't just it, he's just.....Kinda there.
I agree, it needs a lively villain to make such things work, Sanchez is a realistic villain, Alec Trevelyan is a realistic villain, or even Max Zorin or Le Chiffre, because they all have their weaknesses (they're not over the top) but for all the realism that they have, they've managed to leave an impression upon the audiences, made their characters memorable, but Kristatos just falls flat and bland, it needs to leave an impression upon the viewer, and he's not memorable in that aspect.