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Thanks @ClarkDevlin
It's the most I've enjoyed the film since I first saw it at the cinema.
Fair observation. There was still some bloody good films in that era, though.
This doesn't get any better the more I watch it. A lot of problems with a lot of it although it does have some good stuff in it.
Brosnan gives a good performance in his last appearance. Shame his co star Halle Berry is bloody awful. Every line (although they are mostly terrible) she over enunciates and it grates.
Rosamund Pike is good although she hasn't much to work with. Best is Toby Young as Gustav Graves. His over the top arrogant sneering cad is pitch perfect.
The PTS is good and the opening surfing scenes look great. The best scenes in my opinion are set at the clinic in Cuba. Great fight scene and Zao's escape are well done. Love the bit where Bond nicks a grape as he takes a short cut through a ward!
The Aston chase on the ice is cool and features some great shots and one of my favourite scenes is when Bond drives through the ice palace.
The climax is weak apart from Jinx's fight with Frost and the whole film has some abysmal special effects.
The film is pretty good up to a point, but as many agree, it nosedives when we get to Iceland. The script is a mess and features some awful dialogue, that seem to consist of naff double entendres.
David Arnold's score is a strong point although he does use one of his themes from TWINE.
This is a weak effort in the series and watching it again I occasionally tuned out from the film. It was obvious things had to change and it was no surprise the makers rebooted with the superb Casino Royale
No surprise that this is my second favourite Bond film. It really is a class act. Beautifully directed by Terence Young. Pure Fleming and a really clever adaptation of the book.
Has there ever been a Bond film with such a Stella cast? Nope. Connery just exudes cool in this. Looking super stylish in the slick suits he gets to wear. Lotte Kenya is chilling as Rosa Klebb, Mariana Bianchi is just stunning in this. Beautiful and down to earth. Pedro Armendiaz makes a wonderful and colourful Kerim Hey. Best of all is Robert Shaw who is silent for most of the film until he makes his move. His scene where he has Bond at his mercy is one of the best and most intense in the series. Vladek Shabel gives a cold calculating performance as Kronsteen and Lois Maxwell has never been sexier as Moneypenny than in this film.
What I really love about this film is the beautiful locations and the wonderful atmosphere which really come alive in the Gypsy camp scene. I love the way Grant stalks Bond through the film until his appearance as Nash on the train. The film explodes in that brutal fight between Bond and Grant and it's probably the best and most intense fight in the series.
Barry's first Bond score is just amazing. It's brash, mysterious and fits the film like a glove.
Never get bored of watching this brilliant film and it just makes me realize why I became such a big Bond fan in the first place.
This is my favourite Bond film outside OHMSS and TB for a reason. As you mention, quite an incredible cast – all making their mark on this effective, stylish thriller. I like that we have several major bad guys at play, keeping up with Bond all the way to the end of the film.
You can see how Connery had got jaded when you watch this. All trace of Fleming had been jettisoned and the hardware had mostly taken over, with little left of the James Bond character.
Not that this is a bad film. Its brilliant entertainment on a massive scale. Apart from a disappointing PTS there's some great sequences. The fight scene where Bond pummels the goon with a sofa is well done with sharp editing. I also love the Kobe docks sequence with that amazing Ariel shot of Bond running and fighting across the rooftop.
I also love the Little Nellie sequence. The Ariel photography is just stunning.
Some scenes though I do find superfluous and slow the film down. Best example is the Sumo match. Bond walks in, makes contact, then walks out again! With this massive arena with thousands of extras that serve no purpose!
Also I find the scene where Brandt abandons Bond in the plane to be ridiculous. Surely there was an easier way of killing him!
I also find the scenes where But Bond is transformed into a Jap and married horribly slow.
The climax in that awesome set is fantastic and Pleasance makes a good Blofeld when we finally see him. Even though you can't help thinking of Dr Evil nowadays!
John Barry's score is wonderful and the theme song is my favourite of the series.
But watching this extravaganza the only way to go for the makers was back down to earth so to speak such is the scale of the film.
Thankfully they went back to Fleming for the brilliant OHMSS
I always have a blast with this one, and last night was no exception. I rank the PTS among the best, despite the campiness of the Blofeld characterization. The Tracy grave sequence is a neat way to open the film and Bond seems in genuine danger initially in the helicopter - his relief when he finally gets control is palpable. Melina's introduction is always a highlight for me as well. Not only is Bouquet very easy on the eyes (I'd probably be compelled to check her out like Gonzales did while they were together on the plane..), but the entire sequence as the plane approaches The Havelock's boat is very well shot and lit. The same goes for Bond's arrival in Cortina - the scenery he encounters when he walks out of his hotel room patio is quite gorgeous, and it's accompanied by one of my favourite parts of Conti's often maligned score (entitled Cortina).
Speaking of Conti, I really enjoy parts of his effort for this film. Tracks like 1) Ski, Shoot, Jump, 3) Submarine, 4) Run Them Down/The Climb and 5) St. Cyril's Monastery are first class imho. I even like Keep Your Hair On (despite the dated disco element). The score has a thematic consistency and he weaves Sheena Easton's title track very well. I also rate the gunbarrel score as one of the best, and not just because of the cowbell. The only bits I find particularly annoying and unworthy are the disco chase scoring.
Moore is a bit subdued in this film, and his trademark wit is rarely showcased here - in fact, one of my consistent criticisms of FYEO is the dialogue, which is somewhat pedestrian and forgettable in my opinion. There really aren't too many memorable lines or exchanges. I've always liked Bouquet's portrayal of the icy, revenge seeking Melina though. There's a repressed hurt there that's hidden under all that coldness, but it shows up from time to time. Sadly, I think this film has one of the weakest villains in the series (on par with the useless Renard in TWINE). While Julian Glover is a fine actor, his Kristatos is just dull. Fortunately Topol's Columbo helps to add some needed charisma in the supporting cast stakes, making up to a degree for the forgettable and unfortunate Luigi. The less said about Holly Johnson's deceptively virginal Bibi, the better.
I think this film boasts some of the best combos of action sequences in any Bond film. John Glen went all out in his debut to make an impact, and the film is the better for it. Apart from the aforementioned helicopter PTS, there is also the brilliant ski and jump chase which rivals the one in OHMSS, the fantastic (and beautifully shot) keelhauling, and the wonderful Citroen/Peugeot chase. Unfortunately, there is also the woeful hockey fight and underwater geek/dweeb sequence sandwiched among this. I'm ambivalent about the St. Cyril's sequence too. While I think the climb is alright, I think the entire encounter atop the rock is very anticlimactic.
Still, this is a good Bond film, even if it's a lower key one. The pacing is a bit wonky, with some boring moments interspersed with some genuinely tense ones. I don't think this style suits Moore all that well, but as always he manages to keep it together. This was the start of his more seasoned, weary depiction of the character which continued into the next two films.
My favourite Moore Bond film. The 'keel-haul' sequence is one of the best sequences in the series. Technically brilliant.
Personally I love the mountain climb stuff. Very suspenseful.
Yes, that keel-haul sequence is a work of art. Superb underwater 'at speed' photography interspersed with congregating sharks and other underwater dangers. Really great stuff.
It's an excellent film.
Its like eating bland, dry toast after eating a peanut butter and jelly with banana and fluffanutter topped with chocolate sauce ala Moonraker.
Good observation. It has a more "bohemian" vibe.
Some of the movie is uneven but on the whole it's a good entertaining yarn. Better then I remember it being.
And how the hell does he magically become half naked during the horse-jump?
What makes this film so enjoyable is to see a genuinely aged Bond who's frustrated at "teaching, not doing". He's aware he's collecting dust.
Connery is amazing. At 52/53, he moves with such commanding grace, like a well oiled machine-- unlike Moore (who frankly always lacked the physicality I so admire in Connery (and Craig)). He maintains a masculine charm where it's believable he can seduce the opposite sex out of their overall jeans, and have someone like Domino fall in love with him. Watching Connery in this, or anything, I'm reminded that his performances are timeless, and they certainly don't make actors like him anymore. How sad.
Klaus Maria Brandauer belongs in any Bond film. He was a genuinely frightening and very believable psychotic. His jealousy for Bond is palpable as he feels that Domino is slipping further and further away from him and into another man's arms. When he takes the axe to Domino's dance studio, he could give Jack Nicholson a run for his money in the crazy-factor...
And talk about belonging in a Bond film, Barbara Carrera is sensual and erotically charged. Perhaps the following should be added to the controversial thread: Fatima Blush is far more the psychotic henchwoman than Xenia Onatopp could ever hope to be (and I thought Onatopp was a highlight of GoldenEye!). As she gets closer and closer to the precipice, demanding that James Bond admits that she was his ultimate lover, I adore the frazzled hair and the way her eyes become more glazed with a crazed ego that needs to be lied to.
Over all, there is a hint of "adult maturity" in this film that EoN shied away from at the time, namely the overt sexuality of the film. All of the women in NSNA (from the hostage at the beginning, to Patricia, Domino and Fatima), are all beautiful and certainly not shy with their sexiness. The clothing was obvious and revealing; there was no hiding the female anatomy, especially when the ladies were quite braless in many scenes (I remember Brosnan complaining that "you couldn't show a nipple" in EoN Bond films).
And there's something to be said for the jazzy soundtrack as well. I hated it as a kid, but now, it matches this older James Bond.
Over all I had a blast watching this film, and, although no where close to the slickness of EoN's OP (which I think is part of NSNA's charm), I can appreciate the experiment they were trying to execute: what would a middle-aged Bond be like? Apart from a messy third act, my feeling is, in tone and cast, they did nail what they set out to accomplish.
I love this non-Eon entity. Very much an alternate universe Bond film. Excellent casting, as I loved Brandauer's Largo as much as any Eon villain of the period. Fatima Blush is hands down my favorite henchwoman in Bond lore. Although Fiona and Xenia are both iconic.
I agree about the adult maturity levels here. If one were to rank the Bond films based on sexiness, this film right top my rankings. I find the film more daring than any of the more recent films in regards to love scenes and titillation. Barbara Carrera, Kim, and Valerie Leon don't seem to be the least bit inhibited here.
At 52/53 Connery oozes in masculinity, and confidence. He's just as great as he was in DR NO, IMO.
Granted the 3rd act is weak, but to me actually more solid than some of the Craig and Brosnan finales. Hate to say it, but I like the little battle in the cave more than the sinking building finale in Venice.
I also appreciate the alternate regulars. I loved Algernon's Q. IMO that's a great Q scene, full of humor and wit. The gadgets are low key and I prefer it that way for this film.
Edward Fox's M is an acquired taste, but I quite like his version.
Pamela Salem has little to do as Moneypenny, but is alright as far as I'm concerned.
Bernie Casey's Felix is probably in my top 3.
It's a pity this Bond isn't more appreciated. I find it far more classic than some of the later films in spite of it's lack of traditional iconic elements.
With Fox’s M I feel they dropped the ball. They played him as a one dimensional toff. I love the idea that M is younger than Bond, and that he might look down his nose at the antiquated 00-section. But they could have created serious tension between these two if played a little more seriously.
And when Bond’s “old dog” instincts prove to be correct, there would have been much more of a victorious tone for Sean’s Bond, I think...
Good points. Fox is pretty obnoxious at times: "oh do come along, Bond!" His M grew on me over the years.
"At least my Martini is still dry"
And a superb villain.
A prime example is the bit where Bond threatens the gatekeeper at the casino with a bluff.
"Any lateral movement on your part, and you will be served in an eggcup."
That scene is brilliant from head to toe. A scene that can hardly be topped.
I concur!
This is a movie that just gets better with each watch.
Only change I'd make is to make it ten minutes longer in order to flesh out the Guy Haines storyline and keep the original ending with Mr. White. Then after that, go back to making standalone films.