Perhaps the most confident Roger Moore James Bond - certainly the one where I had the best time at the cinema. It seems to know exactly what it wants to do and do it. John Glenn is a lot more at home in the director's chair here than in his previous effort.
The film has everything: a spectacular and funny opening credit sequence (set in Cuba - it doesn't really connect to the main action); a plot which involves nuclear war and smuggling; exotic locations (the first set in India, leading to some tremendous production value); an engaging sidekick for Bond (Vijay Armitaj, who seems like a nice bloke and whose death really upset me); a beautiful Bond girl "appetizer" for Bond to bed before heading for the main course (Kristina Wayborn); an all female island of Amazons led by a beautiful thief (Maude Adams); some terrific henchmen (the twin knife throwers and Kabir Bedi); a nasty, clever, suave villain (Louis Jourdan, who was at his best playing villains); some neat gadgets; Q getting involved by going on location; a nasty Russian (Steven Berkoff) to counterbalance the nice ones; chases on planes, trains and automobiles; a lush John Barry score; a lovely Rita Coolidge theme song; some actual James Bond stories from Fleming are incorporated quite cleverly; a dead double O agent.
They really get it right for featuring Roger Moore, playing to his strengths: jokes, romance, a leading lady whose age suits him, British aplomb (he felt a bit more "Raj" than Sean Connery so he suits India).
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