The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) * * *

Directed by:  Lewis Gilbert

Starring:  Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Caroline Munro, Curt Jurgens, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Richard Kiel

Roger Moore played a James Bond who loved women far more than saving the world yet again by another megalomaniac.   He enjoys the playful byplay, the doubles entendre, the puns, and of course sealing the deal with any number of beautiful women; including those trying to kill him.    This James Bond doesn't suffer from PTSD, although he should.    How many close calls on his life can one man withstand?   Bond can endure whatever you can throw at him and keep on keeping on.    We know Bond won't die, but before the Bond series grew stale, we were at least in suspense trying to figure out how Bond will infiltrate the villain's secret lair and dispose of him.  

In The Spy Who Loved Me, among the better Bond films, James Bond is up against a malicious, evil zillionaire with an underwater hideout who hijacks nuclear submarines.   The sadistic Stromberg (Jurgens) doesn't smile much and feeds anyone who betrays him (or even those who don't) to the sharks.   

Assisting Bond in this endeavor is Soviet agent Anya Amasova (Bach), who when the mission is over wants to waste Bond for killing her lover.    It's of little consequence to Anya that her lover was trying to kill Bond in the opening segment.    Anyone want to wager that Anya will instead forego her revenge for a roll in the hay with 007?    Bach (now Mrs. Ringo Starr) is an alluring, sexy, intelligent counterpart.    And she can hold her own against Stromberg's henchmen, including the mute, very tall, massive, and seemingly unshakable Jaws (Kiel), who has metal where his teeth should be.   

Jaws isn't your typical goon who will ultimately fail in his quest to kill Bond.    One of the movie's (and the follow-up Moonraker's) running gags is how Jaws can't die, no matter how Bond tries to get rid of him.    Throw him out of a moving train, or a plane, or drop a large pile of bricks on top of him; he will simply shake it off and keep going.    He's The Terminator before there was one, and Kiel plays him with good humor.   Jaws proved to be so popular, producers found a place for him in the next Bond film.

The Spy Who Loved Me is replete with fabulous underwater scenery, creative gadgets, and adherence to what made Bond films escapist fun.  Moore was nearing fifty when this installment was made, and he had four more Bonds left in him before finally retiring from the role after A View to a Kill (1985).   Sean Connery is usually listed as the favorite Bond, however, I also admired Moore's suavity and the infectious good time he was having with the role.    Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig all have their own strengths, but Connery and Moore run neck and neck for me as to which Bond is the best.