For Your Eyes Only-1981

Director John Glen

Starring Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet

Scott’s Review #1,185

Reviewed October 10, 2021

Grade: B+

Following the outrageousness of 1979’s Moonraker, a film I nonetheless find enjoyable, the decision was made to bring James Bond back to earth in the next chapter.

For Your Eyes Only (1981) has matured well over the years and is an above-average entry among my all-time James Bond list.

The main Bond girl and the villain are not as top-notch as other Bond films, but the action, suspense, and nods to Bond history are fantastic, as is the grittier look and feel.

And, the locales of Italy and Greece are breathtaking.

The title song, a sleek and syrupy love ballad performed by Sheena Easton, is a favorite of mine and is instantly recognizable in association with the film. It charted at number one and sold a gazillion copies.

The plot is typical of a James Bond film.

After a British ship is sunk in foreign waters, the world’s superpowers begin a feverish race to find its cargo: a nuclear submarine control system.

And 007 (Roger Moore) is thrust into the middle of the action as he aligns with Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), Milos Columbo (Topol), and others to thwart the fiendish plans of the villainous Kristatos (Julian Glover).

The story is rather secondary to the enjoyment of the film, and I quickly stopped trying to follow every plot point or detail. It’s not that important to know who every bad guy is or what their motivations are.

There is a plot to take over the world, and there you have it.

I adore the opening sequence when Bond visits the gravestone of his deceased wife, Teresa. This tender moment immediately made me reflect on the merits of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) and the humanistic tone the film conveyed.

Bond then engages in a thrilling helicopter chase with arch-rival Blofeld, which parleys into the opening credits with the title song as a backdrop.

This first sequence has nothing to do with the rest of the film, but the London shots of Big Ben and other historical treats are fabulous. And it’s just dessert to see Blofeld dumped into a massive chimney and presumably to his death.

Bond historians will love this.

The film is recommended to be watched in the winter months, as the snowy and icy scenes work better then. It could be a warm-up act to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service or From Russia With Love (1963), also cold-feeling Bond films.

I didn’t perceive much chemistry between Moore and Bouquet, but their lack of it didn’t ruin the film for me. The thirty-year age difference didn’t help matters, but at least James Bond had the decency not to bed the horny underage figure skater, Bibi Dahl (Lynn-Holly Johnson).

Her character is played for laughs, and her schoolgirl crush on Bond is cute.

Kristatos isn’t the most memorable villain either. His true colors aren’t revealed until late in the game, and his motivations are a stretch. I didn’t buy him as a former war hero and an ally-turned-smuggler.

Nonetheless, Glover plays him straightforwardly, and a compelling sequence occurs when he attempts to kill Bond and Melina with his massive boat and hungry sharks.

Topol, well-known for his role as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (1971), is great to see as one of Bond’s allies. The actor’s distinctive voice is tough to miss, though I half-expected him to break into “If I Were a Rich Man” at any moment.

The final sequence atop the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, an Eastern Orthodox monastery in Greece, is terrific and quite justifiably the highlight.

Bond dangles for his life as a henchman slowly breaks each of Bond’s rock climbing stakes, which is a nail-biting and suspenseful scene, even though you know that Bond will find his escape.

Flying under the radar, For Your Eyes Only (1981) is delightful for the locales and action sequences alone.

Dragging slightly midway and lacking a memorable Bond girl or villain, it offers a darker story and fewer cheeky moments. This is refreshing following a silly trip to the moon.

The villains are more dangerous than cartoonish, and the extreme locales and historical throwbacks make this an appreciated effort.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song-“For Your Eyes Only”