Reviewer's Rating 3 out of 5
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
PG

Topped with a vertiginous mountain climbing finale, "For Your Eyes Only" manages to pack in the spectacle whilst dispensing with the silliness that had increasingly beleaguered the films of the 70s. A dreary opener from Sheena Easton has no place in the pantheon of great Bond themes, and it may be this lack of traditional grandeur that keeps the film from being considered among the best.

Director John Glen took care of Bond for most of the 80s, arguably the agent's weakest decade. That said, his debut showed promise in its restraint. The return of Blofeld at the beginning neatly shrugs off the megalomaniac lunacy of 1979's "Moonraker" in favour of a straightforward cold war story. Stunt for stunt, however, it's just as relentless as the earlier film.

This time, those hapless Brits have lost the ATAC system (it commands their Polaris submarines) somewhere off the coast of communist Albania. The nearest location exotic enough for 007 is Greece, so most of the action takes place there, although an extended interlude in Northern Italy incorporates the gamut of winter sports as a means to see off the invincible agent. His mission: to locate the missing gadget before anyone can sell it to the Russians.

Moore turns in an unusually sober performance, occasionally showing his age between frequent stunt-double shots. Aristotle Kristatos (Glover) is neither a memorable nor a menacing villain, but he is, at least, convincing. French actor Carole Bouquet plays vengeful Greek orphan Melina Havelock who compensates for lack of acting ability by looking stunning.

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End Credits

Director: John Glen

Writer: Richard Maibaum, Ian Fleming

Stars: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol , Lynn-Holly Johnson, Julian Glover, Cassandra Harris, Jill Bennet, Michael Gothard, Walter Gotell, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen

Genre: Action

Length: 127 minutes

Cinema: 1981

DVD: 26 December 2000

VHS: 01 February 2000

Country: UK

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