The James Bond Rewatch: Current Movie - SPECTRE

[Doc755]

I’ve long thought of Octopussy as an overlooked utility player in the Moore era. Sandwiched between arguably his highest and lowest points, the story is not flashy but it’s a strong entry and should have probably been his exit from the series. More in vein with the smaller stakes For Your Eyes Only than the megalomaniac-centered earlier films, Octopussy tries to fuse those styles and does so somewhat successfully. The story is ostensibly another plot entrenched in the Cold War but the focus is instead on a jewel smuggling ring and the part it plays in one rogue general’s quest for power.

And that begs the question of who is the villain in Octopussy? Most would probably say Kamal Khan, played with impeccable sophistication by Louis Jourdan, as he is the one who faces off with Bond for large parts of the film. However a case could also be made for Steven Berkoff’s hammy General Orlov who drives the entire scheme. The problem is we spend almost no time with him and are just shown that he wants an aggressive Soviet Union in a time of détente. Orlov serves merely as a plot device to propel the story and once his part is served, he’s summarily removed from the proceedings. Why was he running after the train anyway? Just because Bond was on it?

I do find this to be an enjoyable entry however. India is a gorgeous location and it looks and feels different from previous locales Bond has been to. There’s also some good sequence ideas here such as the safari hunt when Bond escapes from Khan’s palace. The execution however leaves a lot to be desired and Moore appears to be running around the backlot as animals are thrown at his stunt double. The train sequence is another I quite enjoyed however the glaringly obvious switches from the in location stunts to Moore on a soundstage are somewhat distracting. The stunt work in the Moore era is at the top of its game especially in the previous film but when you have an older Bond it’s harder to fake the inserts.

Not to knock on Moore’s age because I still think he plays it strong enough here. He originally considered leaving after Moonraker but continued to stay on. For FYEO and this film, I think that was the right decision as both are fine additions to his tenure. Bringing back Maud Adams as Octopussy also was a smart move. The two have real chemistry and because of the prior history between them in the franchise, you can buy their pairing here so quickly. Bond’s female partners in the last few films have all been pretty well done but sadly that won’t be the case in the next film.

I’m going to give Octopussy a 6/10. I debated rating it higher but I consider it a strong 6 vs. a weak 7. I throughly enjoyed rewatching this one. It’s one that surprises me each time I come back to it. The parts are greater than the whole here. You have Bond in both a gorilla and clown outfit, but you also have solid action like the assault on Octopussy’s palace and the train sequences and great tension such as Bond defusing the bomb. It’s not quite an all time high for Moore but it’s one of his better outings.

Current Rankings:
1) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2) From Russia with Love
3) Goldfinger
4) For Your Eyes Only
5) The Spy Who Loved Me
6) Thunderball
7) Dr. No
8) Octopussy
9) Live and Let Die
10) You Only Live Twice
11) The Man with the Golden Gun
12) Moonraker
13) Diamonds are Forever