Anybody who doesn't think Moore could be ruthless should go back and check out the conclusion of TSWLM. Specifically, when he shoots Stromberg...four times...in cold blood. In that scene he really looks like he could kill you if you got on his bad side. And, to me at least, he's completely convincing.
When it comes to Moore's Bond, the jokey bits far outweighed the serious bits and so that is what most people remember. But, if somebody watched only LALD an TSWLM (and maybe FYEO) and saw none of his other Bond movies, he might very well come to a very different conclusion about just how tough he was.
I completely agree. I have always thought Moore's Bond in TSWLM to be one of the most convincingly ruthless of all Bonds and I also found Moore to be extremely convincingly ruthless in LALD and FYEO. However, I don't think that one should ignore TMWTGG or OP. In TMWTGG, he b***h slapped a woman in an act to rival the most ruthless acts of Connery and in OP he killed Grischka when disabling him might have sufficed. And of course some people might think that the way Bond killed Drax in MR was quite ruthless.
I consider Moore to have been an extremely ruthless Bond (and one of the absolute most convincing) and it's good to see that I'm not alone.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Getting back to FYEO and how it stands today, I don't know, perhaps as Desmond once said, your favorite is what you were bred on. And as the second or third Bond I saw in the theater, probably because I finally was old enough to understand, the experience was profound and never dulled with age. Or perhaps family memories played a key role, (my mother's from Greece) and it's a pleasing experience I understand the lingo. (I didn't need subtitles in that big fat wedding thing a few years back either) B-)
It's all about what floats your boat really. I respect this one. My lack of verbal skills in conveying exactly why is frustrating.
Getting back to FYEO and how it stands today, I don't know, perhaps as Desmond once said, your favorite is what you were bred on. And as the second or third Bond I saw in the theater, probably because I finally was old enough to understand, the experience was profound and never dulled with age. Or perhaps family memories played a key role, (my mother's from Greece) and it's a pleasing experience I understand the lingo. (I didn't need subtitles in that big fat wedding thing a few years back either) B-)
It's all about what floats your boat really. I respect this one. My lack of verbal skills in conveying exactly why is frustrating.
I think I know where you're coming from Alex; your first Bond movie is sort of like your first girlfriend; you'll always remember both with rose-colored glasses, even if others can't see what all the fuss is about. For me it's DAF.
Fascinating discussion from all parties. I am one of those who does like FYEO, largely because it is such a change from MR.
I think it might be useful to try to remember that we are looking at these films retrospectively. The 70's films reflect the time in which they were made and Moore's films have elements of a time when (in the UK) the height of family entertainment were game shows and crass comics telling "mother in law" jokes! (Although I may have laughed at a few of them myself!)
This also applies to the score, cheesy, disco and now a rather dated score....but not at the time it was made!
Moore has always been under rated in my opinion and I agree about taking the more comic films out of his canon, this would leave a wholly different impression of his time as Bond.
FYEO has always been my favorite in the series, because the back to basics approach (I´m not quite convinced about movies like MR or DAD). And the film´s beautifully shot. And the locations... what can I say? Just amazing. I actually went to Corfu earlier this year and followed Rogers footsteps...
FYEO is definately Rogers best outing in the series, closely followed by TSWLM and LALD, IMO. Well, you can say much about Mr. Contis score but I think it works actually pretty well in the movie and hasn´t aged that bad.
And Carole Bouquet? Just bloody nice thing...
FYEO vs. Brosnans 10-0.
I suppose in this instance you can't really get away from the fact that Bond is taking on the Soviet Union and they're enemies. Otherwise, you could update much of it like I said and it wouldn't matter, it could be happening today.
I don't see why one couldn't tinker with the series by deleting wires and so on, though not to the extent of Lucas and Star Wars, where he went OTT.
No reason, for instance, why NSNA couldn't take place today. It's not time sensitive, there's no mention of the Cold War.
I think visible wires and old school movie methods add charm. A perfect thing is a boring thing. Give me the blemishes and warts for a more humanistic experience.
Anyway, it's not outdated politics or anything unknown or unheard of today that bothers me, it's the movies themselves, the methods they used. They're a chronicled history. I'm more interested in the social relevance or impact they had in their own time period then the content being adapted for today's viewer. Let today's viewer do a little history.
A better and more "Bond like" score would have done wonders for FYEO. For me this is the biggest flaw in the entire movie. There are times when the music doesn't even seem to interact particularly well with the action. Bill Conti should have been made to spend a couple of hours on a ducking stool over a very cold lake for this. A pity really as the title track is excellent. On the subject of the various bond actors, I'm one of the lucky few who likes all of them for all different reasons. I've yet to see daniel craig in the finished product of course and so we'll see.
It was my favourite Moore era one until I rewatched 'The Spy Who Loved Me' again.
In comparison, FYEO is a pretty patchy film. It's still the second best Moore one imo, and has some truly superb moments. The best of all is the scene where Locque is kicked over the cliff, and the climactic battle, whilst small scale, is superbly and tensely handled. The opening with Bond visiting his wife's grave also shows clearly they were looking back to OHMSS for inspiration.
What lets the film down as a whole, imo, is the comedy. Actually, the comedy is actually genuinely amusing most of the time- the car chase has much to laugh about and the end scene with the parrot is curiously amusing too. Yet, I personally would have preferred it if the comedy had been toned down even further. Also, the character of Countess Lisl isn't developed enough- if it were, the car over the cliff scene would be even more fulfilling. That said though, it has some stirling performances throughout and some great scenes.
I watched this again today after many years and it has only occurred to me what great entertainment it is.
It showed us that the producers could get back to basics and give us a taut, action-packed thriller. Moore also provided a different performance of Bond previously unseen, which made for a refreshing change.
The action sequences were excellent, well staged and plentiful. What I found most surprising (and wonderful) was this film holds up very well after 25 years; it's just a pity the humorous ending looks out of place now.
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
Simply...one of the highlights in the series, an awesome film in all the sense of the word, and Moore proved us he can be a mean Bond in one of the coldest sequences in the series...you already know...
I just watched FYEO again last night. I went into it trying to flush out all of my developed critical positions on it upon watching it. I have to say that I greatly enjoyed it. I loved the story to death, and it had a nice Flemingesque elements about it. Moore was good for what he and the film were trying to accomplish, albeit he is too old and shows it. The silliness is a little distracting at times, but not so much to detract completely from the enjoyability of the story. Bouquet's hot, but her acting is among the worst among Bond girls. The villains are good, the settings are terrific, and Topol is terrific as Colombo. I bump it up to 8th on my list.
Behind TSWLM and LALD, this is my favourite Moore film. Although there are a couple of things I do find wrong with it ...
- As someone had already stated, Bond's capture at the swimming pool was too easy. Maybe another animal scare should've been put into that scene in order to make the security there a bit more wary.
- I would've made Bibi more mature and the scenes featuring her less cringing.
- The ice rink fight should've been left out.
- The casino scene in where Melina saw Bond with Lisl should've cut out, which is a pity as the scene had potential.
- Having seen a ADS-diving outfit during the warehouse fight, an extra shot focussing more on it would've been nice. That way, it could've served as a showcase for the underwater fight scene.
- Roger should've made more of an effort to ruthlessly kick the car over the edge.
- Again, as somebody had already stated, Kristatos surely wouldn't have let Bond and Melina escape from being keyhauled that easily.
- As already been stated on this thread, Bond shouldn't have looked away from Kristatos in the film's climax. Perhaps a fight scene between Columbo and Kristatos which resulted in Columbo killing Kristatos could've compensatated?
Other than that, this is a brilliant film. The soundtrack, though dated, isn't that bad and the plot is quite easy to follow. Plus, I think the parrot scenes are funny.
I agree 100%. There are many problems with Roger Moore's Bond films, and his lack of credibility as a dangerous, ruthless Bond is one of the biggest. I think he came close a couple of times, and to me FYEO showcased his best, most convincing portrayal of Bond. But in the end, Roger Moore was the weakest of the Bond actors (and that includes Lazenby).
Moore could be very ruthless, though if you'd blink you'd miss them. Watch his expression right after Lisl is killed, he isn't the jokey Moore you all call him. Kicking Locque's car off the cliff, Andrea Anders getting slapped, the murder of Grischka, Sandor, Drax's death to a degree... the list goes on.
By the way, on Moviedeaths.com, the man who has killed the most people is Arnold Schwarzennegar but guess who's 2nd place? Not Connery, not Brosnan, not DALTON. Moore, Roger Moore is 2nd place for the highest kill count! Go Roger!
Volume does not equal quality end product. If that was the case, the Ottawa Senators would have motored through the NHL playoffs this year to the Stanley Cup.
The idea isn't whether or not Moore did ruthless things or could make an angry face: he did. The question is whether or not he was CONVINCINGLY ruthless in doing those things. In my view, he isn't. He just doesn't convey the image to me of a ruthless guy, and he doesn't convey toughness to me. I would never be afraid to be in the same room as Moore. I would be afraid to be in the same room as Connery or Dalton.
Comments
I consider Moore to have been an extremely ruthless Bond (and one of the absolute most convincing) and it's good to see that I'm not alone.
It's all about what floats your boat really. I respect this one. My lack of verbal skills in conveying exactly why is frustrating.
I think I know where you're coming from Alex; your first Bond movie is sort of like your first girlfriend; you'll always remember both with rose-colored glasses, even if others can't see what all the fuss is about. For me it's DAF.
I think it might be useful to try to remember that we are looking at these films retrospectively. The 70's films reflect the time in which they were made and Moore's films have elements of a time when (in the UK) the height of family entertainment were game shows and crass comics telling "mother in law" jokes! (Although I may have laughed at a few of them myself!)
This also applies to the score, cheesy, disco and now a rather dated score....but not at the time it was made!
Moore has always been under rated in my opinion and I agree about taking the more comic films out of his canon, this would leave a wholly different impression of his time as Bond.
FYEO is definately Rogers best outing in the series, closely followed by TSWLM and LALD, IMO. Well, you can say much about Mr. Contis score but I think it works actually pretty well in the movie and hasn´t aged that bad.
And Carole Bouquet? Just bloody nice thing...
FYEO vs. Brosnans 10-0.
I do think again that FYEO is ripe for a reedit - all that computer stuff finding Locke could be reinserted with up to date graphics, for instance.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
No rewriting history, now
Do not tinker with scenes, erase matte lines and wires, CGI over rear projection, or alter Atari 2600 style identity machines, nothing.
I don't see why one couldn't tinker with the series by deleting wires and so on, though not to the extent of Lucas and Star Wars, where he went OTT.
No reason, for instance, why NSNA couldn't take place today. It's not time sensitive, there's no mention of the Cold War.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Anyway, it's not outdated politics or anything unknown or unheard of today that bothers me, it's the movies themselves, the methods they used. They're a chronicled history. I'm more interested in the social relevance or impact they had in their own time period then the content being adapted for today's viewer. Let today's viewer do a little history.
Just my opinion.
In comparison, FYEO is a pretty patchy film. It's still the second best Moore one imo, and has some truly superb moments. The best of all is the scene where Locque is kicked over the cliff, and the climactic battle, whilst small scale, is superbly and tensely handled. The opening with Bond visiting his wife's grave also shows clearly they were looking back to OHMSS for inspiration.
What lets the film down as a whole, imo, is the comedy. Actually, the comedy is actually genuinely amusing most of the time- the car chase has much to laugh about and the end scene with the parrot is curiously amusing too. Yet, I personally would have preferred it if the comedy had been toned down even further. Also, the character of Countess Lisl isn't developed enough- if it were, the car over the cliff scene would be even more fulfilling. That said though, it has some stirling performances throughout and some great scenes.
It showed us that the producers could get back to basics and give us a taut, action-packed thriller. Moore also provided a different performance of Bond previously unseen, which made for a refreshing change.
The action sequences were excellent, well staged and plentiful. What I found most surprising (and wonderful) was this film holds up very well after 25 years; it's just a pity the humorous ending looks out of place now.
great movie, and bill conti's score has dated but its cool. Esp the underwater scenes.
"Better make that two."
Lisl is fantastic too, its just so interesting.
"Better make that two."
- As someone had already stated, Bond's capture at the swimming pool was too easy. Maybe another animal scare should've been put into that scene in order to make the security there a bit more wary.
- I would've made Bibi more mature and the scenes featuring her less cringing.
- The ice rink fight should've been left out.
- The casino scene in where Melina saw Bond with Lisl should've cut out, which is a pity as the scene had potential.
- Having seen a ADS-diving outfit during the warehouse fight, an extra shot focussing more on it would've been nice. That way, it could've served as a showcase for the underwater fight scene.
- Roger should've made more of an effort to ruthlessly kick the car over the edge.
- Again, as somebody had already stated, Kristatos surely wouldn't have let Bond and Melina escape from being keyhauled that easily.
- As already been stated on this thread, Bond shouldn't have looked away from Kristatos in the film's climax. Perhaps a fight scene between Columbo and Kristatos which resulted in Columbo killing Kristatos could've compensatated?
Other than that, this is a brilliant film. The soundtrack, though dated, isn't that bad and the plot is quite easy to follow. Plus, I think the parrot scenes are funny.