Movie Review—
Octopussy (1983): Bond Film #13
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Recall Adams from her all-too-brief Bond film debut several years
earlier, of course, as Francisco Scaramanga's mistress, Andrea Anders,
in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). She's not only more beautiful now
in her late thirties than she was a decade earlier, but also more
credible as a true, full, equal to 007.
The Octopussy soundtrack nicely reinforces this message. "All I wanted
was a sweet distraction for an hour or two," sings a longing Rita
Coolidge. But this is something more — as Bond and Octopussy are "two
of a kind."
This film is also just good storytelling.
I'm fascinated by the juxtaposition between the early chase where
Mischka and Grischka ultimately knife Agent 009 to death. It creates an
incredible dramatic intensity as Grischka then pursues 007 (repeating
history?) off the Octopussy train, through the woods, trapping Bond
against a wooden country house door.
We're treated to James Bond as an effective chameleon on this mission.
He opens by infiltrating a South American air force base as Colonel
Toro. Later, he becomes a carnival worker, hides in a gorilla suit, and
then clothes himself in Mischka's costume after killing him.
And to Moore's biggest risk in the role, when he dons a clown suit
similar to that in which 009 is killed. Far from silly, it gives this
actor an opportunity to fully play 007 intensely and seriously from
behind any apparent mask.
Outstanding.
There's the requisite car chase, naturally. But it is nicely restrained
in Octopussy. As such, it neither competes nor distracts from the
wonderful sequence earlier in the film where Bond steals Orlov's black
Mercedes in order to pursue the Octopussy Circus train — on railroad
tracks. Clever action and a perfectly orchestrated music bed make it
peerlessly "Bond."
As the denouement looms, there is always a question left by the early
Bond films as to whether this one will end with a bang or a whimper.
Closings among the latter sadly undermined otherwise great
contributions, such as Goldfinger.
"No problem," as B.J., might say.
Octopussy delivers one of the most
threatening and physically taxing sequences of the franchise.
Forget about aging, and hold on for an incredible ride here, right
through the closing credits.
Octopussy (1983),
Albert R. Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson. John Glen, director. Starring
Roger Moore (James Bond, Agent 007),
Octopussy (Maud Adams), Kamal Kahn (Louis Jourdan), Magda (Kristina
Wayborn), General Orlov (Steven Berkoff), Mischka (David Meyer),
Grischka (Anthony Meyer), and Q (Desmond Llewelyn).