James Bond Films - Casino Royale vs For Your Eyes Only

This week as finally the worlds favourite super spy returns to cinemas for Daniel Craigs final outing as 007 in No Time To Die, we are picking our favourite James Bond films.

Warning we will be talking SPOILERS.

Boaz's pick for this week is Daniel Craigs debut as James Bond and the last book to be adapted, Casino Royale. On this one we talk about how brilliant the action is which tells us so much about this new Bond in the story. We talk about how brilliantly written it is as a love story. Plus debate whether Bond can actually function in the bedroom after this film. IMDB page   

Martins pick is a childhood favourite, For Your Eyes Only. On this one we talk about why this film has one of the best Bond girls in it. We talk about cheater the action still holds up and if there's actually too much action. We talk about the very close similarities this film has with Casino Royale. IMDB page 

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0:19

Hello film fans welcome to the film versus film podcast. My name is Martin Harries your host and I'm joined by the filmic Cyclopedia man pious Dix. We are a couple of filmmakers on occasion but mainly Can't Stop yapping about movies. On this podcast every episode, we pick a topic from a film that's coming out at the cinema, or on VOD, myself and buyers pick our favourite film from that topic, and we battle out to decide which film will become the greatest film of all time. According to two film geeks from Wiltshire, England, if you enjoy this podcast please leave us a review and subscribe Engler Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding me forever, obviously, obviously the Crazy Frog theme tune really? I thought it was Mission Impossible myself. Of course, has no time to die has finally finally reached UK and US cinemas. We are going to focus on our favourite James Bond. And as always, I'm joined by Mr. Big himself. Mr. Break. It's a James Bond. Yeah. Oh, isn't it from? Oh God, that one that Paul McCartney did a song about Yeah, it is. Yeah, that one called something something Devon lead. Yes. Live and Let Die. Bow sticks is with us. As always. How are you aren't? Oh, good. I'm fine. I'm good Blofeld. All right. Just because I ain't got much hair. That's just that's a cheap, cheap shot there. And you've got a cat on your lap. Currently. I have a cat. Yes. It's true. It's not white. Yeah, we now have a buy me a coffee account. So if you like what you hear, and you want to send us your appreciation, you can just buy us a coffee and it will be much appreciated. Follow the link in the description below. And it's really easy. Really simple. So yeah, right. We go have your pick then. First bounce. What did you go with? I went with Casino Royale. Not the spoof not the spoof one. No, I still haven't watched that one actually I need to be to crack on. I watched it many years ago. Was that like one of the first James Bond films like he was in the late 60s? I think they made that so why did you pick this one? Over the other cray? Was it just the Craig ones for you that you're going to choose from the only ones I'd really watched I'd watched a few of the older ones like the Roger Moore ones Man with the Golden Gun. And then you know Sean Connery. I watched Goldfinger. You only live once and twice. You Only Live Twice. Well, technically everybody lives on so you only live You Only Live Twice. And what was the other one? The one we just mentioned as well. We've missed a big living let Live and Let Die. I've watched those so I haven't watched like that many okay. The only ones I really watch were like the Pierce Brosnan era I watched all of those and the Daniel Craig era, so fairly modern, just kind of like within my lifetime. Nice. So what happens in Casino Royale Casino Royale is James Bonds first mission, there's a international terrorist bank and a banker to terrorists Yeah, called Le Shiphrah. And he watches after his clients money gives them interest and what have you just like a regular banker and they can deposit but he Gamble's with their money on the stock market. So James Bond stops him this plan that he has to short sell an airline an experimental aircraft company short sell their stock and so he's lost all of his clients money. So he needs to get that money back by a casino tournament that he holds they get James Bond in to play him and win this tournament so that you'll have no money left. And he'll be so worried that his clients are going to come for him that he'll go to EMI six and reveal everything about his clients which find out later in the Daniel Craig mythos is quantum and then you know quantum is a sister is a child organisation or whatever to Spectre. So this is very much your favourite Craig one then yeah, I think it is actually my favourite Craig one. Oh, I'd say is as well closely followed by Skyfall. Yeah, yeah, I would do the same when I watched Skyfall as well. I thought it was amazing. And as we've talked even before, heavier, but just by just still showing us, I think he's my favourite. Here's my favourite Daniel Craig, like villain villain. He's just incredible but he's incredible and everything. But I would say this this to me, because this was the first one I watched and it leaves an impact on me and even on rewatches I do slightly edgier over Skyfall but I do think Skyfall is also incredible. Yeah, this one certainly is my favourite. I think he's got some really interesting and creative action scenes probably one of the best action scenes in the Craig era for me in this one. And it's pretty faithful to the book as well. The very first book so I did like that and appreciate that directing then I love the idea of having like the opening scene done in like black and white in a defy in the bathroom is slightly grainy obviously it's invoking the past and it kind of adds this very like film noir feel very dark small office room with witty dialogue. This is very bold because this is the first Bond film with a black and white scene in it and also a lot of under angles you know to bond which makes him look quite intimidating and quite imposing the first Yeah, yeah, because no other Bond film has done that before having a you know, a black and white scene it's just nice and stylish way to introduce a new bond plus it's the first one to use like the famous gunbarrel walk and shoe you know into the narrative and killing the guy in the bathroom plus I was never convinced that guy was dead after bond like supposedly drowned him in that shallow sink. I was like Hey, Dad. Yeah for about three seconds he's like yeah, that'll do. Yeah, well I think they did say like it's his first kill so maybe he just like doesn't know how to kill a person. Look for bathrooms with bigger sinks although he learns very quickly through the rest of the foam he amassed is quite body killing is just like Doritos or no actually sprinkles isn't it? Once you pop you can't stop it just got to keep the first big action scene is arguably the best action scene in the Craig era for me yeah, I agree. But what's great about it is the storytelling you get about this bonds character that is not the finished article as Bond yet the bond maker is like really slick running through his own obstacles with ease, you know uses parkour whereas bond will try and get to this guy as quickly as possible without really thinking about it. This bond will drive for a construction site in a digger bulldozing everything in sight. You know, this bond will just run through a plastered wall not jump through the small hole. You know, and it bouncing on your ass to get to the ground is the quickest way then so bear. Yeah, plus I love the way like Daniel Craig shakes his face like a dog just before he gets up. You know, it's pretty funny. After he'd like falls flat on his face. Yeah, it's funny, but the crane jump is pretty spectacular. Love that. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah. Yeah, I think there's so much in that scene alone. There's so much going on. And it's so cool. And as you said, you know, you get this just bond is kind of meat and potatoes. He's just like a, I do like what am called him later in the film, like a blunt instrument here. This requires more than a blunt instrument. And throughout the film, he does like sharpen into something a little more delicate, like, you know, a sort of more versatile bond. But yeah, at the beginning, he is a blunt instrument. He is just a force of nature. He's like, you know, just a hurricane, the whole so he doesn't really think it through. And I just I love it in that chase scene, as you said, just ploughing through walls as this guy is doing all kinds of stuff. And then And yeah, I'm blowing up a goddamn embassy. It's in the way. Yes, it's incredible. I love how the poker scene is directed for mine Campbell, the way the music does a lot of the heavy lifting with the dramatic moments. You know, like how bond and Lushy for have like very different styles to the way they play and use like the poker chips Lushy for a dose this trick with them constantly as he places that you know and he places them carefully when he when he bets whereas bond just Chuck's them in, you know, then when Bond wins, you feel like the shots are a little tighter than before when he goes on and wins. You know, it's a lot closer, especially in the close ups shots, just up the tension. It's a more I quite like those subtle directions there. I like also how the camera like pays attention to certain details. I mean, this is kind of one on one, but the way it does it is so like fast and slick. I'll give you a couple of examples. Like when he's poisoned and I love that just like look at Leshy for a look at him. Look at him from like besides the Martini he's yeah then the martinis in shot then you like oh fuck and I just like it's so slick or or just before like that stairway fight scene with the the African warlords and I like that as well just how slickly it's shot and just like they see the earpiece they hear the thing, great visual storytelling. Yeah, it's very visual and I like how it just keeps it like you know, this is the tension this is this this this and it's all cut together really nice. And I can give so many examples where this film does it when he's actually trying to you know, get the chest plate on his that was delightfully tense and when he goes into the bathroom is the bathroom is very white. And they kind of overexposed the camera a little bit to make that those whites like feel really blinding and it's quite blurry as well just to give that effect that was quite nice. Yeah, it's kind of an interesting take because even though it's third person and you're looking outside of bond, it's still kind of invoking what bond is probably going through at that period of time. Yeah, like he's dying. So you know, as you'd imagine, like blurred vision and all that but it's done from a third person rather than a first person sort of view. It's quite interesting actually with the last section sings I think with the sinking house in Venice because I think the camera everything up to this point has been very slick but this has more of a rougher edge to it with the camera work I think you know, it's such a unique and creative idea you know, this this house sinking into the river. Yeah, is brilliant, you know, and all the action around it feels really brutal. Bond doesn't certainly doesn't have it all his own way. He gets slashed. He has a nail in the shoulder, but I like the way he kills Gettler with like the nail gun in the eye that was that was pretty cool. Yeah, that was pretty. That was pretty sweet. Now then just pulls the nail out of his back. No problem. That was pretty minor. When we got a favourite shot then or a favourite scene. Yeah, I would say favourite scene is without a doubt, the parkour Chase Oh, yeah, just a whole lot of I mean, it's just incredible. My favourite shot is actually I love the car crash scene where the Aston Martin dbx, five, DBS sorry, rolls seven times, which I think is still a world record for car rolls in a movie, which is really impressive. But why I like it so much. Because you've got to give a lot of respect to the cameraman on that. Because I suspect that so one and done scene, you're not going to get another chance to do that. Yeah, you know, there's a lot of pressure to capture that. Plus, I guess the camera free would have some idea where the car will end up. But nothing for sure. You know, so it's really great work. You know, just capturing that in camera. You know, imagine if he gets it wrong, like he's fired. But even like, even things, simple things like when the Schieffer dies, I thought that was satisfying and also done really creatively of him kind of out of shot like maybe just his feet or whatever. And Mr. White and he gets shot and then his head falls, he lands into shot and I thought that was a that was a really creative way to film his death. You know that he falls into shots. Oh, actually, I would say another one I really wanted to say, I fucking loved when that guy blew up, you know, the plane thing? Well, yeah, he thinks he's got Bond. He thinks he's got the bomb there. He's gonna blow him up. And I love that and it's DDDDD and it's always shirt. And you just get a close up of bond just with a little I got Yeah, that was a good, cool, so many good things in school for me for directing purely as an action film. I think it's really brilliant structure wise, it's a little unbalanced in terms of action, but I don't mind that so much. But I can understand why they did it. Because pretty much the book starts when they get to the casino. So you know they have to actually get up. I do love this skill mine Campbell has way of directing the casino scenes with a Texas Hold'em game I think that's that takes some real skill to get that right and have the tension there. Because I think I remember him saying that was probably one of the hardest scenes he had to direct actually was just it's not just you know, bonding Lushy for him, there's all these other characters are sitting around them that you've got to cover as well. So I think it's really quite skilled. So I'll go like a nine I think in my head, like the the number that just darts out to me is an 8.9. Okay, so just shy of nine. Okay. But still, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, brilliantly done. Cool screenplay, then, this film is a very like stripped down version of the character. There's no gadgets, no Moneypenny. It's all about adding the building blocks of bonds character that we know and love in terms of his like psychology in relationship to M tells him to take his ego and emotion out of the equation which he very much Learn to do that by the end of the of this film when he falls Vesper, you know, the film develops, and bonds or relationships so you can trust him to get the job done at the start, she certainly can't. And I feel like they do that with humour as well at times when Bond needs to get through the door, the security door in my in the Miami Airport and calls him and when he gets through bonds, works out the code and just puts the phone and on down on, you know, so the film has to develop their relationship is very much at odds, certainly in that in those paths with humour. And in the end M is the only person bond can really trust. Yeah, I really like you know, anytime they talk, but I really liked their first meeting, you know, where she breaks into a house. I think that's just wonderful. It does get basically their opinions of each other just so much. And I just like the witty quips and the the back and forth. I just thought it's really good. Especially because, you know, she's been M throughout the Bronson era. And just Brosnan, Bronson was last week. Oh, bronze. Yep. Sorry. You can fuddling my mind that said, What do you think about Tom Hardy being James Bond? I think he's too famous. I think they always go with a fairly unknown, I would say they usually do. Anyway, so what was I gonna say? Yeah, no, but I like that. She's been in it for quite a long time. And they have this basically battle of wits and verbals. But I think that's a great way to like, see if Daniel Craig is sort of ready for this role to go. I mean, it's like vetting him out. Because there's a great moment when like Craig says, Oh, I, I didn't know what standard for this seat was. I thought it was just a randomly assigned letter and, and, like, I tell you one more syllable and I'll have you killed you know, and he doesn't say a word. He's just stills anything. Yeah, like that. I was actually gonna say that. That was my favourite line and their exchange. I love the opening dialogue scene with bond and Vesper layer naturally, it's like really snappy and witty, and they try and guess what their backgrounds are and try to one up each other, because they don't really like each other. I don't think in the beginning, especially Vesper doesn't like pawn much less but doesn't really like the plan and bond doesn't think he needs her on the mission. The only disappointing thing is there's a blatant product placement with the Omega watch. Best Buy just randomly says Rolex bond says omega and it's like we just cut to an ad break for a few seconds. Yeah, I mean, it's just annoying. You have to put product placement in but it's just a slightly obvious one. My suit is Armani. As I said, I do feel like the action in this film is a bit top heavy because it only really start the book when they leave Miami and they do shoehorn in like an action scene in the middle of the casino scenes. A very good action scene a my ADD, on the whole they adapt the book really well. They keep the main story points, you know, the torture scene is in there. And I think he's a lot better in this film, actually, rather than in the book. Vespers death is still in there, but it's not suicide. All the Venice stuff is awarded in the book, they kind of just stay in. I think it's all in France. Actually. They just stay in France. The one change that does bother me a little bit because I'm a bond purist. But I understand why they changed his they change the card game they play from Bacharach to poker, Texas Hold'em, if anything like poker is actually a more complicated game, but obviously is more common card game, but in a lot of other Bond films. He plays Bacharach in scenes where it's pretty important on what's going on. So it's a little gripe, but again, there's part of me like, I don't see why they can't use background. Yeah, I think they could have us back about I think we were talking about this some other time before. Well, I just think it's kind of just the relative popularity of poker compared to Bacharach. Like I'm not saying everybody understand poker, but poker is a very big casino game, like it is the biggest card game, you know, so I think a lot of people would easily follow it, you know, poker game. I love the shower scene where Vesper is just sitting down in the shower, still in purple dress after the fight scene in the stairwell, and Bond sits down with her and she says, it's like, There's blood on my hands. It's not coming off. And then Bolden sits down with her and says, Here, let me see and he takes her hand and sucks our fingers and just says that's better. You know, those lines are just really beautifully written in such a tender moment for a film like this. It ponders the question with a fully fledged bonds you know, only trusting show such tenderness again in I'm not sure he would. So it's kind of interesting how bond trusts people less and less by the end. So it's just a really interesting scene that you've never really seen before in in a Bond film previously. Yeah, definitely. I will say like my favourite line. Yeah, my favourite line is when he's getting tortured. Yes. Jesus Christ so funny. And he's just whacking him and that is my and he's like where he goes, so you're gonna tell him and he's like I've got an itch the mind pool to the right to the right channel right yeah, yes, yes. Everybody's gonna know you died scratching my ball. Yeah. Yeah, as always, you know this this film does have a lot of great funny lines in a from em like have you ever seen such a bunch of self righteous ask covering pricks? So as charming as you are, Mr. Bond, I will be keeping my eye on our government's money and off, you're perfectly formed us. You noticed. Even accountants have imagination. I was the Lamb skewered one sympathiser. It's just really well written in terms of dialogue, this film, especially in terms of like all the romantic stuff, essentially, this film is a love story and how bonds heart basically gets torn up at the end pretty much. And I do like the moments between Vesper and bond where they're in the hotel grounds in the sunshine. And after Mendel, the brilliant Belgian banker, transfers the funds to them, and the girl is coming through for Vesper. But Bond is like completely blinded by his love for her investment says, You're not going to let me in there, you you've got your armour back on, that's there. And then bond says like, I have no armour left, you've stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me, whatever is left of me, wherever I am, I'm yours. You know, really beautiful lines you expect in like a romance melodrama. I think it shows kind of like the naivety of both characters at this point in the story. You know, they just think they can run away with each other and, and bond is blank blinded by love. And Vesper thinks that bond never needs to know about her past. You know, it's interesting as well, the the producers made it very clear that they didn't like the way Vesper dies in the book, because she basically takes an overdose of pills and commit suicide because the girl was too much for her. So they kind of changed that a bit, obviously, wouldn't look good for a female character in this film. But they kind of still keep like the mindset of Vesper, some emotions when they're on the beach, the girl was still lingering. When she says, Does everyone have a towel? And bond says, Yes, everyone, everyone except you, you know, and then later, you get an insight about why bond is such a brutal cold character at times when he says, like, like you said, you do what I do for too long. And there won't be any soul left to salvage I'm leaving with what little I have left. Is that enough for you? It's like this bond is fully aware of what he is. And that's basically an assassin. And at this stage, like in bond story, he'll take any chance he gets to get out if it's not too late. Well, as soon as he learns that if he falls for someone, it's it's dangerous, you know. And so in the end, he can't fully trust the trust anyone and he has no choice but to do what he's good at, you know, which is frustrating with what's happened in Spectre with a fairly weak storyline in there. So I just really like how this film is really faithful to the book in terms of both these characters really. So screenplay score for me. I will go to like, 8.6. That's a really good school. Yeah, I think I'll copy that. Exactly. All right acting then. I think if you're gonna play bond, you have to do like the comedy. Well. Craig is no exception. Daniel is really great with comedy at his own expense. And there's a great little scene where Vesper is getting ready for the evening game and I like the little dramatic whip pan to set up the dinner jacket joke. overspill says there are dinner jackets and dinner jackets. This is the letter and bond says how that it's tailored. It's just a very different type of humour. Perfect for a character growing into the role. It's just it's not the untouchable bond just yet at this stage, and he has some really damn badass lines and I think he he does them like really well. Just like a badass pitcher, perfect grass. I quite like when he leaves that. What was it when he leaves that girl in the in the towel? Yeah. he's on the phone to you know, reception. So what was it? He's ordering Champagne. Champagne and caviar. He goes for two is like no for one, but I just love. Like, I don't give a fuck. And it goes off to kill her husband. The stairwell fight is really great. Like the pace of the action is really quick and it feels really brutal. You can really feel the impact certainly Daniel Craig gangs, I think he lost a tooth in that fight Jesus. I think what's brilliant is that in a lot of the fights that that James Bond has in his face is like, front and centre. So where it is definitely Daniel Craig Yeah, doing this definitely Daniel Craig Yeah, doing this stunt. And you're like, you know, there's a bloody machete flying very close to his face. And you're like, Dude, that's Daniel Craig. Yeah. I, you know, I love that attention to detail. He's definitely, you know, fit and energetic enough to do this. And then, you know, he's acting as well of, you know, really coming off convincing that he's in trouble, you know, every time he must have been exhausted. Yeah. I mean, what I also like about that is that you see the aftermath of that fight with Craig looking in the mirror, like he drink some scotch. And he's like, Oh, that was tough. If he were lucky to gather that type look in the mirror, you know, and there is kind of like some genuine fear there, I think as well. And you don't often get these reflective moments in a Bond movie. Again, it's another moment of bond developing into the fully fledged James Bond. I love the acting from Mads Mikkelsen and Daniel Craig. When Bond has been poisoned, as you said, Craig tries to play it called to shake it off when he's been poisoned, but he can't and Mads just has this brilliant like, soft look, where he's like, are you okay? Plus, the look on like mad space is amazing. When Bond sits back down. Mats, you know, he's just so surprised like, what the hell you're not supposed to be back. You're supposed to be dead. He does, like very little in his face, in all his scenes, and you know exactly what he's thinking with the smallest looks such a subtle, watchable actor, I completely agree with you. I think we even when we discuss mad Mickelson's film, he can do very little with his face. And it's like, you can read his mind. You can hear you can tell what he's thinking. And I just love it with this character, because he can be so in control. Like when he's first introduced. He's very in control. You know, he's got that like, okay, but then just, you know, he just looks so nervous at times. You know, like when they come in for him the the warlords and stuff and threatening his girl. Yeah. And just like the looks on his face. He looks terrified, but it looks like he's terrified while trying to look cool. Yeah, you know what I mean? It's a kind of subtle, it's not like he's a whimpering you know, hyperventilating wreck. He's trying to look calm. And you can see just at the edges, there's, there's some breaking, you know, it's subtle. We've talked a little bit about the torture scene. But I think Daniel Craig is brilliant in that where he's, you know, really going for screaming in agony when Leshy for smacks his box with this chunky piece of rope. And as a man watching that, for the first time, it's really quite difficult to watch, like, fuck me. And it's way better in this film. Because in the book, like, I don't want I don't think he's naked. They just can't remember if he's saying I can't remember. They basically use like a carpet beater. It's just like, is basically a big flyswatter. So they do that said, so. You know, a big chunky rope is a hell of a lot more painful. You would imagine. Yeah. How was he able to have sex after this film? Like he's such a ladies man. Surely any woman that takes a look at his junk movie, it's got to be like a big swollen purple, blue and green. Well, they don't specify how long he was in that hospital for a very, very long time. They did surgery they did like a transplant. Cock and ball. Or Daniel Craig has massive nuts. Yeah. Which are as strong as the bowls of literal iron. But I just loved the way like grey goes from like a hysterical laughter Craig is really impressive in that after like, the scratching of his balls joke and he goes from that to like looking shit scared after hearing Vespers. Screaming and then laughter again, this slow buildup of laughter just like really skilled from Daniel Craig the you get this kind of feeling like, like he's just accepting it. Like, you know, he's he's obviously very worried for best but like, this is the fuckin terrible. Maybe he's considering it, but then he's just like, You know what, fuck it. You know? Just gonna accept it. We're both gonna die. It's fine. I think evergreen is amazing in this film as well. I really like her performance. Especially like her basically her last scene underwater like the acting for me. to green while she's drowning at the end is pretty remarkable and it looks terrifying. The level of emotion she can show underwater is quite brilliant. Really? How she does that? I don't know. Like, surely I don't. Yeah, this must be some trickery there. I don't see she graduated in our class and underwater acting. Yes. Daniel was incredible too after Vesper dies, you know, breathing heavily like he's so angry with himself to this very like longing look towards her, because it obviously he loved her. You got a favourite performance? Yeah, I think Daniel Craig, at any particular point, actually, when he realises that she's betrayed him. That's really good. I quite like that. of just like, over the phone, and he's like, you know, even if you're not really following it, he's just what when he sees the text messages in Venice, you mean Yeah. And the text messages and then he's on the phone and he's just, you know, fucking hell. It's like it's just completely blown his mind and I just like the the looks He gives us. Yeah, mine is Daniel Craig as well, I think followed very, very closely by a joint second Aviva green and masma. Yeah, I think they're both tremendous. So score for me. I'll go 8888 88 I've still got 88 out of 10 I've still got the Back to the Future musical in my head. I'll go 8.8 about us. Okay, this time, I'm not gonna try and copy you. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go and 8.3 8.3 Okay, yeah, right. Let's add up the scores then for Casino Royale. With juice. Yeah. I think maybe why I'm going a little lower is phenomenal. I just don't want to give it too high. Because, in my opinion, those were the three like amazing performances. Okay. Do you know what I mean? It's not like everybody was amazing. Like, those three were incredible. So I'm just gonna give it that. Okay. I think we've had films where you know, most of the cast have been, like nines. Cassina, Raul gets 52.2. Good luck for your zoning. Right, my choice then, is certainly not one of the best James Bond films. I don't think I would ever put it in the top 10. But, as a kid, I just found this one really great. You know, when I was a kid, like early teens, I had watched all the James Bond films many times up until like, dying every day. And I always like, Yeah, this is my favourite. And my favourite as a child as a teenager was always For Your Eyes Only. Because I was just like, yeah, it's got a great action. You know, it's got an underwater scene. It's got skiing. It's got cool car chases. Got good. 50 Cops. It's got a good twist with the bad guy. Really good Bongo with a crossbow. Yeah. You know, and it's funny. So I was just like, Yeah, this is my favourite. And I kind of pick this one to just reevaluate that fact to see is it really my favourite? Not sure it is. So that's why I kind of picked this one. I think for me, genuinely the best one for me, probably is gold finger is the best Bond film. So what happens in VR is only well, I'll skip the opening scene because it has Funchal to do with the plot. After the title sequence, we are with like a British spy ship, which is disguised as a fishing vessel. Yeah, and it has a device called and ataque which basically can transmit messages or, or signals to all the British submarines to fire you know, on on the enemy, basically in secret, but the fishing trawler catches the sea mine and they kind of like Oh, sure, it's a an unidentified object. It's kind of out of nowhere. And it's just a an old sea mine. So the ship sinks. So then bond is basically tasked to find it, basically and get it back to the British and you have the Russians trying to get it as well. So bonds was going to find his contact in Greece and archaeologists to find the wreck, but he gets assassinated by a Greek assassin who's working for the Russians. So he finds Molina, their contacts daughter. So she is kind of on like a revenge tale to find the killers of our parents. So as bond goes deeper into the story, he finds out that there's two two like organisations kind of Chris status and his men who was kind of working with like the Olympic team has like a cover I think, with a character called Beat Who's a figure skater? So that's kind of like a front I guess. Here's operations. And then this underground organisation called the Dove, which is headed by the brilliant topple who plays Colombo. And you soon realise that Chris status is actually the bad guy played by Julian Glover and top hole is actually on bond side and once needs bonds help as well to take down Chris as sources men, and they both end up at St. Charles and abandoned monastery on the top of the big rock. And basically, as a bond needs to get the a tag back and he ends up just throwing it off the cliff. And just to say, you know, one hasn't, yeah, I don't have it. You don't have it, you know, so that is quite an interesting spy story. And certainly, if he only was very much a reaction to the god awful Moonraker, which is basically a pastiche of itself. Just way too many jokes is even a double taking pigeon in there. I mean, JAWS has a girlfriend in space at the end is very bizarre. So it's interesting. This one, it's a lot more serious, more grounded. I need to probably watch Moonraker, like you're making Moonraker sound like an Austin Powers movie. Yeah, maybe it was. So what did you make of this one pass? Yeah, I mean, there were things I like to know things I really, really didn't like. Okay. But yeah, it was interesting. It was it was interesting. So, you know, I like the little reference to James Bond's wife who was killed in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, where Bond lays down some flowers by her grave. You know, that was quite a nice touch to start the film in a nice nod to bonds history in previous films. But the opening action scene is fairly tame with the helicopter by like the commitment of not showing Blofeld face in the wheelchair like they did in the Connery area era. Until the last one, obviously. Yeah. You know, I was actually I've got an interesting tidbit. I was reading about the the Blofeld thing. And it's to do with a whole legal case. Have you heard of this? Yeah. I can't remember the names involved. But a screenwriter basically claimed that he made most of the plot points for fundable. Yeah. Yeah. There's a whole mess with that. Yeah. So yeah, he was basically like, it was kind of like a back loop thing. He was discussing making a film with fucking hell was the guy that wrote James Bond. Ian. Ian Fleming Fleming. That's the one flowing Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Bowers is not a James Bond official, no, whatever that afficionado is not afficionado about James Bond. He was going to do a film with you know, Ian Fleming support and and another screen writer, which was going to be slightly based on an older James Bond book. And they made that up. So most of it wasn't, you know, an exact copy of that, but it included things like Blofeld, and, and many other things. And then when Ian Fleming wrote Thunderbolt, he claimed that he just basically stole a lot of the, the stuff that they were working out in this adaptation for the film, so he was like, dude, all of this is mine. And anyone that so he won the rights to Thunderball, and so for quite a period of time they weren't allowed to use Blofeld because he had appeared and and so even though like he basically is Blofeld, they didn't call him that in the credits and they just wanted to kill him off like unceremoniously to just say like, fuck off. Yeah, cuz that guy I can't remember his name. But he made Never say never again, who they used Blofeld in that film, which came out the same time as Octopussy. In that one year you had like an official James Bond film and a non official one with Sean Connery like coming out at the same time. Yeah. It's quite bad though. That one Yeah. Well, they both are to be honest, they're both not very good. Octopussy makes no sense. But that screen right it was able to make Never say never again because most of the plot is essentially fundable. So he was just like I'm really just making a remake of the only bond property I have sold right Steen? I love the little yellow, Citron car chase through the Greek hills. It's just really charming and quite inventive. Where bond like breaks up hard on the brakes. And one of the cars tries to run him off the road but ends up taking out one of his own goons cars. In the jump over one of the black cars was quite nice. We're kind of like taps One of them on the roof as it goes over. That was quite cool. Great music as well. James Bond skiing, you know, skiing. Just amazingly obviously it's done double Yeah, but it's still practical. I do love that. I don't think it was that obvious it was honourable. I think the stunt double was well hidden, like, you know, when he did look like and he was doing all this tricks where it definitely just I was like, yeah, that's obviously not him is when they did the, you know, the look back. Like I think it was like, they have the camera of you know, James Bond doing all this shit. And then the camera on Roger Moore. And I was like, that's obviously a sound. He's not on a pair of skis. So that's obviously a soundstage. I really liked you know, the ski Chase stuff actually the way it kind of develops that's kind of my my favourite scene, I guess. In Italy, like it starts with the cameras tracking bonds skiing through the forest at a distance. And then Eric kriegler. Kriegers rifle comes into shot aiming at bonds, which really nice shot there from John Glenn. I liked how the action scene keeps developing. You have some cat and mouse stuff with kriegler trying to snipe out bond then some cool ski jumps, then bond escaping through the crowd at the ski jumper then. And then the absurdity of bond going down the ski jump. We have another goon at the same time. Yeah, that was cool. So the more traditional like ski Chase against the bikes where the music really kicks in. There's a really cool jump where like bonds slide through a table breaking a load of glasses. That was a really nice stunt. I liked when he was skiing down the what do they call it? The bobsled? bobsled? Yeah, the sled track. That was cool. I wasn't expecting that. So yeah, I did like the development of it. I mean, it was pretty awesome. My problem with it is it happened. It was such a good scene, but it happened not long after another action scene. And then there was another one that came after. So I felt it was just a bit overwhelming. I was like, okay, you know, interesting. I would have rather they'd spaced it out a bit more. But I did like the scene. I was just like, man, it's just come on. It's too soon after another which also was a chase. It's like just space it out a bit. There is actually a lot of Acts. There is a lot of action in this film, which surprised me. But yeah, I would say one of my favourites is definitely iski Chase. I thought that was incredible. Did you know is a young Charles Dance in that? Yes, I did. I know. I was like that's Tywin Lannister is he doing you got lost? It's not King's Landing. I like the way bond kills lock the guy with the octagonal glasses, where he chases lock up a hill on foot through tunnels and stairs which I guess is a great workout for Sir Roger, I guess he loved that and somehow beats a lot who was in a car to the top you know he shoots shoots him in the car and the car ends up teetering on the edge of the cliff and I love the great music cue when the film cuts to a wide shot to reveal how big the cliff is. You know the way bonds Chuck's the pin the dove pin in the car which makes the car start to fall off the cliff and then bond just kicking it for good measure that was kind of cool. Plus the light in that scene is really beautiful as the sun is coming up really softly layer and did you notice the dummy coming out in the car like right at the end like flipping out the window? Yeah was really fun. Oh, he's underwater battle with that. God knows the fight that guy was wearing. What the hell was that? He was in a diving suit with mechanical arms. Yeah, I think they said it was like deep sea salvage suit. Okay. I thought that was pretty cool. Like, yeah, I definitely felt tense, like, you know, Bond gets out. She's being hoisted up and her oxygen equipment is being torn to shreds like, closest up on that. And, you know, bond puts the bomb on him and it's trying to like, just by time just like hitting things. I thought that was cool. I can't live like the old autonomous like POV shots of like, before, you know what it looks like? You know, I've been following them into the they're the wreck with the heavy breathing. It's kind of like a slasher film at that point. Yeah, yeah, I quite like that. I thought it was gonna be a shock or something. I was like this is definitely jaws and it's like what the hell is that? You know, as a kid watching it did seem pretty scary at the time. Now it does look slightly clunky. In certainly in in some wide shots, but still pretty tense. And then like when Bond Molina escape after the explosion, they get back to Neptune the submarine and you think they're safe? But no, you have another ominous figure approaching them. You know, in the following submarine Pat was pretty tense as well, I think. And it's not obvious how bond is going to get out of it, you know. And that was also where he escapes. Basically, I thought that was cool, where he's basically tied him up to their boat. And it's just gonna batter them on the reef. You just cut up on the roof. Oh, yeah, I did like that. And the fact that they got, you know, the blood coming off of him as a band bearing across. And then, you know, he looked pretty, it looked pretty brutal. Yeah. And then he ties it up on the water. I thought that was all just done. Done really? Well. I would say by far my favourite scene in this entire film, like just just hands down. Is the mountain climbing bit. Why really? Yeah, no, I would say like, that was so tense. To me, that just blew me away. And it's so simple because yeah, to me, really? It really was. Because yeah, there are like, you know, larger action scenes and more stuff goes on. And all these ones that I've said, there's more skill, there's more affects, it costs more, and there's more man and all this other stuff. But he's climbing this mountain, and it looks fucking high. And they do these wide shots where, dude, he is really, really high. And he's almost falling. And you're, there's this guy who he sort of suspect something's going on. But then he goes back and you think, oh, okay, the coast is clear. He's gonna keep on climbing. And then they say, What was it this guy starts like, trying to do you know what I mean? Like, I thought, okay, I thought that was amazing. Like, I think one of the pegs slips. And he notices him. And he's firing it in bond is hidden and he's trying to like pull himself up. And then he's just coming down and whacking out the pegs. Oh, that was so tense and one peg left. And he climbs up and like, from, like, throws a knife at him and then climbs up his rope, right? I just thought it was a really good scene. The only thing that isn't great about that though, is when they do get to the top there. fisticuffs is pretty tame to be like, oh, and then it just ends. Oh, okay. Well, it's one of these things where like, you know, almost anybody can be taken down, you know, with just like, I don't know, like a judo chop, and then that they're gone. Oh, yeah. This film actually has a lot of similarities with Cassina. Owl. I think I think these two films are the only two Bond films that James Bond doesn't kill the big band at the end. Colombo kills cristata Austin and Mr. White kills mad smuggles in Le Schiefer. Okay, I'll tell you one thing I absolutely despised in this movie. Okay. And this is gonna go interacting. Alright. And this is so you know what a V array is people? Yeah. But you know, Adi, yeah. So right, the ADR, atrocious. There are so many scenes where bond will say a quip. And I'm like, he did that in a studio. He's just so this is so not happening right now. He is in a soundstage or whatever. He just sounds so out of place. And there are so many scenes where the ADR is just really bad where they rerecord dialogue. And it just doesn't sound natural. It just doesn't fit. I did notice that certainly with Molina's character, I was like, yeah, that's not great. Every single line of hers is ADR. And so it just sounds bizarre, like everybody else was having a natural, you know, conversations out in, you know, the environment, they're actually having it. And then all of her lines, you know, it's just really strange. Like, they just sound like she's on the radio or whatever. It just doesn't sound natural. And so you have that with her character, which is distracting as hell. But then you also have recorded lines of bond and other characters. And I just don't think it's done. Well, the ADR is really poor in this film. I kept dragging me out of it. I was just like, nah, this is this is. Yeah, so that was one thing I really didn't like about this movie. Okay, directing score. I'll go this might press your I don't care. Fuck it. I'll go. I'll go a 6.8 watch what? Roger Moore is turning in his grave. The poll, man. You know, I do have a big soft spot for this film. So I'm gonna go like 7.5 7.4 Okay, hi screenplay, then. Did you notice another thing this film has in common with casino Raul. No. Bond uses no gadgets in this film. Oh, okay. Yeah, no, that is true. Yeah. Yeah. Again, back to basics, very much a reaction to the terrible Moonraker she does actually have some really cool gadgets in that film. But yeah, so this film is a lot more gritty in bond has to get out of these situations. You Using his wits and brains a lot more, you know that, as you mentioned in the climbing stuff, he takes the laces out of his shoes to climb up the rope. You know, in another Bond film he would like have a grappling gun or something to wisdom. Yeah. Or whatever. Okay, yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just gonna say this. I think maybe I was too harsh on the director. I really fucking hated the idea. Really bad. Yeah, to me almost single handedly ruined the movie. I'll give it actually go back check. I'll give it seven. Okay, I'll give it some. Okay. I won't be that harsh on it. But the ADR is really fucking bad. I think this film has one of the best spawn girls for me in the series in Melanie Havelock played by Carol Bukit bewegt you know, she's actually got a genuine arc of, you know, will she take revenge on her parents killers or not? You know, this whole thing bond guy tells, you know, the Chinese saying before you take revenge, dig two graves. So there was quite a nice touch with the script and her story, I think is really nice. It's kind of funny for Bond to say that he's probably dug 1000s Well, he he's a professional though. It doesn't take it's not it's not personal. Yeah, certainly not. Not in this film anyway. Whereas most young girls of this era pre 80s You know, they have nothing really to do but just be really disposable. millionaire has a really like emotional story to it. Plus, she has a crossbow. I mean, come on. That's cool. I mean, I think I think that was really cool when she was introduced with the crossbow. And bond is basically tracked down the assassin. He's at his pool, and he's basically he's been cornered he sees this guy like pay him off or whatever, but he's cornered you know that uh, and then as the guy is taking a dive into his pool, he gets shot in the back with a with a crossbow. I don't know Yeah, I'm cool. You say the ADR was bad but I think they got the timing of the the sound effect really wrong with I think you get the the the impacts literally as he's in the water. Yeah. But yeah, she has a really great line like near the end where they are preparing to attack attacks and zeros and Colombo says, but we are only five minutes. Molina says and one woman. That was cool. That's worth 100 people. I think the reveal of the fact that Chris startles is actually the bad guy could have been a lot more dramatic in this film. You know, Colombo just tells bond that he was actually talking about himself about the heroin smuggling etc. But Bond has to take his word for it basically. I know he like hands him his gun, you know, a trust gesture. But then you have this whole action scene just to make you know, bonds trust Colombo. I think they could have been a lot more dramatic in that reveal. Rather than just Columbo telling you Oh Chris sauces is actually the bad guy by the way. Yeah, no, I agree if they had had him do something villainous or whatever. And also, you know, they they even do kind of like like he acts all nice before the reveal and then after the reveal he's just an irredeemable asshole is just hitting people and it's been a it's very odd in the nose. The storytelling is a bit disjointed at times when he's in Italy like bond seems to be with BB way too much trying to find out information on lock. And we don't see like Molina which seems like for a while before we see her again. Then you have the action scene with Colombo at night and then all of a sudden Bond is back with Molina and it's just like, Oh, I think the film doesn't flow from scene to scene as well as it could have a plus BB in this film is quite annoying. That's certainly watching it again. Yeah, she's very very irritating. And I think you know, I am somewhat justified in saying like, I think some of the action scenes should have been spaced out a bit more especially towards when he gets to the retreat in Italy and it just felt a bit too much like there was this there was that there was this and then he goes off to CB Re and as soon as she's gone there's another fucking fight scene. I think you could have lost lost that yeah, hockey fight scene. It was bizarre. Yeah, the hockey one. I mean, it was it was a stupid fight scene but it was like and to me, I think it it cheapens the what I think is a really good fight scene, the the ski ski scene. When you sandwiching it between lesser fight scenes. We're like, dude, just let it breathe. Like you know, you don't need this crap. I think maybe they just had a lot of money to burn. But we've got the costumes and the people here. Just had a couple of fight scenes here. Yeah, it's just kind of make a joke out of it of putting them all in the goal. Yeah, that was quite funny. I find it funny when in the underwater scene where Bond Emelina are exploring the wreck of the St. George's. I love the fact that bond says, conserve your gas supply speak only when necessary. And then when the shark comes out of nowhere, he says, Oh, I hope he was dining alone. I was like a bond. You just broke your own rule there, but he can't help himself. He's gotta quit. Yeah, that's essential. That's an essential use of Yeah, I think this film certainly has one of the funniest endings of a Bond film. It's cheesy as fuck but I just find it hilarious. Bond saved the days with Molina smoochy smoochy bond leaves his watch with the parrot which has a communication device on it is talking to Margaret Thatcher saying Give us a kiss the guys mo six are saying bond Have you gone mad? Here's the key if it was so good, love other great minds. Oh, yeah. One of the most bizarre ones. At the start when Blofeld is just about to be dropped into the chimney, and he says, we can make a deal. I'll buy you a delicatessen in stainless steel. Just really bizarre. You must know James Bond loves his cheese. I don't know. It's very strange. Yeah, that was a weird. That was a weird scene. I don't think that that really belonged in this. Apparently, it's because cubby broccoli, the one of the producers of the Bond films apparently like in the gangster era, in the 30s like bribed people with giving them delicatessens apparently, in stainless steel, very bizarre. Let's take the low road. The car flips over. Not bad. Oh. In queues lab, there's an umbrella with claws on it and a girl pours water on it and the umbrella comes down quickly on the dummy, and Bond says stinging in the rain. That's not funny. W seven. Bond says a nose not a banana cool when they're doing the Oh yeah, I tend to graph I'm sure it would have been more efficient if he just had like a sketch artist, you know? Yeah, that yeah, that was kind of very dated. Like, dude, this looks nothing like any individual. Oh, yeah, we found him. Really? Okay. Fair enough. Have you got a favourite line? Then? A bond quick. You go first. And I'll try and remember one, I think a very Roger Moore one I love driving in the country don't do during the Citron chase down the hill when they you know, knocking through all the olive trees. All I can think of is he had no head for heights. But I don't even think that clip makes much sense. Yeah. Like he didn't lose his head. You know, he just pushed. But what does that got to do with it? Yeah. So score Bowers, what are you gonna go for? I was gonna say like, I didn't really give a shit about like, the conspiracy and everything. Like going in. It was quite complicated for me as I'll go 6.9 I mean, the last scene is hilarious. I think. It certainly does have some like juxtaposition issues and flowing from scene to scene issues. And I think the film could have been a lot more dramatic. And actually a bit more emotional actually between the characters of Colombo and Chris Santos. And even to be fair with Molina and Chris Santos. I think with a film like this that all the attention is always going to be on like the main villain and Roger Moore as bond. So certainly as an A pure action film is pretty enjoyable. Well one of the one of the things I thought was kind of like a shame is I felt he had more of a build up and more of a chemistry with the assassin who had been tracking through a lot of the film The other one he pushed it off the cliff and you know who even like murdered a woman he slept with in like cold blood like ran or Oh yeah, that was really brutal. That was really brutal just rammed into a light he was a sick fuck and I had loads of stare downs and chases. I'm almost kind of annoyed that he was doesn't have any lines does he know he doesn't have any lines? But I'm kind of a bit guarded. He wasn't actually the the main adversary like when he kind of disappeared in I think was the first two thirds someone in the Yeah. And then it's like this whole conspiracy of who is it Colombo, Chris dantas. And it's Chris data. I didn't feel the the rivalry between them To Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I liked more with the other guys. Like, why didn't he just carry on? You know, I think it would have made sense. Actually, if Chris data saying Colombo had a scene together, I think that would have tied the film up a lot better, I think, yeah, nothing long or anything. But I think for the emotional stakes for both those characters, I think it would have created from because when I when He even talks about Columbo, you know, Chris status when he has a dinner with bond, he's over there somewhere. And he's just like, Yeah, I think he's definitely the KGB informant. And you don't really get Yeah, they just talk about each other. They don't actually talk to each other. You don't get the sense of hatred or rivalry. So I'll go like 7.1 I think mainly because I think they write a good Bond girl. Yeah. I think that you got to give kudos. But yeah, I definitely think like, you know, her, her revenge arc and all that is pretty it's pretty damn cool. Right acting then. Unfortunately, this is the first like Roger Moore film Bond film where Roger does look a bit old in the role slightly old and he really should have stopped after this film. Because when you get to a view to kill like the only thing missing in that film is bonds walking stick. I mean, in this one I think they do hide on the whole the stunt man. You know, the stunt doubles pretty well, I think on the whole whereas interview to quit or kill it's like night and you know, to me of you Tokyo is the worst Bond film, but it's really bad. I love the moment when BB is in bonds bed and bond says, I don't think your uncle area would approve. And BB says him. He thinks I'm still a virgin. And POM says, Yes, well put your clothes on and I'll buy you an ice cream. Rolls face is so funny where he just looks slightly embarrassed and like taken aback. It's just like, What the hell is going on? is really awesome. I think Roger Moore just plays it perfectly there. I like the second conversation bond has with Chris status where at this point, you don't think you know he's a bad guy until Bond gets up, gets up and walks off. And Julian Glover does this brilliant like shifty eyes? For a brief moment, and I think it's there just to make the audience begin to think twice about who Chris Santos is really? At what point did you realise Chris status was the bad guy. Did you see it coming? Or? I don't think I saw it coming. No. I mean, yeah, I think in retrospect, yeah. I mean, he was, you know, should have seen it coming. But then I was kind of trying to follow what was going on. But it came Oh, this guy is actually a bad guy. And they're looking for another guy. I thought tall. Paul was great as Colombo, this very like suave, charismatic character. And it's just a shame. He only turns up like halfway through the film. You know? I definitely wanted more of topple. Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah, he was very charismatic guy. That said, I think he's still my favourite performance. Weirdly. I'm gonna go top all about you, sir. Yeah, I didn't know man. Like, I think maybe I'll just go with Roger Moore. Okay, yeah. No big standouts? Yeah, I do agree with you actually. Tuffle does a pretty done. That actor does a good performance. I thought he was very enjoyable should have been in it more score. I mean, you gotta love Roger Moore's double takes. Yeah, I still have those in there. Yeah. And and he's sarcasm is done. Wonderful. Fucking hell. This is really difficult. Because every time I think of something that's pretty good. I think that was really bad. So okay, tonight would be amazing. Yeah. Fuck it. I'll go, man. Casino gonna win anyway. I'll go. I'll go. Ah, I'll go. I don't want to say seven. Like it just feels wrong. I'll go point six 6.7 Okay, there we go. I think this is certainly one of Roger Moore's better films where he is allowed to be a lot more serious. You know, I think certainly his best Bond film for me is a Spy Who Loved Me then closely followed by let die and then probably this one. As I said he certainly should have stopped after this film. Fewer. Exactly. So I'll go like a seven because I think Julian Glover is really good and topples good and yeah, no. Carol boo correct is really great as a Molina so seven This I think is fair. Right let's add up the scores then for for your eyes only for your eyes only gets 42.3 so it's a bit of an ass whipping but Casino Royale who gets 52.2 I think before we started listening to this I think you probably knew he was going to win this one is pretty obvious but it's a childhood favourite of mine so I have no shame in picking it. A little shame wasn't next week as the French dispatch comes out in a few weeks time actually but we're just going to fit it in this one because there's another big space movie that's coming out which is very exciting. Yeah, the French dispatch comes out and obviously Where's Anderson directs that film so we'll be picking our favourite Wes Anderson ones and we won't be picking Grand Budapest Hotel because we did that way back when when we did ruffians films, so if you'd love that film, check that episode out. Man that's such a good film. Yeah. So we'll be having a look at some of his other work. Again, if you love what we're doing and you like hearing us then and you want to show us some appreciation and a big thank you have a look on the show notes below. Follow the link of buy me a coffee and you can buy us a coffee it will be very much appreciated. Bo as as always you have been remarkable as Mr. Big. Not an use of euphemism. Obviously humongous Alright, bye bye. Double Oh, seven inches. No, actually. That's terrible. Bye bye. That's it for this week's pod. Thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it. 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