THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"The Spy Who Loved Me" Plot
A madman (Curd Jürgens) wants to destroy life on terra firma while creating his own world under the sea.
Whiskey Lore Review
Originally supposed to be a SPECTRE and Blofeld movie, the team was denied the ability to use him, so they came up with a facsimile in Stromberg. It was the beginning of the era of bigger and better Summer blockbuster movies. Jaws had taken the world by storm and soon movies that went beyond simple releases turned into merchandising marketing fodder. The Spy Who Loved Me seemed desperate to catch that wave - even stealing the name Jaws for their main villain.
Roger Moore was at his peak here, looking the part and making things look effortless. He even shows some grit, letting Fekish fall off the roof. Barbara Bach's character XXX is well written as she holds her own with Bond and outwits him on the boat - and honestly, I might have taken a Barbara Bach poster over a Farrah Faucett poster back in the day. The humor is okay here. Stromberg as a villain is like a Blofeld caricature. I get that - been there, done that, kind of feeling towards the end of this movie.
Best of the movie: Hands down Carly Simon's theme song. It was so good in fact, that for the next decade or so, they tried to replicate the success, but usually ended up with average sounding adult contemporary songs. The Lotus flying off the dock into the water and the look on XXX's face.
Memorable moment: What an opening! Bond flies off the cliff while skiing and just when you think he's done for, the parachute opens with the British flag regally presenting itself.
Where it goes wrong: Jaws, Jaws, Jaws. I find his Dracula meets Frankenstein impersonation frustrating. And Marvin Hamlish's score is one of my least favorite in the series digging heavily into disco. I only forgive him because of the fantastic title theme.
Paired Whisky: Kaiyo Mizunara Japanese Oak Single Malt Whisky
I paired this with Kaiyo Mizunara Japanese Oak, because it is aged at sea and this movie is all about living under the sea. And it is a nice soothing whisky with a lot of hidden depth.
Whiskey Lore Rank: #20 (Score 5.53) > Next Movie
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