Today’s quick review: For Your Eyes Only. When a British spy ship sinks off the coast of Greece, James Bond (Roger Moore) is tasked with making sure that a top-secret communication device buried in the wreckage doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Bond must join forces with Melina (Carole Bouquet), a vengeful orphan, and Kristatos (Julian Glover), a well-connected informant, to stop Columbo (Topol), a smuggler who plans to sell the device to the KGB.
For Your Eyes Only is a spy adventure and the twelfth film in the James Bond franchise. For Your Eyes Only takes Bond on another trip around the world, this time in search of a criminal who’s set his sights on a device capable of controlling the British fleet. The movie hits most of the Bond staples: exotic locales, new allies, and a hefty dose of peril. However, weak villains and a lackluster plot leave it one of the less memorable Bond films.
For Your Eyes Only has issues with its plot. The early portion of the film is directionless, bouncing from location to location without a clear objective and introducing an excess of supporting characters along the way. The latter half of the film settles into a more traditional Bond adventure, but even then, it’s hurt by a lack of iconic villains or situations. There’s also a strange lack of time pressure, as the device has yet to be retrieved.
Even with these failings, For Your Eyes Only has enough action to entertain fans of the series. The stunts are much more grounded than the ones in Moonraker, sticking to things like ski chases and underwater combat rather than rocket launches or exotic superweapons. None of the action sequences are all that groundbreaking, but they do put a few interesting twists on the classics and they are frequent enough to keep the film engaging.
Give For Your Eyes Only a shot when you’re in the mood for some light action or just another mission with Bond. Fans of the series will find it a step down from the franchise’s standard in terms of plot, scope, and innovation, but there’s still enough to like that it can be an enjoyable watch. For a better Bond film starring Roger Moore, try The Spy Who Loved Me. For a Bond film that does more with a similar premise, try Thunderball.
6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for decent action hurt by a weak plot and forgettable villains.