Today’s quick review: You Only Live Twice. When an unknown spacecraft gobbles up the latest American space launch, British intelligence manages to track the rogue vessel to the Sea of Japan. Secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) heads to Tokyo to investigate, where he and his Japanese allies, Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba) and Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi), must infiltrate Osato Chemical, a front for the international criminal organization SPECTRE.
You Only Live Twice is a spy adventure and the fifth film in the James Bond franchise. Sean Connery returns as James Bond, alias Agent 007, a suave British spy of many talents. This time Bond is tasked with foiling SPECTRE’s attempt to instigate a global war by targeting the USA’s space program. You Only Live Twice is a by-the-numbers Bond adventure with competent execution but little to set it apart.
You Only Live Twice succeeds where all good Bond movies do: in delivering the series’ characteristic blend of peril, spectacle, and class. The location this time around is Japan, where Bond takes in the local culture as he checks into Osato Chemical. Deadly assassins, gorgeous women, and an enormous SPECTRE operation are more than enough to keep Bond busy, and they help the film deliver its quota of spy-flavored action and intrigue.
But aside from its setting and one or two famous set pieces, such as SPECTRE’s hidden base, You Only Live Twice fails to distinguish itself. The investigation is a shade too linear, just a sequence of one lead after another. The writing is not as memorable as Bond’s best, both in terms of story and dialogue. Bond himself relies on outside help more often this time around, with a few key saves by Aki and Tiger Tanaka’s team of ninjas.
Watch You Only Live Twice when you’re in the mood for a fun spy movie with few frills. You Only Live Twice does all it needs to to ensure that fans of the series will have a good time, but those hoping for a more polished film should go with Dr. No, From Russia With Love, or Goldfinger instead. For a spy parody that draws heavily from You Only Live Twice, check out Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for solid action and a decent plot.