After how much I loved Dr. No, I was expecting a lot from this film, unfortunately I was left a bit disappointed.
I felt that this is when James Bond got a little too serious. The lightheartedness of the first film never really materialised for me here. It was a more serious spy thriller, which was probably very similar to most films of the same time.
The story was quite complex and I found my mind wandering instead of concentrating on what was going on. They seemed to be spending a lot of time in an out of a train cabin. However, the fight in the sleeper car at the end was great.
I found the ‘Bond girl’ in this film really annoying. She was very weak and naive. One moment she would say that she was in love with James and then she would be trying to get secrets out of him. You could tell that James was only with her for the sake of the missions, not because he actually liked her. In my honest opinion, she should have been locked in that train carriage for most of the film!
It was though, the first introduction of spy gadgets with the amazing suitcase. As we all know who 'Q' is, you think it’s him that walks in when Bond is in M’s office, but it is actually a totally different character.
After watching this, I hope that Goldfinger will actually get me back into the swing of things.
I give this film 4/10
But what do you think? Did you like it more than me? Leave your comments below.
The best Bond film there is.
ReplyDeleteThe plot is evocative of the cold war era it was filmed in and actually credible, Connery is serious but charming, Tatiana may be naive, but she's also innocent and seductive.
Some excellent action sequences from the gypsy camp to the train fight you mention (often referred to as one of the best fight scenes ever filmed), suspense, and Rosa Klebb is a force.
Desmond Llewelyn did actually appear as Q in this film, he's just referred to as Major Boothroyd from Q Branch.
This is the film that solidified what a Bond movie should be but didn't yet set the tone; it's slow-paced and downbeat and it doesn't have a huge ridiculous ending and, in my case, it's all the better for it.
I think you'll enjoy the films to come more.
The fight scenes you mention were great!
DeleteMaybe I need to watch this again at the end of the project.
Thanks for your comment!
Is this your favourite film out of all of the Bonds?