Reviewing 'For Your Eyes Only' - The Countdown to Bond 25

CINEMATIC 007 -- "We don't want any blood in the water... Not yet." The Countdown to 'No Time To Die' continues with a review of 'For Your Eyes Only.'
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[@Dlatsch1]

Can I just say that I think this movie is very underrated. It’s one of my favorites, and I will say that the main Bond girl is also underrated as well

[@SpaceCattttt]

It's easily one of the best Bond films. And as someone who deals with a lot of depression, I treasure the car chase scene down the Greek hills, because it's the funniest thing EVER and can cheer me up no matter what mood I'm in.

[@deanjulian6802]

Love a drive in the country, don't you?

[@MMAfighter38113]

‘For Your Eyes Only’ was the first bond film I ever saw and still my favorite to this date.

[@finnalberto1608]

sorry to be so off topic but does anyone know a way to get back into an instagram account?? I somehow lost my password. I appreciate any tips you can offer me.

[@amirdarwin6633]

@Finn Alberto instablaster =)

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Yes MMA......it had Everything. !!

[@williamcurry4868]

I think this was a Bond where they got the closest to the early Connery Bond films, with a Bond that’s relatively hard core, especially with Moore kicking the car over the cliff.

[@Big-guy1981]

Nah! Moore was already too old for the role! Dalton should have taken from there! The chemistry with Carole bouquet would have made more sense age-wise.

[@DHTCF]

@@Big-guy1981 with Dalton, the scene would have been less special. It stood out with Moore, because he was more about charm. This showed that he could do mean as well as anyone.

[@whodatninja439]

​@@Big-guy1981 Way too old, he could be their dad 🤢 He should've been replaced at this point, or use older Bond girls

[@philipclayberg4928]

"He had no head for heights."

[@markjone671]

This has to be my all time favourite Roger Moore Bond movie. I love the way the film takes the two short stories For Your Eyes Only and Risico and seamlessly merges them together. The great thrill for me watching this in theatres at the time was seeing actual scenes from the stories brought to life and reenacted on the screen. This kind of attention to the Fleming source material had not been seen in the Bond series since OHMSS. It was very exciting for me as a Fleming fan. This excitement also has to spill over into Roger Moore's performance. Roger Moore had always seen Bond as being larger than life and had always played him as some kind of indestructible British superhero. In all fairness to Sir Roger, Bond had been presented to audience as a superhero since Thunderball. That was now his public perception But here, Roger Moore plays Bond for the only time during his era pretty much as Fleming wrote him and damn, is it exciting to see. Easily Moore's best performance as Bond. I can understand how some fans prefer the high camp, indestructible comic-book version of Bond but it is nice to have the contrast with a spot on portrayal of the literary Bond in the movies. Especially with someone who became so identifiable with the comic-book version of the character. Roger Moore is totally awesome in this. I'm prone to doing a little bit of gushing over this movie myself. So love the way you ended the video this time. Unexpected and a very nice touch.

[@user-uc3lc1ou3i]

Fun fact: In Japanese dub, the delicatessen line is translated as “I’ll buy you a side dish... in a bento box!”

[@henryhawran9953]

I always get a warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling whenever I watch this film. As a side note, the Mad magazine satire of this film is one of the funniest ever.

[@tashrif46]

40:00 yes totally agree, and this is one of the few scenes where Sir Roger Moore really showed a ruthless side with the whole gun aiming and the way he kicked the car off the ledge was fantastic and I am so glad John Glenn persuaded Sir Roger to do it

[@jamesgrassia844]

My favorite Roger Moore Bond movie.

[@kovilanmoodley7464]

Mine as well, fantastic bond movie, the best in my opinion...

[@tashrif46]

Way better than people give it credit for, I think people did not give it a second chance because the Sir Roger Moore era movies are so over the top, that people kind of just put it as forgettable Bond movie and I was pleasantly surprised how different this movie is

[@LittenMandrake]

One of the great underrated Bond movies. This movie has so many different iconic moments and yet seems to never really get mentioned amongst the all time greats. Also, these ending death scenes are amazing

[@areguapiri]

Sheena Easton singing the theme song "For Your Eyes Only" is the best of all to go along with a really cool Bond movie.

[@jamesbondportugal7472]

Regarding Blofeld's weird "delicatessen" line, I had heard this explanation a couple of times. And now I read it in the Internet. Anyway, lacks validation from my side. Just wanted to share with you. "This line was mentioned in Cubby's autobiography WHEN THE SNOW MELTS. It refers to Italian mafia members offering this as a bribe to get something in exchange. A delicatessen in stainless steel was and still is the top of the line quality. Simply put, your food is better prepared on a surface that is easily cleaned and will not have bacteria clinging to it. Unlike a wooden cutting board or other surfaces. Also, keep in mind that many vendors during the early 1900s sold their food on the streets of New York in carts. If someone had a shop or delicatessen, they were obviously doing very well."

[@mrpersonality3497]

​@@ZombyMammoth It's like an inside joke you're not in on.

[@billkoenig1552]

There was a line in the script where faux-Blofeld says this is "the 10th anniversary of our last encounter." That got cut but was included in the Marvel Comics adaptation.

[@Dohsoda]

That is really cool. I would have like to have heard that with the movie and it makes complete sense. "Diamonds Are Forever" was released in 1971 and that would have been a nice nod to the series continuity.

[@MultiMrMiles]

Moore was incredible..saw this as a kid, 80s in the blood for ever.....

[@robertharvey2604]

Welcome back Mr. Bond. I love this film. The return to espionage after the over the top prior Moore films was very much appreciated. The filmmakers got the balance right. The cast is all excellent. I know many criticize Kristatos as being boring, but I think he's a great character. Topol is very memorable. Melina is one of my favorites. And it's such a good story. The gritty Bond was back and I loved it.

[@billkoenig1552]

Re: rock climbing scene: That's Rick Sylvester doubling Roger Moore. Same guy who did the sky diving jump in The Spy Who Loved Me.

[@ronniejdio9411]

Stunt

[@MMAfighter38113]

Bill Koenig when he’s kicked off the mountain by the henchman & just hanging in the air, that’s one of the scariest stunts I’ve ever seen.

[@ronniejdio9411]

@@MMAfighter38113 i was blown away when i found out it was the same stuntman from the parachute scene in spy who loved me

[@MMAfighter38113]

Ronnie J Dio had no idea it was the same guy. Some of the same actors and a lot of the same crew from the bond films worked on the first three ‘Star War’ films & the first three ‘Superman’ films too.

[@nashf5925]

What do you mean? Moore did his own stunts! lol

[@Ebanatoyk]

The keel hauling scene is a fantastic, wonderfully edited bit of filmmaking.

[@mastroia0077]

My second favorite movie of roger moore. First is the spy who loved me.

[@loui4898]

The best Moore film. Has that perfect mix of reality and escapism. Great soundtrack, beautiful women, stunning settings; just fantastic.

[@stevencassidy6982]

My favourite bond adventure. It flows like a dream. And Carole Bouquet is sorely underrated

[@gavinrive5877]

the best that roger acted as 007.love it when he kicks the car off the cliff.

[@youturd55]

The new 007 film will be titled " Keep Your Eyes Off Me "

[@tashrif46]

26:21 just the height of that mountain makes it a daunting setting and the different intersection during that scene of how Columbo is looking at Kristasos' men and the men are peeking to see and then Melina with the crossbow just makes it very different

[@baldwincollins4344]

yes. ''FOR YOU'RE EYES ONLY'' is Sir Roger Moore's most serious bond film 8 out of 10

[@SpaceCattttt]

So why is your score a joke?

[@jamesklatt]

At least he was back down to earth on this one.

[@billkoenig1552]

re: Blofeld voice: That's Robert Rietty who dubbed Largo in Thunderball (and did other 007 dubbing jobs).

[@garywright3523]

Think that was the guy who did the standard no.2 intro in the Prisoner.

[@leitercia]

Bill Koenig Oh wow! Didn’t now that!

[@coolcat20million]

Cool. Good information. Thanks.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

I always love Bond films which involve skiing / Winter / Alpine stuff . The scenes here were shot around Cortina d'Ampezzo ...Stunning !!

[@TheDarthEddie]

I just assumed that Blofeld's neck brace is the result of the ramming of his bathosub into the walls and the explosions aboard the oil rig at the end of Diamonds Are Forever. He's also in a wheelchair which we could say is the result of being paralyzed in the confrontation on the oil rig. He's spent the past 10 years plotting revenge against Bond for both defeating his diamond satellite weapon plot and confining him to a wheelchair.

[@ravensthorne4631]

I always assumed that - like the majority of the Bond audience - the filmmakers were ignoring the embarrassment of DAF and harking back to Blofeld getting stuck in the tree at the end of OHMSS ;-)

[@davidbull7210]

It's one of the most down to earth and realistic films in the series...and yet...it's book-ended by two completely absurd sequences, the latter of which I'm surprised you haven't mentioned: Mrs Thatcher and Dennis. What do you two think of this sequence? Does it undermine the film right at the end?

[@leitercia]

David Bull Haha! Good point! This never bothered me at all when I was younger. As I got older I realized how much of a parody this was meant to be. Still, gotta make concessions here and there.

[@phila3884]

Great in-depth review EXCEPT you didn't mention Lynn Holly-Johnson even once! She seemed a bit polarizing at the time. Did her character add or detract from the movie? I think her role, like many Bond girls, was almost designed to not be played by a serious actress. She is silly, but charming nonetheless, and forever a Bond girl.

[@eabcool]

Oh i'm so glad you loved FYEO. Saw this when i was a child in the theater and it's always been one of my favorites. Probably still top 5. John Glen did say he wanted to harken back to OHMSS since he worked on it, so there are a lot of touches in this movie.

[@CaminoAir]

I saw this in the cinema back in 1981. For a series that was already this long running, to keep the story moving forward and to have this much inventive action was very refreshing. And more than anything to actually make me literally gasp several times (the freefall, the shot of Bond running up all those steps to catch Locke, the tremendous bobsleigh run stunts, the detonation of the dock storehouse, etc.) was some achievement. This is my favorite Moore performance as Bond. Disciplined, with his charm and humour used in service of a consistent characterisation. Take a bow, John Glen.

[@MGuyGadbois]

Blofeld should have offered to buy him an ice-cream.

[@alanaronald244]

In stainless steel.

[@LoneSoldierCobra]

That ending was brilliant.

[@PurushaDesa]

Middle of the pack Bond for me. Does make me wonder however - does any James Bond fan NOT like their first Bond film?

[@aronscott9698]

Tomorrow Never Dies was my first Bond film at age 8 and I still love it to this day

[@opa-age]

Ok you guys convinced me. This is my favorite Bond film ever. It's also one of rare ones that don't feel dated at all except for the disco-esque soundtrack (which I love BTW)

[@mrraybanman]

10/10 👌🏼saw it when I was a kid on vhs ,83-84 I think and is still my favorite Bond movie.

[@JamesBondNL]

Nice work guys! That man can handle a white Persian cat well 😆

[@nslayton5]

Been going through this series over the last month and yeah, I'm with you guys. This is my favorite Moore film and a top 5 of the whole series. Espionage, stakes, Bond using his wits, this is great. I'm in agreement with Joe, more of Bond just exploring and taking in some local culture is good. Get Anthony Bourdain-like with it.

[@blabbyboy]

As always, love your work, guys. I REALLY love FYEO, much for the same reason...one of the first Bond movies I watched and the theme song started my love affair with Bond music from the age of 7! It really is the spiritual successor of OHMSS. So much more than the sum of its parts. I even love Conti's score apart from the disco bits! 10/10 from a Bond super fan!!! I would love to visit Corfu and Meteora one day as a pilkgrimage. Love the Zaritsky cameo!

[@MGuyGadbois]

C'MON! Worst part: Margaret Thatcher and Dennis!

[@redlightmax]

Darth Decius Absolutely. If they didn't show her face (like with Blofeld) then they could've gotten away with it, but when she turned around it just got too campy.🤦‍♂️

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Roger Moore did actually object to that scene.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@ZombyMammoth I can't remember where I read it but he thought it was a bit too over the top.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@ZombyMammoth The tone was appropriate given the film.

[@lukasnummer1]

I kind of like it; I think it's funny. They actually wanted to bring the imitators back for "The Living Daylights", along with impersonators of Charles and Diana, but the Charles impersonator, it turned out, had spent time in prison for alleged sexual misbehaving, so they scrapped the whole idea.

[@lookigotanewusername]

I was just watching this film and wanted to say that I saw the Italian drunk guy from The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Hes in it for a split second. Kinda like a blink and you miss it sorta deal

[@meditatednut3336]

Wow what a great cliffhanger ending!

[@Leppter]

My favourite bond film, from first watch to 50th it just always entertains. I find the Conti score with the constant great action sequences makes it feel like a non-stop party ride. I also think this movie rides the perfect line between seriousness and comedy that I want from a Bond film. This really is peak Moore to me.

[@articleanteater]

45:58 probably my favorite Q line. It might be tied with “Don’t touch that!! that’s my lunch”

[@jerome007ify]

Do these guys realise Charles Dance played Ian Fleming in a bio movie?

[@Beingjamesbond]

Well NOW they do!

[@despinagounari7312]

Ilove FYEO. I always get a warm, nostalgic feeling whenever I watch this film. It's a great Bond movie, easily in my top 10!!!!!!

[@markymark2819]

Loving these reviews! really great chemistry between you guys. You are both very informative and enjoyable to listen to.

[@scottkashuba3476]

I thought the fake Blofeld was because of the copyright fight. They couldn't say his name but did the parody of killing him off. They settled after this and could use him again.

[@BrozzaBond4007]

Excellent review I listened to the podcast earlier on this one and loved it. FYEO is also a gush fest for me. Top 3 Roger Moore Favourites. Skiing scuba diving rock climbing this bond movie has it all

[@JamesBond-sh6iu]

"Watch me Now" from James Brown Music lyrics "Super Bad".I love it alot.Still

[@billkoenig1552]

Watching now. Definitely a major event in the series.

[@Big-guy1981]

Not a bad movie but Moore was way too old! Dalton should have been in charge here

[@stuartie6000]

Just an excellent review fellas. The Risico section is as good as it gets, you left this with Ferrara I believe. Superb.

[@renekauts8323]

I think Roger Moore's 5 later films(1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985) were absolutely brilliant! The best time in the franchise! And of course, Timothy Dalton's first film TLD(1987) was great too! Probably the best James Bond film ever!

[@tiffaniaporchiazzo3397]

I LOVE YOU ROGER MOORE MY SWEETHEART JAMES BOND!♥️

[@candoentertainment9118]

My very 1st James Bond movie. Love the cliff kick to the Benz, Sir Roger's most brutal kill. Moore's best outing as 007. Julian Glover was a Bond, Indy, Star Wars and Doctor Who villain.

[@davidbull7210]

First one I ever saw too. It was the British TV premiere in 1986 (I'd never heard of James Bond to my friend's amazement)

[@rosemaryfarell5264]

If Roger had of quit during this period which was constantly rumoured,I think Lewis Collins would have been AWESOME as 007. He was in hit uk tv show The Professionals and was SAS trained. He auditioned but Broccoli found him to aggressive in his audition. Seriously he would have been AMAZING.

[@brianlogan4243]

The Sheena Easton opening theme was one of the better Bond themes, IMO anyway

[@Rhhe82]

For me FYEO is also the very first Bond film I remember seeing as a little kid, and while some of the other Moore’s outing have suffered a bit from me growing up, I still hold FYEO in high regard, perhaps even my favourite Bond film of all time, just possibly for little different reasons than when I was a kid.

[@KRW628]

This is head, shoulders, and chamois shoulder holster above everything else Moore did as Bond. It is one of the best Bond movies of them all.

[@adamdavies2340]

The first Bond film I owned on videotape. Still one of my favourites to this day.

[@dudleymq]

Always loved this one too. But Topol and Glover were, like, 10 years old during the "fighting in Greece"! :-)

[@johnleggett5054]

Excellent review as always guys!

[@IdiocyShow]

With TSWLM being my favorite Moore Bond, this movie I think is his best. This movie is legitimately GREAT, Moore gives his best and coldest performance as the character here. A top 10 Bond film IMO!

[@deanf8894]

1.On Her Majesty's Secret Service 2- From Russia with Love 3- Casino Royale 4- For Your Eyes Only 5- Spy Who Loved Me 6- Skyfall 7- Licence to Kill 8- Goldfinger 9- Thunderball 10- You Only Live Twice 11- Live and Let Die 12- GoldenEye 13- Living Daylights 14- Tomorrow Never Dies 15- Man with the Golden Gun 16- Doctor No 17- Spectre 18- Quantum of Solace 19- World is Not Enough 20- Moonraker 21. Diamond are Forever 22- Octopussy 23- Die Another Day 24- View to a Kill

[@Dohsoda]

Hey, Julian Glover was also in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back". Also, I'd say the rock climbing stunt rivals any of the big action scenes in the past three Mission: Impossible movies.

[@nashf5925]

So was Blofeld aka Lobot

[@Dohsoda]

@@nashf5925 Correct! Also, I believe he had some bit role as a Kryptonian elder in the Christopher Reeve era of Superman films.

[@nashf5925]

@@Dohsoda that's right, probably courtesy of Pinewood studios, lol

[@Dohsoda]

@@nashf5925 Very True! That place was always busy back then.

[@scottknode898]

Joseph Glover was also the main villain in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade as Walter Donovan

[@ChibabaDave]

How about OHMSS, FYEO and LTK as a triple feature?

[@markymark2819]

Your review prompted me to watch FYEO and i really enjoyed it. I really like the difference in your scoring mechanism. For me its a 8and three quarters. That's a really fun aspect to these reviews. Looking forward to the next one.

[@alexwhocreations]

great review! You guys are great! loved the little David cameo at the end!

[@bobgoran]

Thanks for a good review! For Your Eyes Only is one of the best films in the series.

[@WiseGuy00754]

I look forward to you two reviews every time. You both doing an excellent job.

[@greatwuta]

This is my first James Bond film.

[@martinbarrett6249]

Just loving these film review episodes and little sketch at the end of each. Brilliant

[@prbambi9934]

This is a great film - one of the best entries in the franchise. I agree about the score and delicatessen line being the worst parts of the film. Melina is one of my favorite Bond Girls.

[@TCFan25]

For a minute I thought Scott's headphone demise was reference to the UN diplomat ear drum rupture in Live and Let Die at the start lol. David doesn't suffer fools 🎧⚡️💀

[@xmoroseguyx]

People seem to always overlook Charles Dance playing the doctor in Alien 3

[@garywright3523]

My only criticism of this film is the fact that he visits Tracys grave then is having jokes at Blofelds expense. That aside this is one of my favourite Bonds.

[@jasonshaneyfelt1039]

My favorite Roger Moore Bond film and one of the most underrated Bond films of all time.

[@cpmf2112]

I disagree that it was an accident to start with. The second mine in the warehouse is identical to the first one indicating a connection.

[@leitercia]

Mike Finney Hey! Now that’s an interesting theory!

[@armandovalmont9762]

@@leitercia This is not a theory but totally evident.

[@leitercia]

@@armandovalmont9762 Not sure I agree. Gogol seems to indicate that this is a new and unexpected opportunity.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

I think it's fair to say that that mine was planted by Kristatos's men years before it blew up the St. Georges. The Russians must have been aware of Western surveillance ships off the Albanian coast so they must have ordered Kristatos to plant mines in order to "discourage" Western spies.

[@williamg.655]

Sheena Easton's theme song was spot on and unforgettable and absolutely was an instant classic that set the stage for this great Roger Moore Bond offering and another reason i loved ''For Your Eyes Only'' Great work on this review and looking forward to seeing Craig's final Bond installment as well!

[@naihannoor2245]

For your eyes only is my first roger Moore bond movies and it still great then and now

[@valery5506]

Спасибо, моя любимая Бондиана, я просто в восторге. Море положительных эмоций.🤗

[@tashrif46]

17:30 she is a great actor for the story, her eyes and the way she carries herself makes you believe in her and it Carole and Sir Roger have great back and forth which are not cringe worthy or out of place

[@niels25chr1]

Roger Moores Best Bond film. It is a very important movie which reintroduced substance to these films and a better balance between realism and cool tough action.

[@quinnkoldewyn1232]

My favorite James Bond movie

[@goops1071]

Great review guys. Glad to see FYIO & Moore getting some love from the Bond world. One thing I really liked was Roger’s casual winter clothes at the ski resort in Conti. The smart light blue coat with a ‘B’ on the zip coincidentally and a cream polo neck sweater showing underneath looked really sharp. Made a nice change as when Roger wasn’t in a suit or tux he had often been put in some quite dodgy casual outfits in other scenes & movies

[@jamesbondnorthamerica3890]

Lol Zaritsky! Great review guys. I find this the perfect mix between FRWL and OHMSS. You have the ATAC replacing the Lektor, and Bond fighting on the beach in a ruffle dress shirt, among others.

[@tashrif46]

10:32 yes, it is better because at the end of the day you want to still have that essence of a spy movie. The Lotus exploding and he has to escape in a Citroen, when the mountain climbing they didnt use any harpoon or lasers or some over the top gadgets. Really a very good Cold War/Mob movie which is really good because it shows Bond actually has a smart brain rather than only having the gadgets as shortcuts

[@timothystahl4096]

Watching OHMSS and FYEO back-to-back as a double feature is a great idea! I'll do that.

[@nashf5925]

The Blofeld guy was played by Lobot from Empire Strikes Back. The party at Gonzalez's hangout is groundbreaking, way before anything from the 1980s cocaine Miami Vice or Scarface. The 2CV chase is epic and poorly copied in QOS. Moore's revenge for Agent Ferrara is epic Fleming. Moore turning down the barely legal girl was class too for a gentleman (nevermind that Melina was a youngling too). My only minus is Bill Conti's scores at times that fits Rocky more. I can only imagine what if Tim Dalton had debuted here. Solid Bond here!!

[@drklynoon]

lol killing me. I do agree that this is a fine installment and often overlooked by the more casual fan. The style is my least favorite part but I do remember it being relatively the norm for the time but it just didn't age well. Great review gentleman.

[@20thCenturyManTrad]

I give it a 10, it's really in my top two best Bond movies, I do agree the the Conti score hit and miss, but the story is too darn good. You guys earned a subscription from me.

[@PaulHagl]

This was my first Bond film I got to see to the end. I thought I was one of the few that thinks it’s genuinely great action film. This was good to listen to. Looking forward to the Octopussy review.

[@garybryant1501]

Another OHMSS connection Chrome the parrot (Max in the film) was originally owned by Diana Rigg who gave it to stunt woman Cyd Child and of course appeared again in The Living Daylights

[@redlightmax]

44:53 "His scores to the Karate Kid films might even be better than the Rocky stuff..." This is the point when I know that Scott is drunk.

[@bceprisoner4446]

I really have enjoyed this series of reviews. Kudos and respect. Be well.

[@captainz72100]

I'm a big fan of this film. It's great. Agree re the little moments of walking through the villages and interacting with the locals. I always wonder when watch many action movies, when do these heros eat, drink, go to the bathroom 🤣🤣?

[@spaztekwarrior]

I love this Roger Moore JB movie. Awesome locations, good story, and it didn’t hurt I had a crush on Lynn Holly Johnson.

[@adamcollins915]

After Moonraker Moore found out Cubby Brocoli had been screen testing James Brolin. So said he wasn't going to return.