Octopussy - Operazione piovra

They didn't know what type of Bond film to make: an overblown action comedy best personified by Moonraker or a down to earth action thriller like they had done in For Your Eyes only, the previous picture. Solution: they gave the audience both! Result: this movie is very uneven. There are some great sequences: the teaser featuring the mini jet, the killing of 009, the auction, the backgammon game and subsequent chase scene, the fight in Octopussy's bedroom and the train sequence all come to mind. But there is just too much misplaced humor in between and the rest of the movie after Bond diffuses the bomb is unnecessary and somewhat silly. Moore really shows his age in this one too, as does Maude Adams. Stephen Berkoff is awful, but Louis Jordan is great. Christina Wayborn deserves top marks as well. While not a bad film, and certainly one of Moore's better outings, this could have been so much better. Some of the best Bond scenes ever are present here, but they are overwhelmed by the shear enormity of it all: the producers just tried to put all of the past elements into this movie to please every Bond fan. So while there is something for everyone and it is entertaining, Octopussy is ultimately a victim of it's own excesses.

Out of all the Bondfilms with Roger Moore as 007, Octopussy is the one with the most Cold War aspects, and yes, what a great atmosphere I experienced when I saw the scenes in East-Germany, truly magnificent. If you are talking about those Cold War aspects you should not forget to mention Steven Berkoff his performance of an insane Soviet general with a hunger for power. Wonderful. The other villains are memorable as well: Louis Jourdan with style and sophistication; Kabir Bedi as one of those invincible henchmen and David Meyer & Tony Meyer are deadly twin brothers with an advanced skill in the trowing of daggers. As for the girls this one features two Swedish ladies: Maud Adams and Kristina Wayborn. Both of them are very strong and they have both some lovely scenes. Vijay Amritraj is Bond his ally in India: worth watching. This is also the first of four films to feature Robert Brown as Bond his superior M. John Barry is once again present with a truly wonderful soundtrack. The film is really amusing and has a great atmosphere. Despite the claim of many critics, Roger Moore is still in good shape. The only scene that disappointed me was the one where 007 is disguised in a circus clown, that will be painful for Bondfans, but the rest of the film is great. Do not skip this one.

I have a spot for this film. The photography on location in India & Eastern Europe is top notch. The women in this film are to me the most beautiful ones of the Bond series. Not only is Maud Adams just wonderful, but Kristina Wayborn looks great too. The action sequences in this one are among the best of the series & the humor is great. Louis Jourdan is a great bad guy & the film based upon 2 of Ian Flemings short stories put together by George MacDonald Fraser works well. This film has a pace to it, & you just can enjoy the ride when you watch it. The opening sequence has nothing to do with the rest of the film.

I often still imagine Kristina Wayborn as my girl instead of a Bond girl. The brunette in the opening sequence is a looker too. What I love about the opening is that it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. While the stunts look awesome, this film is played for a lot of laughs along with the action. It succeeds on both counts, & truly is the "Property of a Lady" with so many good looking Bond Women.

Rita Coolidge had her all time best song with the theme song for this film which seems to have been written for her voice. It's an all time high from Louis Jourdan (Kamal) to Bond in a gator tuxedo!

This was where my live for the James Bond franchise began. What a great character to follow for decades to come!

This is by far the best of the Roger Moore Bond films in my opinion. I may be prejudiced since "Octopussy" was the first Bond film I saw theatrically, but I absolutely loved it back then and it still holds up today. The plot is a fine blend of the serious stories of the early Connery films and the humorous touches of the Moore era. Add to that a smooth villain in Louis Jourdan, delicious over-the-top counterpoint from Steven Berkoff, a formidable henchman in Kabir Bedi, two exotic Bond girls in Maud Adams and Kristina Wayborn, beautiful location photography in the rich "travelogue" style (did India ever look as good as it does here?) and a great John Barry score and you can't go wrong with it at all. The tense buildup in the bomb countdown which has Bond donning clown makeup at one point is probably one of the most exciting in any Bond film.

Roger Moore hit his peak playing Bond in this film and the proof is how he seems so much better than Sean Connery does in the inferior "Never Say Never Again" that came out that same year. It's a pity that Moore didn't go out with this one, since "A View To A Kill" was so poor by comparison.

By all means rent this, watch it and have fun!