Day 13 - Octopussy (1983) - Film Review

Starring: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan & Kristina Wayborn

Screenplay: George MacDonald Foster, Richard Maibaum & Michael G. Wilson

Directed By: John Glen

Certificate: PG

Day 13 brings us to the most... interesting title for a Bond film. Is that a polite way of saying the worst title? You decide. 'Octopussy' begins with the assassination of a British secret agent, 009. 009 was carrying a fake Faberge egg, and suspecting Soviet involvement once the real egg appears for sale in an auction, MI6 send Bond to investigate. Bond follows the buyer of the egg, the exiled Afghan prince Kamal Khan, to his palace in Rajasthan. Underneath the charming façade, it would appear Khan has friends in high places and is escalating international rivalries for profit.

From that plot outline, I imagine it should go without saying that 'Octopussy' falls back into the franchise's by-now established comfort zone by pitting Bond against a plan to escalate Cold War tensions. I've spoke in the past about how I do like this - especially for the time, the looming threat of nuclear war and friction between West and East was omnipresent, and the franchise has a solid track record of tapping into that. With 'Octopussy' however, at least at the start it's a lot more wobbly and pales when compared to its predecessors. As the film sets up its characters and conflict, we get a scene where some Soviet Generals meet and discuss policy. A General by the name of Orlov gets up and in front of a huge map of Europe, details his plan to invade and take control of the continent. I don't know if it's just Steven Berkoff's performance, but the scene is laughable in how blunt and silly it is. While I may not have been keen on 'From Russia With Love', it at least had a bit more nuance in its handling of Cold War politics - this is just rubbish.

Fortunately, Orlov isn't our main antagonist here. Instead, and far better than any of the Soviet characters, we have Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan. After some pretty boring villains in the last couple of films, Khan is a welcome treat. Jourdan appears to be enjoying himself in the role, and he and Moore work off each other really well. Their first proper scene of dialogue together, where they outwit each other over a rigged game of backgammon is great stuff. It's a scene that moves slowly but keeps you hooked thanks to the delicious friction between them. There are quite a few characters that can be labelled antagonists, but Khan is by far the best of them. It's a shame therefore that he kind of ends up being outdone on the authority ladder. Characters like Orlov outrank him, and you could even make a case for the titular Octopussy exacting greater importance, which is a bit of a shame. 

Like 'The Spy Who Loved Me', which was bolstered by its great on-location filming in Egypt, the location work in India similarly benefits 'Octopussy'. There's something appealing about seeing Bond go on a chase through the streets of India in an auto rickshaw, and the sequence of him being chased by Khan's bodyguard is pretty fun. There's just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek humour throughout to keep it entertaining, and I liked the various things that Bond grabs from people on the streets to use as weapons. And whilst I'm covering the last few positive things I have to say about 'Octopussy', we also have the theme 'All Time High' performed by Rita Coolidge. Like most of the film itself, I don't have much to say about this track - it's nothing remarkable, but a decent, laid-back theme all the same.

'Octopussy' is a really annoying film to talk about, because unlike the last outing which just didn't do anything for me, there are brief flashes of brilliance to be found here. Despite often being maligned, 'Octopussy' at various points does look like it's about to get really good at any moment, but just doesn't follow through on it. The pacing is pretty hit-and-miss too. At just over two hours, it's a fairly standard runtime for a Bond film by now but it does feel like there's about ten or fifteen minutes we could've dropped. Certain scenes go nowhere or play out for far longer than is necessary. And of course the biggest turn-off from 'Octopussy' is the stuff with the circus in the second half. As if seeing a clown being pursued by knife-throwing goons in the introduction wasn't bizarre enough, Bond himself dons the clown makeup and even a gorilla suit by the end. It's such a strange creative decision to centre the climax of the film at a circus at all, let alone have Bond dressing up as a clown. I really can't blame anyone for looking at a picture such as the one above of Roger Moore looking sad in clown makeup, and use it to justify why they don't like this one.

'Octopussy' is the unlucky thirteen of this series, and again I can't blame anyone for singling this out as its weakest. As for me, 'For Your Eyes Only' still keeps that prize for the time being. While I can't call 'Octopussy' much good, it at least held my interest a little more this time around. That said, this is two pretty poor showings for 007 twice in a row, and at this point I'm feeling a little un-enthused about the series. This is Roger Moore's sixth film, and barring 'The Spy Who Loved Me', the rest of his films have been undeniably bumpy. While no fault of his own obviously, it's a shame the longest-serving actor in the role has arguably its most questionable material. But we still have one last outing with Moore to go, so might his final film in the role end his tenure on a high note? We'll find out tomorrow.

4/10

NEXT TIME - A View To A Kill