(Directed by John Glen)
The Octopussy mission was a perfect demonstration of how
even the smallest, comparatively lightweight incidents may only be masking
matters of extreme importance. It all began when 007 (Roger Moore) was tasked
with accompanying one London’s art experts at an auction where a Fabergé egg
was available for buyers. Bond brought along a fake, which had made its way to
London after being found in the hands of the deceased 009 in Berlin. While at
the auction, 007 successfully swapped the fake Fabergé for the real one, and
hoped that the buyer (or seller) who be revealed, for there was fear that the
Russians were involved in selling off fake treasures to raise funds. The buyer
was non other than an exiled Afghan prince named Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdain),
whom Bond then followed to Rajasthan India.
It was there that the grander scheme behind this art dealing
was revealed. Khan was in fact a close associate of a power hungry Soviet
general, General Orol (Steven Berkoff) who intended to set off a nuclear bomb
in West Berlin. The ‘wild card’ as some would say, was a beautiful and
astonishingly beautiful women who went by the name of Octopussy (Maud Adams).
She was a successful businesswoman and among her many trades was the production
of circus acts. It was through her circus troops that the real versions of the
jewels were smuggled into the west while General Orlov assured that replicas
would remain in Kremlin treasury. But
would Octopussy assist Bond in his desperate attempts to stop General Orlov and
Kamal Khan, or was she a supporter of their plot as well?
As Louis Jourdain himself says calmly and smoothly when
confronted by the titular leading lady just prior to the final action set piece
in the film: ‘Octupussy....Octpussy.’ Oh, Octopussy,
what a fascinating film you are...
John Glen, for whom Octpussy
was his second Bond feature, was arguably one of the better directors to have
helmed instalments in the series. He understood that James Bond should not be
all fun and jokes, but rather possess a real sense of danger, at least every
now and then. Thrill the audience, let them move to the edge of their seats a
little bit. Make them go ‘Oooh!’ and ‘Aaah!’. With one exception (which we shall get to soon
enough in the coming weeks), his films also demonstrate a level of grit that
has absent from the series since the earliest Connery days. Added to the fact
that his films enjoy utilizing at the time current geopolitical contexts as
launching pads for the plots, and the end results are usually quite satisfying
Bond pictures.
He is not infallible however, and Octpussy, unlike For Your
Eyes Only, shows some signs that he is not entirely resistant to some of
the more eye-roll inducing moments the Bond films are also sadly known for.
Consider a scene when 007 and I Section contact Vijay (tennis pro Vijay Amitraj)
enter yet another one of Q’s fabulous hideouts where his crack team of experts
are working away at a bunch of death traps probably no 00 agent will ever use.
Bond finds a liquid crystal tele with a camera hooked up not far away. He aims
the camera at one of Q’s always voluptuous assistants and zooms in an out on
her breasts. Q gives the agent a typically snarky ‘grow up!’ remark, but I must
admit that I felt the same way too. That behaviour was not the least bit
smooth, but rather terribly juvenile. Another ‘you must be joking, oh wait you
are’ moment happens when Bond is the prey of a wild and honestly very intense
hunt in an Indian jungle. Kamal Khan and his minions are riding elephants with
rifles, ready to dispatch Bond once and for all. It’s a great little scene with
virtually everything attacking Bond at once: tigers, snakes, tarantulas,
elephants, men with hunting rifles, etc. 007, needing to create distance between
himself and his predators, takes to vine swinging, complete with a yell
straight out of the Tarzan sound archives. Seriously, it was a good scene! Why
put that in there? While the sights and sounds of Rajasthan, India are
wonderful and make for a great Bond location (such a populated and popular
country, why has Bond only been once?), some of the jokes inserted into the
chase sequence are embarrassing, like Vijay using his tennis racket to smack opponents
and shots of bystanders turning their heads left and right as if following the
ball in a tennis match.
So the humour does not always land in John Glen’s 007
universe. That being said, Octopussy
remains a solid entry in the franchise. As stated earlier, the Glen Bonds tend
to incorporate the geopolitical realities of the times, in this case the
difficult West-Soviet Union relationship of the 80s. It was a decade when
slowly but surely the face of Russia and its satellites changed, but there
remained suspicion, especially in the earlier years. Octopussy is an interesting 007 adventure in that it decides to
spend some time with the Russians themselves within their quarters. We have
seen villain hideouts before, but not when the Russians were the threat. In
fact, the movie decides to perform a great stunt by having a lone Russian
general go rogue against his peers. KGB head Gogol (Walter Gotell), whom we
have seen in previous Bond films, actually tries to stop Orlov from executing
his mad plan to invade western Europe. Strife from within the Soviet ranks as
the political and economic times are changing in the country, thus making for a
compelling villain’s plot. It can be argued that the movie loses focus on Orlov
and his operation until very late in the film, which is a shame because I think
experiencing the tug of war from within the Russian political apparatus would
have been very cool, but this remains a 007 picture, not a political drama.
Another aspect of the story that should be praised is the
nature in which it unfolds. It’s all very mysterious and only revealed little
but little. One of the earliest scenes features a double-oh agent dressed up as
a clown feeling two circus knife throwers. The eventually kill him, but not
before he falls into a river taking him to the British Embassy in West Berlin.
He crashes into one of the rooms through the window, drops dead onto the floor,
his hand letting go of a Fabergé egg. What just happened?!? Stick around and
discover the clues with 007. Strangely, this makes the movie feel a lot like
the very first Bond film, Dr. No, in
which very little about the baddies was revealed. Just like in the 1962 film, here
007 must rely on his detecting skills and intuition to unravel the plot. I do
not think that every thread holds together perfectly. The link binding Kamal
Khan and Octpussy is fine enough, but that linking Octopussy and General Orlov
is a bit weak, as is that binding Octopussy and Bond. While not a perfect
screenwriters plot, for once it was nice not to be told exactly what was
happening in great detail right from the start.
I know, I know, Roger Moore looks very old in this movie.
And he dresses up as a clown. What terrible an insult to the much-beloved
franchise. Well, call me crazy, but I think Moore delivers a very good
performance in Octopussy. There is no
doubt that the actor should retire from the role very soon (if not now), but he
still has what it takes to be charming and witty when necessary, as well as
deadly. There are more than a handful of great moments throughout. The auction
sequence is very funny, punctuated by Moore’s brilliant timing, his behaviour
at Kamal Khan’s dinner table when served audaciously exotic plates, the much
awaited meeting between himself and Octopussy, played by former Moore co-star
Maud Adams (they shared a few scenes in The
Man with the Golden Gun). Moore plays the role with as much conviction as
possible, which is impressive given not only his age but the fact that this is
his sixth episode. One would think he
got bored after a while, but it never seems like it in Octopussy.
The filmmakers also do a spectacular job at making the
action scenes feel authentic. This is partly arranged by having Moore operate a
lot of vehicles in the film, and only occasionally engage in a man-to-man
brawl. But even the stunt work that
demanded serious skills can be accepted by the viewer because they are capture
on camera so brilliantly. Could Roger Moore really keep a hold on a plane as it
soars in the air, or climb on the sides of a train as well as jump from one car
to another? My guess is that he could not perform such feats, yet John Glen and
his crew are adept at raising the threshold of our disbelief by presenting
these events in thrilling manner. The final battle between Bond and Gobinda
(Kabir Bedi) atop of Khan’s airplane is stunning to say the least.
Oh, and what about that clown outfit scene that everyone
always bemoans? Simple misinterpretation. I’m serious. Think about that scene
for a moment now. Roger Moore, the least lethal and funniest of the Bonds
(depending on your definition of ‘funny’, naturally) suddenly dresses up as a
clown. What a travesty, correct? Wrong. The moment is a call back to earlier in
the movie when 009 was dressed up as a clown, fleeing the knife throwers. Everything
comes full circle and the audience understands what 009 had learned. Not only
that, but this time Orlov’s plan is actually taking place, with a nuclear bomb
ready to explode in matter of seconds inside the circus tent as a show is
taking place. 007 is desperate to turn off the mechanism, pleading for security
to let him pass, but people either think it is part of a comedic act, or they
want to arrest him. Even what leads up to Bond’s arrival at the circus is
fantastic, with 007 having no other choice to play hitchhiker to get a ride
(with a group of teens in one car even playing a trick on him!). Dare I say the
entire sequence has something remotely Hitchcockian about it.
Maud Adams is an incredible woman. Strong minded, beautiful,
and a voice as sexy and smooth as silk. While the way the script inserts her
into the story and links her with Orlov is not the most convincing, just having
Maud Adams around is a blessing. Maybe it is the fact that she is Bond alumni
that helps create the instant chemistry between her and Moore, but whenever I
watch this movie always think the two work very well off one another. They are,
as the theme song proclaims, ‘two of a kind.’ Steven Berkoff does not play the
most subtle character in world, but does what it required of him. I think it is
more the idea of his character that appeals to me than what the end result is
on screen. Louis Jourdain is awesome in here. Of course he is not given the greatest
role an actor could have, but by golly does he ever deliver his lines with that
slimy assurance, cockiness and false sense of sophistication one would expect
from a Bond villain. His French accent also helps a lot too. In all sincerity,
just for the actor playing the role (more than the role itself), I think Kamal
Khan is one of my favourite Bond villains. ‘Octopussy...Octopussy.’
A rather favourable review for a film that tends to get the
shaft more often than not. The Roger Moore persona tainted 007 in the eyes and
minds of many, and to see the actor don a clown outfit was the last straw. I
beg to differ. Like with any clown, there is a man behind the makeup and
beneath the cheesy jokes and Moore’s wrinkles lies a surprisingly effective
James Bond adventure. Perfect? Not by any means, but a solid entry nonetheless.
I’m more than glad to show Octopussy
some love as well as Octopussy.
B
B
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