A British spy ship has sunk and on board was a hi-tech encryption device. James Bond is sent to find the device that holds British launching instructions before the enemy Soviets get to it first.
After the space extravagance of Moonraker, this installment tried to bring Bond back to a more realistic ground. You can tell we’re in the 80s: the action looks sharper, the effects are more polished, and the pace—though uneven—feels more grounded. John Glen makes his directorial debut in the series, and his intention to recover some of the early seriousness is noticeable.
The helicopter sequence provides a strong opening, although its resolution borders on the ridiculous. Even so, scenes like the chase with the Citroën 2CV or the climax in Meteora deliver great tension and landscapes that remain impressive. There’s also an attempt to portray a more restrained Bond, less prone to excesses, perhaps because Roger Moore was already in his fifties and the character had to adapt to his age.
Carole Bouquet does her job as the Bond girl, though the chemistry with Moore never really sparks. Julian Glover brings sobriety to the villain, but he doesn’t reach the level of the saga’s more memorable antagonists. Bill Conti’s score, with its disco flavor very much of its time, is probably the element that clashes most in a film that otherwise aimed for sobriety.
In the end, For Your Eyes Only is an entertaining film, with solid action sequences and a sincere attempt to return to a more classic Bond. It doesn’t reach the heights of its strongest predecessors, but it’s watchable and represented a necessary course correction for the saga.
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