Movie · 1977 · Adventure, Action, Thriller · 2h 5m · PG · English
Curator score: 4.3/10 (228.1K ratings)
It's the BIGGEST. It's the BEST. It's BOND. And B-E-Y-O-N-D.
Overview
Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.3/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.48/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 55
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Lewis Gilbert
Production
EON Productions, United Artists
Cast
Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Walter Gotell, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Lee, George Baker, Michael Billington, Olga Bisera, Desmond Llewelyn, Edward de Souza, Vernon Dobtcheff, Valerie Leon, Lois Maxwell, Sydney Tafler, Nadim Sawalha, Sue Vanner, Eva Rueber-Staier
Where to watch
MGM Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A peak late-70s Bond outing: big, glossy, and shamelessly entertaining, with standout stunts, memorable production design, and a confident blend of espionage, spectacle, and camp. The plot is pure franchise machinery, but the execution is so polished that it becomes part of the fun.
Best for
Bond fans
viewers who like stylish 70s action
fans of large-scale practical stunts
people who enjoy playful spy escapism
Skip if
you want grounded realism
you dislike campy humor in action films
you prefer lean, plot-tight thrillers
Roger Moore’s lighter Bond style doesn’t work for you
Overview
This is the Roger Moore Bond film that most cleanly turns excess into entertainment. The premise is classic Cold War pulp, but the movie’s real appeal is the scale: exotic locations, elegant framing, outrageous gadgets, and a parade of set pieces that keep escalating without losing their sense of fun.
Worth noting
It also feels like a perfect time capsule of 1970s blockbuster craft. The underwater sequences, the tanker lair, and the car-submarine reveal are all engineered for maximum audience delight, and the film knows exactly when to lean into wit instead of tension. Even when the story gets absurd, the movie stays smooth and confident.
Bottom line
Not every element lands equally well. The villain is more functional than memorable, and the romance is mostly franchise routine. But the sheer polish of the action, the production design, and the breezy rhythm make it one of the most rewatchable Bond entries, especially if you like your spy movies big, glossy, and a little ridiculous.
Top Letterboxd reviews
SilentDawn (5★) · 736 likes
*Was a 73, now a 100*
If you can't already tell, I've fallen head-over-heels in love with this movie, which isn't really a surprise considering I already had a strong response to The Spy Who Loved Me when I re-watched it initially back in January. I'm emerging from a Bond haze and yet another re-watch to write a little, if only to point out that *this* film is the ultimate installment from the series. For me at least. From the… more
ScreeningNotes (4★) · 524 likes
"Moneypenny, where's 007?""He's on a mission sir. In Austria.""Well, tell him to pull out. Immediately."
My favorite of the Roger Moore Bonds.
If you ever need proof for the theory that the Bond movies work as time capsules, transforming the formula to fit the tastes of the time, you need look no further than The Spy Who Loved Me. It screams late 70's the same way the tacky special effects of the Brosnan Bonds scream late 90's. The… more
Calvin Dyson (5★) · 431 likes
ROGERTAINMENT at its purest form. Every scene is a delight in some way. I never tire of this completely fun, blast of a film.
CJ Probst (5★) · 385 likes
M here again. As you were. Been pulling some overtime here to catch up. The Spy Who Loved Me is everything you want out of a Bond film and is nearly flawless. Though the plot seems oddly familiar and has absolutely nothing to do with the book from which it is based, there is a ton to enjoy and the tropes are operating to perfection. With memorable music and characters, this film will be tough to beat. What follows is… more M here again. As you were. Been pulling some overtime here to catch up. The Spy Who Loved Me is everything you want out of a Bond film and is nearly flawless. Though the plot seems oddly familiar and has absolutely nothing to do with the book from which it is based, there is a ton to enjoy and the tropes are operating to perfection. With memorable music and characters, this film will be tough to beat. What follows is… more
Matt Singer (3.5★) · 338 likes
Widely regarded as Roger Moore’s best Bond — and, therefore, if you’re a Moore fan, one of the best Bond movies period. And yet the villain is an absolute stiff, and Barbara Bach always strikes me as miscast as a tough-as-nails (not to mention Russian) secret agent. Can’t beat disco Bond music, Carly Simon, and a car that turns into a submarine, I guess.