For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Preceded by: Moonraker (1979)
Followed by: Octopussy (1983)

See our full list of James Bond films.

	Directed by: John Glen	COUNTRY UK/USA GENRE Spy/Action NORWEGIAN TITLE Kun for dine øyne RUNNING TIME 127 minutes
	Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli
	Written by: Richard Maibaum Michael G. Wilson
	Based on James Bond by: Ian Fleming

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
James Bond	Roger Moore	½
Melina Havelock	Carole Bouquet	½
Milos Columbo	Topol
Bibi Dahl	Lynn-Holly Johnson
Aristotle Kristatos	Julian Glover	½
Lisl	Cassandra Harris	-
Emile Leopold Locque	Michael Gothard	-
Jacoba Brink	Jill Bennett	-
Sir Timothy Havelock	Jack Hedley	-
General Anatoly Gogol	Walter Gotell	-
Bill Tanner	James Villiers	-
Q	Desmond Llewelyn	-
Miss Moneypenny	Lois Maxwell	-

Review

After the astronomical success of Moonraker, the Eon producers wanted to return to a more down-to-earth and ostensibly realistic spy treatment, and they were eventually able to persuade a reportedly lukewarm Roger Moore into another reprisal as 007. Unfortunately, they all seem to have forgotten that downscaling doesn't necessarily equate to greater realism, and if it was grit they were after in Bond's pursuit of main villain Kristatos and his various henchmen, they certainly didn't get that from Moore's stiff, feeble melee techniques. The main problem with For Your Eyes Only is that it never really offers the expected spectacle or suspense. There are a handful of semi-exhilarating, stunt-based set pieces – most notably a surprisingly enjoyable ski chase – but more often than not, Broccoli and his team fail to work the action scenes into an engaging narrative. The spy plot remains stuck on the page – or is acted out with a glaring lack of thespian skill by actors chosen primarily for their looks. The film is also poorly dubbed and not particularly well shot. One of the few redeeming features is Julian Glover, whose presence and performance deserved a better villain than Kristatos to work with.