For Your Eyes Only (1981)
In reaction to the dramatic excesses of Moonraker, EON decided to reign in the Bond films by reverting back to a semi-realistic Cold War adventure. Very few gadgets, a down-to-earth plot, and uncompromising action and stunt work combine to make For Your Eyes Only highly-prized among many fans, and generally considered one of Roger Moore's best films.
Plot
A British spy ship sinks in the Aegean Sea with a nuclear missile targeting device aboard.
Shortly after, a marine biologist and his wife are brutally murdered aboard their yacht. They were secretly working for MI6 to find the device, and the man who ordered the murders is a Greek who wants to find it first and sell it to the Soviets. Bond is tasked with finding the targeting system - called ATAC - before anyone else does. Along the way he meets an affable Greek smuggler and crosses paths with the beautiful daughter of the murdered scientists who will stop at nothing to avenge her parents.
Fleming Connection
Based on the short stories "For Your Eyes Only" and "Risico" from the anthology "For Your Eyes Only," with a major scene from "Live and Let Die" thrown in (the keel-hauling).
WARNING: If you haven't seen the film, reading beyond this point may reveal more information than you wanted to know.
Villains
Aris Kristatos and the Soviet Union via General Gogol
Henchmen
A muscular Olympic athlete named Eric Kreigler, and two assassins - the dispassionately terrifying Emile Loque, and a heavy-handed Cuban named Gonzales.
Girls
Melina Havelock is the beautiful daughter of the murdered scientist couple who wants revenge on the man who killed them. Bibi Dahl is a hormone-crazed ice skating champion who tries to seduce OO7. Countess Lisl "shills for the house" at a Greek casino.
Allies
An honorable Greek smuggler named Columbo and the hapless MI6 contact in Northern Italy, Luigi Ferrara.
Vehicles
A 1981 Lotus Esprit Turbo. Actually, Bond goes through two of them. A white Lotus explodes early on in a funny scene which makes all other auto alarms look ineffectual by comparison. Bond gets a new red one when he arrives in Italy. The car does nothing of consequence on-screen, but looks incredible doing it. Bond also drives Melina Havelock's tiny Citroen 2CV in a hysterical chase scene through the hills of Spain. The only other vehicle worth mentioning is the two-person Neptune submersible which Bond and Melina use to search for a sunken ship.
Gadgets
Bond identifies an enemy using an Identigraph machine in Q's lab (similar to something used in the novel "Goldfinger." At the very end of the film, Bond has a message watch. It, however, does nothing of relevance to the plot. True to form, Q's lab is full of the usual toys.
Teaser Sequence
Bond gets into a helicopter after visiting his wife's grave (one of the very few times in the series she's referred to). The pilot dies suddenly, and the helicopter is remote controlled by a familiar-looking bald man in a wheelchair stroking a white cat who tries to send Bond to his doom. (Is the man Blofeld? Who knows - he's only identified as "Bald Man" in the credits.) Bond gains control of the helicopter, scoops the man up, and dumps him down a smokestack. (Running Time: 4:35)
Locations
The Gonzales villa in Spain; Cortina de Ampezo, Italy; and Corfu and St. Cyrils, Greece
Theme Song
Title: "For Your Eyes Only"
Artist:Sheena Easton
The song was a major hit, reaching #4 on the U.S. singles chart. It was also nominated for an Oscar but lost to "Arthur's Theme" from Arthur. Sheena Easton remains the only singer ever to appear on-screen during the title sequence.