The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
92%RT Audience Score: 96%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
3 wins & 11 nominations total
Though it hints at the absurdity to come in later installments, The Spy Who Loved Me’s sleek style, menacing villains, and sly wit make it the best of the Roger Moore era.
The Spy Who Loved Me is like a rollercoaster ride that starts off strong but loses its momentum towards the end. While some critics found it lacking, others praised it for its fun and entertainment value. Personally, I thought it was a blast to watch. Roger Moore may not have been the best Bond, but he sure knew how to have a good time. The villain, Stromberg, was a standout character and the action scenes were thrilling. Overall, it’s a classic Bond film that’s worth a watch, even if it’s not the best in the franchise.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Faslane Naval Base, Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, Gare Loch, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1977
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:6-Track Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):English, Italian, Arabic
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 3, 1977 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 6, 2007
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jürgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Bernard Lee, Lewis Gilbert, Albert R Broccoli, Ian Fleming, Christopher Wood, Richard Maibaum, action, James Bond, British, Russian, nuclear weapons, megalomaniac, shipping magnate, globe-trotting, skiing, underwater car, Dolby Stereo, PG, United Artists, Scope, 2.35:1, reviewed by Gary Arnold, Christopher Porterfield, Ian Freer, Dave Kehr, Tony Vandenberg, David Sterritt, Matt Brunson, Josh Larsen, Jake Tropila, Mike Massie, starring Sean Connery, Thunderball, Family Plot, Moonraker, You Only Live Twice, directed by Lewis Gilbert, written by Ian Fleming, Christopher Wood, Richard Maibaum, produced by Albert R Broccoli, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, James Bond 007, spy, thriller, adventure, iconic, Roger Moore era, menacing villains, sly wit, sleek style, critic reviews, audience score, streaming, theaters, rent/buy, subscription, sound mix, distributor, aspect ratio, cast & crew, critic consensus, Bond girl, Jaws, KGB agent, Karl Stromberg, Anya Amasova, New York City, steel teeth, set design, set pieces, blockbuster, iconic Bond villains, Stromberg, Jaws, Lawrence of Arabia’s music, best Bond film, old plot, nuclear weapons, snow skiing, parachute free fall, British flag, opening credits sequence, humorously sexualized final shot, shooting locations, orchestrated action, minor issues, horror movies, MCU movies, renewed & cancelled TV shows, Netflix series & shows
Worldwide gross: $46,839,104
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $248,357,362
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 588
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,083,682
US/Canada gross: $46,838,673
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $14,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $74,232,912
Production budget ranking: 572
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $39,974,423
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $134,150,027
ROI to date (est.): 117%
ROI ranking: 866
Barbara Bach – Major Anya Amasova
Curd Jürgens – Karl Stromberg
Richard Kiel – Jaws
Caroline Munro – Naomi
Bernard Lee – M
Director(s)
Lewis Gilbert
Writer(s)
Ian Fleming, Christopher Wood, Richard Maibaum
Producer(s)
Albert R. Broccoli
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
3 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (11)
[The Spy Who Loved Me] gets off to a promising start but proves seriously deficient in staying power.
October 23, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Never did top that first stunt.
October 13, 2008
Christopher Porterfield
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It may not be Fleming but it is terrific fun.
May 5, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The ostensible hero is just a fleshy blur.
May 5, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
As always, story and plastic character are in the service of comic strip parody.
May 5, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The film has its moments — Kiel’s indestructible heavy racks up a good score — but the rest is desperately weak.
February 9, 2006
Chris Petit
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
May we be spared any additional 007 fantasies, please, unless someone lures Sean Connery back.
May 23, 2022
Tony Vandenberg
Washington Blade
The Spy Who Loved Me, the latest in the series, gets as silly as some of its inferior predecessors. Yet it features an adversary as memorable as any since Goldfinger and Dr. No — a magnate named Stromberg.
November 11, 2021
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor
An outstanding entry in the 007 franchise.
September 25, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
If Roger Moore wasn’t the best James Bond, he was at least the most honest.
August 25, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
The Spy Who Loved Me re-establishes the greatness of the Bond franchise. It’s the biggest and most boldly produced feature as of yet, offering bountiful thrills and fun in equal measure.
September 30, 2020
Jake Tropila
Film Inquiry
On his tenth adventure, 007 is finally where he needs to be – in an entertaining movie deserving of his iconic image.
August 31, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
James Bond is back again and his new mission is to find out how a Royal Navy Polaris submarine holding sixteen nuclear warheads simply disappeared while on patrol. Bond joins Major Anya Amasova and takes on a a web-handed mastermind, known as Karl Stromberg, as well as his henchman Jaws, who has a mouthful of metal teeth. Bond must track down the location of the missing submarine before the warheads are fired.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Richard Kiel’s character Jaws, with his terrifying steel teeth, is considered one of the most iconic Bond villains of all time.
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