Mission Summary

After Agent 009 turns up murdered at the British embassy in Berlin, the only lead into his death is the Faberge egg he was carrying with him. James Bond (Moore) is called upon to figure out why his fallen comrade would risk his life for it. It turns out that the egg is a fake and the real one is being auctioned off anonymously at Sotheby's, and Bond identifies the buyer at the auction as Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan). Bond follows Khan back to his palace in India, where he discovers that he has bigger plans for the egg than simply purchasing it. With the help of Octopussy (Maud Adams), Khan wants to embezzle numerous pieces of jewelry and keep the originals for themselves, using Octopussy's circus as a front. Bond must work to prove to Octopussy that Khan is up to something larger than petty theft and also get her to help bring Khan to justice before his plan destroys nuclear détente.

Analysis

Rank: 17

If that plot summary made any sense to you the first time reading it, your powers of comprehension are commendable. It took several viewings of "Octopussy" before I really understood what was going on, and wasn't all that impressed once I learned the truth. I give the writers credit for attempting to develop characters with layering, but it was too much in this case. Much of the plot in this film is also quite absurd, even testing the limits of Bond-world credibility. While it has its moments, there are many obvious flaws in this film.

As I already mentioned, the plot of this movie is fairly complex. I'm not trying to suggest this is a bad thing, as many of the other films suffer from a weak and overly cut-and-dry plot. However, this is the opposite extreme. It almost seems that the writers didn't have enough content to make a two-hour script, so they pieced several stories together. Ironically, Octopussy was a collection of Ian Fleming short stories, two of which have subplots in the film. The character Octopussy isn't even revealed until almost halfway through the film, so I think it's interesting she still receives top billing.

This film is loaded with action, but it seems quite silly at times. The pre-title sequence involves Bond flying a miniature jet that is stored in a horse trailer. When in India, he is being chased through the streets on a motorized scooter. Bond must escape the law by donning a disguise- as a clown. The only good action sequences come towards the end of the film, when Bond and Gobinda fight on top of a moving train, and both fight each other one final time aboard Khan's plane in the climax. While both are good, the train sequence is too long and the plane sequence is too short, which is too bad because it could have increased the excitement of the film.

A quick point on locations. Exotic backdrops make the Bond films enjoyable and this film had potential to have one of the best series of locations, but failed to utilize them to their potential. Starting off pretending to be in Cuba was a good choice, but the sequence could have been filmed anywhere in the world. Bond had never been to India previously, and despite having several great panoramic shots, most of the action takes place inside the walls of Khan's palace. Finally, the most disappointing location was the finale in Berlin. A divided Berlin at the height of the Cold War could have been a fantastic and dramatic setting, but Bond hardly ventures into the city outside of Octopussy's circus tent. What is the point of teasing the viewer with great scenery then not have the actors beside it?

Despite all the flaws mentioned above, this film has a pretty solid cast. Khan comes across as a believable character and his ability to double-cross Octopussy is quite interesting. He is almost as smooth and charismatic as Bond, but with slightly darker overtones. Adams has the distinction of being the only woman to play two different characters in two different Bond films, the first being "The Man with the Golden Gun." She is very underutilized in the film, and she does a good job of playing the role with an air of mystery. Gobinda is an imposing henchman, although he is somewhat reminiscent of the silent villains like Jaws and Oddjob of earlier films. This is one of the few times that "Q" (Desmond Llewelyn) helps Bond in the field and the only time he is involved in the plot.

Moore's Bond has been noted as the lightest and most tongue-in-cheek of the series, and this film is a shining example of that. Too many times the action sequences attempt to be funny and end up failing miserably. The whole concept of Bond in a clown costume at a circus is just painful. On the other hand, how come when Bond is on Octopusy's boat with at least 15 other beautiful women, he doesn't attempt seduce any of them, much less make a sexist or suggestive comment? Believe it or not, I find that statement to be the most improbable of all the flaws I've mentioned.