JAMES BOND’S ALL TIME HIGH.

Agent 009 is murdered and the only clue is a Fabergé egg; it leads James Bond (Roger Moore) to a collector (Louis Jourdan) in league with a dangerous Soviet general (Steven Berkoff).

Bond flick nr. 13 has a few too many jokes and occasionally begins to resemble an Indiana Jones movie, but matches the silliness with several exciting sequences (such as the opening) and clever ideas.

Jourdan lacks spark as the elegant villain, but Moore’s charisma goes a long way and Maud Adams is magnificent as the mighty Octopussy (whose brand of girl power includes having all-female bodyguards).

1983-U.K. 130 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by John Glen. Novellas: Ian Fleming (”Octopussy”, ”Property of a Lady”). Song: ”All Time High” (performed by Rita Coolidge). Cast: Roger Moore (James Bond), Maud Adams (Octopussy), Louis Jourdan (Kamal Khan), Kristina Wayborn, Kabir Bedi, Steven Berkoff, Desmond Llewellyn, Lois Maxwell. 

Trivia: Robert Brown makes his first appearance as M. Tennis pro Vijay Amritraj has a small part (which explains some of the jokes). Faye Dunaway and Kathleen Turner were considered for the title part; Timothy Dalton and James Brolin as Bond. Followed by A View to a Kill (1985).