Synopsis (The Spy Who Loved Me)

Interrupted during a romantic interlude with a young woman, James Bond is forced to pick up his latest mission deep behind enemy lines in the Soviet Union. Bond skis down the side of a mountain, the Russians in hot pursuit. He fights off most of his attackers, but then his luck seems to run out - he is approaching a sheer drop and there's no escape. But Bond calmly skis over the edge of the cliff, discards his skis and deploys a parachute embroidered with a massive union jack!

In Moscow, General Gogol has Agent XXX [aka Agent Anya Amasova] sent in to see him - he tells her that one of their nuclear submarines has vanished and that their only lead points to Cairo. He also tells her that her lover, Sergei has been killed while on a mission in the Austrian Alps and offers his condolences. Amasova learns that he met his death at the hands of a British agent...

Bond arrives by helicopter at a naval base where he is met by Q, the Minister of Defence and several leading Naval officers. He is lead into a room from where the British Polaris submarine fleet is
regulated. He learns that the British too have lost a submarine and Bond shows them the a tracing of the submarine's top secret route, obtained from dubious sources, suggesting that the Russians are able to track British submarines.

Q gives a technical lecture explaining how someone could track a submarine using its wake, before the Minister leads Bond outside and tells him that the tracing came from a contact in Cairo who was
trying to sell the plans for a submarine tracking device and that Bond is to be despatched there forthwith.

Meanwhile, the real culprit behind the disappearances, millionaire Stromberg, congratulates his two boffins behind the development of the tracking device and then reveals that he knows that someone on the project has been trying to sell the plans for the device. He despatches his female assistant into a pond full of sharks, having determined that she is the traitor in his ranks.

Stromberg dismisses the two men and operates some controls. His headquarters are located inside Atlantis, a huge underwater city that rises from the depths on four giant legs. He then briefs his two agents, Sandor and the huge, mute, steel toothed Jaws to find the microfilm copy of the plans and to eliminate anyone who has had any contact with it. He then destroys the helicopter carrying his two professors away from Atlantis...

Bond arrives in Egypt and sets off for a Bedouin settlement where he meets with former Cambridge buddy turned sheikh Hosein who points him in the direction of someone called Fekkesh who will, in turn, lead him to a man named Max Kalba who is representing the mysterious seller. Bond accepts Hosein's offer of a bed for the night (complete with serving girl to keep him company!).

The next day, Bond arrives in Cairo in search of Fekkesh. He is met at Fekkesh's house by a young woman and is unaware of the fact that he is being spied on. Bond demands to know where Fekkesh is, but is soon distracted by the woman's charms. She is killed when she takes a bullet meant for Bond from an unseen assassin and Bond gives chase. On the rooftops, he encounters and fights with Sandor. The struggle ends with Sandor dangling from the edge of the roof holding on to Bond's tie - when Sandor tells him that Fekkesh can be found at the pyramids, Bond pitches the man over the edge to his death.

Bond goes to the pyramids where he searches a large crowd watching the display mounted for the tourists. He spots Fekkesh negotiating with a young woman - Amasova. But Fekkesh appears nervous and excuses himself, followed at a discreet distance by Bond. Fekkesh panics and runs, but is soon spotted and pursued by Jaws. Bond watches amazed as Jaws uses his metal teeth to bite through a thick chain to get at Fekkesh whom he then murders.

Bond tries to confront Jaws, but the giant escapes. Bond finds a clue in Fekkesh's pocket that might lead him to Kalba and, outside, meets Amasova. A pair of her agents jump Bond but he manages to fight them off and he coolly strolls off leaving her to deal with the aftermath.

Following his clue, an appointment scribbled in a card, Bond makes his way to the Mujava club where he again bumps into Amasova and reveals that he knows who she really is. She apologises for the exuberance of her agents and they impress each other with their knowledge of each other of drinks. Amasova annoys Bond with a reference to Tracy and Bond excuses himself.

Bond locates Kalba and introduces himself, telling Kalba that Fekkesh "won't be joining you." He tries to negotiate for the tracking device, but Amasova arrives and announces that she wants to bid for it too. But before the bidding can begin, Kalba is called away for a telephone call - he is in fact lured into a trap and is murdered by Jaws, who retrieves the microfilm plans.

Bond finds Kalba dead and sets out in search of the assassin. He and Amasova hitch a ride in the back of the telephone van Jaws is driving and they both warn each other that they plan to get the microfilm before each other. But they are unaware that Jaws can hear them, their conversation being relayed over a microphone.

As dawn breaks, the van arrives at some remote ruins in the desert and Bond and Amasova follow Jaws, but they soon lose him. Jaws surprises them and he briefly struggles with Bond before Amasova pulls a gun and reprieves him of the microfilm. In the ensuing confusion, Amasova makes a break for it and Jaws is buried beneath a pile of masonry when he accidentally knocks over some scaffolding.

Amasova tries to get away in the van, but Bond has already taken the keys. Bond arrives and tries to get the microfilm, but suddenly Jaws is on them again, tearing the top off the van and punching a hole in the side. Amasova rams Jaws against the wall of the ruins, but the resilient giant again survives. Amasova and Bond take their chance and drive off with the microfilm.

They haven't got too far, however, before the van overheats, leaving them stranded in the desert. They are forced to continue on foot, eventually coming to the Nile where they hitch a ride back to Cairo on a boat. Bond takes the opportunity to check on the microfilm and take a copy of it using a small camera. He then flirts with Amasova and they end up kissing, though she turns the tables and uses a fake cigarette to fire poison gas at him.

When Bond comes too, he has arrived in Cairo but Amasova is long gone. He finds his way to another set of ruins where he descends down a long corridor into a secret base. Here, Moneypenny is waiting for him and she sends him in to see M. But Bond is in for a surprise - also present at the meeting are both Gogol and Amasova. M tells him that the British and Soviets are now working together - as a sign of good faith, Gogol hands over the microfilm, but Bond deflates their pride by pointing out that all of the vital technical data is missing.

Bond takes the microfilm to Q who has also set up a research lab beneath the ruins. Q gives a presentation, during which Bond spots something strange on the microfilm. Amasova recognises it as part of the symbol of the Stromberg Shipping Company and the two agents are despatched to Sardinia where Stromberg has his laboratory.

They travel overland by train and Bond, never one to pass up a chance, makes a pass at Amasova. He is gently rejected and returns to his own, adjoining, cabin. Amasova is attacked by Jaws who was hiding in her closet and Bond comes to the rescue. A brutal struggle ensues which Jaws seems to winning hands down - but Bond uses the exposed filaments from a broken lamp to electrocute Jaws through his teeth and manages to pitch him from the train. Undeterred, Jaws simply brushes himself down while, back on the train, Amasova finally gives in to Bond's wanton ways...

Eventually, the agents arrive in Sardinia where they take possession of a new gadget from Q - a gleaming white Lotus Esprit with all the usual accessories we'd some to expect from Q. Posing as marine biologist Robert Sterling and wife, the agents check in to their hotel where they find a message waiting for them - they have been granted an audience with Stromberg.

They are met at the quayside by Naomi, one of Stromberg's assistants, and taken by speedboat to Stromberg's massive headquarters. Bond leaves Amasova in the care of Naomi and sets off to meet Stromberg himself who, he is warned, "prefers not to shake hands." Bond takes the elevator and finds himself in Stromberg's control room, surrounded by huge fish tanks.

Bond meets Stromberg face-to-face and learns that the millionaire shipping magnate has become a recluse, preferring to live beneath the waves rather than on land. Stromberg dreams of all of humanity living in underwater cities. After a brief discussion, Bond leaves and is reunited with Amasova and Naomi, the latter showing them a scale model of Stromberg's latest addition to his fleet, the super tanker Liparus.

Bond's duplicity has failed to fool Stromberg who recognises both him and Amasova for who they really are. He sends Jaws after them. ordering him to kill them. Bond himself is planning to get a closer look at the Stromberg labs and notes that there was something strange about the design of the bows on the model of the Liparus.

Their Lotus suddenly comes under attack from a pursuing motorcycle, the sidecar of which turns into a missile which ends up blowing up a lorry when Bond evades it. The motorcycle careers over the edge of a cliff, but Jaws is in hot pursuit aboard a car with other gunmen. Bond deploys the Lotus' armoury of tricks, spraying the pursuing car with liquid concrete - it too falls off a cliff and plummets through the roof of a local man's house. Again Jaws survives.

But Bond and Amasova are far from safe - a Stromberg helicopter has now taken up the chase piloted by Naomi. She repeatedly strafes the Lotus with machine gun fire and Bond seeks to escape by driving the car off a jetty and into the ocean. There, the car transforms into a miniature submarine and Bond is able to dispose of Naomi and her helicopter with a missile.

Bond and Amasova spend some time sailing through the waters off Sardinia and end up back at Stromberg's base, cruising around its underwater section. They see a gigantic map of the world through a porthole but are soon being menaced by divers firing harpoons. Bond again uses the car's arsenal to see them off.

The car has sprung a few leaks during the battle and Bond is forced to set it ashore at the nearest convenient place - emerging from the water on a packed tourist beach, much to the amazement of the disbelieving sunbathers!

Bond and Amasova return to their hotel where Bond finds a message waiting for him - a list of all of the ports that the Liparus has called at that he asked M to compile for him. But M has been unable to find any record of the ship ever putting into port anywhere in the world.

When Bond lights a cigarette for Amasova, she sees a familiar cigarette lighter - it belonged to Sergei and she realises that it was Bond who killed him. He tries to justify what he did ["it was either him or me"] but Amasova vows to kill Bond once their mission has been completed.

Using a Royal Navy helicopter, Bond and Amasova are winched aboard the American submarine U.S.S. Wayne where they are greeted by Captain Carter. He takes the submarine in closer to the Liparus and a boarding party is made ready. But before they can take up position, a strange noise is
heard and the submarine seems to be in trouble. They are forced to surface and Carter is amazed to see the Liparus bearing down on them, huge doors swinging open on her bows. The Liparus 'swallows' the submarine, capturing it inside its cavernous hold.

Stromberg oversees the docking of the submarine and delivers a message via limpet speaker ordering the crew to surrender or be killed by cyanide gas. Faced with no other choice, Stromberg orders his men to give themselves up. Bond and Amasova manage to hide themselves among the crew and watch as nuclear missiles are loaded aboard the three hijacked submarines.

Amasova tries to escape but is overpowered and she and Bond are identified by Stromberg who is watching on CCTV. The two agents are taken before Stromberg who outlines his plans - he intends to re-launch the subs and launch their missiles against New York and Moscow, triggering the Third World War. In the aftermath, he intends to lead a new order of humanity housed beneath the sea. Stromberg despatches two of his submarines and separates the two agents, keeping Amasova with him and having Bond sent down with the rest of the men.

Stromberg takes Amasova out of the Liparus aboard a speedboat that ejects from hull, while back on the super tanker, Bond manages to escape and free the rest of the crew of the Wayne and the other hijacked subs. With a sizeable army of angry sailors at his command, Bond leads an attack on the now sealed operations room. A spectacular battle follows as Bond and his men set about taking the Liparus. But they have problems getting through the thick armour plating shielding the operations room and Bond decides that what he really needs is a nuclear weapon...

Back on Atlantis, Stromberg receives news of the rebellion, but is assured by his captain that the situation is being contained. Down in the armoury, Bond removes the detonator from one of the nuclear weapons and fixes it with plastic explosives and a timer. He hitches a lift on one of the CCTV camera globes and attaches the detonator to the armoured blast doors of the operations room. The force of the explosion is enough to penetrate the doors and Bond's men are able to take control.

But the captain tells Bond that he is too late - the subs are already in position and are just three minutes away from firing their missiles. Bond uses the tracking device to locate the submarines and dupes them into reprograms their firing computers to shoot their missiles at each other. The plan works and the two submarines inadvertently destroy each other.

With the Liparus exploding around them, the surviving sailors are forced to seek refuge on the remaining submarine, the Wayne. A well placed torpedo blows a gaping hole in the bows of the Liparus, allowing the submarine to escape. Behind them, the Liparus explodes and the wreckage sinks slowly beneath the surface.

The submarine sets sail for Atlantis and Carter warns that he has orders from the Pentagon to destroy the city. Bond refuses to leave Amasova to die and persuades Carter to give him an hour to try to rescue her. Bond takes delivery of some new gear from Q - a wetbike which he uses to gain access to Atlantis, watched by Stromberg.

Stromberg tries to pitch Bond into his shark tank, but Bond gets the better of him and holds him at gun point. He demands to know where Amasova is, but Stromberg nearly kills him with an explosive harpoon gun under the dining table, An angry Bond repeatedly shoots Stromberg then sets off in search of Amasova.

He encounters Jaws and the two men struggle in the chamber housing Stromberg's shark tank. Bond uses an electro-magnet to hoist Jaws up by his teeth and drops him into the tank. Jaws and the shark wrestle and it's the shark which comes of worst!

Bond finds Amasova but time has run out - Carter has fired the torpedoes that will destroy Atlantis. As the high tech city begin to sink, Bond and Amasova make for an escape chamber. They get aboard and launch just as Atlantis finally disappears for good. Amasova holds Bond at gun point, apparently ready to make good her threat to kill him - but Bond's charms prove too much for her and he ends up seducing her. Jaws, meanwhile, has surfaced and is swimming off into the distance.

As Bond Amasova lie on each others arms, they are blissfully unaware that the chamber has been picked up by a British naval vessel - their passion is dampened by their bosses peering in at them through a porthole. When asked what he is doing by an incredulous Minister, Bond tells him that he's "keeping the British end up sir!".