Though not Ian Flemings most famous James Bond novel, 1962s The Spy Who Loved Me was distinguished by the unique device of telling the story from the heroines point of view; in fact, Bond doesnt make an appearance until the story is two-thirds over. This would hardly work in the film worlds Bond franchise, so the original austere plotline of the novel was eschewed in favor of a labyrinthine story involving outer-space extortion. The leading lady, a hard-luck kid in the original, is now sexy Russian secret agent Barbara Bach, who joins forces with Bond (Roger Moore, making his third appearance as 007) to foil yet another megalomaniac villain (Curt Jurgens), who plans to threaten New York City with nuclear weaponry. Beyond the eye-popping opening ski-jump sequence, the films best scenes involve 72 Richard Kiel as steel-toothed henchman Jaws. Fifteen scriptwriters worked on The Spy Who Loved Me; only two were credited, including Bond-film veteran Richard Maibaum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide