On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Peter R. Hunt, 1969) Review

Who the hell is that? Where's Sean Connery?! THIS ISN'T JAMES BOND?! Calm down, calm down. That is a new actor called George Lazenby who has replaced Sean Connery as the famous spy. "Oh, so this is a reboot then?"...No...no it's not. This is very much a sequel and, ironically, one of the only Bond films to carry continuity. How does a new Bond work? Let's find out.

When James Bond (George Lazenby) helps save a woman called Tracy (Diana Rigg) from some henchman and must use her in order to get to Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), her father. With those two under his belt, he proceeds to track down Blofeld (Telly Savalas) one more time. This takes Bond out to a snow covered retreat where Blofeld lives with his henchwoman Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat) and lots of beautiful women. Bond has to now uncover Blofeld's new plot and protect Tracy from him.

A new Bond...might as well talk about that. Even though this is his only appearance as Bond, George Lazenby is great! I was sceptical (this was the second last Bond film I ever saw) but was pleasantly surprised. He's the only Bond not from Great Britain but perfectly portrays the iconic spy. Telly Savalas, while not as good as Donald Pleasence, is a decent Blofeld...not the best but not the worst.

This is one of the darkest Bond films. Why? The ending is incredibly heart breaking. One of the saddest moments in a Bond film. Also one goon falls into a snow blower...trust me, there was a lot of blood. This was a break away from the typical Bond formula people were used to. It could be a reboot yet it continues on from You Only Live Twice. Nowadays we're used to a different Bond so it isn't a problem if you go back and watch it.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the better Bond films. The change in tone, the new Bond, the great locations and some great action scenes makes for a, er, great Bond film. George Lazenby, you were cut off from the Bond series way too early. You should have stayed and done the next one! What was the next one again? ...oh no....OOOHHH NOOOO!!!!

Verdict:
8.5/10
A good change of pace from normal Bond films. The change in actor also helps make this one of the greats.