The Spy Who Loved Me
Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert · Adventure · Action · Thriller · 2h 5m · 1977
Trailer
Director
Lewis Gilbert
Writer
Christopher Wood, Richard Maibaum, Vernon Harris, Ian Fleming
Studio
EON Productions, United Artists
Release
1977-07-07
Runtime
2h 5m
Genres
Adventure, Action, Thriller
Full Plot
James Bond is back again and his new mission is to find out how a Royal Navy Polaris submarine holding sixteen nuclear warheads simply disappeared while on patrol. Bond joins Major Anya Amasova and takes on a a web-handed mastermind, known as Karl Stromberg, as well as his henchman Jaws, who has a mouthful of metal teeth. Bond must track down the location of the missing submarine before the warheads are fired.
Cast & Characters
Major Anya Amasova
Barbara Bach
Karl Stromberg
Curd Jürgens
Jaws
Richard Kiel
Naomi
Caroline Munro
M
Bernard Lee
Karl Stromberg, a megalomaniac planning to trigger World War III and destroy the world, then recreate a new civilisation underwater. Jurgens's casting was a suggestion of director Lewis Gilbert, who had worked with him before.
Curt Jurgens
Sheikh Hosein, an Arab sheikh and old friend of Bond; they were students at the University of Cambridge
Edward de Souza
Captain Benson, a British naval officer stationed at the Royal Navy's Faslane Naval Base in Scotland
George Baker
Max Kalba, an Egyptian nightclub owner and black market racketeer who possesses the microfilm and tries to encourage Bond and Amasova to bid for it
Vernon Dobtcheff
Q, MI6's head of research and development. He supplies Bond with unique vehicles and gadgets. Amasova refers to him as Major Boothroyd, the name of the armourer in Dr. No who becomes the head of Q Branch in From Russia With Love.
Desmond LlewelynSergei Barsov, Soviet agent and Anya Amasova's lover. Billington had previously screentested for the role of Bond.
Michael Billington
Commander Carter, commanding officer of USS Wayne
Shane Rimmer
Did You Know?
The Spy Who Loved Me
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know the first Bond film after The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was pivotal for the franchise due to its poor financial returns and critical response.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know Harry Saltzman, the original producer of the Bond series, had to sell his half of the franchise in 1975 for £20 million.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
The Spy Who Loved Me holds 7.0/10 on IMDb (126K votes), 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% audience score.
Critics and audiences are broadly aligned on this one.
Ratings as of August 3, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedThe Spy Who Loved Me's 7.0 IMDb average and 82% Rotten Tomatoes score place it solidly mid-pack in the 60-plus-year Bond franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Spy Who Loved Me's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Spy Who Loved Me holds a 82% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77% audience score.
What is The Spy Who Loved Me's IMDb rating?+
The Spy Who Loved Me has a 7.0/10 rating on IMDb from 126K votes.
Is The Spy Who Loved Me good? What are critics saying?+
The Spy Who Loved Me holds 7.0/10 on IMDb (126K votes), 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% audience score.
How long is The Spy Who Loved Me?+
The Spy Who Loved Me has a runtime of 2h 5m.
Who directed The Spy Who Loved Me?+
The Spy Who Loved Me was directed by Lewis Gilbert.
Where can I watch The Spy Who Loved Me?+
The Spy Who Loved Me is available to stream, rent, or buy on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex, ITVX Premium, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
Roger Moore's third James Bond film received generally positive reviews, although some reviewers found the opening scenes too reliant on green screen. Many praised Moore's chemistry with Barbara Bach as Bond and the exotic locations featured in the film, while others appreciated its blend of action, adventure, and humor. A few critics also noted that the film had a more lighthearted tone compared to other Bond outings.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Great Globe-Trotting, Spectacular Locations, thrilling action and fun vibe Roger Moore did more official James Bond films as secret agent 007 than any other actor. He started the role when he was almost 45 years-old and ended his 7-film stint at 57. His third Bond film was “The S…
Wuchak · 8/10Commander James Bond, recruited to the British Secret Service from the Royal Navy. License to kill and has done so on numerous occasions. The Spy Who Loved Me is directed by Lewis Gilbert and adapted to screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum from the novel written by…
John Chard · 9/10Not my favourite outing for "James Bond" this one, perhaps because the opening snow-scape scenes rely too heavily on green screen - maybe Roger Moore didn't like skiing, or just couldn't get insured - but in any case he certainly never left Pinewood for the first ten minutes here…
CinemaSerf · 6/10Now, I am 100% in the "Sean Connery was the greatest Bond and had the greatest 007 movies ever made" camp... ... so take it to heart when I say that this is Roger Moore's greatest outing as 007 and one of the best 007 movies (with one of the best 007 introductory songs) ever made…
GenerationofSwine · 10/10**The Spy Who Loved Me gives Roger Moore the perfect formula to show off his goofy Bond charm with exotic locations, extravagant gadgets, big battle scenes, and a great supporting cast.** The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Roger Moore and one of the best classic Bond films. Live…
The Movie Mob · 8/10We have here the ultimate 007 film. This one not only has the aspects that make 007 films great: beautiful scenery, exotic settings, beautiful women, wit, non stop action, adventure, gadgets, etc., but it also has an epic story, the best of all the Bond films. The story is a woma…
drystyx · 10/10I love The Spy Who Loved Me. This film is one I can never get enough of, overtime I think of it or hear of it I want to watch it, it's just that damn good. This is my brothers favourite Bond film and a number 4 spot on my ranking, The Spy Who Loved Me is nothing but a cinematic m…
tmdb93836550 · 10/10
From the trailer's comments
Defintitely one of Roger Moores best Bond outings,the fantastic opening sequence, Lotus Esprit, the beautiful Barbara Bach,Jaws,the submarines,it had the lot! One of the best Bond films ever!
@universalexports777 · 161 likesThis Bond film opened at the same time as the original Star Wars!! What a summer! I was eleven!
@alexanderland71 · 160 likesRest in Peace, Moore.
@Medeirostai · 129 likesNobody did it better than Roger Moore - the hero of my youth!
@jeffcostello9641 · 160 likesThe Bond of my youth...Not dark but with humor, pretty girls, topp locations and he never dies. You left the theatre with a smile. And you like to watch it again from time to time.
@JWKirK-fr5cn · 201 likesI personally find Roger Moore to be the best Bond ever because of his charm and an unbelievable sense of humour.
@80sguy27 · 204 likesWas so fortunate to see this movie when it came out...as a youngster then...it turned out to be one of the best James Bond movies
@trevorbyron1727 · 45 likesBy far the best Bond movie ever, best song, best opening scene/stunt, best villain, Bond girl
@cityofchamps66 · 105 likes
