Nambutan Embassy

jetsetwilly

Maybe I should wait until I've seen it again before asking this, but in a number of the reviews I'd read, they had mentioned Bond causing "carnage" in the embassy assault - the infamous Times review implied it was a bloodbath. But when I watched it, so far as I could see, Bond doesn't actually kill anyone except the bomber at the end. Even when he blows up the gas tanks, the soldiers clearly get up again.

Is it just me editing out a massacre in my mind?

Moonraker 5

jetsetwilly wrote:

Maybe I should wait until I've seen it again before asking this, but in a number of the reviews I'd read, they had mentioned Bond causing "carnage" in the embassy assault - the infamous Times review implied it was a bloodbath. But when I watched it, so far as I could see, Bond doesn't actually kill anyone except the bomber at the end. Even when he blows up the gas tanks, the soldiers clearly get up again.

Is it just me editing out a massacre in my mind?

No, you're not. The Ambassador clearly survives, despite having been smacked in the face by a pistol, having his head whacked off a bronze bust, and thrown to the ground by a gas explosion. I did think, first time round, Bond shot at least one soldier, but second time round I noticed it was just a pipe of some sorts that bursts beside a pair of them and knocks them over. A couple are also knocked back downstairs, but they didn't appear to be shot. I have to admit I was watching it intently simply because of that ridiculous point in the Sunday Times (though the same person also said CR was stripped of exotic locations, he clearly wasn't watching the same film I was).

Of the whole "African Rundown" scene, I count at least 4 dead. Two security guards are shot by Mollaka as he scales the scaffolding, a construction worker is kicked off the scaffolding by Mollaka and falls, taking a gas cylinder with him (which explodes), and Bond kills Mollaka. That's it. Obviously some are clearly injured, but from what I saw Bond goes out of his way to minimise casualties, quite unlike the slaughter of Russian soldiers (or perhaps I should say "random Ruskies") in the GoldenEye PTS or at the fight in the archives.

Inferno

I assumed some of them died. He also shot a couple when the sprinklers went off.

highhopes

jetsetwilly wrote:

Maybe I should wait until I've seen it again before asking this, but in a number of the reviews I'd read, they had mentioned Bond causing "carnage" in the embassy assault - the infamous Times review implied it was a bloodbath. But when I watched it, so far as I could see, Bond doesn't actually kill anyone except the bomber at the end. Even when he blows up the gas tanks, the soldiers clearly get up again.

Is it just me editing out a massacre in my mind?

You're correct, Jetset. I didn't see a bloodbath either. I think the Sunday Times guy was just so eager to uncover a subtle whiff of racism in the sequence that he convinced himself he saw something that wasn't there. I wonder what he thought of the penguins? 8-)

jetsetwilly

Moonraker 5 wrote:

I have to admit I was watching it intently simply because of that ridiculous point in the Sunday Times (though the same person also said CR was stripped of exotic locations, he clearly wasn't watching the same film I was).

I was watching it for the same reason. It's kind of distasteful that the Times reviewer saw what he wanted to see and made a point about "racism" (and it's an interesting compare and contrast with GE).

Moore Not Less

Perhaps the question should be: What are those gas tanks doing lying about in the grounds of an embassy?

That whole chase sequence was more like old Bond than new. Explosions, machine guns, lots of debris flying about, hardly any casualties. Not forgetting some very good stuntwork.

tohmss007

I have to admit I was watching it intently simply because of that ridiculous point in the Sunday Times (though the same person also said CR was stripped of exotic locations, he clearly wasn't watching the same film I was).

Whats that you say, a Journalist having all their facts and points mixed up. Now I find that hard believe. Joel Siegel NY ABC News said he didn't here the Bond theme until the very end. True the full blown theme erupts at the end, but I heard snippets of the bass line at least twice if not three times during the film.

And yes Bond seemed to go out of his way not to kill people at the embassy. In a moment of quick thinking he deduced his only way was to wax the bomb maker, and blow the gate. Exceptionally fine shot I might add.

Predator

Cosmo Landesman - I can only assume he has watched the trailer a couple of dozen times and let his (over-eager) imagination do the rest.

If I was John Witherow, I would suggest that his writers refrain from making provocative statements such as the one made by Landesman. Perhaps Landesman may come back with a jovial "didn't mean it really", but if you accuse anyone of racism, you need to have the facts at hand and not some kind of journalistic subjective license.

Loeffelholz

Cosmo...dear, sweet Cosmo )

walther p99

yea now that u compare and contrast that scene with the ones from GE, the ones in GE seem really tasteless now, because though its really not avoidable in both cases (the PTS and archives) they could have possibly done something different

highhopes

Moonraker 5 wrote:

The same person also said CR was stripped of exotic locations, he clearly wasn't watching the same film I was.

All I can deduce from Cosmo's observation on that score is that Times movie critics get to take nicer vacations than I do.

Agent Wade

Cripes, Bond killed more black people in Live and Let Die than he did in this movie. And he dared do it in the full swing of blaxploitation too. I saw CR again last night I was focusing particularly on the clever maneuvers he took to incapacitate his obstacles by non-lethal means. The steam pipe and gas tanks in particular were very clever. Using Mollaka as a wrecking ball was also very funny and original, I might add.

The only social taboo Bond has ever been guilty of is misogyny, and I hope that never changes.