Similarities between OP and CR67 and also GE and NSNA

sinlum · September 2025

Hi all,

Recently I have noticed that two official Bond films Octopussy and Goldeneye seem to share a number of similarities with the two non-official Bond films Casino Royale 1967 and Never Say Never Again. I know if you analyse the films in detail you notice a lot of similarities between them which are coincidental but I realise that there seem to be a lot of similarities between these films:

Octopussy and Casino Royale 1967

In both films Bond has a new M and a new "Monepenny" type assistant is introduced
In both films Bond is chased by a mobile explosive device - the milk truck chases Bond in his Bentley in CR67 and the missile chases Bond in the arostar jet in OP
The main female character in both films is the head of a large organisation - Vesper Lynd in CR67 and the title character in OP. Both of these characters have oversized beds
In both films, backstories of Bond's past are brought up which have nothing to do with the rest of the film - in CR67 many characters talk about Bond's past. In OP Bond talks at length of his mission to track down Major Dexter Smythe
Both films have auction scenes
Bond goes to India in both films
In both films, similar gadgets are depicted - Tremble talks about a pen that contains poison in CR67, Bond is given a pen that unleashes acid in OP. Bond also mentions that the pen "would be perfect for a poison pen letter" which is a similar line used in CR67. Also in both films a watch with a crystal TV is depicted
Both films depict circus performers
Both films depict "stuffed" tigers
Both films have scenes set in East and West Germany

Goldeneye and Never Say Never Again

Bond has a new M and is being evaluated in the beginning of each film
Bond drives a "classic" car in each film - the Bentley in NSNA and the Aston Martin DB5 in GE
Both films have similar gadgets - exploding pen and laser watch
In both films, Q blows up targets using explosive pens in his lab
In both films, Bond mistakes a normal objects in Q's lab for gadgets - in NSNA he picks up the sinus cartridge and in GE he picks up Q's sandwich
Both films portray an eccentric female brunette villainess who has a somewhat raunchy sex scene in each film
Bond goes to the French Riviera in both films
The theme of betrayal from a close friend comes up in both films - in NSNA Domino is betrayed by her lover Largo. In GE, Bond is betrayed by his former friend Trevelyn

As I said already, some of these were likely coincidental but I think some of them were definitely deliberate like the gadgets for example. Was it the case that EON were trying to prove something to McClory in each case? OP was going against a non-official Bond film so did EON decide to include elements from the other non-official Bond film to make a point that the official series could get away with using ideas from CR67?

And then a similar thing happened with GE in 1995. EON decided to copy ideas from NSNA as a point to show that ideas from that non-official Bond film could be included in the official series? Was it done to irritate McClory?

chrisno1 · September 2025

Well, McClory wouldn't take much to irritate.

I think the ideas in the Eon films were simply stolen, either deliberately or by coincidence.

Napoleon Plural · September 2025

I buy the similarities between NSNA and GE - mainly however the tone; both present their hero as a potentially outmoded guy who needs to be taken down a peg or two by their new superior. Neither use the James Bond theme much if at all! The tone is self-referential and sometimes apologetic.

emtiem · September 2025

It's kind of amazing that CR67 has the faux Bond do that poison pen letter gag, which Q rolls his eyes at and remarks how everyone says that -the gag is that it's a slightly rubbish and predictable joke- and then years later the actual James Bond says it in a proper Bond movie and it's supposed to be a good gag! 😄

sinlum · March 8

Apologies if this might come across as overkill but I watched the films again recently and found even more similarities:

Octopussy and Casino Royale 1967

Both films show a building getting blown up - the casino at the end of CR67 and the army base at the beginning of OP.
Both films depict the enemy with twins - Le Chiffre in CR67 has two blond women twins in the casino, and the knife throwing brothers are shown in OP.
Both films depict scenes in London with typical London buses.
A taxi driver and his black cab is shown in each film. Bond does not get into either taxi himself in either film.
Both films depict the villain wanting to double the stakes in a table game - in CR67 Le Chiffre says he wants to double during the baccarat game with Tremble, in OP Kamal Khan says to the major that he wants to double again during their game of backgammon. The villain loses the game in both films.
Both films have scenes depicting many beautiful women. Cooper has a training scene in CR67 where he meets The Infiltrator and many women are depicted as working for the title character in several scenes in OP.
Both films depict women huddled together watching Bond fighting against other men in a combat situation - in CR67, Agent Mimi and the other Scottish ladies look on as Bond combats the other Scottish men with the cannonballs, in OP Octopussy and her female allies look on as Bond fights against the thugs with the yo-yo buzzsaws.
In both films a person is shot in the head . Le Chiffre in CR 67 and one of the Russian soldiers near the train carriage in OP.
Both films depict individuals performing magic - Le Chiffre in the casino in CR67 and Magda in the circus in OP.
The finale of both films involve acrobats assaulting a large buildung.

sinlum · March 8

Goldeneye and Never Say Never Again

The villainesses in both films drive red cars. Bond chases each in both films.
Bond orders a martini in a casino. His female companion in both films orders a drink with an unusual concoction.
Both villainesses kill men with whom they have a somewhat affectionate sexual relationship - Fatima Blush kills Jack Petachi in NSNA, Xenia Onatop kills Chuck Farrel in GE.
Bond sneaks around a boat in both films.
Both films portray a henchman who leaves the base where the are working to initiate the main villain's scheme - Jack Petachi leaves the airbase in NSNA, Boris Grishenko leaves the Servernaya base in GE.
Both films involve Bond confronting a mysterious person after getting out of a pool of water - in NSNA Bond throws Smallfaucett into the pool at the end of the film after getting out of the jacuzzi, in GE Bond confronts Xenia after swimming in the pool in the hotel.
Both villains have bases which are hidden underwater.

Napoleon Plural · March 9

Both films have a sort of new face of Bond being torn off a strip by the new incarnation of M.

Quentin Quigley · March 9

Also with GE and NSNA, you had many gadgets that were not entirely scratch built, but real world items that were dressed up to look like something else. For budget reasons, I imagine. With GE it was video game gear, and with NSNA it was Philips electronics with the logos covered up.

Similarities between OP and CR67 and also GE and NSNA

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