The Bond movie franchise’s response to the space-based Star Wars phenomenon of the late 1970’s comes in the form of Moonraker (1979). And this fight scene perfectly encapsulates the movie’s attempt at inserting some James Bond action into the vast bleakness of space.
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Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) is merciless in Moonraker (1979). In this scene, he’s had enough with his incompetent employee Corinne Dufour (Corinne Clery) who slept with Bond and led 007 to the safe in Drax’s study. She was an easy mark for Bond – giddy chatting him on the helicopter ride to the Drax estate and a asinine glance at the safe’s location in Drax’s study. Her fate was inevitable – a simple snap of his fingers and henchmen Chang (Toshiro Suga) releases the hunting dogs to maul her to death.
Oddly enough, the subsequent dog chase scene in the eerie forest and its accompanying harrowing music feels more like a horror movie than a James Bond movie.
Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) fires Corinne Dufour (Corinne Clery) in Moonraker (1979)
Jaws’ (Richard Kiel) intro in Moonraker (1979) has to be the best henchmen intro of any James Bond movie.
We catch the tail end of villain Hugo Drax’s (Michael Lonsdale) phone conversation searching for a replacement henchman for the recently deceased Chang (it’s so weird he refers to him as “Cha” in the phone conversation, but whatever). As he sits atop his ivory tower, he’s pleasantly surprised to hear the prospect of Jaws (Richard Kiel) as his next henchman to help carry out his nefarious plot and subdue James Bond in the process. I also wonder who Drax is on the phone with – is there a villain’s HR department?!
Fast forward to Jaws’ hilariously oversized arrival in Rio de Janeiro – we see him set off the metal detectors for obvious reasons. Without a word (just a smile), he explains the beeping to the Rodney Dangerfield doppelganger customs worker, totally freaking him out. LOL!
Jaws (Richard Kiel) shows his signature metal smile in Moonraker (1979)
