Certainly the high-point of Roger Moore's reign, and a peak for the series as a whole, The Spy Who Loved Me is a blast which atones for the sins of its predecessor by turning everything up to 11. A crazed billionaire intends to trigger nuclear armageddon. A murderous giant with steel teeth menaces Bond every other scene. A car turns into a little submarine. A tanker swallows a big submarine. Bond skis off the edge of a cliff. Two nuclear bombs detonate in the Pacific Ocean with absolutely no environmental ramifications whatsoever. A beautiful spy falls for Bond then discovers he killed her ex-boyfriend with a ski pole.

Really, what more can you ask for?

Jaws is probably the most famous thing about The Spy Who Loved Me, the steely, silent henchman who survives numerous mishaps and ultimately kills a shark with his teeth. However the strongest element of the film is the relationship between Bond and rival spy Anya Amasova - a cat-and-mouse game that takes an interesting turn when the whole killing-her-boyfriend thing comes out. Also note the aquatic Lotus Esprit, the only car to rival the Aston Martin. And the most insane villainous scheme aside from perhaps Moonraker. The opening sequence was immortalised by noted Bond expert Alan Partridge in perhaps the greatest five minutes of television history. Altogether now: "STOP GETTING BOND WRONG!"

The Girl - Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach)

© Rex Features

Moore girls are either very bad (Goodnight, Stacy) or very good (Solitaire, Octopussy). Anya firmly belongs in the latter camp, possibly as its flag bearer. She's a big, powerful woman with arms like hams and... no, obviously she's a total stunner as per. Outwits Bond by flaunting a bit of leg and blowing some sleeping powder in his face. Her codename is Triple X: invoking hard-core pornography or Vin Diesel - or, terrifyingly, both at once. Really gets annoyed about the whole dead boyfriend thing, although naturally relents at the end. Which seems fair until you realise Bond only killed the guy three weeks earlier - not one to dwell, is Anya. Barbara Bach, ahem, "underplays" the character and displays an, ahem, "interesting" Russian accent. But this is not a film for haters - so, like Anya, let us not hold a grudge.

The Villain - Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens)

© Rex Features

Really should be a brilliant villain. Stromberg has all the trappings: great henchman, awesome lair, utterly mental scheme.

Sharks. But a spark is lacking. He never captures the imagination like a Goldfinger, or even a Largo. Bluntly, the character himself isn't particularly interesting. His low-key demise (shot by Bond) feels about right. The real villainous star is Jaws, here far less comical than his second appearance in Moonraker. Jaws is one of the true icons of the franchise: a Frankenstein's monster who just keeps coming back for more. Drop some bricks on him, chuck him from a train, toss him to a shark - all minor inconveniences. One of the few henchpersons to escape intact, joining Irma Bunt and Mr White in a very exclusive club.

The Car: Lotus Esprit S1

© Rex Features

Possibly the coolest white thing of all time. The Lotus zips around Sardinia with great panache, eliminating a motorbike and a car but running into difficulty against a helicopter. (It happens.)

So Bond drives off the edge of a wooden pier, presses a few buttons, and hey presto it's a submarine! Mind, blown. Cue a sea-to-air missile and bye bye helicopter. After fighting some divers, the Lotus drives out of the sea onto a crowded beach in a genuinely inspired moment (that promptly got repeated to death in subsequent Bonds).

The Gadget: Union Jack parachute

© Rex Features

OK, it's barely a gadget but we had to mention this iconic piece of equipment somewhere. Pursued by angry Russians, Bond skis off the edge of a cliff. Cue several seconds of silent freefall - or, to quote Partridge, "OH MY GOD JAMES BOND'S GOING TO DIE, HE'S GOING TO DIE!" Then the parachute opens and the theme music blasts out and the audience cheers as one. Incidentally, if you look closely you can see one of the skis nearly cut through the parachute and send the stuntman to his death. Honourable mention - the funny little jet ski.

The Song: Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon

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The first title song not named after the title of the film (use that to impress the ladies), Nobody Does It Better is a lovely tune. Interesting question: does the quality of the song reflect the quality of the film? Certainly it helps here. When Carly Simon croons "Baby you're the best" the statement seems justified. If you haven't played the song at full volume while prancing in front of a mirror then you, my friend, haven't lived.

The Line

"STOP GETTING BOND WRONG!!" Not actually in the film but why quibble? This column shouts the phrase a lot, primarily in the faces of people who think Timothy Dalton made three appearances or Nancy Sinatra sang "Diamonds Are Forever." (It was Shirley Bassey!

Shirley Bassey sang Diamonds are Forever! Nancy Sinatra sang You Only Live Twice! Come on, Grandma, sort it out!). <h3>Read more GQ guides to James Bond[/h3]

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