A British spy ship has struck a mine and has sunk in Albanian waters. On board was a vital piece of defense equipment, the ATAC transmitter. Bond has to recover it before the Russians get hold of it and use it for no good. The murder of Havelock, a marine archaeologist helping MI6 locate the wreck, gives Bond a lead. He goes after the assassin and encounters the late archaeologist's daughter, Melina, who is on the quest for revenge. She and Bond discover another villain, Emile Locque. But who is he working for? A gang boss called Columbo? Or Kristatos, a legitimate shipping magnate? Bond and Melina, menaced by killers at every turn, need some quick answers.
Bond:"Now put your clothes back on and I'll buy you an ice cream."
Best Mistake (According to mi6.co.uk)
Bond uses a table umbrella as a parachute while being shot at by baddies. But the umbrella seems to contain bullet holes before the enemy starts shooting .
Distinguishing Feature (According to mi6.co.uk)
M does not appear in this film due to the death of actor Bernard Lee. The picture of a knight riding a horse in M's office is also absent for the first time.
This was intened to the next movie after The Spy Who Loved Me, but after the box office hit of Star Wars, the producers cashed in on Moonraker.
Detailed synopsis: The pre title sequence begins with Bond visiting his late wife Tracy's grave being rudely interupted by a universal exports helicopter coming to retrieve him. Once they are flying directly over the thames, a bald man in a wheel chair with a white persian cat {blofeld} hijacks his helicopter via remote control. Bond daringly climbs outside the helicopter then back in and disables the remote control and takes back his helicopter. He then flies over and lifts Blofeld and his wheelchair by the landing gear and drops him down a smokestack.