But Octopussy does have a few moments for Jeep fans. The first chase scene begins with the "Cuban" army leaping into Jeeps to pursue 007's convertible Range Rover.
A review by James Berardinelli summarizes some of the other highlights (or not) of the film:
"The film moves from Cuba to India to Germany. The most foolish elements of the film include a bizarre chase through the streets of New Delhi, Bond doing a Tarzan imitation, and an attack by circus performers on the villain's hideout. 007 has a variety of disguises here, including a mechanical crocodile, a gorilla suit, and a clown costume. Octopussy has its funny moments, but there are a few too many times when we're laughing at the movie rather than with it."
The chase through the streets of Delhi has the villains in a jeep trying to finish off Bond and his fellow agent Vijay in a souped-up minicab, as Vijay (played by tennis star Vijay Amritraj) fends them off with a tennis racket.
Berardinelli says, "Ultimately, it's the extravagant stunts and chases that save Octopussy from the scrap heap. The pre-credits episode features a stunning race between a 12-foot long jet and a heat-seeking missile. Later in the film, there's a pulse-pounding chase-and-battle sequence that takes place on the roof of a moving train. The climactic struggle manages to top that, transpiring on a plane in flight."
There's also the scene in which Bond is chased through the brush by hunters on elephants, as villain Khamal Khan (played by Louis Jordan) says, "Mr. Bond is indeed of a very rare breed... soon to be made extinct."
The scene begins when 007 makes his escape from Khamal's castle, hiding inside a body bag on the back of a Mahindra CJ-3B driven by Khamal's henchmen.
When Roger Moore suddenly emerges from the body bag, frightening the henchmen, we get a look at the twin spare tires on the back of the Mahindra.
Octopussy was directed by John Glen (II) who also directed several other Bond films, and first worked on the series as editor and 2nd Unit Director for On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.
Incidentally, the title character, played by Maud Adams (who was also featured in The Man With the Golden Gun) is the brains behind a large smuggling ring. For a detailed summary of the convoluted plot of the film, see a review by Damian Cannon.
Thanks to Ed Freniere for spotting the CJ-3B in this film. -- Derek Redmond
Return to The CJ-3B in the Movies.
Also on The CJ3B Page, see more Mahindra Jeeps, some with no spare tires at all.
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