On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the film where James Bond slows down long enough to fall in love, get married, and suffer one of the franchise’s most heartbreaking finales. It also happens to be the film where Sean Connery has exited stage left, and George Lazenby steps in with nothing but a square jaw and some questionable instincts.
This one lands at 3.5 out of 5 for me. I liked it. It’s got great action, a killer ending, and a few emotional swings that actually connect. But the story is convoluted, the pacing lags in places, and Lazenby, while serviceable, never fully owns the role. It’s a fascinating Bond film, if not a fully satisfying one.
Plot: Virus Warfare and Swiss Ski Slopes
The plot is one of the more soap-operatic Bond affairs, even by this franchise’s standards. Bond’s chasing down Blofeld, who’s holed up in a mountaintop allergy research center in the Swiss Alps. Except it’s not really about allergies—it’s about brainwashing a group of beautiful women into being biological weapons, spreading viruses across the globe on command.
Yes, you read that right. Blofeld’s evil plan involves a squad of hypnotized “Angels of Death.” It’s bonkers. And kind of brilliant. And also kind of stupid.
There’s a charm to it, but the film does itself no favors by dragging out the setup. There are long stretches of people talking about plans in wood-paneled rooms. And then suddenly, Bond is fleeing ski assassins while wearing a frilly shirt. It’s a lot.
George Lazenby: A Decent Bond in a Tough Spot
Lazenby gets a lot of heat for this role, and some of it’s fair. He doesn’t have Connery’s charisma or gravitas. His line delivery wobbles, and there are moments where you can almost see him wondering if he’s pulling this off. But he handles the physical side of Bond really well, and he looks great in a tux.
Where he struggles is emotional range. This is the one Bond movie that asks for genuine vulnerability, and Lazenby gives it an honest shot. It doesn’t always land, but you can tell he’s trying. That counts for something.
Diana Rigg: The Best Part of the Film
Tracy di Vicenzo, played by Diana Rigg, is one of the most fully realized women in Bond history. She’s stylish, sharp, emotionally complex, and completely her own person. Her chemistry with Bond feels real, and her arc isn’t just tied to him, she has her own baggage, her own agency.
It’s not surprising that the movie’s most affecting moment is tied to her. The final scene, where Bond cradles her after their wedding ends in tragedy, is devastating. It’s understated and powerful. For a franchise that usually ends with champagne and double entendres, it’s genuinely bold.
Blofeld Returns, Sort Of
Telly Savalas steps in as Blofeld, and he’s… fine. He’s no Donald Pleasence, and weirdly, Bond doesn’t seem to recognize him, even though this is supposed to be the same villain. Continuity is not this film’s strong suit.
Savalas plays Blofeld more like a mob boss than a criminal mastermind. He’s physical, confident, and a little too casual for my taste. There’s nothing wrong with his performance, but he feels more like a villain-of-the-week than the ultimate Bond nemesis.
Action: Sharp, Brutal, and Snow-Covered
Where On Her Majesty’s Secret Service shines is action. The ski chases are phenomenal, especially for the time. There’s a raw, real quality to them—no CGI, just stuntmen hurling themselves down mountains at terrifying speeds. There’s a sense of danger that you don’t always feel in the later, more polished Bonds.
The bobsled fight is insane in the best way. The nighttime escape across the ice, with flares lighting up the dark, is visually gorgeous. Director Peter Hunt, a former editor, brings a kinetic energy to these sequences that punches well above the era’s weight class.
Pacing: Beautiful, but Bloated
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service looks amazing—between the Swiss Alps, the vintage costuming, and the elegant set design, it’s a feast for the eyes. But it also drags. Clocking in at over two hours, it takes its sweet time getting anywhere. There’s a long courtship montage that feels like a perfume ad and a few too many scenes of Bond… just wandering around.
It wants to be a deeper Bond movie, and I respect the ambition, but it loses momentum in the middle. A tighter cut could’ve elevated this from good to great.
Final Verdict: Flawed, But Worth Remembering
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is an outlier in the Bond canon—a film that dares to show Bond as something other than an indestructible sex machine. It doesn’t always succeed, but the effort is clear. The action is strong, the love story mostly works, and the ending hits harder than anything else in the franchise.
Lazenby didn’t get a second chance, but this film deserves a second look.