| Aristotle "Aris" Kristatos | |
|---|---|
| Character from the James Bond franchise | |
| Affiliation | Russia (short story) KGB (film) Nazi Germany (previously) (referenced in film) |
| Portrayed by | Julian Glover |
Aristotle "Aris" Kristatos is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Ian Fleming short story "Risico" found in the anthology For Your Eyes Only and the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, in which he was referred to as Aris Kristatos. In the film, he was portrayed by Julian Glover.
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In the short story, Signor Kristatos (no given first name) is Bond's CIA contact for a mission to break up a drug smuggling operation in Italy. Kristatos informs Bond that the man behind the operation is Enrico Colombo. After being captured and taken aboard Colombo's ship, the Colombina, Bond learns that Kristatos is actually a double agent, working for the Russians and the man behind the drug smuggling operation. Colombo proves this to Bond by taking him on a raid of Kristatos' warehouse where they catch Kristatos and his men loading a shipment of drugs. During a gun battle, Kristatos flees, only to be confronted and shot by Bond.
Kristatos comes from the island of Kefalonia. Generally regarded as a hero for his bravery in World War II and the Greek Civil War, which the British government awarded him the King's Medal, Kristatos was actually a double agent during both conflicts. Though he appeared to be a respectable businessman in the years thereafter, he was in fact a heroin smuggler and a Soviet agent. He developed a bloody feud with Milos Columbo, a rival smuggler. He is in union with rogue Nazi supporters who have aided him in smuggling gold, drugs and other supplies out of Britain. In the film, he is hired by General Gogol to obtain the British device ATAC, which controls Polaris missiles.
Bond meets Kristatos in the Alps, as well as his niece Bibi Dahl, a young iceskating champion who is tipped to be a future Olympic gold medalist. He makes his first attempt to kill Bond – and Melina Havelock – in the Alps by arranging for them to meet in an area where two of his henchmen try to run them down on motorcycles. However, Bond foils both motoryclists. However, Bond is completely unaware that Kristatos had anything to do with it, as he had led Bond to believe that Locque and the other henchmen were in the pay of Milos Columbo.
Later, Kristatos catches up with Bond when catching him playing baccarat. They have a private dinner about what Kristatos was going to tell Bond about his rival, Columbo.
After meeting Columbo's mistress, Countess Lisl von Schlaf (who is fatally run down by Emile Locque) and Columbo himself, Bond is told that Kristatos is the heroin smuggler, not Columbo. Lisl was later killed by Emile Locque, who had presumably been alerted by Kristatos's henchman Apostis, and Locque had attempted to kill Bond at the same time. Bond disarms Locque, and four men working for Columbo shoot the henchman dead. They then capture Bond and take him to Columbo.
When Bond and Kristatos cross paths again, he steals the ATAC, which Bond and Melina Havelock have just found, captures them, ties them with a rope to his boat and leaves them to die in shark-infested waters. Kristatos then flees to his headquarters on St. Cyril, Greece with Eric Kriegler, convinced that he has killed Bond and Melina.
After harming Bibi and watching Kriegler and Bond fight, Kristatos runs off with the ATAC, only to be confronted by Columbo. After a fierce physical battle, Melina is just about to gun Kristatos down but Bond tells her he has a better idea. But as Kristatos reaches for a hidden switchblade knife, Columbo throws his own knife into Kristatos's back, killing him.[1]