Sean Connery retired from the 007 franchise after You Only Live Twice (replaced by George Lazenby in the underrated and underperforming On Her Majesty's Secret Service) but was lured back for one last official appearance a... more »s James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. He's in fine form--cool but ruthless--in a sharp precredits sequence hunting the unkillable Blofeld (a suavely menacing Charles Gray in this incarnation), but the MacGuffin of a story (involving diamond smuggling, a superlaser on a satellite, and Blofeld's latest plot to rule the world ) is full of the groaning tongue-in-cheek gags that Roger Moore would make his signature. Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton keeps the film zipping along gamely from one entertaining set piece to another, including a terrific car chase in a parking lot, a battle with a pair of bikini-clad killer gymnasts named Bambi and Thumper, and a deadly game with a bizarre pair of fey, sardonic killers who dispatch their victims with elaborate invention. Jill St. John is the brassy but not too bright American smuggler Tiffany Case, and country singer and pork sausage king Jimmy Dean costars as a reclusive billionaire with not-so-subtle parallels to Howard Hughes. Shirley Bassey belts out the memorable theme song, one of the series' best. Connery retired again after this one but he returned once more, for Never Say Never Again 15 years later for a rival production company. --Sean Axmaker« less
Classic Sean Connery 007 Bond, James Bond! Shaken, not stirred!
Movie Reviews
Extras put DVD over the top
gmanmike | Ontario, Canada | 05/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although Diamonds Are Forever is a fairly weak entry in the James Bond series, the special edition DVD of this movie must rank among the best of all the 007 releases. The half-hour Inside Diamonds Are Forever documentary is both outstanding and informative, featuring such items as the background story behind Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd (including recent interviews with actors Bruce Glover and Putter Smith), and a fascinating revelation by Jimmy Dean, who admitted to some discomfort in portraying a thinly-disguised Howard Hughes-type character when his real life boss at the time was, in fact, Howard Hughes. The 45-minute biography of Cubby Broccoli is almost worth the price of the DVD alone, and the inclusion of four deleted scenes nicely pieces together what was originally an editing nightmare for this film, especially Plenty's mysterious appearance in Tiffany's pool. One final note: the Bond filmmakers have always prided themselves in delivering sanitized sex scenes without resorting to gratuitous frontal nudity. However, when running the scene in which Bond helps Marie "get something off her chest" in slow motion, during the pre-titles sequence, her left breast, including full nipple, is clearly revealed. In real time, the scene plays so fast that nothing can be seen, but it's a much different story in slow motion."
TIFFANY CASE, THATS QUITE A NICE LITTLE NOTHING YOU'RE ALMOS
wally gator | USA | 02/15/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Bond movie has it ALL. No doubt one of my favorites in the whole 007 empire. Tiffany Case is probably my favorite BOND girl, because she is no doubt the bad girl of BOND girls. The action in this movie only stops to let the clevage show, in short there is never a dull moment in this 007.
Sean Connery flirts with ALL the chicks, if he had class in the original handful of movies, well he completely did away with that in this venture. He's a wise cracker in this one, which adds a lot of wit to this. Quirky, clever dialouge all around...
"Which do yo prefer, blondes or brunettes?"
"Either, as long as the collars match the cuffs."
Then theres Plenty O'Toole (ha hah) also a very attractive little chick, even though she gets drowned somewhat early on in the film.. oh well, it left more room for Tiffany Case to run around half naked for the rest of the time.... Outstanding rump shot while she's switching the cassette tape inside the laborotary. "Showing a little more cheek than usual, Miss Case?"
Lets not forget that Q is very present in this one, like when he's rigging the slots in the casino, and wins every time. There is also a whole cast of other great characters in this, and the plot goes from one place to the next very rapidly... sometimes the 007 movies can get a little slow, but this one never stops.. even the opening credits with the theme sung by Shirley Bassey is pretty cool. If you don't really get down on the BOND franchise, you still may like this, as just a witty, fun, action movie. Jimmy Dean (yeah, the sausage guy) plays billionaire William Whyte.. another fine addition. By the way, in case I didn't mention it, Tiffany Case is like the hottest BOND girl ever... IMHO."
Diamonds aren't gold
B. W. Fairbanks | Lakewood, OH United States | 01/10/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Poor Roger Moore. Those critics and James Bond fans who disliked the cartoony direction the 007 series took in the 1970's continue to point the accusing finger at TV's "The Saint." They should take aim at screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz instead. The scribe, who later went on to contribute to the "Superman" films before reaching his peak as the director of Dan Ackroyd's big screen desecration of "Dragnet," is the man responsible for turning Bond into a less bumbling version of Inspector Clouseau. But the blame really belongs to the producers and United Artists (then owned by Transamerica, not MGM) which insisted the series turn as far away as possible from the more somber tone of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The result is this unimpressive follow-up, the pedestrian "Diamonds Are Forever." And Sean Connery, lured back to his star making role after newcomer George Lazenby abruptly quit the series after one film, is said to have encouraged this new emphasis on humor."Diamonds Are Forever" isn't quite a laugh-fest, but it fails to achieve what its producers intended, namely to return the series to the glory days of "Goldfinger." This film was intentionally crafted to resemble the 1964 classic that turned Bond into a phenomenon. It returns 007 to American soil, in this case, Las Vegas, as well as brings Shirley Bassey back to sing the excellent title song, and has Guy Hamilton taking a second shot as director, a position he would retain for two more films. The film's biggest problem is the way it completely ignores the climax of "OHMSS" even as Bond once more clashes with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, whose actions brought Lazenby's Bond to tears (dry ones, no emotional outbursts from 007) and who is now portrayed by Charles Gray, who becomes the third actor to show his face as Bond's version of Professor Moriarty. Everything about the film is routine, including Jill St. John who looks lovely but is as overly familiar as everything else in the movie.At first glance, Connery's appearance is jarring: heavier than when we saw him last in "You Only Live Twice," but with a more hirsute hairpiece. Before long, however, you forget about his battle with the aging process and settle back to enjoy his performance.You can settle back and enjoy the film, too, especially John Barry's score and that silly car chase, but "Diamonds Are Forever" is one of the series' least memorable installments."
Not the best, but certainly up there
skedaddle | CA USA | 09/14/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Diamonds are Forever" qualifies as perhaps the most unusual and odd James Bond movie of them all. For this reason alone, it should be in your collection.Sean Connery comes back for the "last" (see "Never Say Never Again") time as 007, chasing down Ernst Stavro Blofeld and his plot to use diamonds in his construction of a laser satellite capable of destroying any target. This conventional-sounding description actually lends no justice to the film. Connery is a particularly brutal (especially in the startling pre-title sequence) and abrasive 007 this time around, and he looks rather haggard at times to boot -- but then this makes the 007 character much more human and adds a sinister aspect that makes the portrayal more fascinating. Blofeld is portrayed by Charles Gray (the criminologist from the Rocky Horror Picture Show), who instead of the staid robotic diction of Joseph Wiseman opts for a smarmy, smug portrayal, grinning, cunning and lethal -- most irregular, but quite effective and entertaining. There's really just one Bond girl here (Jill St. John, at turns irritating) -- unless you count murderous vixens Bambi and Thumber, but James prefers to drown them rather than seduce them. However, the best characters are the lethal gay killers Mr. Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith), who engage in their deadly art of eliminating all in Blofeld's way with panache, style and grim black humour. Their unsettling presence gives a real touch of menace to the movie that makes it luridly attractive.The entire feel of the film is weird and hazy, which jibes well with the movie's date of release, especially from Maurice Binder's soft focus title sequence and throughout John Barry's haunting score (especially the somber, silvery sax tones of the Wint and Kidd theme, which will echo in your head endlessly), enhanced by the Vegas locale. Alas, the end of the movie becomes somewhat more conventional as Blofeld's plot is discovered and reliably countered, but it's certainly no worse for it.In the annals of Bond movies, this is quirky, irregular and fascinating in its oddity. You'll enjoy it."
Diamonds Are Forever-The Best (and Funniest) Bond Film Ever!
Clifton Cochrane | Hillsborough, New Brunswick Canada | 07/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Diamonds Are Forever is my favorite Bond film of all time! Its also the funniest. From the first time I seen it I knew it was the best Bond flick! Everything I like about Bond is in this film. I think Sean Connery had his best performance as Bond in Diamonds. His performance seems more complete than his other Bond films. He also seems more into playing the role than he did before. Jill St.John(Tiffany Case) is a definite cut above most Bond girls(unlike most of the girls, Jill's good actress). Her presense complements Connery very well in the film. The pair are great together. Charles Gray was fantastic as Blofeld. He makes a great baddie. The rest of the cast is great as well. Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are funniest characters in the Bond series. I could go on forever but to sum it all up: Diamonds Are Forever is the best Bond film, Sean Connery gives his best performance as 007, Jill St.John is arguably the best(and funniest) Bond girl, Charles Grey is fantastic as Blofeld, and the rest of the cast is great as well. If you have a good sense of humour, like I do, then get ready the best Bond film ever!"