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Ranking James Bond Films: #15 – “Never Say Never Again” (1983)
You thought that Sean Connery was done? Nope. He is back. This man gets many sendoffs, but his last is perhaps his best.
“James Bond is called upon to try to recover nuclear bombs stolen by Spectre, but he will have to get rid of a professional assassin, hired especially to eliminate him.”
Director: Irvin Kershner
Writers: Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, Lorenzo Sempe Kr., Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Cast: Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Barbara Carrera, Kim Basinger, Bernie Casey
Release Date: October 7, 1983
IMDB
You thought that Sean Connery was done? Nope. He is back. This man gets many sendoffs, but his last is perhaps his best.
Never Say Never Again is not part of the traditional canon of 007. Executive producer Kevin McClory won a legal battle against Ian Fleming and the Broccoli family, resulting in a settlement allowing him to make his own Bond movie without any strings attached. That means that SPECTRE is back, as is Blofeld, and a few new numbers are under his control.
It’s a trip back in time, not just with the characters but with the character of Bond himself. Connery is old, so physical action is not the main currency. Nor is he cracking smiles and promiscuously sleuthing his way into secrets as often. Never Say Never again emulates some of the best assets that Connery Bond brought back in the 1960s.
Never Say Never Again also has one primary trait that I was not illuminated to until just hours before watching. There is a young Kim Basinger in this venture, and it’s very easy to see why she would become Hollywood’s “it” girl for some time. Surprisingly, I was there cheering the character of Domino on when she gets to kill the henchman, Maximilian Largo.
It also can’t go unstated that old-age Bond needs to go through training again, and the lack of faith in the British espionage agent sets the groundwork for what Skyfall would become.
STANKO RATING: B-
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