Grade: C+
Synopsis: British agent James Bond (Sean Connery) tracks two nuclear warheads stolen by a shadowy terrorist organization.
Never Say Never Again, despite featuring the character James Bond and star Sean Connery, is not part of the long-running series. It’s actually the culmination of a protracted legal battle that began when screenwriter Kevin McClory worked on the original screenplay that would become Thunderball (1965).
McClory would later claim ownership over a large portion of the ideas in the screenplay, including the SPECTRE organization, Blofeld, and the story’s plot. As a result, SPECTRE and Blofeld were written out of the long-running Bond series, and McClory got to make this movie.
And it’s not half bad. Despite being north of fifty, star Sean Connery is still in great shape and the movie takes every chance to show it, dressing him in everything from shirtless overalls to nothing but his underwear.
Director Irvin Kershner, coming off the wildly successful Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), gives the film a grittier, less artificial look. The casino is smoky, Connery is sweaty; little details like that, which go a long way toward subtly differentiating this entry from the “other” Bond films.
Yet, the film can’t escape the problem that sunk the original, namely that the script just isn’t that good. Once again it’s overlong and too talky. Further, the lack of the traditional supporting cast, especially Desmond Llewelyn as Q and Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, does hurt, even though their replacements acquit themselves well.
Still, Never Say Never is definitely worth a look for Bond fans, especially those that favor Connery, as it serves as a much better farewell to the role than Diamonds are Forever (1971).
