After
a one film hiatus, Sean Connery (Thunderball,
Goldfinger) comes back to the role that made
him famous, as he was made an offer he couldn't refuse - he would become the
highest paid actor to date up to that point. His exorbitant fee did come at a
heavy price for the film, as his salary cut into the budget for sets, costumes
and special effects, and it does occasionally show. Unfortunately, Connery
came back for what ended up being a very routine outing, not as interesting as
the one he skipped, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. However, the
fans, most of whom had rejected seeing George Lazenby in the role, didn't mind
seeing Connery where he belonged again, and utilizing his ceaseless charisma
and physical imposition, he saves this flawed episode from certain mediocrity.
The prologue depicts James Bond finally getting the upper hand on his
archenemy, Blofeld (Gray, Shock Treatment), or so he thinks at the time. Of
course, Blofeld isn't quite a goner, as he has been looking into cloning
himself to make himself more elusive, and indeed he has. Meanwhile, Bond is
sent off to Amsterdam on a seemingly unrelated affair involving a smuggling
ring involving diamonds. Bond assumes an alias, Peter Franks, and a new
identity as an interested party in the smuggling operation. While there, he
hooks up with the mysterious but beautiful Tiffany Case (St. John, Tony
Rome), finally heading off to Las Vegas, where he begins to discover that
the ultimate aim of the operation is far more nefarious than just diamond
theft.
Bloated, gaudy, and convoluted, Diamonds Are Forever would go down as
an average Bond outing, with an aging Connery's appearance as the biggest
attraction to the project. The plot is difficult to follow, but there are
still a bevy of distractions, mostly in the form of sexy women, solid stunt
work, and an overriding sense of tongue-in-cheek humor. Jill St. John and
Lana Wood (Grayeagle, Speedtrap) provide good eye candy, but they are
very unmemorable as Bond Girls go. Bambi and Thumper, who only have one
scene, leave an infinitely more lasting impression.
Diamonds Are Forever plays far more like an action comedy than a
full-fledged adventure, and even the direst of confrontations is laced with a
light and glitzy touch. It is entertaining, but it's also too silly to really
be engaged by, so its primarily recommended for those that like less
substantive Bond films. Diamonds Are Forever isn't the worst Bond
film, but for a Connery entry, it's one of the weakest. After this, Connery
would go back into his retirement from the Bond world, only to resurface in
the unofficial entry, Never Say Never Again.
Qwipster's rating:
©2005 Vince Leo
