Never Say Never Again (1983)
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Sean Connery returns for his final outing as James Bond in a high-stakes mission to recover stolen nuclear weapons.
The story
After failing a routine training exercise, MI6 agent James Bond is sent to a health clinic outside London to regain his fitness. During his stay, Bond witnesses a mysterious altercation involving a nurse and a patient, leading to a violent confrontation that results in his suspension from active duty. However, his superior, M, is forced to reactivate the 00 section when it is revealed that the clinic incident was linked to the theft of two nuclear warheads by the criminal organization SPECTRE. Bond is tasked with tracking the missing weapons, leading him on a global hunt to recover the explosives before they can be used by the enemy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a training failure, James Bond is sent to a clinic where he witnesses a nurse, Fatima Blush, and a patient. A fight ensues, and Bond is suspended by M. However, the patient was a pilot whose retinal patterns were stolen by SPECTRE to authorize the theft of nuclear warheads. M reactivates the 00 section, and Bond begins his hunt. He travels to the Bahamas, where he encounters Domino Petachi and her lover, the SPECTRE agent Maximillian Largo. Bond eventually travels to France, where he teams up with Felix Leiter and Nicole. After a series of encounters, Bond finds himself in a confrontation with Blush and eventually tracks the warheads to Largo's base in North Africa. In a final underwater battle at the 'Tears of Allah', Bond faces Largo. Domino Petachi ultimately kills Largo, and Bond defuses the final warhead, vowing to retire from MI6.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom; West Germany
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Irvin Kershner
- Writers
- Lorenzo Semple Jr. · screenplay; Dick Clement · uncredited; Ian La Frenais · uncredited; Kevin McClory · story; Jack Whittingham · story; Ian Fleming · story
- Cast and characters
- Sean Connery · James Bond; Klaus Maria Brandauer · Maximillian Largo; Max von Sydow · Ernst Stavro Blofeld; Barbara Carrera · Fatima Blush; Kim Basinger · Domino Petachi; Bernie Casey · Felix Leiter; Alec McCowen · Q; Edward Fox · M
- Genres
- spy; action
- Themes
- aging
- Tone and mood
- action; spy
- Setting
- Various international locations including London, the Bahamas, France, and North Africa.
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; nuclear weapons; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- Thunderball by Ian Fleming
- Franchise connections
- James Bond
- Reception
- The film was initially well-received by critics who praised the cast and Connery's return. However, its retrospective reception has been mixed, with some critics considering it one of the weaker entries in the series.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · scale: percentage · review count: 55; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 15; IGN · score: 5 · scale: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Supporting Actress · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title is a reference to Sean Connery's reported declaration in 1971 that he would 'never again' play the role of Bond.; The film was the first James Bond film to be officially released in the Soviet Union.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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