Travis Simpkins: Never Say Never Again (1983): Sean Connery Returns as James Bond 007

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Never Say Never Again (1983): Sean Connery Returns as James Bond 007

Directed by Irvin Kershner, based on the story by Ian Fleming, Never Say Never Again (1983) is a remake of Thunderball and finds Sean Connery returning to the role of James Bond, MI6 Agent 007, after an absence of 12 years. The title refers to Connery's earlier statement that he would never play the suave 007 character again. Unlike the other James Bond films, this movie was released through an independent production company, and is only loosely part of the core series. The story finds an aging James Bond (Connery was 52 at the time) tasked with investigating the theft of two nuclear missiles by SPECTRE. The destructive showdown in an ancient Babylonian sculpture-filled temple is tense. Sean Connery is great, as always, as James Bond. The two Bond Girls are lovely: Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush, and Kim Basinger as Domino Petachi. The supporting cast is good as well, including Max von Sydow, Alec McCowen, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Bernie Casey and Rowan Atkinson.