Thunderball (1965)

Directed by Terence Young. Starring Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Bernard Lee, Molly Peters, Desmond Llewelyn, Paul Stassino, Guy Doleman, Lois Maxwell, Martine Beswick, George Pravda, Philip Locke. [PG]

Typically extravagant James Bond outing, well-settled into its formula groove, with the requisite high adventure, scenic locales, gorgeous women, and goofy gadgets. SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo (Celi) has masterminded a plot to steal two atomic bombs and hold the world ransom (usual stuff); Connery, as confident and relaxed here as he ever was in the role, travels to Nassau to stop him. Fails to reach the heights of its predecessors (notably: the chief villain is a substantial demotion after the likes of Auric Goldfinger, Rosa Klebb, et al), but still offers an entertaining show with Oscar-winning special effects and the hair-raising danger and stylish treatment that director Young was known for—this would be his last time in the director’s chair for 007. Exquisite underwater photography, although too much time is spent down there, especially during the climactic battle which starts to drag; voluptuous assassin Paluzzi makes for a memorable femme fatale. Title theme sung by Tom Jones. Later remade with an older Connery as Never Say Never Again in 1983. The title Thunderball, also the name given to the MI6 operation to recover the bombs, refers to the description of a mushroom cloud seen during atomic bomb tests.

78/100