Of the original Sean Connery Bond movies, Diamonds are Forever is easily the least of them. Connery returned to the role that defined his career after a brief hiatus and in this somewhat bleak adventure follows the trail of stolen diamonds as they wend across the globe from the mines of South Africa to Holland and eventually to Las Vegas. Along the way he encounters two gay killers named Kidd and Wint who offer up a satirical look at hit men to say the least. Also along for the ride is Jill St.John as Tiffany Case, and if not for her presence this Bond flick would be a total bore. St.John is extremely hot in this movie, among the most delectable of the Bond girls but sadly it's a somewhat remote Bond she interacts with.
Missing from this humdrum yarn is the usual Bond tropes like an armoring by Q, though the delightful Q does make a showing. Also the interaction between Bond and Moneypenny is pretty minimal. M does get in some funny lines as Bond demonstrates a limited knowledge of diamond lore. All in all it's an exceedingly atypical Bond adventure and it's one which lacks the high-tech romance which had come to define the series when Connery left it the first time.
The plot, as far as I can make it out, is that Blofeld is scheming (apparently sans SPECTRE) to gather diamonds while posing as reclusive tycoon Wilbur Whyte and use them to make a satellite which will power a laser which will destroy nuclear weapons across the world. His scheme barely gets underway when it's cut short by Bond and Case working in tandem. The finale battle atop a highly-specialized oil rig falls well below the spectacle which had been entertained on earlier movies. There's a lot of location shooting in this Bond movie and sadly that give the whole affair a more realistic and mildly grubby look. Connery looks distinterested most of the time and also just a little old as the gray in his hair is evident.
All in all it's a bit of a snooze with a few nice moments. The least of Connery's original Bonds for certain.
A different kind of Bond movie tomorrow.
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This one actually set the tone for Roger Moore's Bond movies, as it was with Diamonds that Tom Manciewicz came aboard. (Having said that though, Live & Let Die wasn't quite as over-the-top as DAF.) I actually think it's a pretty entertaining romp, but doesn't have the clout of Dr. No or FRWL, verging towards the campness of some of the Bond movie imitators like Matt Helm. Yeah, Connery had lost the lean, mean, hungry look of the first two or three movies (as you say in a previous post, beginning to look a bit chubby from Thunderball), and he seems to be just going through the motions with this one (as he did with YOLT as well I'd say), but somehow it doesn't totally disappoint. Maybe it was helped/salvaged by the theme song, which is classic Bond.
ReplyDeleteLive and Let Die seems much more intense in many ways than this one to me. I really like Moore's turn in that one, as he plays it as straight as he ever will.
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Can't remember anything about this one
ReplyDeleteAnd that's sadly maybe the worst thing said about it so far.
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