Thunderball (1965)

Genre

Action | Thriller

Director

Terence Young

Country

UK

Cast

Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi, Claudine Auger, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Bernard Lee, Martine Beswick, Guy Doleman, Molly Peters, Earl Cameron, Paul Stassino, Desmond Llewelyn, Roland Culver, Lois Maxwell, Philip Locke, George Pravda, Michael Brennan, Anthony Dawson

Storyline

In a bold and deadly scheme, the evil SPECTRE organization hijacks a NATO plane and seizes two atomic warheads, each capable of killing millions of innocent people. As the world is held hostage by the threat of a nuclear nightmare, James Bond (Sean Connery) jumps into action, racing against the clock as the trail leads him to tropical Nassau.

Opinion

My journey continues as I join the handsome James Bond on 'our' fourth mission to fight, once again, the evil SPECTRE organization.

"Thunderball" is an(other) excellent entry in the Bond saga, with non-stop action and a better plot than ever.

The strength of the film lies in the writing. The plot is interesting, more original and well thought out, and despite this is the fourth chapter, the great story gives the film a fresh look. It may seem quite familiar to those who watch more recent action thriller such as "Mission: Impossible" though.

The exotic landscapes, and the beautiful Bond girls that were only eye-candy in the previous films work perfectly with the plot, and make the film a truly enjoyable experience.

The characters are great and they all have a reason to exist, from the charismatic and evil Emilio Largo - not as intriguing as Goldfinger though - to the atypical Bond girl Domino, still very beautiful, but not brainless, to the other Bond girl, femme fatale Fiona Volpe.

After "Goldfinger" there were a lot of money available: they were used, and what a glorious way to use them! In fact the action is spectacular, especially in the underwater scenes, and the special effects are damn good for a film that has half a century of life - the crew was awarded with Best Special Effects Oscar for a reason.

The photography is overall great, but the underwater photography is on a whole different level. Also Ted Moore really did a wonderful job integrating the special effects.

Once again Sean Connery is at the top of his game and does an admirable job as the sophisticated, though super spy James Bond. Adolfo Celi makes a superb villain but he kinda loses his threat element as the film progresses. In the role of Domino, Claudine Auger is gorgeous and her acting skills are above average for the film, but Luciana Paluzzi steals the show as Fiona Volpe - probably because she is the first to stand up to Bond's charm.


I hope we didn't scare the fishes. - James Bond

2 comments :

  1. This is my favourite one and I love the villainess. The music is great and so are the special effects

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