Sean Connery returns as Bond and Shirley Bassey returns to perform one of the most iconic Bond songs. Diamonds Are Forever starts off with Bond looking to kill Blofeld for killing his wife in the previous film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bond kills Blofeld and then is assigned to a mission to investigate someone trying to steal a huge amount of diamonds. Bond must travel across Europe and America to find out who wants the diamonds and what they want to do with them.
Connery returning was a huge positive for this film, something about his presence and the way he plays the character has become so iconic that his return is welcomed. His suave nature and cocky attitude has not be bested by any other actor playing the role since. This is entirely based on opinion but Connery is the best bond and without Connery I don’t think James Bond would of been such a staple in pop culture.
Diamonds Are Forever is a good mix of the outlandish and good action. There were moments that were too silly, like the fake moon landings and Bond driving about in a robot thing. However this was balanced by some good action scenes, the car chases are well choreographed and the fight scene in the elevator was full of tension. Everytime the film tried to be crazy it brought it back to reality with some great action.
The story was great, it kept you guessing. One hour into the film, you still didn’t know the whole story. The constant change of location and varied action scenes made Diamonds are Forever one of the most enjoyable Bond films. It was more a mystery film that kept me hooked throughout. Even though this film was over two hours long, the constant movement of the film made it feel much shorter.
The two henchmen, Mr Kidd and Mr Wint was fantastic. The usual henchman are big strong mute men that could crush James Bond with his bare hands. However, Mr Kidd and Mr Wint were weedy little men. The complete opposite of the usual henchman but had a far more devastating effect. They both were so cold in killing people that no amount of muscles could match their psychotic behaviour. Everytime they were on screen you knew something bad would happen. It did go a bit too far with bomb cakes and some moments that felt cartoony but it was refreshing to see something different to the old archetype of the henchman.
Diamonds Are Forever is one of the finest examples of a great Bond film. It is full of action, laughs, craziness and a cracking Bond song. It just about balances the action and the wackiness. Diamonds Are Forever is a quintessential example of why Bond has become so popular. Great villains, great action, crazy plot and Connery’s performance could be ranked as his best.
Rating – ★★★★
The Cinema Cabin 
Leave a Reply