Diamonds are Forever

The idea of Sean Connery ever coming back to Bond following his previous film in 1967 seemed highly unlikely at the time given his attitude towards the role and the pressure it had placed on his personal life but, following the financial disappointments with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and George Lazenby's decision that he was done with acting, the studio needed someone to fill the shoes in 1971's Diamonds are Forever. Fortunately for them, and through the means of a huge pay check, Connery reluctantly agreed to play Bond nine years after his first appearance and donated much/all of his salary into helping Scottish schools. 

Fifty years on from its release date, this was the film I felt most cautious in rewatching given its reputation as one of the weaker Bond films, seeing Connery looking drastically older in the few years between this and You Only Live Twice whilst not aided by some rather dated fashion of the time. This is also adapted from one of Fleming's lesser books with an unengaging story about diamond smuggling and 1950s American crime syndicates that somehow concerned MI6.

Thankfully returning director, Guy Hamilton, and his screenwriters use the book as more of a template for the film and reintroduce Blofeld with a scheming plan to use diamonds with building a powerful laser that could hold the world to ransom. Far more exciting than Bond uncovering rigged gambling on horse races in the books! Diamonds are Forever sees Bond travel to Amsterdam briefly before moving almost entirely to the then glitz and glamour of 1970s Las Vegas. 

Unfortunately, the tackiness of Vegas that sees Bond looking rather out-of-place in his dinner jacket and the dreary foundations of the book that Hamilton tries to blend with the more wilder story regarding Blofeld make for a rather unpolished experience. Jill St. John keeps the first half of the film alive as the strong-willed Tiffany Case giving Bond a run for his money but falls into the helpless, ditzy Bond girl by the end. Meanwhile, Connery seems to be enjoying himself back as 007 but the material just isn't there and he sort of floats through the film with only a few moments to show his charm that made him such a success in the earlier films. As for the villain, Charles Gray does provide some campy fun with his portrayal of Blofeld but, for me, it's not a patch on what we saw with Telly Savalas. 

You can almost forget Diamonds Are Forever follows in the wake of the tragic ending in the last film, one that promised an exciting story of revenge but it seems this has largely been retconned in favour of a more campy action adventure. The film begins with Bond's relentless pursuit of Blofeld but there's very little reason given as to why other than his usual diabolical plans which ultimately makes this a great missed opportunity in the eyes of the Bond community. It's then made worse in the final act when the confrontation between Bond and Blofeld was cut for time leaving the film on a very unsatisfying ending. 

Diamonds Are Forever enjoys a few fun moments with the villain's henchmen, the colourful visuals offering a window in time to an older Las Vegas, a more at-ease Connery, the fantastic opening song and John Barry's score but it lacks the excitement of the previous films. It almost works as a guilty pleasure but the 120 minute running time coupled with the disjointed story that lacks much in the way of momentum means this won't be one I'll rush back to.