NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983, UK/USA/West Germany, 134m, PG) ***
Action, Adventure, Thriller
dist. Warner Bros. (USA), Columbia-EMI-Warner (UK); pr co. PSO International / TaliaFilm II Productions / Woodcote; d. Irvin Kershner; w. Lorenzo Semple Jr. (based on a story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham & Ian Fleming); pr. Jack Schwartzman; ph. Douglas Slocombe (Technicolor | 2.39:1); m. Michel Legrand; ed. Ian Crafford; pd. Stephen B. Grimes, Philip Harrison; ad. Leslie Dilley.
cast: Sean Connery (James Bond), Klaus Maria Brandauer (Maximilian Largo), Max von Sydow (Blofeld), Barbara Carrera (Fatima), Kim Basinger (Domino Petachi), Bernie Casey (Leiter), Alec McCowen (‘Q’ Algy), Edward Fox (‘M’), Pamela Salem (Miss Moneypenny), Rowan Atkinson (Small-Fawcett), Valerie Leon (Lady in Bahamas), Milos Kirek (Kovacs), Pat Roach (Lippe), Anthony Sharp (Lord Ambrose), Prunella Gee (Patricia), Gavan O’Herlihy (Jack Petachi), Ronald Pickup (Elliott), Robert Rietty (Italian Minister), Guido Adorni (Italian Minister), Vincent Marzello (Culpepper).
An ageing James Bond (Connery) makes an uncharacteristic mistake during a routine training mission, leading M (Fox) to believe that the legendary British Intelligence spy is now past his prime. M indefinitely suspends Bond from active duty. However, when SPECTRE member Fatima Bush (Carrera) and her fellow terrorists successfully steal two nuclear missiles from the U.S. military, M must reinstate Bond, as he is the only agent who can beat SPECTRE at their own game of espionage. Whilst it is good to see Connery return as 007, this production lacks the style and production values of the official series. There are moments of effective humour, but the action sequences are only adequately handled. Carrera and Brandauer are excellent as the SPECTRE agents but forget Fox as M and Atkinson in an unfunny cameo. Legrand’s score is insipid. Remake of THUNDERBALL (1965).
