Mission Summary

A NATO airplane carrying two atomic bombs has been hijacked and seized by the criminal organization SPECTRE. The group demands a ransom of £100 million or the bombs will be used on two undisclosed cities. James Bond (Sean Connery) and every other 00 agent in MI6 is deployed around the world to find the bombs. Bond is sent to the Bahamas, where he tracks Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) with the help of his mistress Domino (Claudine Auger).

Analysis

Rank: 4

After the immense popularity of "Goldfinger," Bond fans could hardly wait for the follow-up. While not quite on the level of the two previous offerings, "Thunderball" is still a great addition to the series, and I believe it is still the highest-grossing film in the series adjusted for inflation. The film includes one of the most ambitious plots and SPECTRE seems to be one step ahead of Bond most of the time. The film is memorable for its underwater sequences, which probably comprise between to one-quarter to one-third of the screen time. Connery is in his typical form, and his female counterparts are the best-looking ensemble of the series.

When most people think of a Bond movie from the '60s, I would say the plot of "Thunderball" is the gold standard: a criminal organization hopes to take advantage of Cold War tensions and play the super powers off each other for world domination. While this incarnation of that formula isn't special, the threat seems more real this time around, as all the 00 agents are deployed for this mission. There is a great scene where all nine agents are seated in a semi-circle as they receive their assignments. However, it takes too long before Bond is on the case, as about 45 minutes is spent showing how SPECTRE pulls off the crime and Bond recovering from an injury at a hospital. Yet once the plot gets going, it keeps a brisk pace and is entertaining throughout.

As I mentioned, the main focus of the action in this film is underwater. For its time, I imagine it was impressive to see a prolonged harpoon battle between Navy SEALs and SPECTRE, but it seems to drag out unnecessarily long at times. In fact, most of the time Bond doesn't even kill his adversaries; he either pulls off their goggles or breathing tubes to incapacitate them. I hate to ruin the ending, but Bond doesn't even kill Largo at the end of the movie. Yet the pre-title sequence is very good, complete with Bond using a jet pack and his Aston Martin to escape.

Connery was settled into the Bond role his fourth time out, delivering his one-liners with incredible ease. This is probably one of his lighter turns as 007, yet it never feels as comical as the Moore days. Largo is a good foil for Bond, and spends a considerable amount of time toying with him. Domino is an interesting character in terms of her relation to the missing airplane and her relationship with Largo, but unfortunately Auger only brings her looks to the table. Rather, it is Luciana Paluzzi who steals the show as the ruthless and beautiful Fiona Volpe. She is by far the best female henchman in terms of her involvement in the plot, looks and acting talent. In fact, it might be the only time Bond sleeps with an evil woman without knowing it.

It's hard to not to like any of the films that have Connery as Bond, and this is no exception. The "east vs. west" plot rears its ugly head once again, but the magnitude of the plot makes it bearable this time around. The Bond women are what make this film memorable, for both their beauty and their heavy involvement in the plot. Underwater battles seem to lack the intensity and drama of fist fights on land, yet they are worth viewing for the magnitude of the scene. It may sound like I didn't like the film, but it's more nit-picking that detracts from an otherwise excellent adventure.