Today’s quick review: Diamonds Are Forever. After finally killing his nemesis Blofeld (Charles Gray), British secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) takes on a new mission rooting out an international diamond smuggling operation. Posing as a smuggler, Bond enlists Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), the next link in the chain, to help him trace the diamonds to their destination: Las Vegas and the casino of reclusive millionaire Willard Whyte (Jimmy Dean).
Diamonds Are Forever is a spy adventure and the seventh film in the James Bond franchise. Sean Connery returns after a one-film hiatus for his final outing as Bond in the main series. The movie offers the series’ usual assortment of thrills: daring stunts, unhinged villains, clever gadgets, and beautiful women. However, Diamonds Are Forever lacks the focus of other Bond films, with a disjointed plot that only comes together near the end.
The unusual structure of the movie’s plot comes from the nature of Bond’s investigation. For once, James Bond is tasked with solving an ordinary crime, albeit one of extraordinary scale. The diamond smuggling scheme does end up having a greater purpose than just control over the market, but most of the movie is spent discovering that something unusual is going on at all, in contrast to the clear-cut inciting incidents of, say, Dr. No or Thunderball.
The result is a plot that’s harder to follow than the typical Bond adventure. The complexity of Bond’s investigation leaves the viewer with puzzle pieces that only fit together later on in the film, rather than fitting into place one by one. To the film’s credit, the completed puzzle makes for a fun, coherent Bond adventure, and the individual pieces are memorable. It’s only the way they are put together that leads to some awkwardness.
Diamonds Are Forever does deliver when it comes to spectacle. Unique stunts, an iconic villain, and a variety of locations across Europe and around Las Vegas are all enough to qualify Diamonds Are Forever as a strong action movie. A few of the moments do feel out of place in a Bond movie, trending a little too goofy or a little too far-fetched, but on the whole, the quality, quantity, and variety of the action are all high.
Give Diamonds Are Forever a watch when you’re in the mood for a creative action movie. The movie falls short of Bond’s best thanks to issues with its plot and tone, but what’s there should be more than enough to entertain fans of the series. Skip it if you’re looking for a tightly-scripted mystery. For a Connery Bond movie of roughly similar caliber, try Thunderball or You Only Live Twice.
6.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for strong action held back by slight plot issues.