Director: Irvin Kershner
Year of Release: 1983
Should you watch it? Yes, actually.
Why?
12 years after saying he never would play Bond again, Sean Connery returned to play James Bond one final time. It was only the second James Bond film not produced by Eon; there was some screwy rights issue that allowed someone else to have the rights to Thunderball so they adapted it again but this time with an aging James Bond character. The key to the film being interesting is that it attempts to grapple with the idea of Bond and Connery aging and no longer being able to be what it once was. But then the tension arises when the film cannot help but play the old hits that people associate with Connery and his Bond. It is quite fascinating. The second half of the film really does not follow through on this dynamic setup sadly, but I still would argue it is one of the more fascinating Bonds at bare minimum.
How is the Bond?
Sean Connery actually, at times, gives one of his better performances as Bond. He is particular strong in the action scenes. While he was never one to act insecure in these scenes, Connery goes the extra mile to make him look vulnerable here as the older version of his iconic character. If his shtick became extremely tired in his original run with the character, this performance was certainly more interesting if nothing else.
How is the Bond Woman?
Kim Basinger gets a really weird character to play here. She basically gets caught up in the tension of the film trying to acknowledge that Bond is old but still trying to play the hits. Her and the bad guy are not prominent during the early portion of the film when things were much more entertaining and felt just like very obligatory as a character when she did become prominent.
How is the Bond Villain?
The film made a wise decision to quickly focus on Maximillian Largo instead of Blofeld again. Largo is such a self-obsessed character that it does not even feel like it is just another SPECTRE story – which again, only helps the film. Anyway, Largo will not go down as one of the best Bond villains as his screentime corresponds with the times the film gets less compelling, but he is fine and serviceable.
Does the film irresponsibly present the West as the hero of the world and thus promote imperialism and colonialism as inherently positive?
Yes.
The Reel World 