Never Say Never Again

Never Say Never Again
by Irvin Kershner

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Movie Reviews of Never Say Never Again

Movie Review: Connery's final Bond film is the most underated Bond film...
Summary: 5 Stars

Now, lets go into a more detailed review of the film itself. The film's plot, similar to "Thunderball"'s, has two nuclear missiles steal from the newly re-appeared SPECTRE (as I like to put it), and blackmails NATO and the UN to hold the world for rensom, if they are not given share of the UN's anual payment from their oil fragment. So the MI6 operations are sending James Bond 007 to clear up the case.

To that matter, I don't think this film is a total REMAKE of "Thunderball", but a some-sort-of-variation of the theme, that happened to follow THUNDERBALL, as well as the other Bond films. The two films are no way similar. NSNA was much more exciting and amzing Bond film, maybe because it was done by others than Broccoli and co. Even thought it's not an original movie either (the plot remains intact with "Thunderball), the film had elements that provided a different take of the theme and thus a differently presented film. This movie marks the re-appearence of the original (and still best) Bond, Sean Connery, thus the return of an edgier 007 (no offence to Moore, but only in LALD, TSWLM and FYYO Moore showed his edge). Here, Bond must use his brain and body to get out of trouble, and not rely only to Q's gadgets (as in most of the Moore's Bond films). Also, there's some kind of aknowledgement of Bond's age, that has never been shown in the EON films. But aside Connery, the supporting cast is brilliant. Klaus Maria Brandauer is excellent as one of the most original villains of the series, Max Largo. Thought it is supposed, as in any remake, to follow the original character's performance, but in this case, Klaus Maria decided to create his own, unique representation of the character. In fact, he acts really different from the original '65 Largo - he acts like a cousin or brother or something like that (meaning he is different). His Largo, even without the characteristic Celi's scar, is far superior. He shows a menacing, intriguing face of the absolute lunatic in every sence of the word, a very dangerous side of evil, gleefully insidious, that when it is "in trouble", he shows his real face, rather than a quite wealthy gentleman, the public mask of his personality. He is the first of the neuro-phychic, realistic modern day villains we see in the present Bond films (such as Alex Travelyan, Frank Sanchez, Renard etc.)- he's a three-dimensional villain in a way that only the few great Eon/Bond supervillains (Goldfinger, Scaramanaga, Zorin) truly are. Compare Brandauer's Largo to the original, or even later bad guys like Drax and Stromberg, and you'll see what I mean. Elegantly nefarious Max Von Sydow, even for his limited on-screen time, certainly ranks as one of the best Blofeld's, and while not the best, he is the only one who actually borrowed the style, charm, charisma and coolness from the novels' Blofeld, giving him an air of danger, polite menace and fear. He had the potential to be the best. Unfortunately, his short appearence doesn't let him to be voted as the best Blofeld, but certainly one of them. Barbara Karrera is, well, the archetype of the femme fatale of the series, and certainly the inspiration of Xenia Onatopp of Goldeneye. Kim Basinger, in the beggining of her carrer, seems to be the most succesfull (on her further carrer, as I note) Bond girl, since she had the oppotunity to expand her carrer aside the Bond femme, unlike other Bond girls. She is blatant, more of pupil of Largo's in the beggining, and, as in ANY Bond movie, she falls inlove with Bond. In fact she is the one to put him on retirement (for awhile, of course). As for the MI6 cast, well, they not be as memorable as the prototypes, but they succeed on creating something unque. Edward Fox is wonderfull as Bill Taner (yes, as Bill Taner, because, for me, as M, he is awful and totally out of character!), he shows the leadership that a chief of stuff must have. Alec McCowen as Q Algy is, for me, exactly what R was in The World Is Not Enough, an inferior officer, and as the original Q is missed in here (propably for a short vacation), he is the temporary head of Q Branch. Anyways, he is wonderfull! Rowan Atkinson (Bean), well, he is the comic relief in this film, and he works it out as the incompitent agent.

The pacing of the movie is fine. Irvin Kershner (the only american director for a Bond film) gives an exciting thrill-ride, and while the script is somewhat flawed (yes, it could have been better), Kershner comes up and makes up for it. The plot is not allowed to "thicken" too much before Bond is allowed to save the world with his usual blend of savoir-faire and (not too much)gratuitous sex and violence. Overall NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN is a class act. In my estimate, Thunderball was really over-the-top because overdone/extended underwater sequences (particularly the battle finale) made the fourth Bond outing a bit "soggy". NSNA is a better picture than Thunderball because it does not try to be an epic. Having Sean Connery back in action was supposed to carry the day as he put this solid 007 adventure through its paces. I think it worked. To fans this "remake" with the real Bond is a "thrilling prospect" that won't let you down and NEVER could...

So, what we have is a very entairtaining Bond film (and certainly one of the best), that needs to be in the canons. For me, the Bond series has two Phases: The first includes the first 14 official Bonds (6 with Connery, 1 with Lazenby and 7 with Moore), and ends with this one as 15th (7th with Connery), and the second Phase started with the last 5 ones (2 with Dalton and 3 with Brosnan-so far). But how can NSNA be accepted in the official series? Well, its simple: Take M, make him Chief of Stuff Bill Taner, who again replaced M, who was again on leave, delete some M references, and take Q Algy and make him the TEMPORARY replacement of the Q Branch ('cause Q is ill here or he is also on leave). Make the film take place in 1986, a little time after A View To A Kill. So, with that way, we'll have the end of the "old ones" era (old ones, meaning Connery, Moore, Maxwell, Lee, and in any cases opening the door for a new generation of Bond, M, Moneypenny etc.), so that the circle would be completed, and to be followed by a new start - The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill, Goldeneye and continue... If you liked my ideas, send me an e-mail to supbat4@hotmail.com and tell me your opinion.

In any cases, this is the most underrated Bond film of the series. What needs to be done for now, is a Special Edition DVD-vhs that will include the open-narrel opening, will re-arrange the training exercise in the beggining as a pre-title sequence, include newly created title sequence with the traditional way, will include some important deleted scenes within the film-not in a deleted scenes section (such deleted scenes as Blofeld's death etc.), and will in any cases improve the picture and sound, and in this case the movie itself, like in the other ones, now that its rights were bought by MGM/UA. As for the current DVD, lets not talk about it. I think it is obvious, how much MGM respects this "really underestimated Bond picture.

Summary of Never Say Never Again