Diamonds Are Forever
Sean Connery made an unexpected (and last-minute) return to the role of James Bond in this 1971 film, which I have always ranked at the bottom of my personal list of favorites in the series. I have resisted writing about it for a long time because I prefer to focus on the films I genuinely enjoy on this blog. However, as I slowly work my way through reviewing the entire Bond franchise, I feel it is finally time to take an in-depth look at Diamonds Are Forever and examine its distinct strengths and weaknesses. Diamonds is a film that arguably saved the series at a critical crossroads. The previous entry, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service , had underperformed for a couple of key reasons. First, Sean Connery had bowed out of the franchise following a grueling shoot on You Only Live Twice . He was replaced by the unknown George Lazenby, who was well-cast physically but simply too inexperienced to carry the weight of a Bond film. Second, audiences had grown accu...