Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Melvin W

  
  A rather disappointing Sean Connery, James Bond film. Not nearly as good as Thunderball.

• Dean !

  
  A very average Bond outing, thought I had seen it before, but maybe I couldn't remember it. There isn't much of it that stands out? Not up there with the best of them in terms of plot, villains, action, stunts and chases. Watching it now it seems very outdated, you can see… More
  A very average Bond outing, thought I had seen it before, but maybe I couldn't remember it. There isn't much of it that stands out? Not up there with the best of them in terms of plot, villains, action, stunts and chases. Watching it now it seems very outdated, you can see where Austin Powers got most of the jokes from in this. The only real plus was the Tiffany Case character in very little!

• Alexander D

  
  This Bond film has a rather different feel for a good, say, forty minutes of it. Not that that's at all about thing. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER stars Robert Wagner's future wife (Jill St. John) as the lead Bond girl in this "return of Sean Connery" (he makes yet… More
  This Bond film has a rather different feel for a good, say, forty minutes of it. Not that that's at all about thing. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER stars Robert Wagner's future wife (Jill St. John) as the lead Bond girl in this "return of Sean Connery" (he makes yet another return in the non-EON, unofficial 1980s film NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN). But that's not all. Sometimes especially for a 1971 film, this picture emphasizes quite tediously and heavily on the major things that make James Bond who he is: thrills, nudity, talkiness, and, of course, the line, "Bond. James Bond." Overall, this is definitely one of the better Bond films, and it should most surely be viewed "for all eyes...only." (Who cares whether or not that makes any sense?)

• Mike S

  
  Was this a James Bond or Austin Powers movie? Sometimes I couldn't tell the difference, what with all the unintentionally spoof-ish scenes. Like the one where he's driving a funny-looking "moon mobile", getting chased by bad guys on mini-bikes. Or how about the… More
  Was this a James Bond or Austin Powers movie? Sometimes I couldn't tell the difference, what with all the unintentionally spoof-ish scenes. Like the one where he's driving a funny-looking "moon mobile", getting chased by bad guys on mini-bikes. Or how about the scene with the "Bambi" and "Thumper" - two girls who fight off Bond while doing some pointless and out-of-place acrobatics. What the hell were they thinking there? Despite said cheese, however, it's pretty good overall. Just not as classy or memorable as the installments that preceded it.

• AJ V

  
  Just another Bond movie, I caught the last half of this on TV, and I wasn't impressed. I'm not a fan, so I can't say much else.

• Lady D

  
  Whilst the Bond films are progressing in terms of age, stunts and film quality, this has to tbe one of my least favourite missions and found it incredibly drawn out.

• Jeff "

  
  A brief return for Sean Connery in the iconic role he left after You Only Live Twice brings back the traditional Bond elements that were absent from On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Diamonds Are Forever features two of the most politically incorrect Bond villains ever, Mr Kidd… More
  A brief return for Sean Connery in the iconic role he left after You Only Live Twice brings back the traditional Bond elements that were absent from On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Diamonds Are Forever features two of the most politically incorrect Bond villains ever, Mr Kidd and Mr. Wint. These hired assasins who work for none other than Blofeld (under a different name) quip and say one liners after killing a victim. This brings a certain silliness to the film, but these two are cold blooded killers. This film is really a fine return to form and is the perfect end to the Sean Connery era of Bond films.

• Anthony L

  
  ..and ever, and ever, and ever...

• Phil H

  
  One of the best Bond flicks ever, its cheesey as hell and really cliched but it has some of the best action sequences and characters in Bond history. The car park chase and up on two wheel driving stunt, the desert chase between dirt bikes and a lunar buggy, the assassinations by… More
  One of the best Bond flicks ever, its cheesey as hell and really cliched but it has some of the best action sequences and characters in Bond history. The car park chase and up on two wheel driving stunt, the desert chase between dirt bikes and a lunar buggy, the assassinations by the gay assassins Mr Wint and Mr Kidd, Bambi and Thumper kicking Connery's arse, the oil rig battle at the end and a great title song....what more could you ask for? A real scorcher of a Bond flick for Connery's last outing, it has almost too much action and silly set pieces and being set in Vegas adds to its charm too...somehow. You also have a great villain in Blofeld who is really odd and creepy but not too scary haha Plus some henchmen throw a girl out of a Vegas hotel only for her to land in a pool which they didnt know was there LOL

• Chris G

  
  Sean Connery returns for his last OFFICIAL James Bond film that begins as a mediocre smuggling case but slowly becomes yet another plot for world domination. After returning from a holiday that was relaxing, but "satisfying" Bond is sent on a mission to determine the rungs… More
  Sean Connery returns for his last OFFICIAL James Bond film that begins as a mediocre smuggling case but slowly becomes yet another plot for world domination. After returning from a holiday that was relaxing, but "satisfying" Bond is sent on a mission to determine the rungs of a diamond smuggling ring. The mission takes 007 to Holland, Las Vegas, and the middle of the Pacific as the conspiracy grows beyond anyone's wildest imaginations. Connery's last foray as a real Bond is as over the top as the get with him throwing out one liners left and right. Connery is Bond, so it doesn't matter that he's only here for the high pay check. Charles Gray plays Blofeld, which is odd because he was killed as Henderson in You Only Live Twice. He lends something to the Blofeld role not seen before (and we're not talking about hair). Jill St. John is the lead Bond girl Tiffany Case, who is the first attempt at the now thirty five year old idea of making a "different Bond girl (I will discuss that at a later date). She has an attitude, but is still in "Oh James" mode whenever Connery is on screen. And I cannot forget mentioning two of the greatest henchmen ever created: Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. Yes, apparently they are gay. Diamonds are Forever is a downscaled film that even though it has a world domination theme by the end plays like a standard mission that isn't mired in excessive lairs and such. A great Bond and a fitting send off for Connery from the series (unless he comes back as "M". A boy can hope).

• Cassandra M

  
  MASTER PLAN: steal a lot of diamonds to fashion an orbiting super-duper laser to, guess what, blackmail the world! The pre-credits teaser functions as an epilogue to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," with Bond hunting his arch-nemesis, Blofeld, in a quick series of… More
  MASTER PLAN: steal a lot of diamonds to fashion an orbiting super-duper laser to, guess what, blackmail the world! The pre-credits teaser functions as an epilogue to "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," with Bond hunting his arch-nemesis, Blofeld, in a quick series of scenes throughout the world. The filmmakers tried to recapture the best of "Goldfinger" in this one, using the same director and singer Bassey on the credits again. Ending up with even a pale imitation of the best Bonder is not such a bad thing, but it also points to the lack of originality besetting the series by this time. This one probably breaks the record for unusual types of killings, mostly courtesy of gay assassins Wint & Kidd, who go through a bunch of victims very quickly early on. The odd flavor and juxtaposition (detail of diamond smuggling over surreal liquidations) is an attempt to make Bond edgy & relevant now that the seventies began. The danger with all the attempts to be unusual, whether in regard to deaths or chases, is that it dips into a cutesy atmosphere a bit too far. Those fans fond of the seriousness in the previous film would probably not be amused, since it comes across as a dark parody of the usual spy stuff. That being said, Wint & Kidd, who represent the worst excesses of this film, end up as the highlights. From their very first scene in the desert, where they seem to draw inspiration from a scorpion, these two oddballs have the audience guessing on what they would do next - they are goofy, yes, but also lethal - interesting because they are somewhat original. Bond's mission, tracking an involved diamond smuggling operation, takes him briefly to Amsterdam, but he ends up in Las Vegas for most of the story. A subplot involves a missing billionaire, obviously patterned after Howard Hughes, who was still living as a recluse at this time. M and, especially Moneypenny, have less screen time in this one, though Q pops up in an amusing scene testing one of his gizmos on some one-armed bandits (Vegas is no match for Q). Though the scenes in Vegas itself are less exotic than those of most Bond films, the film also makes good use of the surrounding desert terrain and there are numerous grand sets, notably a huge futuristic lab building, complete with tests of a fake moon landing, as well as a house built into the rocks. There is a good auto chase on the streets of Vegas, which has the infamous 'two-wheely' by Bond thru an alley. The two weird assassins pop up every now and then; they even have their own theme score, an eerie yet playful little tune. One of them looks very strange (Smith, a jazz musician with no acting experience), while the other (actor Glover, father of Crispin Glover) looks more normal but has very strange inflections to his speech. Every time they show up, a strange tension surfaces for the viewer. Besides Wint & Kidd, other outrageous foes for Bond include Bambi & Thumper, two wild martial arts girls who nearly knock his teeth in. Their scene has a lot of energy and you won't soon forget them. The story is well-paced for the most part, with less of those slow spots that afflicted many of the later Bonders. However, a couple of deleted scenes with the Plenty character makes things a bit confusing for her character arc. Connery is, of course, several years older since his last Bonder, but he looks pretty much the same as he did in "You Only Live Twice." There may be a hint of grey around the edges and, in his scenes with M, it no longer comes across as 'the old man and the wiseguy kid' repartee, despite their best efforts. But Bond is still the ideal male here and it's still believable that femme fatale Tiffany falls for him by the end. She's a curious mixture of flaky girl and worldly woman, usually flippant in her approach, sort of reflecting the trivial nature of this Bonder, where nothing happening is really of grave import. That's why, when Blofeld's (him again) real plan is revealed, it's a bit out of left field; all of sudden, we see a super laser detonating missiles around the globe and everything has changed into matters of international import. Blofeld, as played by Gray, is more urbane and effeminate than the previous two versions, more attuned to a villain planning world domination, but he's also too civilized, too polite to Bond in the climactic sequence, diffusing his threatening presence. CIA liaison Leiter recalls the non-descript Leiter of "Goldfinger," as well. The climax on that oil rig sea platform in Baja is not very well done, with Blofeld's end especially disappointing (he would not return, except in the teaser of "For Your Eyes Only"). But, the epilogue is excellent. Bond, but not Connery, would return in "Live and Let Die." Bond:8 Villain:7 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen/women:8 Leiter:6 Fights:8 Stunts/Chases:8 Gadgets:6 Auto:7 Locations:6 Pace:8 overall:7

• Derek D

  
  A direct continuation of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Connery reportedly got paid somewhere in the area of $20 million (adjusted for inflation today) to return for one more official Bond movie. He made it a memorable one, too, as Charles Gray, Jill St. John and the… More
  A direct continuation of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Connery reportedly got paid somewhere in the area of $20 million (adjusted for inflation today) to return for one more official Bond movie. He made it a memorable one, too, as Charles Gray, Jill St. John and the sausage-king Jimmy Dean all make this one of the best entries in the series.

• Lenny M

  
  Bond in Vegas? For some reason between the years 1967 and 1971, Connery aged about 15 years.

• Curtis L

  
  Bruce Glover plays a gay henchmen, and bond uses dr. evil as a wrecking ball though a building. Plus Jimmy Dean the sausage guy plays a part and once again, the bond girls are pretty good.

• Mister C

  
  Sean Connery's final outing as Agent 007 takes him to the strips of Las Vegas and matches wits with his arch-nemisis Blofeld.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Amsterdam-Las Vegas holiday is Connery's farewell. with a pair of gay henchmen working for the best Blofeld so far. one of the funniest bond films.

• Lafe F

  
  My favorite James Bond movie! Most of it is set in 70's Las Vegas, where Circus Circus was the biggest theme casino in existence. The movie is cheap, but lots of fun, with a curly-haired girl named Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), deadly martial arts girls named Bambi and Thumper, a… More
  My favorite James Bond movie! Most of it is set in 70's Las Vegas, where Circus Circus was the biggest theme casino in existence. The movie is cheap, but lots of fun, with a curly-haired girl named Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), deadly martial arts girls named Bambi and Thumper, a couple of hilarious gay assassins Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd and their witty banter, an inpenetrable penthouse HQ atop a casino, an oil pipeline escape, a moon-buggy chase, and an explosive oil rig finale. Great fun. I love this flick!

• Aaron N

  
  Plenty O'Toole: Hi, I'm Plenty. James Bond: But of course you are. Plenty O'Toole: Plenty O'Toole. James Bond: Named after your father perhaps? A goofy Bond movie, but fun for the most part. Featuring a goofy plot about diamonds and a gay hitman couple. Connery… More
  Plenty O'Toole: Hi, I'm Plenty. James Bond: But of course you are. Plenty O'Toole: Plenty O'Toole. James Bond: Named after your father perhaps? A goofy Bond movie, but fun for the most part. Featuring a goofy plot about diamonds and a gay hitman couple. Connery does what he can.

• Michael G

  
  The gay hitmen were funny, but that's about it.

• xGary X

  
  An oddity, this one. Sean returned after George Lazenby flopped as 007, and it does have more in common with Roger Moore outings than the decidedly more subtle earlier films. Seans tongue in cheek charisma wins through however, and he can somehow get away with the absurdity of it all… More
  An oddity, this one. Sean returned after George Lazenby flopped as 007, and it does have more in common with Roger Moore outings than the decidedly more subtle earlier films. Seans tongue in cheek charisma wins through however, and he can somehow get away with the absurdity of it all in a way Moore never could.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings