Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow

When two atomic warheads are hijacked by the evil SPECTRE organization, British super-agent James Bond (Sean Connery, in his final performance as 007) jumps into a frantic race to save the world from ...( read more  read more... )nuclear terrorists. With Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer), Blofeld (Max von Sydow) and Fatima (Barbara Carrera) bent on destroying the world, Bond is never far from death in director Irvin Kershner's Golden Globe-nominated action flick.

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49% liked it

46,425 ratings

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64% liked it

33 critics

PG, 2 hrs. 14 min.

Directed by: Irvin Kershner

Release Date: October 7, 1983

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DVD Release Date: October 17, 2000

Stats: 1,250 reviews

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  • September 28, 2009
    Warner Brothers released this non-cannonical James Bond picture the same year Octopussy came out. Connery basically redoes his role from Thunderball.

    This time Brandauer appears as the confident and slightly flamboyant villain Largo. Though top billed von Sydow only appears ...( read more)briefly as Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. Largo's henchwoman is given a new name, Fatima Blush, and played wickedly by Carrera. Basinger is stiff as the dancer Domino, Largo property and Bond's damsel in distress. Bernie Casey is the sixth man to portray Felix Leiter. This was the first time the character was presented as a black man. The movie's lack of budget is most evident in Q's grousing about a lack of funding for his inventions. Actually, McCowen's character is called Algernon, not Q. Fox and Salem get to represent M and Moneypenny. And Rowan Atkinson adds some silliness.

    Due to legal haggling the plot of Thunderball was redone in this film, but I really don't understand why producer Kevin McClory insisted on fighting for this one. In this version Domino's brother has an artificial eye to fool a security system into thinking he is the president of the United States, thereby allowing SPECTRE to get a hold of two atomic warheads. Bond, who appears quite aged in this outing, is still able to keep up physically in fighting the bad guys, in bedding the women, and in slipping in some humorous remarks. The only other thing I care to comment on is the video games. I was not aware that in the 80's arcade video games like Centipede were prevalent in casinos. The scene looks so funny now. And instead of the villain competing with Bond at a high stakes game of cards (in other words engaging in macho posturing), they play a WarGames like video game with joysticks that shock the loser! It's laughable!
  • September 23, 2009
    Never Say Never Again? Don't worry, I wont!
  • March 30, 2009
    What a ballsy film to do! Honestly, this is a James Bond film that doesn't have Monty Newman's theme, the gun barrel sequence, or Desmond Llewelyn. What it does have, back for one last go, is Sean Connery.

    Never Say Never Again is essentially a remake of 1966's Thunderball, whic...( read more)h finds Bond stumbling onto a conspiracy to hijack two nuclear warheads and ransom the world to avoid detonation. Along the way he runs into the femme fatale Fatima Blush (Barbara Carerra) and the innocent victim Domino (Kim Basinger) while trying to stop SPECTRE agent #1 Maximillan Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer).

    This film is really a novelty. It had been 12 years since Connery bowed out in Diamonds Are Forever and he is the main draw of this film. It's played as an older Bond, which is an interesting concept even though we've seen the same story before. This film was Irvin Kershner's follow up the the magnificent Empire Strikes back and even though this film doesn't come close to the perfection of that movie it is still a solid action adventure with a few surprises. It's hokey at times, but Connery proves even at that age he is still James Bond.
  • March 5, 2009
    I am really glad that Sean Connery made this aptly named film, after stating that he wouldn't do another 007 film.
    Never Say Never Again was Connery's first Bond film since 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, when he hung up the spy suit, and was replaced by Roger Moore.
    The story in ...( read more)this film isn't the best. But, it does have Kim Basinger looking beautiful as Bond girl Domino Petachi.
    I am a fan of scuba diving, and I love the water, so that was another element of this film that I enjoyed. Besides, in how many other films do you get to see the leading man make love to a woman, only to have that woman slip a tracking device into his wetsuit for her sonar enabled shark to attack? Classic. I had a little Dr. Evil moment while watching that and had a laugh. "All I wanted was frickin sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads."
    In my opinion Sean Connery is hands down the best and coolest James Bond, the original.
  • November 26, 2008
    Never Say Never Again got its title because Sean Connery had said in the 1970s (shortly after Diamonds Are Forever) that he would "never" do another Bond film. However, in 1983 he was persuaded to return to the role for a one-off special, a remake of his fourth entry Thunderball,...( read more) and his wife rather humorously said to him that in the future he should make a point never to say never again. This film actually came out close to a Roger Moore entry in the series (Octopussy), and although Connery had more admirers as 007 than Moore, it was surprisingly Octopussy that scored a bigger box office hit.

    Connery's Bond is older and more vulnerable than we remember him. His boss, M, doesn't hold him in very high regard and actually suggests that he take some time off in a plush health spa. During his time here, Bond uncovers a strange plot and the further he delves into the mystery the more he discovers. It seems that his old adversaries SPECTRE, fronted by the nefarious Blofeld (Max Von Sydow) have stolen two nuclear warheads which they will detonate if they are not paid an extortionate ransom. Chief overseer of this hideous plan is Emile Largo (Klaus Maria Brandeur), and Bond pursues Largo around the globe in an attempt to stop him, visiting such places as Monte Carlo and North Africa during the course of the mission.

    The music by Michel Legrand is poor by series standards. It sounds rather similar to his music for the sleazy 1981 movie Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid, and is really ill-suited to this Bond production. However, in terms of villains, they've come with a couple of great ones for this film. Largo, as personified by Brandeur, is smooth but deadly, and hench-woman Fatima Blush (the sensual Barbara Carrera) is uncommonly disturbing. Rowan Atkinson also has a fairly good role as a dim-witted agent assigned to "help" Bond. The big action sequences are quite good, especially the horse chase around the North African sea-fortress and the motorbike chase, although some of the underwater moments are tough to understand because it's hard to figure out who is who behind the diving masks.
  • November 13, 2009
    Sean is back with a new director and a vengence.
  • October 11, 2009
    When I watched this I wondered if this title was officially ever part of the James Bond collection because the weirdest thing about Never Say Never Again is...I couldn't find it in the 007 reference guide. I was like, "What, no blood red-shot opening, no trace of the Ja...( read more)mes Bond instrumental theme?" But with its release year the same as Octopussy's, it's still fun to watch, even with Sean Connery being too old to play the good-looking secret agent yet he can still flirt with the women. Here his assignment is to save the world from nuclear terrorists, with Largo, Blofeld, and Fatima bent on destroying the world. And 007 is not far from death due to very good action and fighting sequences. BONUS: In a secondary role that surprised me years before being Mr. Bean (oh my!), Rowan Atkinson makes a memorable appearance here. :)
  • September 8, 2009
    I'm dispointed that connery had anything to do with this crap
  • August 29, 2009
    Never want to see it.
  • August 22, 2009
    Classy James Bond, with all the elements you would want :)

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Ah, yes, James, it is good to have you back again. full review

View more Never Say Never Again reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Never Say Never Again Trivia


  • Although not an official James Bond movie, which film released in 1983 is a remake of Thunderball.  Answer »
  • Sean Connery reprised his role as James Bond in 1983's Never Say Never Again, therefore making himself the first, third and fifth actor to portray James Bond.  Answer »
  • How does James Bond respond to Fatima at the movie "Never say Never Again", when she says "Oh,how reckless of me!I've made you all wet".  Answer »
  • What is the final movie in which Sean Connery portrays British secret agent James Bond on film?  Answer »

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