Never Say Never Again

***Never Say Never Again*** is a 1983 spy film starring Sean Connery and directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel *Thunderball*, which had been previously adapted in a 1965 film under that name. Unlike the majority of Bond films, *Never Say Never Again* was not produced by Eon Productions but by Jack Schwartzman's Taliafilm in association with Kevin McClory, one of the original writers of the *Thunderball* storyline with Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham. McClory retained the filming rights of the novel following a long legal battle dating from the 1960s.

Connery played the role of Bond for the seventh and final time, marking his return to the character 12 years after *Diamonds Are Forever*. The film's title is a reference to Connery's reported declaration in 1971 that he would "never" play that role again. As Connery was 52 at the time of filming, although nearly three years younger than incumbent Bond Roger Moore, the storyline features an aging Bond who is brought back into action to investigate the theft of two nuclear weapons by SPECTRE. Filming locations included France, Spain, the Bahamas and Elstree Studios in the United Kingdom.

*Never Say Never Again* was released by Warner Bros. in October 1983, and opened to positive reviews, with the acting of Connery and Klaus Maria Brandauer singled out for praise as more emotionally resonant than the typical Bond films of the day. The film was a commercial success, grossing $160 million at the box office, although less overall than the Eon-produced *Octopussy* released earlier the same year.

## Plot

After MI6 agent James Bond, 007, fails a routine training exercise, his superior, M, orders Bond to a health clinic outside London to get back into shape. While there, Bond witnesses a mysterious nurse named Fatima Blush giving a sadomasochistic beating to a patient in a nearby room. The man's face is bandaged and after Blush finishes her beating, Bond sees the patient using a machine which scans his eye. Bond is seen by Blush, who sends an assassin, Lippe, to kill him in the clinic gym, but Bond manages to kill Lippe.

Blush and her charge, a United States Air Force pilot named Jack Petachi, are operatives of SPECTRE, a criminal organisation run by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Petachi has undergone an operation on his right eye to make it match the retinal pattern of the US President, which he uses to circumvent iris recognition security at RAF Station Swadley, an American military base in England. While doing so, he replaces the dummy warheads of two AGM-86B cruise missiles with live nuclear warheads; SPECTRE then steals the warheads, intending to extort billions of dollars from NATO governments. Blush murders Petachi by causing his car to crash and explode, covering SPECTRE's tracks.

Foreign Secretary Lord Ambrose orders a reluctant M to reactivate the double-0 section, and Bond is tasked with tracking down the missing weapons. Bond follows a lead to the Bahamas where he meets Domino Petachi, the pilot's sister, and her wealthy lover Maximillian Largo, who is SPECTRE's top agent.

Bond is informed by Nigel Small-Fawcett of the British High Commission that Largo's yacht is now heading for Nice, France. There, Bond joins forces with his French contact Nicole, and his CIA counterpart and friend, Felix Leiter. Bond goes to a health and beauty centre where he poses as an employee and, while giving Domino a massage, is informed by her that Largo is hosting an event at a casino that evening. At the charity event, Largo and Bond play a 3-D video game called *Domination*; the losing player of each turn receives a series of electric shocks of increasing intensity in proportion to the amount wagered. After losing a few games, Bond ultimately wins. While dancing with Domino, Bond informs her that her brother had been killed on Largo's orders. Bond returns to his villa to find Nicole dead, face down on a water bed having been killed by Blush. After a vehicle chase on his Q-branch motorbike, Bond finds himself in an ambush and is eventually captured by Blush. She admits that she is impressed with him, and forces Bond to declare in writing that she is his "Number One" sexual partner. Bond distracts her with promises, then uses his Q-branch-issue fountain pen gun to kill Blush with an explosive dart.

Bond and Leiter attempt to board Largo's motor yacht, the *Flying Saucer*, in search of the missing nuclear warheads. Bond finds Domino. He attempts to make Largo jealous by kissing Domino in front of a two-way mirror. Largo becomes enraged, traps Bond and takes him and Domino to Palmyra, Largo's base of operations in North Africa. Largo coldly punishes Domino for her betrayal by selling her to some passing Arabs. Bond subsequently escapes from his prison and rescues her.

Domino and Bond reunite with Leiter on a U.S. Navy submarine and track Largo to a location known as the Tears of Allah, below a desert oasis on the Ethiopian coast. Bond and Leiter infiltrate the underground facility and a gun battle erupts between Leiter's team and Largo's men in the temple. In the confusion, Largo makes a getaway with the second of the warheads, the first already defused in Washington, D.C. Bond catches and fights Largo underwater. Just as Largo tries to use a spear gun to shoot Bond, he is shot with a spear gun by Domino, taking revenge for her brother's death. Bond then defuses the nuclear bomb underwater, saving the world. Bond retires from duty and returns to the Bahamas with Domino, vowing never again to be a secret agent.

## Cast

* Sean Connery as James Bond, MI6 agent 007.
* Klaus Maria Brandauer as Maximillian Largo, a billionaire businessman and SPECTRE Number 1, SPECTRE's senior-most agent. He is based on the character Emilio Largo in *Thunderball*
* Max von Sydow as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE.
* Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush; SPECTRE Number 12, assigned to hunt down and kill Bond. She is based on Fiona Volpe in *Thunderball*
* Kim Basinger as Domino Petachi, sister of Jack Petachi and girlfriend/mistress of Maximillian Largo. The surname was changed to Petrescu for the Italian release of the film.
* Bernie Casey as Felix Leiter, Bond's CIA contact and friend.
* Alec McCowen as "Q" Algy (Algernon), Double-0 section Quartermaster who issues specialised equipment to Bond.
* Edward Fox as "M", Bond's superior at MI6.
* Pamela Salem as Miss Moneypenny, M's secretary.
* Rowan Atkinson as Nigel Small-Fawcett, Foreign Office representative in the Bahamas.
* Valerie Leon as Lady in Bahamas, whom Bond seduces.
* Milow Kirek as Dr. Kovacs, a nuclear physicist working for SPECTRE.
* Pat Roach as Lippe, a SPECTRE assassin who tries to kill Bond at the clinic.
* Anthony Sharp as Lord Ambrose, Foreign Secretary who orders M to reactivate the Double-0 section.
* Prunella Gee as Nurse Patricia Fearing, a physiotherapist at the clinic.
* Gavan O'Herlihy as Captain Jack Petachi, a USAF pilot used by SPECTRE to steal the nuclear missiles, and Domino Petachi's brother.

## Production

*Never Say Never Again* had its origins in the early 1960s, following the controversy over the 1961 *Thunderball* novel.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Fleming had worked with independent producer Kevin McClory and scriptwriter Jack Whittingham on a script for a potential *Bond* film, to be called *Longitude 78 West*, which was subsequently abandoned because of the costs involved.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Fleming, "always reluctant to let a good idea lie idle",**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** turned this into the novel *Thunderball*, for which he did not credit either McClory or Whittingham;**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** McClory then took Fleming to the High Court in London for breach of copyright**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** and the matter was settled in 1963. After Eon Productions started producing the *Bond* films, it subsequently made a deal with McClory, who would produce *Thunderball*, and then not make any further version of the novel for a period of ten years following the release of the Eon-produced version in 1965.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

In the mid-1970s McClory again started working on a project to bring a *Thunderball* adaptation to production and, with the working title *Warhead*, he brought writer Len Deighton together with Sean Connery to work on a script.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** The script ran into difficulties after accusations from Danjaq and United Artists that the project had gone beyond copyright restrictions, which confined McClory to a film based on the *Thunderball* novel only, and once again the project was deferred.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

Towards the end of the 1970s developments were reported on the project under the name *James Bond of the Secret Service*,**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** but when producer Jack Schwartzman became involved and cleared a number of the legal issues that still surrounded the project**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** he brought on board scriptwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** to work on the screenplay. Connery was unhappy with some aspects of the work and asked Tom Mankiewicz, who had rewritten *Diamonds Are Forever*, to work on the script; however, Mankiewicz declined as he felt he was under a moral obligation to Eon's Albert R. Broccoli.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Connery then hired British television writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais to undertake re-writes, although they went uncredited for their efforts despite much of the final shooting script being theirs. This was because of a restriction by the Writers Guild of America.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

The film underwent one final change in title: after Connery had finished filming *Diamonds Are Forever* he had pledged that he would "never" play Bond again.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Connery's wife, Micheline, suggested the title *Never Say Never Again*, referring to her husband's vow and the producers acknowledged her contribution by listing on the end credits "Title "Never Say Never Again" by: Micheline Connery". A final attempt by Fleming's trustees to block the film was made in the High Court in London in the spring of 1983, but this was thrown out by the court and *Never Say Never Again* was permitted to proceed.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

### Cast and crew

When producer Kevin McClory had first planned the film in 1964, he held initial talks with Richard Burton for the part of Bond, although the project came to nothing because of the legal issues involved. When the *Warhead* project was launched in the late 1970s, a number of actors were mentioned in the trade press, including Orson Welles for the part of Blofeld, Trevor Howard to play M and Richard Attenborough as director.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

In 1978, the working title *James Bond of the Secret Service* was being used and Connery was in the frame once again, potentially going head-to-head with the next Eon *Bond* film, *Moonraker*. By 1980, with legal issues again causing the project to flounder,**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Connery thought himself unlikely to play the role, as he stated in an interview in the *Sunday Express*: "when I first worked on the script with Len I had no thought of actually being in the film". When producer Jack Schwartzman became involved, he asked Connery to play Bond; Connery agreed, negotiating a fee of $3 million ($Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation-year dollarsTemplate:Inflation-fn), casting and script approval, and a percentage of the profits.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Subsequent to Connery reprising the role, the script has several references to Bond's advancing years – playing on Connery being 52 at the time of filming**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** – and academic Jeremy Black has pointed out that there are other aspects of age and disillusionment in the film, such as the Shrubland's porter referring to Bond's car ("They don't make them like that anymore."), the new M having no use for the 00 section and Q with his reduced budgets.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

For the main villain in the film, Maximillian Largo, Connery suggested Klaus Maria Brandauer, the lead of the 1981 Academy Award-winning Hungarian film *Mephisto*.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Through the same route came Max von Sydow as Ernst Stavro Blofeld,**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** although he still retained his Eon-originated white cat in the film.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** For the femme fatale, director Irvin Kershner selected former model and *Playboy* cover girl Barbara Carrera to play Fatima Blush – the name coming from one of the early scripts of *Thunderball*.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Carrera's performance as Fatima Blush earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, which she lost to Cher for her role in *Silkwood*.
Micheline Connery, Sean's wife, had met up-and-coming actress Kim Basinger at a hotel in London and suggested her to Connery, which he agreed upon, after Dalila Di Lazzaro refused the Domino role. For the role of Felix Leiter, Connery spoke with Bernie Casey, saying that as the Leiter role was never remembered by audiences, using a black Leiter might make him more memorable.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Others cast included comedian Rowan Atkinson, who parodied Bond in his role of *Johnny English* twenty years later.

Former Eon Productions' editor and director of *On Her Majesty's Secret Service*, Peter R. Hunt, was approached to direct the film but declined due to his previous work with Eon. Irvin Kershner, who had previously worked with Connery on *A Fine Madness* (1966), and had achieved success in 1980 with *The Empire Strikes Back* was then hired. A number of the crew from the 1981 film *Raiders of the Lost Ark* were also appointed, including first assistant director David Tomblin, director of photography Douglas Slocombe, second unit director Mickey Moore and production designers Philip Harrison and Stephen Grimes.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).****Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

### Filming

 File:Kingdom 5KR.jpg
Filming for *Never Say Never Again* began on 27 September 1982 on the French Riviera for two months**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** before moving to Nassau, the Bahamas in mid-November**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** where filming took place at Clifton Pier, which was also one of the locations used in *Thunderball*.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Largo's Palmyran fortress was actually historic Fort Carré in Antibes.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Largo's ship, the *Flying Saucer*, was portrayed by the yacht *Kingdom 5KR*, then owned by Saudi billionaire Adnan Khashoggi and called the *Nabila*. Principal photography finished at Elstree Studios where interior shots were filmed.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Elstree also housed the Tears of Allah underwater cavern, which took three months to construct.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Most of the filming was completed in the spring of 1983, although there was some additional shooting during the summer of 1983.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

Production on the film was troubled,**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** with Connery taking on many of the production duties with assistant director David Tomblin.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Director Irvin Kershner was critical of producer Jack Schwartzman, saying that, while he was a good businessman, "he didn't have the experience of a film producer".**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** After the production ran out of money, Schwartzman had to fund further production out of his own pocket and later admitted he had underestimated the amount the film would cost to make.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** There was tension on set between Schwartzman and Connery, who at times barely spoke to each other. Connery was unimpressed with the perceived lack of professionalism behind the scenes and was on record as saying that the whole production was a "bloody Mickey Mouse operation!"

Steven Seagal, who was a martial arts instructor for this film, broke Connery's wrist while training. On an episode of *The Tonight Show with Jay Leno*, Connery revealed he did not know his wrist was broken until over a decade later.

### Music

James Horner was both Kershner's and Schwartzman's first choice to compose the score after being impressed with his work on *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan*. Horner, who worked in London for most of the time, wound up unavailable according to Kershner, though Schwartzman later claimed Sean Connery vetoed the American. Frequent Bond composer John Barry was invited, but declined out of loyalty to Eon. The music for *Never Say Never Again* was written by Michel Legrand, who composed a score similar to his work as a jazz pianist. The score has been criticised as "anachronistic and misjudged",**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** "bizarrely intermittent"**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** and "the most disappointing feature of the film".**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Legrand also wrote the main theme "Never Say Never Again", which featured lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman — who had also worked with Legrand on the Academy Award-winning song "The Windmills of Your Mind"—and was performed by Lani Hall**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** after Bonnie Tyler, who disliked the song, had reluctantly declined.

Phyllis Hyman also recorded a potential theme song, written by Stephen Forsyth and Jim Ryan, but the song—an unsolicited submission—was passed over given Legrand's contractual obligations with the music.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

### Legal substitutions

 File:Never Say Never Again 0001.jpg
Many of the elements of the Eon-produced Bond films were not present in *Never Say Never Again* for legal reasons. These included the gun barrel sequence, where a screen full of 007 symbols appeared instead, and similarly there was no "James Bond Theme" to use, although no effort was made to supply another tune.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** A pre-credits sequence was filmed but not used;**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** instead the film opens with the credits run over the top of the opening sequence of Bond on a training mission.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

## Release and reception

*Never Say Never Again* opened on 7 October 1983 in 1,550 theatres grossing an October record $10,958,157 over the four-day Columbus Day weekend which was reported to be "the best opening record of any James Bond film" up to that point surpassing *Octopussy*'s $8.9 million from June that year. The film had its UK premiere at the Warner West End cinema in Leicester Square on 14 December 1983.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Worldwide, *Never Say Never Again* grossed $160 million, which was a solid return on the budget of $36 million. The film ultimately earned less than *Octopussy* which grossed $187.5 million.

Warner Bros. released *Never Say Never Again* on VHS and Betamax in 1984, and on laserdisc in 1995. After Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer purchased the distribution rights in 1997 (see Legacy, below), the company has released the film on both VHS and DVD in 2001, and on Blu-ray in 2009.

### Contemporary reviews

*Never Say Never Again* was broadly welcomed and praised by the critics: Ian Christie, writing in the *Daily Express*, said that *Never Say Never Again* was "one of the better Bonds", finding the film "superbly witty and entertaining, ... the dialogue is crisp and the fight scenes imaginative." Christie also thought that "Connery has lost none of his charm and, if anything, is more appealing than ever as the stylish resolute hero." David Robinson, writing in *The Times* also concentrated on Connery, saying that: "Connery ... is back, looking hardly a day older or thicker, and still outclassing every other exponent of the role, in the goodnatured throwaway with which he parries all the sex and violence on the way". For Robinson, the presence of Connery and Klaus Maria Brandauer as Maximillian Largo "very nearly make it all worthwhile." The reviewer for *Time Out* summed up *Never Say Never Again* saying "The action's good, the photography excellent, the sets decent; but the real clincher is the fact that Bond is once more played by a man with the right stuff."

Derek Malcolm in *The Guardian* showed himself to be a fan of Connery's Bond, saying the film contains "the best Bond in the business", but nevertheless did not find *Never Say Never Again* any more enjoyable than the recently released *Octopussy* (starring Roger Moore), or "that either of them came very near to matching *Dr. No* or *From Russia with Love*." Malcolm's main issue with the film was that he had a "feeling that a constant struggle was going on between a desire to make a huge box-office success and the effort to make character as important as stunts." Malcolm summed up that "the mix remains obstinately the same – up to scratch but not surpassing it." Writing in *The Observer*, Philip French noted that "this curiously muted film ends up making no contribution of its own and inviting damaging comparisons with the original, hyper-confident *Thunderball*". French concluded that "like an hour-glass full of damp sand, the picture moves with increasing slowness as it approaches a confused climax in the Persian Gulf."

Writing for *Newsweek*, critic Jack Kroll thought the early part of the film was handled "with wit and style", although he went on to say that the director was "hamstrung by Lorenzo Semple's script". Richard Schickel, writing in *Time* magazine praised the film and its cast. He wrote that Klaus Maria Brandauer's character was "played with silky, neurotic charm", while Barbara Carrera, playing Fatima Blush, "deftly parodies all the fatal femmes who have slithered through Bond's career". Schickel's highest praise was saved for the return of Connery, observing "it is good to see Connery's grave stylishness in this role again. It makes Bond's cynicism and opportunism seem the product of genuine worldliness (and world weariness) as opposed to Roger Moore's mere twirpishness."

Janet Maslin, writing in *The New York Times*, was broadly praising of the film, saying she thought that *Never Say Never Again* "has noticeably more humor and character than the Bond films usually provide. It has a marvelous villain in Largo." Maslin also thought highly of Connery in the role, observing that "in *Never Say Never Again*, the formula is broadened to accommodate an older, seasoned man of much greater stature, and Mr. Connery expertly fills the bill." Writing in *The Washington Post*, Gary Arnold was fulsome in his praise, saying that *Never Say Never Again* is "one of the best James Bond adventure thrillers ever made", going on to say that "this picture is likely to remain a cherished, savory example of commercial filmmaking at its most astute and accomplished." Arnold went further, saying that "*Never Say Never Again* is the best acted Bond picture ever made, because it clearly surpasses any predecessors in the area of inventive and clever character delineation".

The critic for *The Globe and Mail*, Jay Scott, also praised the film, saying that *Never Say Never Again* "may be the only instalment of the long-running series that has been helmed by a first-rate director". According to Scott, the director, with high-quality support cast, resulted in the "classiest of all the Bonds". Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ out of 4 stars, and wrote that *Never Say Never Again*, while consisting of a basic "Bond plot", was different from other Bond films: "For one thing, there's more of a human element in the movie, and it comes from Klaus Maria Brandauer, as Largo." Ebert went on to add, "there was never a Beatles reunion ... but here, by God, is Sean Connery as Sir James Bond. Good work, 007." Gene Siskel of *The Chicago Tribune* also gave the film 3½ out of 4 stars, writing that the film was "one of the best 007 adventures ever made."

Colin Greenland reviewed *Never Say Never Again* for *Imagine* magazine, and stated that "*Never Say Never Again* is a complacent male sexist fantasy, where women can be only *femmes fatales* or passive victims."

### Retrospective reviews

Because *Never Say Never Again* is not an Eon-produced film, it has not been included in a number of subsequent reviews. Norman Wilner of MSN said that 1967's *Casino Royale* and *Never Say Never Again* "exist outside the 'official' continuity, [and] are excluded from this list, just as they're absent from MGM's megabox. But take my word for it; they're both pretty awful". Retrospective reviews of the film remain positive. Rotten Tomatoes sampled 51 critics and judged 69% of the reviews as positive, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make *Never Say Never Again* a watchable retread." The score is still more positive than some of the Eon films, with Rotten Tomatoes ranking *Never Say Never Again* 16th among all Bond films in 2008. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating generally favourable reviews. *Empire* gives the film three of a possible five stars, observing that "Connery was perhaps wise to call it quits the first time round". IGN gave *Never Say Never Again* a score of 5 out of 10, claiming that the film "is more miss than hit". The review also thought that the film was "marred with too many clunky exposition scenes and not enough moments of Bond being Bond".

In 1995 Michael Sauter of *Entertainment Weekly* rated *Never Say Never Again* as the ninth best Bond film to that point, after 17 films had been released. Sauter thought the film "is successful only as a portrait of an over-the-hill superhero." He admitted that "even past his prime, Connery proves that nobody does it better". James Berardinelli, in his review of  *Never Say Never Again*, thinks the re-writing of the *Thunderball* story has led to a film which has "a hokey, jokey feel, [it] is possibly the worst-written Bond script of all". Berardinelli concludes that "it's a major disappointment that, having lured back the original 007, the film makers couldn't offer him something better than this drawn-out, hackneyed story." Critic Danny Peary wrote that "it was great to see Sean Connery return as James Bond after a dozen years".**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** He also thought the supporting cast was good, saying that Klaus Maria Brandauer's Largo was "neurotic, vulnerable ... one of the most complex of Bond's foes"**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** and that Barbara Carrera and Kim Basinger "make lasting impressions."**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).** Peary also wrote that the "film is exotic, well acted, and stylishly directed ... It would be one of the best Bond films if the finale weren't disappointing. When will filmmakers realize that underwater fight scenes don't work because viewers usually can't tell the hero and villain apart and they know doubles are being used?"**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

## Legacy

In the 1990s, McClory announced plans to make another adaptation of the *Thunderball* story starring Timothy Dalton entitled *Warhead 2000 AD*, but the film was eventually scrapped. In 1997 Sony Pictures acquired McClory's rights for an undisclosed amount, and subsequently announced that it intended to make a series of Bond films, as the company also held the rights to *Casino Royale*. This move prompted a round of litigation from MGM, which was settled out-of-court, forcing Sony to give up all claims on Bond; McClory still claimed he would proceed with another Bond film, and continued his case against MGM and Danjaq; On 27 August 2001 the court rejected McClory's suit. McClory died in 2006, MGM's acquisition of the rights to *Casino Royale* finally allowed Eon Productions to make a serious, non-satirical film adaptation of that novel the same year with Daniel Craig as James Bond. Ultimately McClory's heirs sold the *Thunderball* rights to Eon, allowing the company to reintroduce Blofeld to the Eon series in the film *Spectre*.

On 4 December 1997, MGM announced that the company had purchased the rights to *Never Say Never Again* from Schwartzman's company Taliafilm. The company has since handled the release of both the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film.**Lua error in Module:Footnotes at line 53: attempt to index local 'anchor\_id\_list' (a nil value).**

## See also

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* Outline of James Bond

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Never Say Never Again. *Box Office Mojo*. Retrieved on September 20, 2019.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Poliakoff, Keith (2000). "License to Copyright – The Ongoing Dispute Over the Ownership of James Bond". *Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal* (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law) **18**: 387–436. http://www.cardozoaelj.net/issues/00/Poliakoff.pdf. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
3. ↑ La Frenais, Ian (1936–) and Clement, Dick (1937–). *Screenonline*. British Film Institute.
4. ↑ Dick, Sandra. "Eighty big facts you must know about Big Tam", 25 August 2010, p. 20.
5. ↑ "A Rival 007 – It Looks Like Burton", 21 February 1964, p. 13.
6. ↑ Davis, Victor. "Bond versus Bond", 29 July 1978, p. 4.
7. ↑ Mann, Roderick. "Why Sean won't now be back as 007 ...", 23 March 1980, p. 23.
8. ↑ Barbara Carrera. *Official Golden Globe Award Website*. Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
9. ↑ Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. *Official Golden Globe Award Website*. Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
10. ↑ Johnny English. *Penguin Readers Factsheets* (2003).
11. ↑ "Director Peter Hunt – "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"", Retrovision.
12. ↑ Salmans, Sandra. "Lavish Lifestyle of a Wheeler-Dealer", 22 February 1985.
13. ↑ JAMES BOND 007 MAGAZINE | THE BATTLE FOR BOND.
14. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
15. ↑ Jon Burlingame, *The Music of James Bond*, p. 162, 172, 174. Template:ISBN
16. ↑ Bettencourt, Scott (1998). "Bond Back in Action Again". *Film Score Monthly*. http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2006/21\_Dec---Bond\_Back\_In\_Action\_Again\_Part\_Two.asp.
17. ↑ The real James Bond is back, and 007's a winner again "Academy Awards Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
18. ↑ The Bat Segundo Show: Bonnie Tyler (12 September 2008). Tyler also discusses this in the documentary *James Bond's Greatest Hits*.
19. ↑ Hanauer, Joan. "Connery Champ", 18 October 1983.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Never Say Never Again. Nash Information Services, LLC.
21. ↑ Octopussy. *The Numbers*. Nash Information Services, LLC..
22. ↑ James Bond Movies at the Box Office.
23. ↑ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (21 July 1984). "Billboard Videocassette Top 40". *Billboard*: 35. https://books.google.com/books?id=j5I4br0t7cwC&pg=PT35.
24. ↑ McGowan, Chris (19 November 1996). "Home Video: Laser Scans". *Billboard*: 96. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA96.
25. ↑ "Casino Royal and Never Say Never Again". *Film Review* (127). April 2001.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Never Say Never Yet Again (21 January 2009).
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Christie, Ian. "A Hero's Return", 18 December 1988, p. 20.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Robinson, David. "Never Say Never Again (PG)", 16 December 1983, p. 10.
29. ↑ "Never Say Never Again (1983)".
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Malcolm, Derek. "True to his Bond", 15 December 1983, p. 16.
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 French, Philip. "Thunderball recycled", 18 December 1983, p. 31.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Kroll, Jack. "Back in the Bond Business", 10 October 1983, p. 93.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Template:Cite magazine
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Maslin, Janet. "Sean Connery is Seasoned James Bond", 7 October 1983, p. 13.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Arnold, Gary. "'Never': Better Than Ever; Sean Connery Rides Again in the Best of Bonds", 6 October 1983, p. E1.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Scott, Jay. "A first-rate director works wonders: The classiest Bond of all", 7 October 1983.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Ebert, Roger (7 October 1983). Never Say Never Again. rogerebert.com.
38. ↑ Siskel, Gene (07 October 1983). "The real James Bond is back, and 007's a winner again". *The Chicago Tribune*. p. 63. Retrieved 23 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Template:Open access
39. ↑ Greenland, Colin (March 1984). "Film Review". *Imagine* (TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd.) (12): 45.
40. ↑ Norman Wilner. Rating the Spy Game. MSN.
41. ↑ Never Say Never Again (1983). Fandango.
42. ↑ Ryan, Tim (18 November 2008). Total Recall: James Bond Countdown – Find Out Where Quantum of Solace Fits In!. *Rotten Tomatoes*. Flixster.
43. ↑ Never Say Never Again Reviews. CBS Interactive.
44. ↑ Never Say Never Again. *Empire*.[dead link]
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Pirrello, Phil (26 March 2009). Never Say Never Again Blu-ray Review.
46. ↑ Sauter, Michael (1 July 2008). Playing The Bond Market. *Entertainment Weekly*.[dead link]
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Berardinelli, James (1996). Never Say Never Again. ReelViews.
48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Rye, Graham. "Kevin McClory", 7 December 2006.
49. ↑ Elliott, Christopher. "Never say never again when James Bond is involved", 23 October 1997, p. 10.
50. ↑ Shprintz, Janet. "Big Bond-holder", 29 March 1999.
51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 "Reeling through the years", 11 November 2002, p. A15.
52. ↑ Template:Cite press release
53. ↑ DiOrio, Carl. "Mgm, 007 Say 'never' Again", *The Hollywood Reporter*, 4 December 1997.

## Bibliography

Template:Refbegin

* (2001) *Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: the Unofficial James Bond Film Companion*. Batsford Books. ISBN 978-0-7134-8182-2.
* Benson, Raymond (1988). *The James Bond Bedside Companion*. London: Boxtree Ltd. ISBN 1-85283-234-7.
* Black, Jeremy (2004). *Britain Since the Seventies: Politics and Society in the Consumer Age*. Guilford: Biddles Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86189-201-0.
* Black, Jeremy (2005). *The Politics of James Bond: from Fleming's Novel to the Big Screen*. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-6240-9.
* Burlingame, Jon (2012). *The Music of James Bond*. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-986330-3.
* Chancellor, Henry (2005). *James Bond: The Man and His World*. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6815-2.
* Chapman, James (2009). *Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films*. New York: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-515-9.
* Lindner, Christoph (2003). *The James Bond Phenomenon: a Critical Reader*. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-6541-5.
* Macintyre, Ben (2008). *For Yours Eyes Only*. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7475-9527-4.
* (2012) *My Life as a Mankiewicz*. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3605-9.
* Peary, Danny (1986). *Guide for the Film Fanatic*. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-61081-4.
* (1998) *The Essential Bond*. London: Boxtree Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7522-2477-0.
* Pratt, Douglas (2005). *Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!*. London: UNET 2 Corporation. ISBN 978-1-932916-01-0.
* Reeves, Tony (2001). *The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations*. Chicago: A Cappella. ISBN 978-1-55652-432-5.
* Smith, Jim (2002). *Bond Films*. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-7535-0709-4.

## External links

* Never Say Never Again at Wikipedia

* *Never Say Never Again* at James Bond Wiki
* *Never Say Never Again* at the Internet Movie Database
* *Never Say Never Again* at the TCM Movie Database

**Soundtracks:** *Moonraker*