Water, blood, and Tom Jones. Interesting.
Up to this point, our favorite British secret agent has fought to save the American space program, gotten involved with a Soviet agent, and fended off a man obsessed with gold. It’s not a bad resume, but I think it’s fair to say that 1965’s Thunderball raises the stakes quite dramatically. While the film retains the slightly cheesy flair of the franchise, there is a certain something extra to it that makes it so much better than the first three entries.
So, what is it?
There Are Characters Here.
Connery projects an effortless cool in this movie.
For starters, the character development in this film is much better than in Goldfinger.
Sean Connery returns for a fourth outing as 007, and he has a lot more to do in this one. Sure, there are the usual staples like flirting with Moneypenny, a briefing with M, and seducing the babe, but this particular story focuses on the action in a sensible way. He doesn’t have the luxury of sitting around for half of the running time when lives are at stake, and it shows in Connery’s badassery and memorable quips.
Claudine Auger/Nikki van der Zyl and Luciana Paluzzi are quite good as Domino and Fiona Volpe. While some might say that these movies sideline women, I think that these two represent a subtle paradigm shift toward better written and acted female characters. They are not as good or as awful as some of the Bond girls in the Moore era, but they do the job and do it well.
On this go-around, we also get a decent look into the structure of SPECTRE, which is aided by Adolfo Celi and Robert Rietty’s performance as Emilio Largo. I know that some might question the idea that actors need to be dubbed over, but it’s important to remember that such methods were not unheard of throughout the 20th Century. With that said, both actors managed to create a character that is deadly serious and incredibly threatening, which makes him a worthy adversary for Bond.
The Plot Is Somewhat Plausible.
Why must I be surrounded by fricking idiots?!
I know that some of you might question this because of the cheese factor, but think about it for a moment.
After the stinger and opening coincidence, the film splits its focus between Bond and Largo. While James is at a spa for some R&R, a few henchmen are there to kill a French bomber pilot named François Derval (Paul Stassino), assume his identity, and use his credentials to steal an Avro Vulcan that is carrying two nuclear weapons. Bond comes across a part of the plan and Derval’s body, but a rather absurd attempt on his life gives SPECTRE the time they need to take off with their prizes and hold the world ransom for… ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
Okay, it’s actually £100 million. I just wanted to throw that reference in there.
Naturally, the free world doesn’t like to be bossed around, so they organize the titular operation. Bond recognizes that the corpse is Derval, so he requests to be sent to the Bahamas.
And just like that, the adventure begins.
If we put aside the absurdities of these early movies, it doesn’t sound that far fetched, does it? After all, we now know that dozens of nuclear weapons went missing during the Cold War. Therefore, it’s easy to assume that the writers just took a very real fear and attached a sinister conspiracy to it.
In my opinion, Thunderball’s script explores one of the best forms of writing. It’s close enough to reality to be somewhat scary, but entertaining in its own special way.
What’s Wrong With It?
Okay, plastic surgery probably wasn’t that good in the ’60s.
As with any movie, it’s important to recognize the flaws in Thunderball in order to get a full picture of the picture. Most of this story’s flaws can be found in the other movies, but there is one critical issue that shows up in the third act. It wasn’t that important to me, but it could torpedo that part of the film for some viewers.
Spoilers
On one hand, this twist robs the movie of some of the tension that could have been there. On the other, it steers the movie away from repeating a plot point from Goldfinger and adds a pinch of decent characterization.
Make of that what you will.
Conclusion.
This is the best scene in the movie.
Thunderball is one of the best Bond films out there. While a few viewers might criticize the ending twist and some of the cheesiness, the characters are great, the story is somewhat nerve-wracking, and most of its flaws can be brushed aside as ones that are hardcoded into the franchise’s DNA. If you love Bond or just have a thing for spy thrillers, give this movie a shot.
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