So after OHMSS was poorly received by the critics of the time and made half the money of its predecessor, and Lazenby declined to return, it was clear that the Bond movies needed to get back to their roots to survive. So EON Productions decided to try and recreate their most beloved entry, Goldfinger. They brought back director Guy Hamilton, singer Shirley Bassey, and most surprisingly of all, Sean Connery himself. Famously, he only agreed to do the role for the highest paycheck an actor had ever made at the time. There are some reports that say he then gave all that money to charity, which is at least a heartwarming bit to come out of this cynical move.
And indeed, cynicism is the name of the game with this movie. Rather than the inventiveness and excitement of Goldfinger, Diamonds is clearly being made with all eyes on the box office receipts and expense reports. Rather than the opulent settings of films past, this one settles for the sleazy, dirtier side of Las Vegas. Connery is phoning in his performance again, even if he is a little more energetic than he was in You Only Live Twice. The main Bind Girl, Tiffany Case, starts off as competent but devolves into a bumbling idiot over the course of the film. In a more energetic film, Charles Gray’s Blofeld would have been a fun contrast with his cold hamminess. But unfortunately, here it just feels like one more low-energy performance. For a film this camp, it’s remarkable how little fun the people making it seem to be having.
That’s really the crux of DAF’s problem. No one is having fun in a story that’s meant to be escapist fun. And if they’re not having fun, why should I? It makes for a Bond film that’s a slog to get through and just has nothing to recommend about it. While other Bond films may have more awful parts than this one, they’ll also at least have something good in them. But I simply can’t think of a single positive thing to say about DAF, and that is damning. I don’t know if I’d call this the worst Bond film, but it’s certainly a strong contender.
Film Dragging On Forever
So after OHMSS was poorly received by the critics of the time and made half the money of its predecessor, and Lazenby declined to return, it was clear that the Bond movies needed to get back to their roots to survive. So EON Productions decided to try and recreate their most beloved entry, Goldfinger. They brought back director Guy Hamilton, singer Shirley Bassey, and most surprisingly of all, Sean Connery himself. Famously, he only agreed to do the role for the highest paycheck an actor had ever made at the time. There are some reports that say he then gave all that money to charity, which is at least a heartwarming bit to come out of this cynical move.
And indeed, cynicism is the name of the game with this movie. Rather than the inventiveness and excitement of Goldfinger, Diamonds is clearly being made with all eyes on the box office receipts and expense reports. Rather than the opulent settings of films past, this one settles for the sleazy, dirtier side of Las Vegas. Connery is phoning in his performance again, even if he is a little more energetic than he was in You Only Live Twice. The main Bind Girl, Tiffany Case, starts off as competent but devolves into a bumbling idiot over the course of the film. In a more energetic film, Charles Gray’s Blofeld would have been a fun contrast with his cold hamminess. But unfortunately, here it just feels like one more low-energy performance. For a film this camp, it’s remarkable how little fun the people making it seem to be having.
That’s really the crux of DAF’s problem. No one is having fun in a story that’s meant to be escapist fun. And if they’re not having fun, why should I? It makes for a Bond film that’s a slog to get through and just has nothing to recommend about it. While other Bond films may have more awful parts than this one, they’ll also at least have something good in them. But I simply can’t think of a single positive thing to say about DAF, and that is damning. I don’t know if I’d call this the worst Bond film, but it’s certainly a strong contender.