Diamonds Are Forever

British agent James Bond (Sean Connery) investigates a diamond smuggling operation that leads to Las Vegas.

Diamonds are Forever, the seventh film in the long-running James Bond franchise, marked a return for star Sean Connery after George Lazenby, the star of the previous entry, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, made the ill-advised career move of resigning the role after just one film.

Unfortunately, Diamonds are Forever also marks the point in which the Bond franchise officially “jumps the shark” by going so far towards camp as to be laughable, during a sequence in which Connery drives a car balanced on two wheels in order to navigate a narrow alley.

Oddly, this occurred under the watch of director Guy Hamilton, who’d previously directed the series’ best installment up to that point, Goldfinger. But whereas that entry maintained a near perfect balance of spy-thriller and adventure, Diamonds are Forever veers haphazardly between the two, going from a straight smuggling caper to a madcap action comedy and back. The result is a film that’s alternately engaging and groan inducing.

That said, there’s enough good here to warrant a look from Bond fans, whether it be the inspiration for Will Ferrell’s Mustafa character from the Austin Powers films, or Charles Gray’s nice take on Blofeld.

Finally, for fans of Las Vegas, the film serves as something of a time capsule, showing the original Circus Circus casino, as well as Freemont St. prior to the renovations and canopy present today.