How can movies stand the test of time? I really don’t know. But in my mind, this 007 James Bond flick seems to get better with age. There are so many things that I love about this movie. It’s just stunning.
This movie fits the public narrative perfectly. Men watch the movie as escapist entertainment where they can envision themselves in the same role. Shooting bad guys, seducing women, and looking good while going on exciting adventures all over the world, and riding in nice sports cars.
And, it’s true, too. Women feel the same way in the roles that portray the women as well.
Thunderball - this film's undersea battle is still rated among the top ones of all time - but I liked the "moments"- remembering how everyone on campus had a mink glove or access to one, after this film - fun memory. And how many of the "gimmicks" were brand new at the time - the amazing jet pack flying suit is still a topic of conversation and excitement for those who now chase the hoverboard; and then neat "discipline" gimmick for the embezzling Spectre agent #9 - and Domino's brother's lookalike surgery, and the bombs and their robbery, and the famous " Do you mind if my partner rests here for a moment - she'd "Just DEAD" when the villainess is shot by her own men aiming for Bond - and then Domino's " I killed him - I'm glad I killed him" line when she gets Largo . A perfectly perfect take from " you killed him - I'm glad you killed him" quoted from Melanie in Gone with the Wind , to Scarlett, when she shoots the home invading soldier as he tries to harm her - "right between the eyes" as her paw would have taught her. - Elle Shopper Lady
The pre-title credits sequence was set in Paris, France at the funeral of JB (SPECTRE operative No. 6, French Colonel Jacques Bouvar (or Boitier)), who had murdered two agents, Bond’s colleagues.
Bouvar had faked his own death (reportedly passing away in his sleep) and dressed up as his own widow (Rose Alba/Bob Simmons).
After the funeral and aware of the ruse/disguise, James Bond (Sean Connery) hurriedly followed her/him to his French chateau, where he fought and then strangled and broke Bouvar’s neck with a fire-poker (# 1 death, #1 Bond kill).
From the roof, Bond escaped by using his jet-pack rocket belt to fly him to his parked Aston Martin DB5 vehicle nearby, accompanied by French agent Madame La Porte (uncredited Mitsouko). He avoided pursuit by activating his car’s rear armored shield and rear-firing water sprayers.
The high-ranking SPECTRE No. 2 villain, white-haired, black eye-patch-wearing Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), was introduced in Paris, entering the building of the philanthropic International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons.
In a large, secret inner chamber, he met for a debriefing with unseen, ruthless Persian cat-petting SPECTRE No. 1 Ernst Stavro Blofeld (uncredited Anthony Dawson) and other SPECTRE agents – “a dedicated fraternity” of international terrorists.
While I liked "Goldfinger" a little better, "Thunderball" is certainly a solid, entertaining and worthy part of the James Bond franchise. This is especially impressive considering this movie was made over 50 years ago. In "Thunderball", it feels as though the elements of what makes a Bond film a Bond film begin to emerge. While some things strain credulity (by this film, the paradox of James Bond's renown as a secret agent is becoming apparent), "Thunderball" does a nice job of capturing the style of James Bond without completely abandoning a sense of realism. And of course, the Bond women (eg, Domino), exotic locations and cool cars don't hurt when it comes to coaxing an audience into willfully suspending disbelief. - Norman Oro UCLA 93
One of the agents, suspected of embezzlement, was promptly eliminated by electrocution in his chair (# 2 death) and disposed of into a hole in the floor beneath him.
No. 2, in charge of SPECTRE’s “most ambitious” NATO project, reported that his blackmail plan was a ransom demanded from NATO of $280 million/£100 million pounds – his assistant Count Lippe (Guy Doleman) was in the South of England making preparations, at a health clinic named Shrublands, near the NATO air base.
Bond was also at the Shrublands for a rest-cure, receiving a massage from pretty blonde physiotherapist Patricia Fearing (Molly Peters), where he met Lippe and noticed a small, suspicious red tattoo on his left arm (a possible Tong sign – the Red Dragon from Macao).
Bond snuck into Lippe’s room where he found nothing, but was spotted by face-bandaged neighbor Angelo Palazzi (Paul Stassino), reportedly recuperating from a car crash.
During another appointment with Patricia, Bond forced an unappreciated kiss on her.
The title says it all! I've been a James Bond fan for many years, mostly for the Roger Moore films but I do like the Sean Connery films, as well and "THUNDERBALL" is one of them. I love the film for the beautiful scenery since a lot of the movie is filmed in the Bahamas. I also love the beautiful actresses that play in the film, especially Claudine Auger, who plays Domino, the main Bond girl. Boy, is she beautiful, especially when she's in a bikini, underwater, snorkeling or scuba diving. Those scenes made me resume swimming, completely submerged underwater, now with a mask & snorkel. I also like the wonderful acting job of Sean Connery in his 4th film as James Bond as well as the supporting cast. Also, praise goes to the crew on the fantastic job they did in making this film, especially Terence Young in his 3rd & final time directing. Lastly, I love the fantastic underwater battles. To sum it up, this is a terrific movie & I recommend it to every James Bond fan out there because, believe me, you'll enjoy it! - Rob Holly
She strapped him to a motorized traction table (“the rack”) to stretch his spine (she joked: “First time I’ve felt really safe all day”).
After she left, Count Lippe entered and turned the controls to the red danger zone to kill him.
Patricia saved Bond after he passed out. She asked for him to keep silent about the incident – his price for cooperation was her seduction in the Turkish steam bath room (# 1 tryst).
To retaliate, Bond sabotaged Lippe’s steam-bath cabinet and trapped him inside. In his room, Bond rubbed a soft black mink glove over the naked back of now sexually-liberated Patricia (# 2 tryst).
Meanwhile, NATO’s French pilot Major Francois Derval (Paul Stassino) was being seduced by voluptuous, red-haired ‘black widow’ mistress – a SPECTRE agent named Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi).
When he was leaving for the airbase, a look-alike Major Derval was outside his door, and sprayed him with lethal gamma gas (# 3 death).
The look-alike was SPECTRE agent Angelo, who had undergone plastic surgeries over two years to face-replicate and impersonate Derval.
He had also studied films, reports, and taken voice lessons.
He greedily demanded (or extorted) $250,000 rather than $100,000 to complete the task.
He appropriated Derval’s watch, ID disk, and bag, and departed for a training sortie at the NATO air base.
This is my favorite Sean Connery Bond film. Thunderball is loaded with style, slick action, great stunts, beautiful scenery, beautiful women, and Sean Connery. This film continued the practice of great opening action sequence, a 'larger-than-life' villain in Largo/ AKA No. 2 (Adolfo Celi), a collection of vicious henchmen and woman - Count Lippe, Fiona, Vargas and Janni (played by Guy Doleman, Luciana Paluzzi, Philip Locke and Michael Brennan), an elaborate plot and a beautiful leading lady (Claudine Auger who plays Domino) Bob Simmons, the main Bond stuntman opens the film as the villainous aCol. Jacques Bouvar AKA SPECTRE No. 6 who is dispatched by Bond. The scape by jetpack sets the stage for the great action film that follows. Largo and SPECTRE have downed a UN Vulcan fighter and stolen two nuclear warheads and hidden them in the Caribbean. Bond must intervene before the UN pays a ransom to SPECTRE. Along the way, Bond romances, fights on land and underwater, and finally squares off on a hydrofoil. The one change here is that the villain is not killed by Bond - someone else (Domino)does that that favor. The cast of British actors (Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell) return as the MI-6 crew with Rik Van Nutter playing Felix Leiter in this film. The hi-lights of this film include the incredible underwater photography and action sequences, the villainous and voluptuous Fiona, the Vulcan crash and cover-up, and the incredible fight on the hydro-foil, the Disco Volante. There are two quintessential Bond scenes: SPECTRE's HQ and MI-6' briefing room which are a treat for all Bond fans. This loud, action-filled and very entertaining Bond film raised the level that future Bond films would have to meet. This one is great! - Jaime Contreras
“Derval” commanded a routine NATO flight of a Vulcan jet bomber at 45,000 feet, armed with two atomic bombs (MOS type).
As the noisy plane took off, Bond was still seducing Patricia with the mink glove, although they were interrupted when Bond left to snoop on Count Lippe – who was supervising the return of Derval’s corpse (face-bandaged to look like Angelo) in an ambulance back to Shrublands (it was later claimed that “Angelo” died of a heart-attack).
Bond unwrapped the corpse’s facial bandages, and then avoided a second attempt on his life by one of Lippe’s henchmen.
During the NATO flight, “Derval” took the co-pilot’s seat, gassed five other crew members with the lethal gamma gas canister (while wearing a separate oxygen supply/mask) (# 4-8 deaths), and deliberately crash-landed the plane near the Bahamas in the Caribbean.
Nearby, on his luxury hydrofoil yacht the Disco Volante (Flying Saucer), Emilio Largo ordered underwater lights switched on to guide the plane to its proper landing strip location, where it gently sank to the bottom.
Wearing scuba gear, Largo swam to the submerged plane, and cut “Derval’s” air-supply hose to drown him (# 9 death) (punishing him for his extortion demand), when he was trapped in his seat-belt.
From an underwater hatch, three of Largo’s henchmen took a submersible craft to the NATO jet to unload and transport the two massive thermonuclear weapons back to the yacht, and then covered the jet with a camouflage net to hide it.
We just recently decided to delve into the Sean Connery James Bond films. We went into Thunderball appreciating that it was a landmark film in terms of cinematography for the time; it's the only film I've seen that outdoes 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in terms of underwater choreography. We also knew that Thunderball wasn't on any top ten Bond films lists so we didn't expect too much from it, aside from entertainment. It certainly delivered in that department and we were swept away in an undersea adventure that was tastefully and masterfully executed. I particularly enjoyed that Domino had a bit more complexity than the standard Bond girl. It's not one of the best of the Connery era but it's certainly a great entry and far, far better than the campy nightmares that the Roger Moore films became. Even though many people site Goldfinger as the best Bond film of all time, I actually enjoyed this one a bit more. - ashbwell
As the yacht returned to its base in the Bahamas, SPECTRE No. 1 ordered the execution of Count Lippe.
Bond was summoned away (to London), and bid goodbye to Patricia, promising to reunite with her “another time, another place.”
As he drove off, he was followed by Lippe – SPECTRE assassin Fiona also rode behind them on a rocket-firing BSA Lightning motorcycle. She fired two deadly missiles at Lippe’s car, which exploded and crashed, killing him (# 10 death), and then submerged her bike in a nearby lake.
In the British Secret Service conference room in an important briefing held by “M” (Bernard Lee), with nine 00- agents in attendance (including Bond), the group was told about recent troubling developments regarding SPECTRE’s possession of two NATO bombs.
A ransom of £100 million pounds sterling was demanded of the British government within seven days – otherwise, SPECTRE threatened to destroy an unspecified major city in either England or the United States (later revealed to be Miami).
To signal their cooperation with the ransom, the Big Ben clock was to strike 7 times at 6 pm the following day.
The problem was that there was no indication about where the Vulcan jet had crashed or landed.
There is only one 007, and that is the Scottish actor, Sean Connery. Seeing this one again over the summer was wild and wooly. Yes, they made movies a bit differently in the early 60's, but that's ok. With 'Thunderball' you get what you paid for. Relentless action, supercool locations(Bermuda/Virgin Islands) and ultra sexy 'Bond Girls'. Alot of the action scenes toward the end are all underwater. Connery has fun with this installment, as the series was still new at the time. Who can forget the 'shark scene'? This is first class entertainment, and far from 'politically correct.' Everyone who is cool in the film smokes and drinks, as well. Connery appeared in a total of 7 Bond movies. This one was so good, they re-made it in 1983 and called it "Never Say Never Again"! True Bond fans will rank this one high on their list. So sit back, crack open a cold one and watch the remastered version on your flatscreen. You will not be disapointed! - metalhead Ted
The mission, code-named “Thunderball,” was to work with NATO, the CIA, and all allied intelligence units.
In the briefing packet was a picture of Derval with his sister Dominique in Nassau, Bahamas. Bond was specifically assigned to Station C (Canada), although he requested that his assignment be changed to Nassau.
Bond claimed that he saw the dead pilot Derval at Shrublands (although the situation was confused because Derval was also seen boarding the Vulcan), and he wanted to interrogate Derval’s sister Dominique, presently in Nassau.
With only four days to complete his mission, Bond quickly flew there.
While free-diving near Dominique “Domino” Derval (former Miss France Claudine Auger), Bond saved her from drowning when her flipper was caught in coral.
Bond and his own local dive assistant, bikinied native Bahamian Paula Caplan (Martine Beswick), faked a conked-out motor and Bond asked Domino for a lift to Coral Harbor, where he invited her for lunch by the pool.
The film is different from the recent Bond films, but they are from a different era and cannot be compared. Sean Connery is absolutely charming and charismatic. Daniel Craig is equally perfect for the modern 007 roles. I love 60's cinema, the 70's less so, and the 80's just kinda stunk. It's film's like this that make me love the 60's. There are certain special effects that are available for modern film that weren't around then. There is a scene where Bond is escaping with a rocket backpack and you can actually see the supporting cables. This does not take away from the movie. I won't give away any plot points, but Sean Connery is what really makes this movie special. I admit to Daniel Craig being my favorite 007 agent, but Connery comes in as a close second. If you can tear yourself away from modern effects and try to appreciate this film (and the others) for what they are, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. - J.AllenTop Contributor: Poker
He learned that she was the bored, love-starved mistress/kept woman (“niece”) of a possessive “guardian” (Emilio Largo) who owned a yacht and an opulent estate on the island.
He knew her nickname was “Domino” – observed on a bracelet on her ankle.
At a party that evening in a casino, attended by Bond, Domino, and Largo, Bond challenged the villain to a game of cards (with raised stakes to 500 pounds) and won, then briefly shared a drink and dance with Domino, before Largo interrupted and invited Bond to dinner at Sunday noon at his private beachside villa-estate in Palmyra.
The next day, Bond was returning to his hotel room (#304), but avoided directly entering, and came through Paula’s adjoining room (#306) instead.
He listened to a tape recording, hidden in a hollowed-out Nassau Directory.
It had recorded someone’s entry into his room.
With a silencer in his hand, he answered a knock on the door from CIA agent Felix Leiter (Rik Van Nutter), punched him in the stomach to quiet him before he said 007, and also roughly dealt with Largo’s henchman Quist (Bill Cummings) – scalding him in his bathroom shower before sending the disarmed assassin back to his superior.
I fondly remember this movie when seeing all the James Bond -Sean Connery movies for free with my brothers up in the above theater balcony with special seating as my father held a second job during that decade (1960's and early parts of the 70's) as the Motion Picture Machine Operator.I was pretty young though at the time (just 7 years of age).Dad was also a Commander too in the long past before I was born just like James Bond. I especially liked the C.I.A. Fulton equipped B-17 Flying Fortress 44-85531 in the movie and pointed that out to father after watching it on cable television with him a few years before he passed away in 2004 as he was an Aircraft Commander/Pilot of the B-17's during World War II.Sean Connery as James Bond was a character that my father and I too adored. To me Sean Connery is James Bond and no other actor replaces him as that for me. Seeing this again brings me back to happier times. The DVD was shipped quickly and it plays well. - x9078ljk4+
At Palmyra, a disgusted Largo ordered Quist – after his failed mission – to be thrown into a swimming pool containing sharks (# 11 death).
Bond met with local MI6 ally-contact Pinder (Earl Cameron) and was taken to a base of operations behind a marketplace, where “Q” (Desmond Llewelyn) provided him with the latest multi-purpose gadgets, many for underwater use.
In approximately 55 hours, the British government was planning to drop the “blood money” ransom (off the coast of Burma) in the form of blue-white diamonds worth £100 million pounds.
At night, Bond donned scuba gear and swam under Largo’s yacht — where one of Largo’s sentry-frogmen discovered him and fired a spear-gun.
Largo watched Bond struggle underwater, after turning on lights and activating closed-circuit video cameras, and saw that Bond cut the man’s air-hose.
Largo ordered hand-grenades dropped on him as Bond was taking photos of the hull of the boat (with his infra-red camera).
Bond was stunned, but escaped unharmed, and evaded a search-boat – letting them think he had been killed by its propeller.
After he came ashore, he hitchhiked and was picked up by Fiona Volpe (wearing a ring with an Octopus symbol, similar to the one worn by Largo) in a light blue Mustang and speedily driven at 100 mph back to his Nassau hotel.
The photos were developed at Pinder’s base, revealing an underwater hatch beneath Largo’s yacht.
Bond guessed that Largo’s entire operation was concealed underwater, and that the Vulcan plane was submerged.
Another excellent James Bond film looking at men of international crime. A very realistic villain emerges here in this fourth James Bond film. Bond's crime nemesis Emilio Largo has a seaside home in Nassau out of which he runs a nuclear weapons theft operation. His small crew are able to conceal the warheads easily, and almost escaped detection if it weren't for Bond's excellent tracking instinct and bravery. True to the 007 film franchise formula, this movie has all the gizmos and equipment that 1950's and 60's Westerners were convinced would be in high demand such as hydrofoils and jetpacks and that sort of thing. Unfortunately the jetpack has fallen into disfavor as a mainstream idea. Though a lot of the tech in Thunderball has fallen into disfavor, still it was very cool nonetheless to journey back through the era before I was born and see how people embraced the future. In summary, this 007 movie follows on the heels of other excellent ones that set the bar very high. Also, the underwater photography and ensuing action sequences are really excellent, which adds immensely to the enjoyment of the move. I would consider watching this again after a short time just for the shocking diving action sequences the end of the film alone. However, there are other aspects of this movie that kept my attention as well, such as the feeling that Ian Fleming's work inspires us not to underestimate the deviousness and creativity of criminal minds. Though we sent a man to the moon, and are optimists by nature, the plot stays grounded in the reality that Bond almost doesn't prevail at several junctures against a nuclear madman. To Fleming, Broccoli, and Saltzman's credit, they seem to convey an important subtlety well: though the MI6 team thought failure was unimaginable, it also doesn't mean mission accomplishment was guaranteed, or failure is impossible. - Aye Aye Captain!
The next day (Sunday), a search by helicopter for the missing plane near Nassau was unfruitful.
While shooting skeets at Largo’s oceanside villa of Palmyra, Fiona vowed to assassinate Bond when the time was right: “I shall kill him.”
Later that day as a guest at Largo’s villa for lunch, Bond was shown around and also shot skeets.
Largo bragged about his pool with Golden Grotto sharks (“the most savage, the most dangerous”). Because he was busy, Largo also invited Domino to accompany Bond to the Junkanoo, the “local Mardi Gras” that evening, to keep him occupied.
Meanwhile, in her hotel room waiting for Bond, Paula was chloroformed and abducted by Largo’s goons (and Fiona).
The assassinatrix noticed Bond’s photos of the yacht’s hull. During the Junkanoo celebration that night, after learning that Paula had disappeared, Bond snuck away (Leiter kept Domino occupied) and infiltrated Palmyra, at the same time that Pinder had requested a power blackout to cut the electricity.
He located Paula being questioned by Largo’s silent, sadistic black-dressed henchman Vargas (Philip Locke) in an underground room.
Thunderball is one of the best of the James Bond movies. Although it was filmed in the 1965, the technology and action scenes still look good 50 years later (I bought the DVD in 2017). In this film James Bond is played by Sean Connery, who I think did the best portrayal of Bond. The plot revolves around the stealing of nuclear bombs by Spectre, the nefarious group that opposes Bond in several other of the films. The underwater fight sequences are spectacular – even recent films have trouble topping them. The Bond girl in this movie is played by actress Claudine Auger; excellent casting. A classic Bond film throughout; much better than many of the other Bond films. I think Thunderball and Goldfinger are among the best two Bond films made. - Lee Gimenez
When Bond attempted to rescue her, he was too late – she had already heroically committed suicide by self-administering a cyanide capsule (# 12 death).
As Bond fled, he shot one of Largo’s men (# 13 death, # 2 Bond kill) to get the group to shoot at each other, and engaged in a fist-fight with one of the men.
The two fell into a second swimming pool (Largo deployed the metal pool cover, and then opened a tunnel hatch to the other shark pool).
Bond stabbed his opponent in the gut (his bloody wound soon attracted the hungry sharks and he was consumed) (# 14 death), and then swam through the tunnel to narrowly escape.
After contacting Pinder and being driven back to his hotel, Bond found Fiona naked in the bathtub of Paula’s vacated room.
After making love with the “wild” woman (“You should be locked up in a cage”) (# 3 tryst), the two dressed up and planned to return to the all-night Junkanoo celebration.
However, Fiona (revealing her true identity as Largo’s assassin) betrayed Bond and held a gun on him, to escort him to Largo’s presence with support from other thugs.
After the first three attempts, they finally got all the right ingredients to making a great bond film. A Nato Vulcan bomber carrying two atomic bombs has crashed in the caribbean, SPECTRE has informed the British Government that they hijacked the plane's cargo, unless a ransom of 100 million is paid in seven days a major city in england or the U.S will be destroyed. So MI6 calls in all it's agents, but only one will have the lead. 007, and awaiting Bond in the Bahamas is Fiona Volpe. A SPECTRE executioner, she's the one who orchestrated the Vulcan hijack, as a matter of fact, as she and Bond are dancing in a street cafe. One of her men is about to shoot Bond, but he swings her around, and Volpe gets shot in the back instead of Bond, a very deadly and sexy assassin. Paula Caplain, she is another MI6 agent. But sadly Fiona Caplain and Largo's men kidnapped her from her hotel room, and Bond was too late to rescue her. Emilio Largo, SPECTRE number 2. Owner of a luxurious yacht, a niiiiice house. And owner of the two missing bombs, and last but certainly not least is Domino Derval. The sister of NATO pilot Major Derval, she is also Largo's girfriend. But grows tired of his overbearing ways, and soon becomes attracted to Bond. As a matter of fact, she ends up being the one who kills Largo. This movie has it all, the pre-title sequence. Where bond kills another SPECTRE agent, at a funeral, then gets away via a jetpack. Bond also has his way with the ladies, but is also decisive when need be, a cold blooded killer. This movie doesn't focus on gadgets, but it does use them. Me personally, i think this is arguably the better of the early Bond films. - Ben Milton
But Bond escaped from their car when they were held up in festival traffic, although wounded in the lower right leg as he ran into the crowd.
He was chased through a carnival parade by five henchmen, and Fiona caught up with him at the open-air Kiss Kiss Club where patrons were being entertained by a female fire-dancer, and a bongo-band played.
As Fiona danced with Bond and asked him to surrender, while steering him closer to an assassin, she was shot in the back and killed by her own bodyguard (with a bullet meant for him) (# 15 death).
With only about 15 hours until the drop of the ransom, Bond took another helicopter search with Felix Leiter for the submerged plane, spotting something at a shark-infested location called the Golden Grotto.
One shark was shot to distract the other sharks, as Bond dove down with one scuba tank to investigate.
Inside the downed plane, he found the bodies of the dead crew members, including “Derval” (Angelo, the counterfeit NATO pilot).
Bond engaged in a second dive with Domino, an opportunity to become more intimate with her underwater (# 4 tryst) although discreetly hidden when they ducked behind some coral and bubbles exploded to the surface.
Later he commented: “I hope we didn’t frighten the fish” before kissing her.
She stepped on poisonous sea egg spines as they came ashore, and after treating her, he delivered the news of her dead brother Francois, and offered his dog-tag and watch: “It’s a long story and it involves your friend, Largo…Largo had your brother murdered, or it was on his orders.”
Of the first four Bond films this one is a powerhouse from the get-go. Even the pre-credit section gets you going with the music, the art, the visuals. Thunderball really put it all together for this franchise. It was, and still is, literally a thunderball of a production. Everyone is included in this and everyone shows up and delivers. There is a real serial moving story here from beginning to middle to end. From the Bell Rocket Belt, to more of the Aston Martin, to the gadgets and sheer style. Who can forget "Huit pour la banque. Pass the shoe." Bond has been his best in the casinos. It is a real education. This franchise has always been big on Fords, too, and used the hot car(s) of the time such as the Mustang. Part of the "special relationship" we have had with our British cousins. I did not see any AMPAS marks on the jewel box, but there is no way this should not have won an OSCAR in some category -- especially a whiz-bang technical category. This surpasses the third very impressive installment, "Goldfinger," and is probably one of the best ever of the Bond Franchise. - lidz
As Bond asked for her help and trust, he explained how hundreds of thousands of people might die.
He admitted he didn’t know when the bombs would be loaded on the Disco Volante, and wanted her to detect them with his geiger counter gadget.
Bond turned and shot Vargas (pointing a gun-silencer his direction) in the stomach with a harpoon gun, impaling him to a palm tree (# 16 death, # 3 Bond kill) (“I think he got the point”).
As she was leaving, Domino told Bond about a canal, a bridge, and a flight of steps that led into the ocean, on the far side of Palmyra – a perfect entry-point that Bond soon swam to.
He noticed SPECTRE diving gear stashed there, swallowed a homing device, and awaited darkness.
When Largo’s army of frogmen arrived, Bond knocked one of them out, stole his scuba gear, and swam with the group out to the yacht, where Largo ordered: “Once we pick up the merchandise, head for our target area, Miami.”
Their plan was to retrieve the bombs from a hidden undersea cave compartment with the submersible, and then threaten to detonate one of the bombs at a wreck near Miami.
During the retrieval process, Bond’s cover was blown (he was recognized by Largo), and he was forced to kill one frogman (# 17 death, # 4 Bond kill).
Trapped and stranded inside the underwater cave, Bond looked for an exit and emerged deep in an island cavern.
While many rank GOLDFINGER as the best Bond ever, THUNDERBALL has always been my favorite. To me it had all the Bond ingredients (gadgets, lots of sharks, the Aston Martin, scuba diving, gorgeous babes & plenty of action) as well as a cohesive plot. Spectre remains one of the most formidable villains in Bond history, even after all these years. The underwater brawl between the Spectre divers and the Navy(?) divers remains a classic climactic scene in all of the Bond movies. I'm just guessing that they were Navy (SEALS?) as usually Army guys are not trained in scuba operations. Connery's final Bond movie, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, was more-or-less a remake of THUNDERBALL. There were a few variations here & there, but the basic plotline & many of the elements remained the same. This goes to show just how enduring THUNDERBALL was to the Connery Bond movies. -D. Roberts
Back onboard the yacht, Largo caught Domino using the geiger counter “toy” given to her by Bond and threatened: “There is no escape for you.”
He menaced her with torture unless she revealed the extent of Bond’s knowledge, but was called away to activate the bombs.
Onboard a Coast Guard search helicopter, Leiter used Bond’s homing device signal to locate him.
Bond also indicated his exact whereabouts with a red flare gun. A cable was lowered to him for rescue.
Bond warned that Largo’s target was Miami, and that one bomb was being transferred from the yacht to a wreck off Fowley Point.
With support from the CIA and the US Coast Guard aqua-divers in red (parachuting from planes into the waters around Miami), an intensely fierce underwater battle was fought near the wreck against Largo’s frogmen-henchmen (in black) (unknown number of deaths).
Bond joined the Coast Guard divers, wearing an underwater jet pack propulsion unit (with high-velocity exploding spear-heads) strapped to his oxygen tanks.
During the bloody struggle, he cut the air-hoses of a few frogmen and also speared one of them (# 18 death, # 5 Bond kill).
Yes, that's what Bond says to the just bedded villianess once he's captured. You gotta admire the style of it. Though a little slow at times expecially in the underwater scenes this fourth Bond adventure is pushed forward by the music, the cast, and great locations. Bond gets off lots of good lines and the girl is especially beautiful. The villian, Largo,is one off the top five baddies in the series. The title sequence is one of the best with Tom Jones Giving his all and falling unconscious in the recording booth after holding the last note of the hit title song. Way to go Tom! - Paul Kyriazi
Bond then removed his tanks, used his re-breather device, and detonated an explosive canister to kill three more pursuing henchmen within the wreck (# 19-21 deaths, # 6-8 Bond kills), and then helped to turn the tide in the battle.
Blood in the water attracted sharks to the scene, as Largo’s men were routed and then surrendered.
When Largo swam away with two of his remaining men, Bond killed one of them with a harpoon-gun (# 22 death, # 9 Bond kill), and pursued an escaping Largo to his yacht.
Underwater, Bond held on as the Disco Volante weighed anchor (with one stolen disarmed atomic bomb still onboard), but was under attack by cannon-fire from the US Navy.
Largo created a smoke screen and jettisoned his yacht’s rear cocoon to increase the speed of the separate hydrofoil. The cocoon section of the yacht, with a machine gun and deck cannon, exploded and killed all onboard (many deaths, number unknown).
During a life-and-death hand-to-hand struggle between Bond, three crew-members, and Largo in the hydrofoil’s cabin, Bond threw one crew-member overboard, and knocked the other two unconscious.
He was saved from being shot by Largo, when Domino (who had changed allegiances), was freed in her cabin by Kutze (who had disarmed the bombs), appeared from below deck, and harpooned him in the back with a spear (# 23 death).
Can you imagine a film getting any better whether it is the women,the villains,the locations or even the plot this one has got it all.One might think it is outdated now but then look again this film is the stepping stone to any action movie that is to be made in the coming years. Sean Connery stamps his signature yet again as James Bond 007 in the fourth installment of the Bond franchise.Director Terence Young makes it more tongue and cheek than any other Bond movie.There is no raw filth or even gore but the story is so perfect that it makes you forget about its tiny if at all faults. There are some memorable moments in this film like the opening jet pack sequence,gunfight at Largo's house during a blackout and the final underwater battle.Simply breathtaking and proof of quality film making which today is seriously considered by Jerry Bruckhiemer/Joel Silver and Steven Speilberg. Adding to the movie's good points is also John Barry's superb score which to this day haunts me as it is quite memorable.I also took a great liking to the leading ladies because they can not get any sexier to me. The plot revolves around Blofeld's organization hijacking nuclear warheads and demanding a ransom.The beautiful location of the Bahamas a used extensively where Bond tries to unravel the doomsday plot. - Anisha Dharmadasa
(Domino: “I’m glad I killed him.” Bond (relieved): “You’re glad?”).
With Largo death-locked to the jammed steering, they jumped overboard to escape from the yacht’s explosion when it ran aground and struck a reef (# 24-25 deaths, # 10-11 Bond kills).
Kutze was left at sea with a life preserver, while in a yellow raft, Bond inflated a red balloon tied to a rope that was snagged by a US Navy Boeing B-17 plane with a skyhook, and the two held onto each other during their rescue.
Film Notables (Awards, Facts, etc.)
The fourth film in the series. This was director Terence Young’s third and final direction of a Bond film. (He did not direct the third film, Goldfinger (1964).)
The code name for the MI6 mission, Thunderball, was also the film’s title.
This was originally intended to be the first Bond film but a series of legal disputes delayed its release.
This was the first James Bond film shot in wide-screen Panavision.
The film’s remake was Never Say Never Again (1983), one of the unofficial James Bond films. However, Sean Connery portrayed Bond in the film it was his seventh and final appearance on the screen as the character. He claimed it was his favorite 007 performance.
This was the only Bond film in which all nine 00- agents appeared together in London, England, where M summoned them to a briefing about SPECTRE’s plot.
Molly Peters (as Patricia Fearing) was the first Bond girl to appear nude (in silhouette) – in the steambath scene. And Martine Beswick, as Paula Caplan was the first Bond girl to appear in two Bond girls as different characters (she was fighting gypsy girl Zora in From Russia With Love (1963)).
With an Academy Award win, the second (and last win, to date) for Best Special Visual Effects.
With a production budget of $9 million, and gross revenue of $63.6 million (domestic) and $141 million (worldwide).
Thunderball had the highest domestic box-office earnings of the Bond films (to date) – when adjusted for inflation. Its domestic unadjusted gross of $63.6 million was $600 million when adjusted. Goldfinger (1964) was a distant second with $51 million (and $531.7 million adjusted).
I wanted to watch the original early films of Bond, beginning with Dr. No. It's great to see Sean Connery evolve from film to film to become, I feel, the best Bond there ever was. I'm progressing in order from Dr. No, to From Russia with love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You only live twice, Diamonds are forever, and the later semi-Bond "Never say Never again". I know many fans of Bond dislike the last film Connery did, but perhaps they were expecting too much from a then, pretty weathered, franchise. I still have to watch the final two Connery films and am not expecting too much from "Diamonds" and even less from "Never". But that doesn't take away from the talent and artistry of Sean Connery and I'm more into those last films to simply watch how he slowly bows out of the James Bond role forever. It's sad film history to watch sometimes, but I'd rather watch these first Bond films again and again than to tolerate the works of Roger Moore and the others. Daniel Craig is a fresh approach to the role, but he lacks the warmth and humor that Connery brought to the role. I'd love to see one final film where Sean Connery has taken over the position of "M" and guides newer agents along, making them the best they could be. Sort of like an episode of "NCIS", I know, but it would be entertaining to see, none-the-less. - Richard Behmer
Bond Villains:
- Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi)
- Count Lippe (Guy Doleman)
- Angelo Palazzi (Paul Stassino)
- Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi)
- Ladislav Kutze (George Pravda)
- Quist (Bill Cummings)
- Vargas (Philip Locke)
Bond Girls:
- Patricia Fearing (Molly Peters)
- Dominique (“Domino”)
- Derval (Claudine Auger)
- Paula Caplan (Martine Beswick)
Thunderball is one of the better James Bond movies in the set of Bond. I have heard the rumours about the underwater fight scene being edited but in my personal viewpoint still an amazing fight scene and very well filmed for the movie. The movie plotline was actual very believeable about stealing a weapon and holding it for a money trade off in exchange for where the weapon is located. I also would like to add that I thought Sean Connery was in one of his best phsyical shapes as James Bond base on the fight scenes and action stunts unless they used a stunt man. I thought every actor did a great job with what they had to work with and the added benifit of the dance scene and all that music going on very impressive turn out. I look forward to many more James Bond movies and writing up much more reviews of them to come as I watch them. So watch this one with an open mind and make up your own mind weither you enjoy it as much as me or not. - Jack D. Lowry Top Contributor: James Bond
Number of Love-Making Encounters:
There were four love-making encounters.
Film Locales:
- Paris, France
- Shrublands Health Farm/Clinic
- (and the) nearby NATO airbase in south of England
- London, England
- Nassau
- The Bahamas and other surrounding islands
- Miami, Florida
Gadgets:
- A Bell Textron jet pack rocket belt.
- Devices in Bond’s Aston Martin.
- Angelo’s/”Derval’s” separate oxygen supply and gamma gas canister.
- Largo’s Disco Volante (with an underwater hatch, hidden video cameras) and his yellow submersible submarine.
- A modified waterproof (underwater) Rolex watch with geiger counter.
- An underwater infra-red camera for nighttime photos.
- A miniature pistol that fired distress signal flares (bright red).
- A miniature (pocket-sized) underwater re-breather device good for four minutes.
- A harmless radio-active homing device in the shape of a pill.
- An underwater jet pack propulsion unit with exploding, high-velocity spearheads.
- A sky-hook.
Vehicles:
- A silver Aston Martin DB5 (with rear armor shield, and rear-firing, high-pressure water cannon-sprayer).
- Vulcan jet.
- Hydrofoil Disco Volante.
- A gold BSA Lightning Motorcycle (with missiles).
- Domino’s Boehler Turbocraft dive boat.
- Volpe’s light blue Mustang.
- A Bell helicopter.
- A US Coast Guard helicopter.
- A US Navy Boeing B-17 plane.
Number of Deaths (Bond Kills):
There were a total of 25+ deaths in the movie, of which James Bond killed 11.
Conclusion
This is a great movie, and fantastic escapist entertainment for men and women alike. Childish millenials need not watch it, as they are far too easily offended by normal adult interactions.
Not to worry, a transgender, role-reversal Bond flick is in the works. They will continue their narrative that White Males are the scourage of the universe, dumb, stupid and a bane on society.
Don’t waste your money on this new progressive propiganda. Enjoy these older flicks before they are banned from distribution. Because, if history is any indicator, they WILL be banned.
The New “modern, progressive” 007…
You can tell why liberal Hollywood selected her. If you morphed Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama together, this is what the result would look like…
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