Bond Films: Thunderball

Thunderball is often cited as an iconic Bond film: it's got the Aston Martin, it's got an elaborate plot and a solid villain, and it's got skydiving scuba commandos. It's hard to argue there is a more definitive Bond film, not quite a parody of itself, but more than Bond's simple roots as a supremely capable spy.

The basic plot of Thunderball is: after taking out a drug lord's base of operations, Bond is sent to a spa for rest and recuperation. While there, he stumbles upon a plot to surgically modify a SPECTRE agent to take the place of an RAF bomber pilot. The pilot then steals a plane with two nuclear warheads, which are recovered by SPECTRE captain Largo. After some tracking, Bond makes nice with the sister of the later pilot, and later infiltrates Largo's social circles. Bond figures out how SPECTRE stole the bombs and where they are hiding them, just as they are being shipped to Miami for detonation. A couple dozen commandos in scuba gear skydive into the ocean and a massive underwater fight breaks out while Largos surface ship makes its escape. Bond climbs aboard, fights, and just as he is about to lose, the sister of the late pilot fires a speargun into Largo.

Thunderball is well-paced and serves as a solid entry in the Bond franchise. Younger viewers such as myself might recognize it as an earlier incarnation of Never Say Never Again, a Bond film released over a dozen years later, also featuring Connery as Bond. The original is pretty nearly perfect in terms of the Bond formula. The diving sequences are cool, especially if you're a diver, but the fighting scene at the end is . . .insane. Just, crazy insane, and it goes on for quite a while in movie time.

Thunderball is a must-see Bond film. If you only see a handful of Bond films, this should be on the list.