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Never Say Never Again (1983)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 9/14

NeverS
9/14: I was with Never Say Never Again until North Africa.

Then, the energy got extinguished for the rest of the way. So, it's a nice try, but the movie is too long. When the going is good, it's funny, featuring a surprise cameo by then unknown Rowan Atkinson who's famous today as Mr. Bean.

Everybody, especially Sean Connery who was the best James Bond and looked great for 52, does a good job. Barbara Carrera, a Nicaraguan actress whom I've never seen before, is pretty as Fatima Blush. The legend is that she turned down Octopussy, which was produced during the same year, because she wanted to work with Sean Connery, not Roger Moore. That being said, she made a wise move, being granted lovemaking scenes with Sean Connery which probably made her life. Another legend is that Steven Seagal was the martial arts instructor for the film and broke Sean Connery's wrist during training.

Sean Connery once said he would never appear in a James Bond movie again but did so for the seventh time after a twelve-year absence, hence the title Never Say Never Again. Also, you should feast your eyes on his clean-shaved face because it's the final film that he'll appear this way. Meanwhile, Klaus Maria Brandauer is okay for a Bond archvillain, but toward the end, he becomes forgettable. Ditto for Kim Basinger.

All in all, Never Say Never Again should've been the best Bond picture ever made, but the North Africa segment has my head shaking in disappointment.