13:54 So that's how Johnny English got into the secret service

"Mr. Bean was essentially doing a much better job than Bond was doing". Well, that's why Johnny English rose to be the top British agent decades later.

actually, in the funniest ironies, if sean connery had declined the role the producers would have actually asked lazenby to do it.

For me the high point of the film, besides the gratuitous sex and violence and abundance of gorgeous women, is this version of Largo. He’s not thuggish or really outwardly cruel for the most part, he’s actually really funny, likable and charismatic. He even seems to appreciate his henchmen.

Despite all this movie's faults, and they are many, it is nice to see Connery give a more spirited performance than in his last two official films.

I believe I'm in the minority here but.... I actually really enjoy this movie.

it's not a good film, but it's one of connery's best performances as Bond. he's very believable as a middle-aged bond, and I really like how they bring attention to the fact that he's in his early 50s here.

Honestly, I felt that this movie could've been great if it was a standalone adventure of Bond proving that his age means nothing. Instead of it being a small part of the plot.

Barbara Carrera was a phenomenal Bond girl! Really great fun to watch

Barbara C., is simply STUNNING!!!!!, she was the Angelina Jolie of this era

I love your thing about the Octopussy title song playing over the pre title sequence, very funny!

This movie's M is what Jack Wade means when he used the term "Stiff assed Brit."

Moneypenny: Have you got a mission, James? Bond: Yes, I am to eliminate all free radicals. Moneypenny (worried): Ooh. Do be careful.

Never really cared for this film at all, but Sean Connery and Rowan Atkinson make for some funny scenes.

Very underrated. Love this film.

"Yes but my Martini is still dry." is also my favourite Bond line of all time. :)

OMG when you played ALL TIME HIGH over Octopussy's brilliant and thrilling opening action sequence to make your point I BURST out laughing! Your reviews are awesome, totally entertaining. Well done!

I remember being shocked when Bond discovered that girl in the waterbed. Years later, it struck me; how in hell did Fatima get a human body inside a waterbed mattress??

I still think Barbara Carrera is so hot and probably the best female villian in most all of Bond movies. And Connery never gets old and has that Bond charisma that's timeless. I did like this movie.. even some of the dull scenes. And I certainly liked the opening theme! I think the only problem is continuity.. not so much the acting or the overall story.

Minor trivia: the "random chick" Connery goes to bed with when Fatima blows up his room, was Valerie Leon-- who had a cameo as the hotel manager in "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME"! She was the lead in Hammer's "BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB" (1971), and had one of the best racks of any Hammer girl.

an interesting thing about us, Bond fans, is that we are not fanboys. If we have to criticize, we do. Feet on the ground, always.

It's funny how they still show this movie along with the official EON movies during Bond movie marathon so I used to assume this was part of canon until recently. Also, does anyone feel Fatima Blush was the basis for Goldeneye Xenia more than Thunderball Fiona? They have a similar vibe around them.

Awesome to hear other ppl dig this Fatima Blush character as much as I did watching this movie. Barbara Carrera’s eccentric/flamboyant and very fun performance really made this movie a lot better and she steals the scene every time she’s on screen. Really set the bar for Xenia Onatopp.

And he came back again in another reboot. From Russia With Love computer game reboot as the voice of James Bond. Yeah, James Bond will return.

Say what you want, but I actually enjoy watching this movie....really

Barbara is a hot villain. 😍

at least Connery looks like he was having some fun here. He looked so bored in DAF.

When I was a kid way before the internet I wondered if there had been a previous Bond film called Never Say Never.

I still can't believe he's gone. RIP Sir Thomas Sean Connery 1930-2020

lmao! "Mr. Bean was essentially doing a much better job than Bond was doing" 15:50

Dutch Bond - Thank you for all these reviews on the Bond series! I love hearing your commentary on each film.

He was 2 years younger than Roger Moore when he did this

I like to think Sean Connery did play James Bond one last time, unofficially, as John Mason in THE ROCK (1996), no longer with the James Bond alias but his real name and being held for stealing USA secrets. A fun theory, but they didn't have the rights to say it explicitly, but I'd like to think it's true.

The themes playing over the opening was hilarious.

It's not mr. Bean, it's Johnny English

15:40 'When mr. bean tells him to go over to the south of france.'

Man, that guy at the beginning was brutal towards Roger Moore. I didn’t think he was bad but I guess at the time people didn’t accept him because no other big movie character had been recast.

Call me crazy I liked this movie

I’m a Sean Connery guy myself, yet the reporter at the very beginning was slightly harsh on Moore.

The urine sample gag is a straight lift from an anecdote about Scottish footballer Willie Johnson, who failed a drug test at the 1978 World Cup. Still funny though 😅

You have the best reviews. I love them! You point out things that I missed. Keep your reviews coming. Hope you are well this year! Take care.

So the “anonymous henchman” at the gym was played by Pat Roach. If you don’t know, he was in all the first Indiana Jones films (remember the German that got chopped up by the airplane propeller?), he was in Willow, Red Sonja, A Clockwork Orange, and many more films. Legend and very much missed.

Another excellent review! Thank you man!

The title “Never Say Never Again “ really is true for Sean Connery. He left after You Only Live Twice. He said he would “Never Again “ play James Bond after Diamonds Are Forever. In Never Say Never Again, Bond says “Never Again.” That was meant to be his last performance, but he returned in the From Russia With Love PS2 Game.

"NSNA" looks very amateurish, like some TV-spoof. But believe or not, in 90s this was rated higher than Octapussy.

When you played All Time High over clips from Octopussey I found all the tension kind of soothing

Dude, your commentary is cracking me up. Your matter-of-fact style is friggin' hysterical! Even though I'm in the small minority of hard core Bond fans who actually likes this movie, I still give you almost all of your points. ...and you have to admit Connery was more engaged than in You Only Live Twice.

YES. I love that you would include this movie. It's gotta be seen as a Bond movie. It's Sean and he's Bond. And it's still a better movie than Quantum of Solace.

"But, yeah..... so that happens." Golden:)

This is great! Your rendition of the song had me in stitches. Thanks, Dutch Bond Fan.

Agree with you about Kim Basinger, she doesn't seem as exotic as Domino Derval.My memory is being put off by the jazz music in 83 during the motorbike chase

Just watched this movie again. Bad music aside, I found the first half of the movie to be the best, lots of memorable banter and action, and as noted in the review some great lines. Barbara Carrera, almost 40 years old at the time, stole the show in my opinion. Her performance as a sadistic nurse was superb. She continued to perform well, as Bond's nemesis, finally disappearing (literally) from an explosion. The whole spa/resort part of the movie was filled with lively moments and lines. Some great joke lines throughout, including Bond's remembering that it was against agency policy to give out endorsements, referring to the "greatest rapture in his life" aboard a boat (copulating with Fatima Blush). The new "M" putting Bond on the case was at the insistence of his superior at the meeting. He was told to activate the OO's, and I suppose since Bond has a reputation it gave "M" a good reason to use him. Besides, if Bond failed that would probably be the end of the OO's for good. (The knife in the beginning had a retractable blade, a motif used in the movie "Marathon Man".) I found that the movie tailed off badly as it went on but overall, worth watching for some great lines and for novelty sake. Looking forward to the next installment, "A View To A Kill", which is one of my favorites despite Roger Moore being "too old".

I love the review's dry sarcasm. So entertaining!

The Renault 5 Turbo 2 is the only redeeming feature of this film. And the casting of Rowan Atkinson, I wonder what Moore and Atkinson would have done togther if he had been a regular EON character.

I like James Bond's pickup line, my martini is still dry LMFAO

its good to see connery back as bond , pity its in such a poor film very dull and bland. good and fair review.

I enjoyed your analysis. Thanks for sharing.

Did you mention that Claudine Auger was really hot? 100% agree 😍

For me this is the best movie of Connery as Bond as it brings me great memories of my upbringing.

Agent Under Fire soundtrack at the beginning - nice touch :) . Love that game

And mr bean went on to become Jonny English...mad connection as he mentioned the name 😂

hahaha, i have always wanted to watch this movie in full but it's so bad and just so weird that I've never gotten more than 30 minutes through it. I loved watching your hilarious take on the film. So sad that it didn't work out better but your video was excellent!

i'd say 007 needs to start drinking ALOT more water as his urine seems to have acid like effect ..lol...funny , strange scene though...also really like the point you made about playing the theme song over the opening scene....great example you used..also gave me another big laugh

Good review man.

Anothet great review your good at this job keep them coming👍

When I was a kid this was my favourite bond movie

OMG Specter invented KZfaq cat videos.

Oh, I loved the summer of 83 with two Bond movies at the theater! Good times & good memories! :)

This movies is no competition for octopussy and DEFINITELY no competition for thunderball.

Your review is excellent!

Great commentary sir. Love it..

Never Say Never Again 1983 *** 7 October 1983 *** 7 October 2023 *** 40 years! It's a very good James Bond film! And I absolutely love-love-love Sean Connery in this movie!

Very good review. Can't fault any of the judgements except to praise Klaus Maria Brandauer. He turned in by far and away the most charismatic, charming and naturalistic performance of any villain in any Bond movie. (incidentally that line about his Martini and that villainess played by Barbara Carrera are also my Bond favourites!)

The "All Time High" gag put a genuine smile on my face. It proves exactly WHY the EON films choose instead to do Opening Title Sequences after an explosive pre-title adventure: Using the theme song over these stunts would take away the tension of said outing entirely!

you killed me with the family guy bassinger bit

Laughed my arse off at this review...nailed it...hello from an Irishman in Ohio!

Thank God there were no spoilers in this review!

It's funnier that Rowan Atkinson would go on to play British spy named Johnny English, a spoof parody of James Bond himself.

“Michael” Legrand. [facepalm] Lol!

I consider never say never again, song is beautiful

It's so funny that joked, '...that is if you're still awake at this point..." because (and this is 100% true), the only time I've EVER fallen asleep in a movie theater was while watching this movie and as a result, i've never actually seen the end of "Never Say Never Again".

I love this film. It's a different and refreshing take on Bond with its own flavour, especially with the "Ageing hero" slant. I actually prefer it to Thunderball which for me is a little stuffy and dull.

Fun Fact: Originally, Blofeld's cat in this film was revealed to have poison-tipped claws - poisonous to humans, but not animals (apparently since we see the cat later cleaning its paw during Blofeld's video), just like in EON's *"Moonraker"* - and in the SPECTRE meeting room, it clawed the girl in yellow dress (Marsha A. Hunt) next to Fatima, which explains why she's not present when Largo was first introduced and the nervous but relieved look on Fatima's face. Also, in the original ending, Bond & Domino escaped in Largo's helicopter that has the TV Camera. Bond & Blofeld would meet "for the first and last time", with Blofeld's surprised reaction spooking the cat to scratch him. Bond then kicked the TV off and we'd see Blofeld screaming in pain as the TV fell into the sea.

That was Michael Wood, the presenter of the "In Search of Troy"! What a surprise!

Absolutely. Very good...and funny!!

I haven't seen all of this one yet. I can't believe McClory tried to do the same thing all over again with Dalton. He was never going to outdo Thunderball or Octopussy with this.

You know what the sad part is, this was my first Bond film I ever watched. Though my first official one is either Dr No or the man with the golden gun.

5:40 Good point about the theme song being used over the opening gambit. It does feel more like a trailer than something hard-hitting.

Dbf, this is my favourite film for when I have a spare evening on my own with a few drinks. I love everything about it, even the ridiculous bits. Enjoyed your post on it.

LMFAO!!! when you dubbed over the intro action sequence in Octopussy with the title song. Damn funny stuff.

Bruv!! That upbeat bond theme is awsome!!

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but this is actually my favorite Bond movie. Honestly, I always liked this movie and found it quite solid. I personally think this is Sean Connery's best performance as Bond and the one that actually made him my favorite. I just love seeing a much more aged Bond and Sean really shows a lot of swashbuckling energy and really seems to be having a total blast in the role. His smile always feels genuine during the whole thing and his presence keeps me engaged during the whole flick. And honestly, even though I prefer the set design in Thunderball, I feel everything else is done better in this movie. Klaus Maria Brandauer's Largo is really excellent and definitely better than Adolfo Celli. I think the fact that he looks so ordinary really takes you by surprise due to his sheer psychopathy and low-key insanity. Max Von Sydow is really my favorite Blofeld. I feel his underuse gives him even more presence and I just love his voice and subtle yet gleefully hammy performance. I also personally think Fatima Blush is way better than Fiona Volpe. I just love Barbara Carrera. She is both sexy and crazy at the same time and I love it. Bernie Casey is a great Felix and I really enjoy the youthful energy he adds to the role. He certainly leaves a great impression. Domino... I think she is on the same level as the original, but Kim Basinger has a better performance than Claudine Auger (and I guess the fact that Kim wasn't dubbed over kinda helps her). I really have fun with this more crusty M. I feel Edward Fox really has some nice comedic energy and it really shows how much grief Bond has to go through when he is seen as a relic by his superior. Pamela Salem's Moneypenny... I thought she was fine in the role despite her minimal screentime. Plus, as much as I love Lois Maxwell, I always imagined novel Moneypenny to look and sound more like Pamela. Alec McCowen's Algernon is a fun quartermaster and I really like how eccentric he is in the role. And I also love Rowan Atkinson's brief role. I also feel the pacing is much, much better than in Thunderball and again, I was pretty invested in the story. However, the final battle is somewhat disappointing. Although I enjoy the firefight in the ruins, I feel the Bond vs. Largo duel is a bit underwhelming (but it quite nicely scored IMO). The score by Michel Legrand is a bit of a mixed bag. Although his music in the calmer moments is a bit eh, I love his music in the action scenes. It has a sort of exciting Stravinsky sound to it at times) Also, I feel the Lani Hall song is actually quite nice and smooth, fitting the character of Bond. But yeah, hearing the theme in the intro scene is a bit jarring and even the writers mentioned that they were quite unhappy with how it ended up in the bonus featurettes on the DVD, because that wasn't their original intent (there was even a different action piece of music by Michel Legrand that was released on the soundtrack that wasn't used in the end). So yeah, despite the few flaws and the troubled production, I do love this movie a whole lot and really made Sean my favorite Bond actor.

I like the Theme song for this movie. Never Say never Again.

The director of this movie is none other than Irvin Kirschner, director of "The Empire Strikes Back", arguably the best of all the Star Wars movie. He was known as a character director; other films he directed included "The Flim Flam Man" and "The Frisco Kid", and taught Steven Spielberg and George Lucas in film school. I really liked this Bond movie. Sean is still the Man.

Fatima Blush was the best thing about this movie

I still like this movie because I love Thunderball. It drags but has classic moments!

2 Bond films in 67 !

This is my favourite Bond film. I was about 8 or 9 and was up watching late night TV and it came on. I didn't know what/who 007 was. I couldn't stop talking about it.

DutchBondFan thank you for Recapping your Analyzing series of James Bond that you uploaded many years ago. I still have them downloaded, hope you don't mind but good stuff disappears from the tube sometimes. I like your reviews a lot and you got great humour. I'm a Swedish Bond Fan born '76 and have been raised with the Bond series during the 80's but I don't like the post 80's Bond movies at all. I have now during two days watch your 13 episodes and looking forward to the three next. Keep it up!

mint channel mr dutchie, but say what you will the cruise missile scene was really cool as a child