Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery returned to the James Bond role one last time. Bond finds himself in Las Vegas pursuing a diamond smuggling ring with connections to Ernst Blofeld, portrayed by Charles Gray in this installment. While I enjoy the classic Las Vegas strip setting and there are a couple of neat stunts, this is the laziest Bond film I’ve seen thus far. The constant changes in objective gave me whiplash and the humor is of the most juvenile variety. Most egregiously, where I had appreciated the competence of the women in earlier films, this one has little of that. The woman with the best name is quickly disposed of. A pair of female bodyguards are really tougher than Bond, but somehow he gets the upper hand on them at the last minute. Worst of all, Jill St. John as the main sex interest is a ditz of the worst type; even when she is working with him, she actively sabotages Bond’s plans because of stupidity.  

Oscar Nomination: Best Sound