Thunderball
Movie, 1965, Sean Connery, Set in 1965
Thunderball is #4 of 27 in release order and #4 of 27 in chronological order in the James Bond.
The story
A criminal organization has obtained two nuclear bombs and are asking for a 100 million pound ransom in the form of diamonds in seven days or they will use the weapons. The secret service sends James Bond to the Bahamas to once again save the world.
Thunderball recap
SPECTRE's Number Two, Emilio Largo, carries out a plan to steal two atomic bombs from a NATO bomber, using an agent surgically altered to look like the French pilot Francois Derval, and demands a ransom from the West. Bond, recovering at a health clinic, has already spotted clues there. He tracks Largo to Nassau in the Bahamas and romances Domino, Derval's sister and Largo's mistress, while the assassin Fiona Volpe tries to kill him. Bond and Felix Leiter search for Largo's hidden bombs and the sunken bomber, dodging Largo's sharks. Bond tells Domino that Largo killed her brother, and she agrees to help.
Thunderball ending explained
An underwater battle between Largo's frogmen and American aquanauts ends with one bomb recovered. Largo flees on his yacht, the Disco Volante, with the second bomb and Bond aboard. As Largo is about to kill Bond, Domino shoots him with a harpoon gun. The yacht runs aground and explodes, and Bond and Domino are lifted from the sea by a plane with a skyhook.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Thunderball
Thunderball is streaming on Prime Video in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes 85%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Goldfinger, before Casino Royale.
- Chronological order: after Goldfinger, before You Only Live Twice.
What to watch before Thunderball
In release order, the essentials before Thunderball (1965) are Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), and Goldfinger (1964).
Cast
- Sean Connery as James Bond
- Claudine Auger as Dominique 'Domino' Derval
- Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo
- Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona Volpe
- Rik Van Nutter as Felix Leiter
- Guy Doleman as Count Lippe
- Molly Peters as Patricia Fearing
- Martine Beswick as Paula Caplan
- Bernard Lee as M
- Desmond Llewelyn as Q
- Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny
- Roland Culver as Foreign Secretary
Directed by Terence Young.