You Only Live Twice
Movie, 1967, Sean Connery, Set in 1967
You Only Live Twice is #6 of 27 in release order and #5 of 27 in chronological order in the James Bond.
The story
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
You Only Live Twice recap
An American space capsule is swallowed in orbit by an unknown craft, and the United States blames the Soviet Union. Britain suspects Japan. Bond fakes his death in Hong Kong and is sent to Tokyo, where he works with agent Aki and Tiger Tanaka, head of the Japanese secret service. Clues lead to Osato Chemicals and its assistant Helga Brandt, who tries to kill Bond in a plane. Bond scouts a volcanic island in the Little Nellie autogyro. Aki is poisoned by an assassin meant for Bond. Bond trains with Tanaka's ninjas and poses as a local fisherman, married in name to Kissy Suzuki, who helps him find SPECTRE's base inside the volcano.
You Only Live Twice ending explained
Bond gets into the hollow volcano, where Blofeld, his scarred face seen for the first time, is about to capture a Soviet capsule and start a war. Tanaka's ninjas storm the base, Bond blows up Blofeld's rocket before it reaches its target, and Blofeld escapes as the base self-destructs. Bond and Kissy float in a raft until a British submarine surfaces beneath them.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice is streaming on Prime Video in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 73%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Casino Royale, before On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
- Chronological order: after Thunderball, before On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
What to watch before You Only Live Twice
In release order, the essentials before You Only Live Twice (1967) are Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), and Thunderball (1965).
Cast
- Sean Connery as James Bond
- Akiko Wakabayashi as Aki
- Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki
- Tetsuro Tamba as Tiger Tanaka
- Teru Shimada as Mr. Osato
- Karin Dor as Helga Brandt
- Donald Pleasence as Ernst Stavro Blofeld
- Bernard Lee as M
- Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny
- Desmond Llewelyn as Q
- Charles Gray as Dikko Henderson
- Tsai Chin as Ling
Directed by Lewis Gilbert.