Editing Never Say Never Again

{{short description|1983 James Bond film directed by Irvin Kershner}}
{{About|the film|the song by the Bee Gees|Never Say Never Again (song)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Never Say Never Again
| image          = Never Say Never Again – UK cinema poster.jpg
| caption        = British cinema poster by [[Renato Casaro]]
| alt            = A poster at the top of which are the words "SEAN CONNERY as JAMES BOND in". Below this is a head and shoulders image of a smiling man in a dinner suit (Connery) pointing a revolver at the viewer. Inset either side of him, are smaller scale depictions of two women, one blonde and one brunette. Underneath the picture are the words "NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN"
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sean Connery]]
* [[Klaus Maria Brandauer]]
* [[Max von Sydow]]
* [[Barbara Carrera]]
* [[Kim Basinger]]
* [[Bernie Casey]]
* [[Alec McCowen]]
* [[Rowan Atkinson]]
* [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]]
}}
| screenplay     = [[Lorenzo Semple Jr.]]
| story          = {{plainlist|
* [[Kevin McClory]]
* [[Jack Whittingham]]
* [[Ian Fleming]]
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Thunderball (novel)|Thunderball]]''|Ian Fleming}}
| director       = [[Irvin Kershner]]
| producer       = [[Jack Schwartzman]]
| cinematography = [[Douglas Slocombe]]
| music          = [[Michel Legrand]]
| editing        = Ian Crafford
| studio         = Taliafilm
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] (North America)
* [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]-[[EMI Films|EMI]]-Warner Distributors (United Kingdom)<ref>{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again (1983)|work=[[BBFC]]|access-date=13 June 2021|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/never-say-never-again-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtm1nzq|archive-date=13 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613092331/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/never-say-never-again-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtm1nzq|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Producers Sales Organization]] (International)<ref name="afi">{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again (1983)|website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|access-date=22 June 2023|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58025-NEVER-SAYNEVERAGAIN?sid=79b7f2e4-d7e3-4c08-92e1-148ee1bc30aa&sr=16.141077&cp=1&pos=0|archive-date=22 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622132847/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58025-NEVER-SAYNEVERAGAIN?sid=79b7f2e4-d7e3-4c08-92e1-148ee1bc30aa&sr=16.141077&cp=1&pos=0|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1983|10|7|U.S.|1983|12|15|London}}
| runtime        = 134 minutes
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* United States<ref name="afi"/>
* United Kingdom<ref name="afi"/>
* West Germany<ref name="afi"/>
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $36 million
| gross          = $160 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=neversayneveragain.htm |title=Never Say Never Again |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=20 September 2019 |archive-date=8 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608111955/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=neversayneveragain.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
'''''Never Say Never Again''''' is a 1983 [[spy film]] directed by [[Irvin Kershner]]. The film is based on the 1961 [[James Bond]] novel ''[[Thunderball (novel)|Thunderball]]'' by [[Ian Fleming]], which in turn was based on an original story by [[Kevin McClory]], [[Jack Whittingham]], and Fleming. The novel had been previously adapted as the 1965 film ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]''. ''Never Say Never Again'' is the second and most recent ''James Bond'' film not to be produced by [[Eon Productions]] (the usual producer of the Bond series) but instead by [[Jack Schwartzman]]'s Taliafilm, and was distributed by [[Warner Bros.]] The film was executive produced by Kevin McClory, one of the original writers of the ''Thunderball'' storyline. McClory had retained the filming rights of the novel following a [[Thunderball (novel)#Controversy|long legal battle]] dating from the 1960s.

[[Sean Connery]] played the role of Bond for the seventh and final time, marking his return to the character twelve years after ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (film)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'' (1971). The film's title is a reference to Connery's reported declaration in 1971 that he would "never again" play that role. As Connery was 52 at the time of filming, the script makes frequent reference to Bond as aging and past his prime – although Connery was three years younger than his replacement, [[Roger Moore]]. The storyline features Bond being reluctantly brought back into action to investigate the theft of two nuclear weapons by [[SPECTRE]]. Filming locations included France, Spain, the Bahamas and [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]] in the United Kingdom.

''Never Say Never Again'' was released by [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] on 7 October 1983, and opened to positive reviews. The film grossed $160 million at the box office, making it a commercial success, although it earned less overall than the Eon-produced ''[[Octopussy]]'', released earlier the same year.

==Plot==
After [[MI6]] agent James Bond fails a routine training exercise, his superior [[M (James Bond)|M]] orders him to a health clinic outside London to get back into shape. While there, Bond witnesses nurse Fatima Blush giving a [[Sadomasochism|sadomasochistic]] beating to a patient in a nearby room. The man's face is bandaged and after Blush finishes her beating, he uses a machine which [[Retinal scan|scans his eye]]. Bond is spotted by Blush, who sends assassin Lippe to kill him in the clinic gym. Bond kills Lippe in a fight which destroys a lot of the clinic's furniture and equipment; M is forced to pay for the resulting damages and consequently suspends Bond from active duty.

Blush works for [[SPECTRE]], a criminal organisation run by [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]]; her charge is [[heroin]]-addicted [[United States Air Force]] pilot Jack Petachi. Petachi has undergone an operation on his right eye to make it match the [[retina]]l pattern of the [[President of the United States|US President]], which he uses to circumvent security at RAF Station Swadley, an [[United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa#Operating bases|American military base in]] England. While doing so, he replaces the dummy [[Nuclear warhead|warheads]] of two [[AGM-86 ALCM|AGM-86B]] [[cruise missile]]s with live [[W80 (nuclear warhead)|W80 nuclear warheads]]; SPECTRE then steals the warheads, intending to extort billions of dollars from [[NATO]] governments. Blush murders Petachi by causing his car to crash and explode, covering SPECTRE's tracks.

[[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] Lord Ambrose orders a reluctant M to reactivate the [[00 agent|double-0 section]], and Bond is tasked with tracking down the missing weapons. Bond follows a lead to the [[Bahamas]] and finds [[Domino Petachi]], Jack's sister, and her wealthy lover Maximillian Largo, who is SPECTRE's top agent.

When Largo's yacht heads for [[Nice, France|Nice]], France, Bond goes there and joins forces with his French contact Nicole, and his [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] counterpart, [[Felix Leiter]]. Bond goes to a health and beauty centre, posing as an employee. He gives a massage to Domino, who reveals that Largo is hosting an event at a casino that evening. At the charity event, Largo and Bond play a video game called ''Domination''; the losing player of each turn receives [[electric shock]]s of increasing intensity in proportion to the amount wagered. After losing a few games, Bond wins, and while dancing with Domino, he informs her that Jack had been killed on Largo's orders. Returning to his villa, Bond finds Nicole killed by Blush. After a [[Car chase|chase]] on his Q-branch motorbike, Bond finds himself in an ambush and is captured by Blush. She admits to being impressed with him, and forces Bond to declare in writing that she is his "Number One" sexual partner. Bond distracts her with promises, then uses his Q-branch fountain [[pen gun]] to kill Blush with an explosive dart.

Bond and Leiter attempt to board Largo's yacht, the ''[[Disco Volante (ship)|Flying Saucer]]'', in search of the missing nuclear warheads. Bond finds Domino and attempts to make Largo jealous by kissing her in front of a [[one-way mirror]]. Enraged, Largo traps Bond and takes him and Domino to Palmyra, Largo's base of operations in [[North Africa]]. Largo punishes Domino for her betrayal by selling her to passing Arabs. Bond escapes from his prison and rescues her.

Domino and Bond reunite with Leiter on a [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] submarine. After the first warhead is found and defused in Washington, D.C., they track Largo to the Tears of Allah, a location below a desert [[oasis]] on the [[Ethiopia]]n coast. Bond and Leiter infiltrate the underground facility and a gun battle erupts between Leiter's team and Largo's men in the temple. In the confusion, Largo makes a getaway with the second warhead. Bond catches and fights him underwater. Just as Largo tries to use a spear gun to shoot Bond, he is shot with a spear gun by Domino, taking revenge for Jack's death. Bond then defuses the nuclear bomb underwater, saving the world. Bond retires from duty and returns to the Bahamas with Domino, vowing never again to be a secret agent although Domino doubts his sincerity.

==Cast==
<!-- poster billing starts here -->
* [[Sean Connery]] as [[James Bond filmography|James Bond]], [[MI6]] agent 007.
* [[Klaus Maria Brandauer]] as Maximillian Largo, a billionaire businessman and SPECTRE Number 1, SPECTRE's senior-most agent. He is based on the character [[Emilio Largo]] in ''Thunderball''
* [[Max von Sydow]] as [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld]], the head of SPECTRE.
* [[Barbara Carrera]] as Fatima Blush; SPECTRE Number 12, assigned to hunt down and kill Bond. She is based on [[Fiona Volpe]] in ''Thunderball''.
* [[Kim Basinger]] as [[Domino Vitali|Domino Petachi]], sister of Jack Petachi and girlfriend/mistress of Maximillian Largo. The surname was changed to Petrescu for the Italian release of the film.
* [[Bernie Casey]] as [[Felix Leiter]], Bond's CIA contact and friend.
* [[Alec McCowen]] as [[Q (James Bond)|"Q"]] (aka Algy or Algernon), Double-0 section [[Quartermaster]] who issues specialised equipment to Bond.
* [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]] as [[M (James Bond)|"M"]], Bond's superior at MI6.
<!-- poster billing ends here -->
* [[Pamela Salem]] as [[Miss Moneypenny]], M's secretary.
* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as Nigel Small-Fawcett, Foreign Office representative in the Bahamas.
* [[Saskia Cohen-Tanugi]] as Nicole, Bond's French contact
* [[Valerie Leon]] as Lady in Bahamas, whom Bond seduces.
* Milow Kirek as Dr. Kovacs, a nuclear physicist working for SPECTRE.
* [[Pat Roach]] as Lippe, a SPECTRE assassin who tries to kill Bond at the clinic.
* [[Anthony Sharp]] as Lord Ambrose, [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] who orders M to reactivate the Double-0 section.
* [[Prunella Gee]] as Nurse Patricia Fearing, a physiotherapist at the clinic.
* [[Gavan O'Herlihy]] as Captain Jack Petachi, a [[United States Air Force|USAF]] pilot used by SPECTRE to steal the nuclear missiles, and Domino Petachi's brother.
<!--  more supporting roles. 
* [[Ronald Pickup]] as Elliott, a government agent working under M
* Robert Rietty and Guido Adroni as Italian Ministers
* [[Vincent Marzello]] as Culpepper
* Christopher Reich as Number 5
* Bill J. Mitchell as Captain Pederson
* Manning Redwood as General Miller
* Anthony Van Laast as Kurt
* [[Saskia Cohen-Tanugi]] as Nicole, Bond's French contact
* Sylvia Marriott as French Minister
* Dan Meaden as Bouncer at Casino
* Michael Medwin as Doctor at Shrublands
* Lucy Hornak as Nurse at Shrublands
* Derek Deadman as Porter at Shrublands
* Joanna Dickens as Cook at Shurblands
* Tony Alleff as Auctioneer
* Paul Tucker as Ship's Steward
* Brenda Kempner as Masseuse
* Jill Meager as Receptionist at Health Spa
* John Stephen Hill as Communications Officer
* Wendy Leech as Girl Hostage
* Roy Bowe as Ship's Captain
-->

==Production==
''Never Say Never Again'' had its origins in the early 1960s, following the [[Thunderball (novel)#Writing and copyright|controversy over the 1961 ''Thunderball'' novel]].{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=213}} Fleming had worked with independent producer Kevin McClory and scriptwriter Jack Whittingham on a script for a potential Bond film, to be called ''Longitude 78 West'',<ref name="Poliakoff (2000)"/> which was subsequently abandoned because of the costs involved.{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=226}} Fleming, "always reluctant to let a good idea lie idle",{{sfn|Chancellor|2005|p=226}} turned this into the novel ''Thunderball'', for which he did not credit either McClory or Whittingham;{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=198}} McClory then took Fleming to the [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] in London for breach of copyright,{{sfn|Macintyre|2008|p=199}} and the matter was settled in 1963.<ref name="Poliakoff (2000)">{{cite journal|last=Poliakoff |first=Keith |title=License to Copyright – The Ongoing Dispute Over the Ownership of James Bond |journal=Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal |publisher=[[Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law]] |year=2000 |volume=18 |pages=387–436 |url=http://www.cardozoaelj.net/issues/00/Poliakoff.pdf |access-date=3 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161856/http://www.cardozoaelj.net/issues/00/Poliakoff.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2012 }}</ref> After [[Eon Productions]] started producing the Bond films, it subsequently made a deal with McClory, who would produce ''[[Thunderball (film)|Thunderball]]'', and then not make any further version of the novel for a period of ten years, following the release of the Eon-produced version in 1965.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=184}}

In the mid-1970s, McClory again started working on a second adaptation of ''Thunderball'' and, with the working title ''Warhead'', he brought writer [[Len Deighton]] together with Sean Connery to work on a script.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=152}} A lawsuit with Eon Productions ended in a ruling that McClory owned the sole rights to SPECTRE and Blofeld, forcing Eon to remove them from ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977).<ref name=":1" /> The script initially focused on SPECTRE shooting down aircraft over the [[Bermuda Triangle]], before taking over [[Liberty Island]] and [[Ellis Island]] as staging areas for an invasion of [[New York City]] through the sewers under [[Wall Street]]. The script was purchased by [[Paramount Pictures]] in 1978.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Field|first=Matthew|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/930556527|title=Some kind of hero : 007 : the remarkable story of the James Bond films|date=2015|others=Ajay Chowdhury|isbn=978-0-7509-6421-0|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|oclc=930556527|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=28 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128234516/https://www.worldcat.org/title/some-kind-of-hero-007-the-remarkable-story-of-the-james-bond-films/oclc/930556527|url-status=live}}</ref> The script ran into difficulties, after accusations from [[Danjaq]] and [[United Artists]] that the project had gone beyond copyright restrictions, which confined McClory to a film based only on the novel ''Thunderball''; once again, the project was delayed.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=184}}

Towards the end of the 1970s, developments were reported on the project under the name ''James Bond of the Secret Service'',{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=184}} but when producer [[Jack Schwartzman]] became involved in 1980, and cleared a number of the legal issues that still surrounded the project,<ref name=":1" />{{sfn|Pfeiffer|Worrall|1998|p=213}} he decided against using Deighton's script. The project returned to the original nuclear terrorism plot of the original ''Thunderball'', in order to avoid another lawsuit from Danjaq, and after McClory saw [[Jimmy Carter]] mention the issue in a [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 presidential debate]] with [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref name=":2" /> Schwartzman brought on board scriptwriter [[Lorenzo Semple, Jr.]]{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}} to work on the screenplay. Schwartzman wanted him to make the screenplay "somewhere in the middle" between his campier projects such as [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'']], and his more serious projects such as ''[[Three Days of the Condor]]''.<ref name=":1" /> Connery was unhappy with some aspects of the script, and asked [[Tom Mankiewicz]], who had rewritten ''Diamonds Are Forever'', to work on it; however, Mankiewicz declined, as he felt he was under a moral obligation to [[Albert R. Broccoli]].{{sfn|Mankiewicz|Crane|2012|p=150}} Semple Jr. ultimately left the project, after Irvin Kershner was hired as director, and Schwartzman began cutting out the "big numbers" from his script to save on the budget.<ref name=":1" /> Connery then hired British television writers [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]]<ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=La Frenais, Ian (1936–) and Clement, Dick (1937–)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462850/credits.html|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=3 September 2011|archive-date=4 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804182531/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462850/credits.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to undertake re-writes, although they went uncredited for their efforts, despite much of the final shooting script being theirs. This was because of a restriction by the [[Writers Guild of America]].{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=155}} Clement and La Frenais continued rewriting during the production, often altering it from day to day.<ref name=":1" />

The film underwent one final change in title: after Connery had finished filming ''Diamonds Are Forever'', he had pledged that he would "never again" play Bond.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=152}} Connery's wife, Micheline, suggested the title ''Never Say Never Again'', referring to her husband's vow,<ref>{{cite news|last=Dick|first=Sandra|title=Eighty big facts you must know about Big Tam|newspaper=[[Edinburgh Evening News]]|date=25 August 2010|page=20}}</ref> and the producers acknowledged her contribution by listing on the end credits "Title ''Never Say Never Again'' by Micheline Connery". A final attempt by Fleming's trustees to block the film was made in the High Court in London in the spring of 1983, but this was thrown out by the court and ''Never Say Never Again'' was permitted to proceed.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=185}}

===Cast and crew===
When producer Kevin McClory had first planned the film in 1964, he held initial talks with [[Richard Burton]] for the part of Bond,<ref>{{cite news|title=A Rival 007 – It Looks Like Burton|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=21 February 1964|page=13}}</ref> although the project came to nothing because of the legal issues involved. When the ''Warhead'' project was launched in the late 1970s, a number of actors were mentioned in the trade press, including [[Orson Welles]] for the part of Blofeld, [[Trevor Howard]] to play M and [[Richard Attenborough]] as director.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=152}}

In 1978, the working title ''James Bond of the Secret Service'' was being used and Connery was in the frame once again, potentially going head-to-head with the next Eon Bond film, ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Victor|title=Bond versus Bond|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=29 July 1978|page=4}}</ref> By 1980, with legal issues again causing the project to founder,{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=153}} Connery thought himself unlikely to play the role, as he stated in an interview in the ''[[Sunday Express]]'': "When I first worked on the script with Len I had no thought of actually being in the film."<ref name="Mann (1980)">{{cite news|last=Mann|first=Roderick|title=Why Sean won't now be back as 007&nbsp;...|newspaper=[[Sunday Express]]|date=23 March 1980|page=23}}</ref> When producer Jack Schwartzman became involved, he asked Connery to play Bond; Connery agreed, negotiating a fee of $3 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3|1983}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US|df=y}}), casting and script approval, and a percentage of the profits.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=154}} Subsequent to Connery reprising the role, Semple altered the script to include several references to Bond's advancing years – playing on Connery being 52 at the time of filming{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=154}} – and academic Jeremy Black has pointed out that there are other aspects of age and disillusionment in the film, such as the Shrubland's porter referring to Bond's car ("They don't make them like that anymore"), the new M having no use for the 00 section and Q with his reduced budgets.{{sfn|Black|2004|p=58}}  Originally, Semple wanted to emphasize Bond's age even further, writing the script to include him in semi-retirement working aboard a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[fishing trawler]] hunting [[Soviet Navy]] [[submarine]]s in the [[North Sea]].<ref name=":1" /> Connery's casting was formally announced in March 1983.{{Dubious|date=February 2024}}. He trained with [[Steven Seagal]] to help get in shape for the production.<ref name=":1" />

For the main villain in the film, Maximillian Largo, Connery suggested Klaus Maria Brandauer, the lead of the 1981 [[Academy Award]]-winning Hungarian film ''[[Mephisto (1981 film)|Mephisto]]''.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} Through the same route came [[Max von Sydow]] as Ernst Stavro Blofeld,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=195}} although he still retained his Eon-originated white cat in the film.{{sfn|Chapman|2009|p=135}} For the [[femme fatale]], director Irvin Kershner selected former model and ''[[Playboy]]'' cover girl [[Barbara Carrera]] to play Fatima Blush – the name coming from one of the early scripts of ''Thunderball''.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=155}} Carrera said she modeled her performance on the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] goddess [[Kali]], and to "mix that in with a little bit of [[Latrodectus|black widow]] and a little bit of [[Mantis|praying mantis]]."<ref name=":1" /> Carrera's performance as Fatima Blush earned her a [[Golden Globe Award]] nomination for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Barbara Carrera|url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/member/28374|work=Official [[Golden Globe Award]] Website|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|access-date=2 September 2011|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201175659/http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/member/28374|url-status=live}}</ref> which she lost to [[Cher]] for her role in ''[[Silkwood]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture|url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/year/1983|work=Official [[Golden Globe Award]] Website|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|access-date=3 September 2011|archive-date=9 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009002346/http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=%2Fyear%2F1983|url-status=live}}</ref>
Micheline Connery, Sean's wife, had met up-and-coming actress Kim Basinger at the [[Grosvenor House Hotel]] in London and suggested her to Connery; he agreed after Dalila Di Lazzaro refused the Domino role. For the role of Felix Leiter, Connery spoke with Bernie Casey, saying that, as the Leiter role was never remembered by audiences, using a black Leiter might make him more memorable.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} Others cast included comedian [[Rowan Atkinson]], who would later parody Bond in his role of [[Johnny English]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|title=Johnny English|url=http://plrcatalogue.pearson.com/Samples/PRFS_058277957X.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030162248/http://plrcatalogue.pearson.com/Samples/PRFS_058277957X.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 October 2006|work=Penguin Readers Factsheets|access-date=5 September 2011|year=2003}}</ref> Atkinson's character was added by Clement and La Frenais after the production had already started, in order to provide the film with a comic relief.<ref name=":1" /> Edward Fox was cast as M in order to portray the character as a young technocrat in contrast to the older portrayal by [[Bernard Lee]], and to parody the [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] ministry's budget cuts to government services.<ref name=":1" />

Connery wanted to persuade [[Richard Donner]] to direct the film, but after their meeting, Donner decided he disliked the script.<ref name=":1" /> Former Eon Productions' editor and director of ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'', [[Peter R. Hunt]], was approached to direct the film, but declined due to his previous work with Eon.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Director Peter Hunt – "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" |publisher=Retrovision |url=http://retrovisionmag.com/jamesbond.htm |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981206131445/http://www.retrovisionmag.com/jamesbond.htm |archive-date=6 December 1998}}</ref> Irvin Kershner, who had previously worked with Connery on ''[[A Fine Madness]]'' (1966), and had achieved success in 1980 with ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', was then hired. A number of the crew from the 1981 film ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' were also appointed, including first assistant director [[David Tomblin]], [[Cinematographer|director of photography]] [[Douglas Slocombe]], second unit director [[Mickey Moore]] and [[production designer]]s Philip Harrison and [[Stephen B. Grimes|Stephen Grimes]].{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=197}}

===Filming===
[[File:Kingdom 5KR.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''[[Kingdom 5KR]]'' which acted as Largo's ship, the ''Flying Saucer''|alt=A large, sleek ship is moored at a quayside]]
Filming for ''Never Say Never Again'' began on 27 September 1982 on the [[French Riviera]] for two months,{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=155}} before moving to [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], the Bahamas in mid-November,{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}} where filming took place at Clifton Pier, which was also one of the locations used in ''Thunderball''.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} Largo's Palmyran fortress was actually historic [[Fort Carré]] in [[Antibes]].{{sfn|Reeves|2001|p=134}} Largo's ship, the ''Flying Saucer'', was portrayed by the yacht ''[[Kingdom 5KR]]'', then owned by Saudi billionaire [[Adnan Khashoggi]] and called ''Nabila''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Salmans|first=Sandra|title=Lavish Lifestyle of a Wheeler-Dealer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/arts/lavish-lifestyle-of-a-wheeler-dealer.html?scp=1&sq=Khashoggi%20%20%20%22never%20say%20never%20again%22&st=cse|access-date=6 September 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 February 1985|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306064227/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/22/arts/lavish-lifestyle-of-a-wheeler-dealer.html?scp=1&sq=Khashoggi%20%20%20%22never%20say%20never%20again%22&st=cse|url-status=live}}</ref> The underwater scenes were filmed by [[Ricou Browning]], who had coordinated the underwater scenes in the original ''Thunderball''.<ref name=":1" /> Principal photography finished at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]], where interior shots were filmed.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} Elstree also housed the Tears of Allah underwater cavern, which took three months to construct, while the Shrublands health spa was filmed at [[Luton Hoo]].{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}}<ref name=":1" /> Most of the filming was completed in the spring of 1983, although there was some additional shooting during the summer of 1983.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}}

Production on the film was troubled,{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=199}} with Connery taking on many of the production duties with assistant director David Tomblin.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} Director Irvin Kershner was critical of producer Jack Schwartzman, saying that, while he was a good businessman, "he didn't have the experience of a film producer".{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} After the production ran out of money, Schwartzman had to fund further production out of his own pocket, and later admitted he had underestimated the amount the film would cost to make.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=199}} There was tension on set between Schwartzman and Connery, who at times barely spoke to each other. Connery was unimpressed with the perceived lack of professionalism behind the scenes, and was on record as saying that the whole production was a "bloody [[Mickey Mouse]] operation!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.007magazine.co.uk/battle_for_bond4.htm|title=JAMES BOND 007 MAGAZINE {{!}} THE BATTLE FOR BOND|website=007magazine.co.uk|access-date=2019-07-09|archive-date=13 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022006/http://www.007magazine.co.uk/battle_for_bond4.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Steven Seagal]], who was a martial arts instructor for this film, broke Connery's wrist while training. On an episode of ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'', Connery revealed he did not know his wrist was broken until over a decade later.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/did-steven-seagal-really-break-sean-connerys-wrist-with-aikido/ |title=Did Steven Seagal Break Sean Connery's Wrist with Aikido? |author=Kurchak, Sarah |magazine=[[Vice.com]] |date=12 October 2015 |access-date=24 November 2015 |archive-date=25 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125014426/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/did-steven-seagal-really-break-sean-connerys-wrist-with-aikido |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Music===
[[James Horner]] was both Kershner's and Schwartzman's first choice to compose the score, after they were impressed with his work on ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]''. Horner, who worked in London for most of the time, was unavailable, according to Kershner, though Schwartzman later claimed Sean Connery vetoed him. Frequent Bond composer [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] was invited, but declined out of loyalty to Eon.<ref>Jon Burlingame, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wQE2RmHrErcC&dq=james+horner+never+say+never+again+007&pg=PT174 ''The Music of James Bond''], p. 162, 172, 174. {{ISBN|978-0-19-935885-4}}</ref> The music for ''Never Say Never Again'' was ultimately written by [[Michel Legrand]], who composed a score similar to his work as a [[Jazz piano|jazz pianist]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Film Score Monthly]]|url=http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2006/21_Dec---Bond_Back_In_Action_Again_Part_Two.asp|last=Bettencourt|first=Scott|title=Bond Back in Action Again|year=1998|access-date=20 September 2011|archive-date=30 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330080801/http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2006/21_Dec---Bond_Back_In_Action_Again_Part_Two.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> The score has been criticised as "anachronistic and misjudged",{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}} "bizarrely intermittent"{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=197}} and "the most disappointing feature of the film".{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} Legrand also wrote the main theme "Never Say Never Again", which featured lyrics by [[Alan and Marilyn Bergman]] — who had also worked with Legrand on the Academy Award-winning song "[[The Windmills of Your Mind]]"<ref name="Oscar 1968">{{cite news|title=The real James Bond is back, and 007's a winner again "Academy Awards Database"|work=Chicago Tribune|date=7 October 1983|page=63|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/|publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=23 February 2021|archive-date=12 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412012955/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/|url-status=live}}</ref> — and was performed by [[Lani Hall]]{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=243}} after [[Bonnie Tyler]], who disliked the song, had reluctantly declined.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edrants.com/the-bat-segundo-show-bonnie-tyler/|title=The Bat Segundo Show: Bonnie Tyler|date=12 September 2008|access-date=15 February 2013|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711224807/http://www.edrants.com/the-bat-segundo-show-bonnie-tyler/|url-status=live}} Tyler also discusses this in the documentary ''James Bond's Greatest Hits''.</ref>

[[Phyllis Hyman]] also recorded a potential theme song, with music written by Stephen Forsyth and lyrics by Jim Ryan, but the song — an unsolicited submission — was passed over, given Legrand's contractual obligations with the music.{{sfn|Burlingame|2012|p=112}}

===Legal substitutions===
[[File:Never Say Never Again 0001.jpg|thumb|right|This 007 motif takes the place of [[Eon Productions|Eon's]] [[gun barrel sequence]].| alt=The outlines of row upon row of "007 007 007 007 007" fill the screen. A view of countryside, heavily obstructed can be seen in through the gaps.]]
Many of the elements of the Eon-produced Bond films were not present in ''Never Say Never Again'' for legal reasons. These included the [[gun barrel sequence]], where a screen full of 007 symbols appeared instead, and similarly there was no "[[James Bond Theme]]" to use, although no effort was made to supply another tune.{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=240}} A pre-credits sequence was filmed but not used;{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=193}} instead, the film opens with the credits running over the top of the sequence of Bond on a training mission.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}}

==Release and reception==
''Never Say Never Again'' opened on 7 October 1983 in 1,550 theatres, grossing an October record $10,958,157 over the four-day [[Columbus Day]] weekend,<ref name="BOM"/> which was reported to be "the best opening record of any James Bond film" up to that point,<ref name="Hanauer (1983)">{{cite news|last=Hanauer|first=Joan|title=Connery Champ|agency=[[United Press International]]|date=18 October 1983}}</ref> surpassing ''[[Octopussy]]''{{'}}s $8.9 million from June that year. The film had its UK premiere at the [[Vue West End|Warner West End]] cinema in London on 14 December 1983 with [[Prince Andrew]] in attendance before opening to the public in London the following day and across the UK on 16 December.{{sfn|Barnes|Hearn|2001|p=156}}<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]|date=9 December 1983|title=It's Coming! (advertisement)|page=8}}</ref> It grossed $157,750 in its first 8 days in London from 8 screens in the West End, placing it at number one at the London box office.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=29 December 1983|page=3|title='Never Say' Terrific 157G In West End}}</ref> Worldwide, ''Never Say Never Again'' grossed $160 million,<ref name="Numbers.com">{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again|url=https://the-numbers.com/movies/1983/0NSNA.php|publisher=Nash Information Services, LLC|access-date=1 September 2011|archive-date=11 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811050639/http://the-numbers.com/movies/1983/0NSNA.php|url-status=live}}</ref> which was a solid return on the budget of $36 million.<ref name="Numbers.com"/> The film ultimately earned less than ''Octopussy'', which grossed $187.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Octopussy|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Octopussy#tab=summary|work=The Numbers|publisher=Nash Information Services, LLC.|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-date=7 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307094429/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Octopussy#tab=summary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=jamesbond.htm|title=James Bond Movies at the Box Office|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-date=12 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512231036/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=jamesbond.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the first James Bond film to be officially released in the [[Soviet Union]], premiering in the summer of 1990 with a gala in [[Moscow]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Never Say Never Again|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58025-NEVER-SAYNEVERAGAIN?sid=9edf9eb3-75e4-4c5c-846f-46215eee7149&sr=16.189444&cp=1&pos=0|access-date=2021-06-09|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609204444/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58025-NEVER-SAYNEVERAGAIN?sid=9edf9eb3-75e4-4c5c-846f-46215eee7149&sr=16.189444&cp=1&pos=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

Warner Bros. released ''Never Say Never Again'' on [[VHS]] and [[Betamax]] in 1984,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Videocassette Top 40|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j5I4br0t7cwC&pg=PT35|page=35|date=21 July 1984|publisher=[[Nielsen Holdings|Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]]}}</ref> and on [[laserdisc]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Home Video: Laser Scans|last=McGowan|first=Chris|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA96|page=96|date=19 November 1996}}</ref> After Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer purchased the distribution rights in 1997 (see [[#Legacy|Legacy]], below), the company has released the film on both VHS and [[DVD]] in 2001,<ref>{{cite journal |date=April 2001 |title=Casino Royal {{sic}} and Never Say Never Again |journal=[[Film Review (magazine)|Film Review]] |issue=127}}</ref> and on [[Blu-ray]] in 2009.<ref name=blu/>

===Contemporary reviews===
''Never Say Never Again'' was broadly welcomed and praised by the critics: [[Ian Christie (film scholar)|Ian Christie]], writing in the ''[[Daily Express]]'', said that ''Never Say Never Again'' was "one of the better Bonds",<ref name="Christie (1988)">{{cite news|last=Christie|first=Ian|title=A Hero's Return|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=18 December 1988|page=20}}</ref> finding the film "superbly witty and entertaining,&nbsp;... the dialogue is crisp and the fight scenes imaginative".<ref name="Christie (1988)"/> Christie also thought that "Connery has lost none of his charm and, if anything, is more appealing than ever as the stylish resolute hero".<ref name="Christie (1988)"/> [[David Robinson (film critic)|David Robinson]], writing in ''[[The Times]]'' also concentrated on Connery, saying that: "Connery&nbsp;... is back, looking hardly a day older or thicker, and still outclassing every other exponent of the role, in the goodnatured throwaway with which he parries all the sex and violence on the way".<ref name="Robinson (1983)">{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=David|title=Never Say Never Again (PG)|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=16 December 1983|page=10}}</ref> For Robinson, the presence of Connery and Klaus Maria Brandauer as Maximillian Largo "very nearly make it all worthwhile."<ref name="Robinson (1983)"/> The reviewer for ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' summed up ''Never Say Never Again'' by saying: "The action's good, the photography excellent, the sets decent; but the real clincher is the fact that Bond is once more played by a man with the right stuff."<ref>{{cite news|title=Never Say Never Again (1983)|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63241/never-say-never-again.html|access-date=30 August 2011|newspaper=[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]|archive-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910043050/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63241/never-say-never-again.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Derek Malcolm]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'' showed himself to be a fan of Connery's Bond, saying the film contains "the best Bond in the business",<ref name="Malcolm (1983)">{{cite news|last=Malcolm|first=Derek|title=True to his Bond|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 December 1983|page=16}}</ref> but nevertheless did not find ''Never Say Never Again'' any more enjoyable than the recently released ''Octopussy'' (starring Roger Moore), or "that either of them came very near to matching ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' or ''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]''".<ref name="Malcolm (1983)"/> Malcolm's main issue with the film was that he had a "feeling that a constant struggle was going on between a desire to make a huge box-office success and the effort to make character as important as stunts".<ref name="Malcolm (1983)"/> Malcolm summed up that "the mix remains obstinately the same – up to scratch but not surpassing it".<ref name="Malcolm (1983)"/> Writing in ''[[The Observer]]'', [[Philip French]] noted that "this curiously muted film ends up making no contribution of its own and inviting damaging comparisons with the original, hyper-confident ''Thunderball''".<ref name="French (1983)">{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=Thunderball recycled|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=18 December 1983|author-link1=Philip French|page=31}}</ref> French concluded that "like an hour-glass full of damp sand, the picture moves with increasing slowness as it approaches a confused climax in the Persian Gulf".<ref name="French (1983)"/>

Writing for ''[[Newsweek]]'', critic [[Jack Kroll]] thought the early part of the film was handled "with wit and style",<ref name="Kroll (1983)">{{cite news|last=Kroll|first=Jack|title=Back in the Bond Business|newspaper=[[Newsweek]]|date=10 October 1983|page=93}}</ref> although he went on to say that the director was "hamstrung by Lorenzo Semple's script".<ref name="Kroll (1983)"/> [[Richard Schickel]], writing in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', praised the film and its cast. He wrote that Klaus Maria Brandauer's character was "played with silky, neurotic charm",<ref name=" Schickel (1983)">{{cite magazine|last=Schickel|first=Richard|title=Cinema: Raking Up the Autumn Leavings|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952223,00.html#ixzz1Vl0PhpEl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222000852/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952223,00.html#ixzz1Vl0PhpEl|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2008|access-date=31 August 2011|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=17 October 1983}}</ref> while Barbara Carrera, playing Fatima Blush, "deftly parodies all the fatal femmes who have slithered through Bond's career".<ref name=" Schickel (1983)"/> Schickel's highest praise was saved for the return of Connery, observing "it is good to see Connery's grave stylishness in this role again. It makes Bond's cynicism and opportunism seem the product of genuine worldliness (and world weariness) as opposed to Roger Moore's mere twirpishness."<ref name=" Schickel (1983)"/>

[[Janet Maslin]], writing in ''[[The New York Times]]'', was broadly praising of the film, saying she thought that ''Never Say Never Again'' "has noticeably more humor and character than the Bond films usually provide. It has a marvelous villain in Largo."<ref name="Maslin (1983)">{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|title=Sean Connery is Seasoned James Bond|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=7 October 1983|page=13}}</ref> Maslin also thought highly of Connery in the role, observing that "in ''Never Say Never Again'', the formula is broadened to accommodate an older, seasoned man of much greater stature, and Mr. Connery expertly fills the bill."<ref name="Maslin (1983)"/> Writing in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Gary Arnold was fulsome in his praise, saying that ''Never Say Never Again'' is "one of the best James Bond adventure thrillers ever made",<ref name="Arnold (1983)">{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=Gary|title='Never': Better Than Ever; Sean Connery Rides Again in the Best of Bonds|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=6 October 1983|page=E1}}</ref> going on to say that "this picture is likely to remain a cherished, savory example of commercial filmmaking at its most astute and accomplished."<ref name="Arnold (1983)"/> Arnold went further, saying that "''Never Say Never Again'' is the best acted Bond picture ever made, because it clearly surpasses any predecessors in the area of inventive and clever character delineation".<ref name="Arnold (1983)"/>

The critic for ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', [[Jay Scott]], also praised the film, saying that ''Never Say Never Again'' "may be the only installment of the long-running series that has been helmed by a first-rate director."<ref name="Scott (1983)">{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Jay|title=A first-rate director works wonders: The classiest Bond of all|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=7 October 1983}}</ref> According to Scott, the director, with high-quality support cast, resulted in the "classiest of all the Bonds".<ref name="Scott (1983)"/> [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film {{frac|3|1|2}} out of four stars, and wrote that ''Never Say Never Again'', while consisting of a basic "Bond plot", was different from other Bond films: "For one thing, there's more of a human element in the movie, and it comes from Klaus Maria Brandauer, as Largo."<ref name="Ebert (1983)">{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/never-say-never-again-1983 |title=Never Say Never Again |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=7 October 1983 |publisher=rogerebert.com |access-date=18 October 2008 |archive-date=24 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424083846/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/never-say-never-again-1983 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ebert went on to add, "there was never a [[Beatles]] reunion&nbsp;... but here, by God, is Sean Connery as Sir James Bond. Good work, 007."<ref name="Ebert (1983)"/> [[Gene Siskel]] of ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' also gave the film 3½ out of four stars, writing that the film was "one of the best 007 adventures ever made".<ref name="Siskel (1983)">Siskel, Gene (07 October 1983). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/ "The real James Bond is back, and 007's a winner again"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412012955/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63150873/chicago-tribune/ |date=12 April 2022 }}. ''The Chicago Tribune''. p. 63. Retrieved 23 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com. {{Open access}}</ref>

John Nubbin reviewed ''Never Say Never Again'' for ''[[Different Worlds]]'' magazine and stated that "''Never Say Never Again'' is not great, but Connery is - and for a lot of people, including myself, that was enough. This time, anyway."<ref name="dw32">{{cite journal | last = Nubbin |first = John | title = Film Reviews | journal = [[Different Worlds]] | issue = 32 | pages =45 |date=January-February 1984}}</ref>

[[Colin Greenland]] reviewed ''Never Say Never Again'' for ''[[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]]'', and stated that "''Never Say Never Again'' is a complacent male sexist fantasy, where women can be only ''femmes fatales'' or passive victims."<ref name="Imagine12">{{cite journal | last = Greenland|first = Colin |authorlink=Colin Greenland| title =Film Review | type = review | journal = [[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]] | issue = 12| pages =45 | publisher = TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. |date=March 1984| issn = }}</ref>

===Retrospective reviews===
Because ''Never Say Never Again'' is not an Eon-produced film, it has not been included in a number of subsequent reviews. Norman Wilner of [[MSN]] said that 1967's ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' and ''Never Say Never Again'' "exist outside the 'official' continuity, [and] are excluded from this list, just as they're absent from [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM's]] megabox. But take my word for it; they're both pretty awful".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/ArticleNormanWilner.aspx?cp-documentid=436189|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119210839/http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/ArticleNormanWilner.aspx?cp-documentid=436189|archive-date=19 January 2008|title=Rating the Spy Game|publisher=[[MSN]]|author=Norman Wilner|access-date=4 March 2008}}</ref> Nevertheless, retrospective reviews of the film remain positive. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] sampled 55 critics and judged 71% of the reviews as positive, with a top critics' rating of 70%. The site's critical consensus reads: "While the rehashed story feels rather uninspired and unnecessary, the return of both Sean Connery and a more understated Bond make ''Never Say Never Again'' a watchable retread."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_never_again/ |title=Never Say Never Again (1983) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=25 September 2021 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202085842/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_never_again |url-status=live }}</ref> The score is still more positive than some of the Eon films, with Rotten Tomatoes ranking ''Never Say Never Again'' 16th among all Bond films in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Tim |title=Total Recall: James Bond Countdown – Find Out Where Quantum of Solace Fits In! |date=18 November 2008 |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Flixster]] |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quantum_of_solace/news/1780008/3/total_recall_james_bond_countdown_--_find_out_where_quantum_of_solace_fits_in/ |access-date=5 September 2011 |archive-date=4 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034732/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quantum_of_solace/news/1780008/3/total_recall_james_bond_countdown_--_find_out_where_quantum_of_solace_fits_in/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating generally favourable reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/never-say-never-again |title=Never Say Never Again Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220200305/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/never-say-never-again |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film three of a possible five stars, observing that "Connery was perhaps wise to call it quits the first time round".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=16415 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024230324/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=16415 | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 October 2011 | title=Never Say Never Again| work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | access-date=31 August 2011 }}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' gave ''Never Say Never Again'' a score of five out of ten, claiming that the film "is more miss than hit".<ref name="IGN 2009">{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Again Blu-ray Review|url=http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/966/966769p1.html|website=[[IGN]]|first=Phil|last=Pirrello|access-date=31 August 2011|date=26 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008233220/http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/966/966769p1.html|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> The reviewer also thought that the film was "marred with too many clunky exposition scenes and not enough moments of Bond being Bond".<ref name="IGN 2009"/>

In 1995, Michael Sauter of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' rated ''Never Say Never Again'' as the ninth best Bond film to that point, after 17 films had been released. Sauter thought the film "is successful only as a portrait of an over-the-hill superhero." He admitted that "even past his prime, Connery proves that nobody does it better".<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine | url= https://ew.com/article/2008/07/01/best-and-worst-bond-films/ | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080929034740/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20208340,00.html | url-status= live | archive-date= 29 September 2008 |first=Michael |last= Sauter | title= Playing The Bond Market | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=1 July 2008 | access-date=31 August 2011}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]], in his review of '' Never Say Never Again'', thinks the re-writing of the ''Thunderball'' story has led to a film which has "a hokey, jokey feel, [it] is possibly the worst-written Bond script of all".<ref name="Berardinelli (1996)">{{cite web |first=James |last=Berardinelli |author-link=James Berardinelli |title=Never Say Never Again |publisher=[[ReelViews]] |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/never_say.html |access-date=31 August 2011 |year=1996 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116095103/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/never_say.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Berardinelli concludes that "it's a major disappointment that, having lured back the original 007, the film makers couldn't offer him something better than this drawn-out, hackneyed story."<ref name="Berardinelli (1996)"/> Critic [[Danny Peary]] wrote that "it was great to see Sean Connery return as James Bond after a dozen years".{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} He also thought the supporting cast was good, saying that Klaus Maria Brandauer's Largo was "neurotic, vulnerable&nbsp;... one of the most complex of Bond's foes"{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} and that Barbara Carrera and Kim Basinger "make lasting impressions."{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}} Peary also wrote that the "film is exotic, well acted, and stylishly directed&nbsp;... It would be one of the best Bond films if the finale weren't disappointing. When will filmmakers realize that underwater fight scenes don't work because viewers usually can't tell the hero and villain apart and they know doubles are being used?"{{sfn|Peary|1986|p=296}}

Jim Smith and Stephen Lavington, in their 2002 retrospective ''Bond Films'', lament: "The production chaos is visible on screen, with frequently mediocre editing, direction, stunt work and photography all emerging from the restricted budget. [...] At the time, ''Never Say Never Again'' got away with it, thanks to public and critical pleasure at seeing Connery again. Now it is dated, slow and (worst of all) looks cheap, faring badly when compared to even the poorest of the Eon films."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |last2=Lavington |first2=Stephen |title=Bond Films |date=2002 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-7535-0709-9 |location=London |pages=200}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Originally, ''Never Say Never Again'' was intended to start a series of Bond films produced by Schwartzman and starring Connery as James Bond, with McClory announcing the next planned film, ''S.P.E.C.T.R.E'', in a February 1984 issue of ''[[Screen International]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aceved|first=Violet|title=James Bond's abandoned 'SPECTRE' mission from 1984|url=https://www.screendaily.com/james-bonds-abandoned-spectre-mission-from-1984/5096117.article|date=2015-10-29|access-date=2021-06-09|website=Screen|language=en|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609210527/https://www.screendaily.com/james-bonds-abandoned-spectre-mission-from-1984/5096117.article|url-status=live}}</ref> When Connery announced that he would not reprise his role as Bond in another film produced by Schwartzman three weeks before the deadline to purchase the rights to another film for $5 million, Schwartzman said that he was unlikely to make another film without a deal from MGM/UA and Danjaq.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=London|first=Michael|date=1984-01-18|title=Film Clips: 'White Dog' Will Have its Day on NBC|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

In the 1990s, McClory announced plans to make another adaptation of the ''Thunderball'' story starring [[Timothy Dalton]] entitled ''Warhead 2000 AD'', but the film was eventually scrapped.<ref name="Rye (2006)">{{cite news|last=Rye|first=Graham|title=Kevin McClory|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kevin-mcclory-427368.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kevin-mcclory-427368.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=5 September 2011|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=7 December 2006}}</ref> In 1997, [[Sony Pictures]] acquired McClory's rights for an undisclosed amount,<ref name="Poliakoff (2000)" /> and subsequently announced that it intended to make a series of Bond films, as the company also held the rights to ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|Casino Royale]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Elliott|first=Christopher|title=Never say never again when James Bond is involved|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=23 October 1997|page=10}}</ref> This move prompted a round of litigation from MGM, which was settled out of court, forcing Sony to give up all claims on Bond (with MGM's acquisition of the rights to ''Casino Royale'' finally allowing Eon Productions to make a serious, non-satirical film adaptation of that novel in 2006, with [[Daniel Craig]] as James Bond); McClory still claimed he would proceed with another Bond film,<ref>{{cite news |date=29 March 1999 |first=Janet |last=Shprintz |title=Big Bond-holder |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/big-bond-holder-1117492814/ |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=10 March 2021 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805115108/https://variety.com/1999/film/news/big-bond-holder-1117492814/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and continued his case against MGM and [[Danjaq]];<ref name="Cork (2002)">{{cite news |last1=Cork |first1=John |last2=Scivally |first2=Bruce |title=Reeling through the years|newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=11 November 2002|author-link1=John Cork|page=A15}}</ref> on 27 August 2001, the court rejected McClory's suit.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-28-fi-39177-story.html|title=U.S. Court Rejects Claim to James Bond|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|author=James, Meg|date=2001-08-28|access-date=2021-10-04|archive-date=5 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005024125/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-28-fi-39177-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> McClory died in 2006.<ref name="Rye (2006)" /> In 2013 McClory's heirs sold the ''Thunderball'' rights to Eon, allowing the company to reintroduce Blofeld to the Eon series in the film ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]''.

On 4 December 1997, MGM announced that the company had purchased the rights to ''Never Say Never Again'' from the estate of Schwartzman's company Taliafilm.<ref>{{cite press release | title = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. announces acquisition of Never Say Never Again James Bond assets | publisher = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] | date = 4 December 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505213137/http://mgm.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=47&printable|archive-date=5 May 2008| url = http://mgm.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=47&printable | access-date =16 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://business.highbeam.com/2012/article-1G1-50355711/mgm-007-say-never-again|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202133057/http://business.highbeam.com/2012/article-1G1-50355711/mgm-007-say-never-again|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2014|title=Mgm, 007 Say 'never' Again|first=Carl|last=DiOrio|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=4 December 1997|access-date=5 September 2011}}</ref> The company has since handled the release of both the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film.{{sfn|Pratt|2005|p=851}}<ref name=blu>{{cite web|title=Never Say Never Yet Again|url=http://bluray.ign.com/articles/946/946721p1.html|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=31 August 2011|date=21 January 2009|archive-date=8 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308151327/http://bluray.ign.com/articles/946/946721p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|1980s|Film}}
* [[Outline of James Bond]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|colwidth=40em}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Barnes |first1=Alan |last2=Hearn |first2=Marcus |year=2001 |title=Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: the Unofficial James Bond Film Companion|publisher=[[Batsford Books]]|isbn=978-0-7134-8182-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Benson |first=Raymond |title=The James Bond Bedside Companion |year=1988 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree Ltd]] |location=London |isbn=1-85283-234-7 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |title=Britain Since the Seventies: Politics and Society in the Consumer Age |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cM30JeLgjQUC |year=2004 |publisher=Biddles Ltd |location=Guilford |isbn=978-1-86189-201-0 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Black|first=Jeremy|title=The Politics of James Bond: from Fleming's Novel to the Big Screen|year=2005|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|isbn=978-0-8032-6240-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/politicsofjamesb0000blac}}
* {{Cite book |last= Burlingame |first= Jon |year=2012 |title= The Music of James Bond |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-986330-3}}
* {{Cite book |last= Chancellor |first= Henry |title= James Bond: The Man and His World |year=2005 |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7195-6815-2 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Chapman |first=James|title=Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films|year=2009|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]] |location=New York|isbn=978-1-84511-515-9 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Lindner |first=Christoph |title=The James Bond Phenomenon: a Critical Reader |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9-1QY5boUsC&pg=PP1 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7190-6541-5 |access-date=1 November 2020 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410133344/https://books.google.com/books?id=x9-1QY5boUsC&pg=PP1 |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Macintyre |first=Ben |title=For Yours Eyes Only |year=2008 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7475-9527-4 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Mankiewicz |first1=Tom |author-link1=Tom Mankiewicz |last2=Crane |first2=Robert |title=My Life as a Mankiewicz |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |location= Lexington, KY |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-8131-3605-9}}
* {{Cite book |last= Peary |first= Danny |title= Guide for the Film Fanatic |year=1986 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn= 978-0-671-61081-4 }}
* {{Cite book |last1= Pfeiffer |first1= Lee |last2= Worrall |first2=Dave |title=The Essential Bond |year=1998 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree Ltd]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7522-2477-0 }}
* {{Cite book |last= Pratt |first= Douglas |title= Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!|year=2005 |publisher= UNET 2 Corporation |location=London |isbn=978-1-932916-01-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Reeves |first=Tony |title=The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations |year=2001 |publisher=A Cappella |location=Chicago |isbn=978-1-55652-432-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/worldwideguideto00reev }}
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Jim |title=Bond Films |year=2002 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7535-0709-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bondfilms0000smit }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0086006|title=Never Say Never Again}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=never_say_never_again|title=Never Say Never Again}}
* {{mojo title|id=neversayneveragain|title=Never Say Never Again}}
* [http://www.mgm.com/#/our-titles/1345/Never-Say-Never-Again ''Never Say Never Again''] at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]

{{James Bond films}}
{{SPECTRE stories}}
{{Irvin Kershner}}
{{James Bond music}}
{{Clement and La Frenais}}
{{Authority control}}

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