Big scene development post 13 - Making of the fight in Bond's hotel room and its aftermath

Diamonds Reimagined is a fan-made reimagining of the 1971 Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, recut and rewritten as a darker sequel to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

In this post, I go behind the scenes of one of its most intense new sequences; a brutal fight in Bond’s hotel suite that reveals not just his combat skills, but the grief and anger he’s been carrying since Tracy’s death.

We'll explore how I wrote, choreographed, and animated it; and what it means for this version of Bond.

Bond reimagined: Sean Connery returns in this newly animated fight sequence from Diamonds Reimagined, a bold fan-made take on the 1971 film.

But before the punches start flying, there’s a bit of quiet build-up. Bond’s morning begins with a meeting in the casino — until something unexpected catches his eye and sets him on a different path…

SCENE 87: Bond spying on Wint, Kidd and Saxby, then going to Reception 

As animated and edited, the beginning of this scene is somewhat different from the script. I've used stock footage of Las Vegas in the 1970s to transition us from the night of the previous scene into the early morning hours of the next day.

Bond with Q in the casino hall of the Whyte House.

I've also included an unscripted moment of Bond with Q (who is demonstrating the RPM controller gadget he uses in the original film to rig the slot machines). 

Bond also then observes Wint and Kidd walking through the casino halls with Bert Saxby, which gives him a reason to go into the reception.

Whereas in the script, I don't specify why he goes there specifically. So as I've revised it, he's shadowing Wint, Kidd and Saxby (before they go into the lift and can't be followed anymore), and then the receptionist comes to the reception desk and gets his attention. Then I allow the scene and the ones afterwards to more or less continue following the script.

Scene 87 as written in the script; no RPM controller demonstration with Q or any appearance by Wint, Kidd or Saxby.

There's little to say about the rest of the scene, except that I reuse the receptionist character that was also used in an earlier scene (which has already been animated but is likely to be cut from the final film) where Bond checks into the Whyte House for the first time.

One of my many faux behind the scenes stills for Diamonds Reimagined; showing Sean Connery laughing with the actress playing the Receptionist (whose likeness is based off the actress Veronica Carlson).

SCENES 88 TO 96: Returning to Bond's suite and the fight with the Spangled Mob Gangsters.

This is a set of scenes which I've had in mind for the longest time, but until recently I was never fully satisfied with how I'd written it in the script.

Bond, held at gunpoint by Gangster 1 (with a likeness based off stuntman Leslie Crawford).

The basic idea was that Bond would return to his hotel suite, entering with his gun in hand when Plenty O'Toole doesn't answer the door. He would discover to his horror that she's been killed, and he's cornered by some Spangled Mob Gangsters who demand that he gives them the real diamonds. Bond manages to overpower and then defeat them in a fight.

In February 2020, I did a test for Scene 93 and the start of Scene 94. It was, of course, based off an earlier version of the script, in which Plenty's corpse was discovered in the bathroom.

Although the set for the suite's main room was mostly complete, the bathroom was not at the time scripted as an ensuite but a separate room accessible by double doors.

The test also featured totally different character models for the Gangsters, and Bond himself was wearing his grey suit and black tie from later in the film. I later changed this to the brown suit, blue shirt and red tie you see in the finished film.

I later settled for having Bond head out onto the balcony; from there he spots something down below in the Whyte House's pool. Suspicious, he grabs some binoculars to get a closer look. He is horrified to see a familiar set of black hair floating at the top of the pool; Plenty has been drowned in the pool below.

This allows me to keep Plenty's cause of death the same as in the original film, but without leaving the circumstances of how she got there unexplained for the wrong reasons. The audience can instead assume she was deliberately killed on the orders of the Spangled Mob, not because she was mistaken for Tiffany. 

There's also some ambiguity here; who precisely killed her? Was it the Gangsters hiding in Bond's suite? Or was it Wint and Kidd, which would explain why they were seen walking about the Casino floor in Scene 87? The audience can make their mind up.

Whatever the case, Wint and Kidd clearly do not want to be recognised, judging by their hoods, sunglasses and fedoras...

How the fight actually played out was something I wrestled with constantly when editing the script prior to me animating the scene for real. Of course, I was partially inspired by Bond's fight in Saida's dressing room with the three Beruit thugs in The Man With The Golden Gun, as well as Bond's brief scuffle with Drago's thugs in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The fight that finally got written and animated needed a suitable opening move by which Bond could catch Gangster 1 by surprise. Originally, I considered having him push a chest of drawers onto the gangster's chest, but this just didn't work logistically.

But later, I had a stroke of inspiration. I personally own an old green rotary phone, and as a phone in Bond's suite would be required in a later scene, why not allow Bond to use the reciever as a weapon?

The swinging of the reciever is almost a blink and you'll miss it move, but it works well.

The trick to making this work was to write a good reason for the gangster to be close to the phone so that Bond could hit him. Loosely inspired by a detail in Fleming's Casino Royale novel; in which Bond cleverly hides the cheque for his winnings from Le Chiffre's men by shoving it behind his room's number plate; I thought of Bond pretending that he had hidden the real diamonds, which the gangsters are after, inside the base of the telephone.

I thought that this sort of quick thinking would be in character for Bond. He's in a desperate situation, so his only hope of survival is to ensure that he's one step ahead of his opponents. By luring Gangster 1 towards the phone and pretending to dial into it as if to unlock a secret compartment, Bond has the opportunity to first bash him in the face with the base of the phone, and then to hit him with the reciever.

In terms of animation in Moviestorm, Bond walloping Gangster 1 in the face with the reciever was the most complex part of the whole fight sequence. I used the same sort of 'stop-motion' technique I use for all phone animations in Diamonds Reimagined; hiding and unhiding several reciever props in different positions on the set.

According to my daily production diary for the animation side of the project, on the 11th March, during the period I was animating the fight sequence, I counted 33 separate recievers on the set that I had used to create keyframes for this one move so far.

Then, to temporarily incapacitate Gangster 2 before he can fire his gun, Bond grabs a flower vase and throws it at his head. This is a typical Bob Simmons choreographed move; using stage props as part of the fight. For this I utilised Moviestorm's animation for a character throwing a snowball, only I instead placed the flower vase over the snowball both in Moviestorm itself and in my editor as a post-production effect.

The next move by Bond is to kick (or rather stamp on to) the face of the injured Gangster 1, who is lying on the floor, trying to reach his gun. I didn't want to let down on the brutality of such a moment, hence why when you watch the fight, you'll see blood on the gangster's face.

For the next part of the fight, when Gangster 3 returns into the room, having been outside to check nobody else is coming into Bond's suite and then likely heard noises from inside, I had to utilise different camera angles to give me more options for the editing.

The framing of the shot is deliberate; the audience needs to see Gangster 2 getting to his feet, creating an extra bit of tension.

The first angle is that facing Bond from the front; sort of a POV shot from Gangster 3's position, which I hoped would give off a more visceral feel to this part. The idea was that Bond would side-kick the gangster's gun arm just before the gun fires, diverting his aim and causing him to accidentally kill Gangster 2, who is just getting up in the background.

For another angle, I positioned the camera behind Bond as he kicks Gangster 3's arm. For this, I had to rebuild one end of the set elsewhere on the larger set space. Why? Well, because Moviestorm cannot do double doors! Gangster 3 needed to enter the suite through double doors, and the best I could do was to have a separate copy of the suite's entrance, only this time with two doors put next to each other. Of course, I would have to make sure the fact that the door handle of each door were not directly facing each other didn't show up on camera.

Also, rather than moving Bond to the other set along with Gangster 3, I kept Bond on the full set so that Gangster 3 could go on the partial set and not accidentally come into shot for the POV shot facing Bond from the front.

Stuntman Dave Brandon (Gangster 3) VS stuntman Bob Simmons (Bond).

But how then, do you film Bond kicking Gangster 3 in the arm? Why, you use a stunt double character model! Yes, I had created one of Sean Connery's stunt double Bob Simmons, which I have used at multiple points during the project. Including for the climatic fight later in Diamonds Reimagined between Bond and Blofeld at the Salt Mine. You don't see Simmons' face, so I thought it worked well for a few seconds shot.

 The next series of shots, culminating in the one above, were a bit of a challenge. Once Gangster 2 is seen to react to the bullet hitting his chest and dropping down dead, I had to progress the confrontation with Gangster 3. Bond has to karate chop him in the hand, to make him drop his gun. This required careful editing to get the POV shot of Bond from the front moving at the right speed.

Then, Bond had to grab Gangster 3 by the arm and fling him across the room. The gangster would clip the edge of the chest of drawers and land on the floor. This was tricky because getting the exact movement I wanted in Moviestorm would've been impossible without more editing wizardry.

So I had two bits of animation done. When I want characters to move across without walking, I put them on a special skateboard prop, which is made invisible to the camera. First, I moved the skateboard sideways with the gangster on it, to initiate the first part of him being flung. With Bond in the foreground, he passes behind him, allowing for a seamless jump cut in the edit to the next bit of animation.

I take the skateboard roughly back to its starting position, but this time I turn Gangster 3 90 degrees so that his back is facing where he ought to land on the floor. The skateboard moves towards the chest of drawers and I animate the gangster to do a 'blown about' motion where he falls backwards then is knocked onto his side.

When edited together, as long as Bond is in the correct posture; with his arms in the right place when he's doing his flinging motion; then nobody will notice that it wasn't really animated in one motion. This took a lot of fiddling around with the timing of the animation and edit to get right.

But I didn't want the fight to be completely one-sided. Bond needs to get hit as well, so I had Gangster 3 recover quickly. Bond runs towards him, and the gangster raises his legs up to kick him back. Both men get to their feet as quickly as possible, and this time Gangster 3 manages to attack Bond with his fists.

The next part was done mostly all in one shot, but with more of the same clever editing to hide gaps in the action as animated. The gangster first tries to punch Bond, but Bond uses his arm to block the punch. This occurs again, and then Bond kicks him away from him.

Gangster 3 doesn't get enough time to recover though, for Bond rushes forwards and then in the next shot, claps him on the hips and punches him in the face.

Rather than continuing the fight in the main room of the suite, I then had Gangster 3 fall back down by the door to Bond's bedroom. He opens the door and goes into the bedroom, with Bond following. The gangster pulls out a knife, runs to Bond to try and stab him.

Another Bob Simmons-esque choreographed move here; Bond opens a wardrobe door in the gangster's path very quickly, and Gangster 3 slams into it and falls back again, dropping the knife.

The next part was at first animated differently. Bond originally jumped over the side of the bed to get behind Gangster 3 so that he could strangle him and break his neck.

How Bond's closing move of strangulation was first animated...

The manner of Gangster 3's death was never in doubt; but when I previewed the scene with a professional film editor, I was told that the choreography of Bond going over the bed to get behind the gangster looked too confusing and contrived. He suggested; why not have Bond grab him by the chest, throw him onto the wardrobe wall and then come up behind to strangle him?

...And how it was later reanimated.

With this helpful advice in mind, I reshot the final part of the fight to make this alteration to the choreography. Bond's snapping of the neck and dropping of the body to the floor now required the gangster to be tossed to the side. So I once again used the invisible skateboard technique to change the gangster's position as he fell flat onto the floor.

The animation I had for the strangulation, neck snapping and falling flat was absolutely perfect; the gangster's body looks totally lifeless at this point.

The manner of Gangster 3's death needed to be brutal. I had two precedents in mind; the fight with Obanno on the stairwell in Casino Royale, which ends with Bond brutally asphyxiating his opponent to death.

A brutal end to a bloody fight scene; though the build-up is expertly directed, a similarly slow strangulation may not have worked pacing wise in my fight scene.

There was also Bond snapping the neck of the technician Chang in Dr. No; which was done behind a glass partition, so you didn't see all of it. It was still a cold kill nonetheless, and Bond didn't dwell on it because he has a mission to focus on.

This production still shows a different angle of Bond's cold killing of Chang. Snapping the neck was more suitable for my choice for Gangster 3's cause of death.

Though my fight sequence doesn't feature a whole lot of blood; only Gangster 1 gets bloodied, I hope the brutality shines through nicely. I needed to emphasise that James Bond is the same man we saw all the way back in Dr. No, only more vulnerable and aged. This is a man who's been through a lot and is more world weary as a result.

Bond checks the pulse of Gangster 1 following the fight; but the gangster has died from the face and head injuries inflicted by Bond.

The reason he lashes out so violently against the three gangsters; more brutally than he does towards Marc Lawrence's character in the original film after Plenty O'Toole has unintentionally been thrown down into a pool; is because the injustice of Plenty's death angers him after so many innocent and good people have died because he couldn't save them.

Quarrel, Kerim Bey, Jill and Tilly Masterson, Paula Caplan, Aki, Tracy Bond and now Plenty O'Toole. The body count weighing on Bond's mind causes grief; and one of the stages of grief is anger. It doesn't matter if the three Gangsters might not be the ones who actually killed Plenty themselves. In his mind, they're still complicit.

But Bond is still human; killing is often a dirty business. Bond may be a trained assassin, used to steeling himself in such situations, but there are still times in the series when he is visibly affected by the brutality of what he does.

In the film Casino Royale, after the aforementioned fight scene with Obanno, he comforts a traumatised Vesper in the shower. And at the beginning of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger novel, he expresses a degree of remorse at having to kill a Mexican bandit; a capungo, in an earlier mission.

Though the fight with Capungo in the film adaptation of Goldfinger is somewhat gritty, for the audience it ends with a laugh via Bond's one-liner; "Shocking. Positively shocking."

On the very first few pages of Fleming's Goldfinger, Bond's thought process on killing the bandit is summed up;

"it was his duty to be as cool about death as surgeon. If it happened, it happened. Regret was unprofessional - worse, it was death-watch beetle in the soul. And yet there had been something curiously impressive about the death of the Mexican. [...] What an extraordinary difference there was between a body full of person and a body that was empty!"

It's a side to Bond that we don't always see in the films because there are no introspective monologues by him. But in a revenge story like Diamonds Reimagined, I felt I had to hint towards it.

Bond checks on Gangster 1 back in the main room of his suite and realises he's dead, his reaction is best described in this extract from the script:

As finally edited, we don't pan down to see the corpse again, but instead focus on Bond as he walks back into his bedroom. This echoes the moment in Dr. No where Bond goes into the bathroom after killing the spider (or centipede, as in the novel), as if about to throw up.

Experienced but weary; Bond as a fighter

There can be no doubt that the James Bond of Diamonds Reimagined is still MI6's best man. As Sean Connery portrayed the character, Tom Mankiewicz opined, Bond looked like a man who loved fighting.

But that doesn't mean his instincts are always as sharp as they were when he was in his early 30s. Even Connery admitted in a 1971 interview with the BBC that he was "a bit slower, not quite as fit." That's perfectly natural, even for a physically active man like Bond in his early 40s.

Whilst in the fight sequence with Peter Franks (which I'm keeping from the original film), Bond is still agile and intuative, he does still make mistakes. Like accidentally alerting Franks that something is wrong by smashing a window with his elbow.

I tried to keep that kind of sense going in this fight sequence with the gangsters. Bond is still brilliant at fighting, but he's not always going to be one step ahead of his opponents. The circumstances are different from that first fight we saw in Dr No.

Sometimes, Bond can underestimate his opponent. Even if they're no match for Bond overall, that doesn't mean they can't put up a decent fight. Yet Bond is still Bond, and he's still going to win.

SCENES 97 TO 98: The aftermath, and a phone call from an old Case...

These scenes are pivotal for me in terms of showing that Bond is not only affected by Plenty O'Toole's death but also exhausted from the fight. Scene 97 begins with Bond in the shower, trying to detox.

Another homage to 2006's Casino Royale; Bond looks in the bathroom mirror after a fight sequence.

Before animating Scene 98, I made a minor change to the script. After Bond is called by Tiffany, who invites him up to the Starlight Lounge, I originally had him call Felix Leiter to request that he delivers the real diamonds to him (since it may need to be used as bait to lure Tiffany later on).

However, I decided this was uneccessary at this point since Tiffany's conversation with Bond in Scene 99 occurs because her superiors have told her they were given fake diamonds by Bond earlier in the story.

So instead, I decided to answer a question that had not yet occurred to me. I realised that I hadn't explained what happened to the bodies of the three Gangsters killed in the fight. 
That is why after Tiffany hangs up, I had Bond notice that the bodies of Gangster 1 and 2, in the main room of his suite, had vanished.

The only thing of theirs left in the room is Gangster 1's hat, which has a note on it hinting that Draco had sent some of his men to dispose of the bodies whilst Bond was in the bathroom. Clearly, after their meeting earlier in the story (Scene 86), Draco is still supporting Bond from the sidelines, even if he's not directly intervening in Bond's mission.

A few key points:

• The tone here is muted and somber. Bond is not “cool”; he’s exhausted, physically and emotionally. That really comes through in the way he moves, particularly his slowness and slight limp as he exits the ensuite bathroom via the bedroom.

For Scenes 97 and 98, I chose a different hair-piece for Bond's character model; to make it look like it was flattened by the water in the shower.

• The silence before Tiffany calls is potent — it gives space to process what just happened. And when the phone rings, the abrupt contrast is unsettling, but purposeful.

• Bond’s reaction to the missing bodies is subtle. It suggests he’s aware of what Draco did, and that he accepts it, if not entirely comfortably.

• Bond’s flatness in response to Tiffany's call is acting-through-animation; his body language says: “I’m going through the motions.” He knows perfectly well what Tiffany is up to, so he's playing along in character through his cover as Peter Franks.

Conclusion: Unlocking Bond's brutality and humanity

In the end, I hope this sequence shows a Bond who is still lethal, but more human — a man shaped by loss, not untouched by it. This fight isn’t just about survival. It’s about what happens when the mission collides with memory.

If you're new to Diamonds Reimagined, this scene is just one of many ways I’ve tried to bring Connery’s Bond full circle; honouring Fleming’s darker vision while giving the film the emotional depth it deserved.

Thanks for reading; and if you’d like to explore more from the project, feel free to check out the other scene breakdowns or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear what you think.

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— The Retro Captain

Still Bond: In Defence of Sean Connery’s Later 007 Performances

As the creator of Diamonds Reimagined—a passion project that seeks to honour and rework the 1971 Bond film Diamonds Are Forever—I've spent countless hours studying Sean Connery’s performance in his later outings as 007. It’s led me to a firm belief: the idea that Connery was 'bored,' 'tired,' or simply 'phoning it in' has persisted for too long. It’s an oversimplification at best; and a disservice at worst.

Connery returns to Bond in 1971: relaxed, charismatic, and still commanding.

Connery’s reputation as the original cinematic Bond is secure. But when it comes to his later films, discussions often default to familiar criticisms: he looked heavier, seemed detached, or lacked the intensity of his earlier work. I understand where these impressions come from; but I respectfully disagree. What I’ve found, through a mix of close viewing, research, and animation work that studies his every glance and gesture, is a far more layered, controlled, and deliberate performance than he often gets credit for.

This article is a defence; not just of Connery the icon, but of Connery the actor. And I hope to show why his work in these films deserves a second look.

The Origin of the Criticism

It’s often said that Thunderball (1965) marked Sean Connery’s last “fully committed” performance as Bond; before the supposed decline of You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever. But even Thunderball wasn’t immune to critical misreadings.

David Robinson of the Financial Times, in a contemporary review, wrote:

“It’s not just that Sean Connery looks a lot more haggard and less heroic than he did two or three years ago, but there is much less effort to establish him as connoisseur playboy. Apart from the off-handed order for Beluga, there is little of that comic display of bon viveur-manship that was one of the charms of Connery’s almost-a-gentleman 007.”

Already under scrutiny in 1965, Connery's Bond was more introspective than critics realised.

Yet this critique misses the deliberate tonal shift Thunderball represents. Connery tailored his Bond to the script, which focused more on espionage tension and less on upper-class excess. As in his other films, Connery didn’t stop performing; he simply performed differently.

Interestingly, Robinson would later praise Connery’s performance in Never Say Never Again, despite it being a remake of Thunderball and featuring a less overtly “heroic” or “bon viveur” Bond. Such a reversal highlights the subjective nature of these assessments; and how they often reflect changing cultural expectations rather than the quality of the performance itself.

It’s a pattern that repeats in later commentary as well. For instance, in 1988, Raymond Benson wrote of Diamonds Are Forever that Connery:

“Looks weary and bored … he is overweight, slow-moving, and doesn’t seem to be trying to create a credible character.”

But again, this overlooks the intentional dryness, irony, and tonal control Connery brings to the film; a performance that matches the world-weary, bizarre tone of the script.

You Only Live Twice – Understated, Not Uninterested

Of all of Sean Connery’s Bond films, You Only Live Twice (1967) is perhaps the most maligned when it comes to assessing his performance. Many critics have labelled it the point at which Connery became visibly disengaged; “phoning it in” as Bond while growing weary of the role. But the truth is far more nuanced, and the recollections of those who worked directly with Connery tell a different story.

Connery smiles for the camera in-between takes whilst filming Bond's escape from Osato Chemicals; on location outside the New Otani Hotel, Tokyo.

“He Under-Acts… That’s the Core of His Success”

Director Lewis Gilbert, who made his Bond debut on You Only Live Twice, offered a perceptive defence of Connery’s style in an interview with Showtime magazine some months after the film’s release:

“People accuse him of non-acting, or under-acting. That’s the core of his success; he under-acts only because of the complete overstatement and madness of everything around him in a Bond film. He plays counter to all this. Absolutely straight—all the madness bounces off him.”

Connery on location with Lewis Gilbert; by all accounts, the experienced star and the third Bond director got along very well.

This restraint wasn't laziness; it was intentional. Connery was the anchor amidst the chaos: a calm, self-assured Bond who brought a real-world coolness to a film filled with volcano lairs, ninja armies, and rocket-eating spacecraft.

Creative Fatigue, Not Laziness

That said, Gilbert later admitted that Connery was creatively bored by the growing emphasis on gadgetry:

“If he seemed to be ‘cruising’ in certain parts of our movie it was only because he knew the character was immovably second in line to the gadgets, and that bored him, I suppose.”

Connery himself echoed this feeling, but crucially, he still found genuine appreciation in the film’s more authentic elements. Speaking admiringly of the famous autogyro sequence, he said:

“I liked the gyrocopter. I thought that was rather marvellous... only because of the man who built it and flew it over Japan. He was rather marvellous. That’s authentic.”

Connery sitting in Little Nellie on location in Kagoshima.

Connery’s comments make it clear that, even when frustrated with the creative direction, he still engaged with what he found meaningful; and gave the role his full attention.

Committed to the Craft

Far from coasting, Connery trained intensively for the film’s martial arts scenes, instructed first by former U.S. Marine and renowned martial artist Donn Draeger. Draeger later praised his pupil:

“He showed a natural ability. From his early experience playing football, Sean obviously developed the coordination that would make him a superb Kendo [sword] fighter.”

Connery was also instructed by other experts in karate, shuriken, jujitsu, iai, bojitsu, and jojitsu. He was so impressed by it all that he even considered the possibility that his son Jason one day "might learn self defence in this way."

Draeger coaches Connery whilst rehearsing the ninja training scene.

Connery’s commitment to learning martial arts demonstrates that he was physically and mentally prepared to embody the role; even as the franchise leaned more heavily into fantasy.

Connery, accompanied by Donn Draeger, is awarded an honourary black belt in Kyokushin Karate from its founder, Mas Oyama, in 1966, during location filming in Japan.

“A Great Professional” On Set

Assistant Director William Cartlidge, who worked closely with Connery and director Lewis Gilbert, praised his professionalism:

“Sean was very secure in the part by that time… The character was fully formed. And Sean was marvellous to work with. He’s a great professional and a thoroughly good chap.”

Cartlidge also recalled that Connery was "absolutely marvellous with the crew", and made everyone on set laugh.

Even during a famous dispute with producer Harry Saltzman, Connery maintained his focus. Cartlidge recounted how Connery once refused to rehearse with Saltzman on set; only to pick up his line flawlessly the moment Saltzman left. It wasn’t a tantrum; it was a boundary set by a man who wanted to do his job without distraction.

The Japanese Perspective: A Gentle Giant

Connery’s respectful and reserved nature was also noted by the Japanese crew. Assistant director Kazuto Kawabe, recalled in 2020 following Connery's passing:

“There were few people who could casually talk to a big star like Connery, so he was somewhat of a loner. But there was a charming side to him, too, like when we saw each other for the first time in a while, he jabbed me on my side.”

Though he never saw Connery again after the film, Kawabe remembers him fondly many years later.

Despite being a global star, Connery made efforts to build connections. Kawabe concluded: “For me, Sean was more like a friend with whom I spent my youth with, than a star.”

Respected by His Co-Stars

Connery also left a strong impression on his Japanese co-stars. Akiko Wakabayashi, who played Aki, remembered in a 2005 interview:

“Sean-san is a warm-hearted, honest man. He has a clear vision as an actor. He can be stubborn from time to time, but he is a real man with a bit of old-fashioned taste.”

A relaxed Connery and Wakabayashi on set in-between takes. 

Mie Hama, who played Kissy Suzuki, said in a rare 2017 interview:

“Every morning, he asked if I was having any trouble. He also had a tough life before becoming a star, so he understood me.”

A cheerful Connery, joined by Mie Hama, celebrates his 36th birthday.

She also recalled a memorable moment during filming; Connery’s birthday celebration on location in Nachisan, Kyoto. He encouraged the unit to travel by Bullet Train, taking in the Japanese countryside. Hama remembered him as more relaxed during the journey, even mingling with passengers in other compartments despite earlier difficulties with crowds in Tokyo. That hardly sounds like a man too fed up to engage.

And German actress Karin Dor, who had no preconceptions of Connery or the Bond films, shared one of the most insightful remarks of all:

“At the first rehearsals I thought: ‘For God's sake, it's boring! [Sean] never strained himself, the lazy fellow. But [when shooting] suddenly everything was there: the madness, the coolness, the sparkle, that famous glitter in the eyes. He was phenomenal.”

BOND: "Now, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Dor’s change of heart speaks volumes. Connery wasn’t wasting energy in rehearsal; he was saving it for the moment the camera rolled, when he would deliver exactly what the character required.

Performance Highlights That Prove the Critics Wrong

Those who dismiss Connery’s work in You Only Live Twice as flat or disinterested may not be watching closely enough. His performance is filled with subtlety, humour, and emotional intelligence; much of which aligns closely with Ian Fleming’s Bond.

Take Bond’s first encounter with Aki at the sumo wrestling stadium. While the dialogue is minimal, Connery’s eye movements and physical poise convey quiet caution and professional control. His gaze flicks back and forth between the performing sumo wrestlers and Aki as he sizes her up, and never fully relaxes. It’s a subtle reminder that this Bond is a seasoned agent, always assessing risk; even during what appears to be a diplomatic meeting.

Subtle eye movements and tension show a spy always on alert.

The same guarded but professional edge appears in his meeting with Henderson (Charles Gray), filmed earlier at Pinewood. Connery underplays it beautifully, allowing the slight tension in his shoulders and quick changes in eye focus to suggest that Bond doesn’t quite trust what he’s walking into.

BOND: "Mr Henderson?" HENDERSON: "At your service."

Connery’s humour in the film is also often overlooked. His delivery of the line “Impregnable?”; uttered just after Tanaka’s ninjas blow a hole in Blofeld’s supposedly secure volcano control room; is pitch-perfect sarcasm. So too is his sly, Fleming-esque retort to Tanaka’s gadget demo: “You sound like a commercial.” These aren’t throwaway gags; they’re Bond’s armour, a way of staying grounded amid the madness.

Perhaps the finest comedic beat comes when Bond kills the hulking sumo henchman (played by Peter Fanene Maivia), stuffs the body into an alcohol cabinet, and pours himself a stiff drink. Raising the glass in an ironic toast, he says, “Cheers.” Then, glancing at the bottle’s label, his face curls in revulsion. “Siamese vodka?” It’s a throwaway line delivered with perfect dry disgust; a reminder that even in the most absurd moments, Connery’s comic instincts never left him.

“Cheers... Siamese vodka?”—a perfectly timed comedic beat.

Connery also brings emotional resonance when it’s needed. During Aki’s death scene—poisoned while sleeping beside him; Connery’s performance is subdued but deeply affecting. There’s a faint catch in his voice when he tells Tanaka, “She’s dead… poisoned.” The next line; “Tiger, we must get to that island”; is delivered with urgency, almost too quickly. But this feels intentional. Bond is steeling himself, compartmentalising the trauma to finish the mission. It’s a brief but powerful moment of emotional control, utterly in character for a man trained to endure loss in silence.

These scenes show that Connery hadn’t lost his edge; he had just adapted it. He let the gadgets and spectacle take centre stage, as the script required, but never lost sight of the man beneath the myth.

Bond goes Japanese - Flawed but still Connery

The “Japanese disguise” section of the film, though rooted in Fleming’s novel, hasn’t aged well; but it’s worth noting that Connery appears thoroughly present in the material, even if its concept and execution are now rightly questioned.

Though what Connery thought of the idea of Bond becoming Japanese is unknown, images like this suggest that he remained good-humoured and engaged during filming of scenes with the make-up on.

A Bond Who Still Thinks—and Feels

One of Connery’s most compelling moments in You Only Live Twice comes during his first face-to-face encounter with Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the volcano base. As the henchman Hans steps aside to reveal Blofeld (Donald Pleasence), the camera lingers briefly on Connery’s face; and it tells a whole story.

In those several seconds, Bond’s entire thought process is visible. He clocks Osato’s look of fear and quickly deduces that the man in front of him is someone even he might not be prepared for. Connery’s Bond doesn’t react with surprise or anger; he simply studies. His eyes flicker, his body stiffens, and his expression shifts from wary confidence to something closer to psychological calculation.

His wary analysis says more than any dialogue could.

From that point on, his performance through the rest of the scene walks a tightrope between cautious diplomacy and internal tension. He tries to stay calm, but you can see in his face that he’s sizing Blofeld up; not just as a villain, but as a man. There’s curiosity, but also revulsion. This isn’t just a terrorist with a gimmick; this is a madman, and Connery communicates that dawning realisation without a word.

What makes this even more layered is what’s going on outside the performance. Bond knows that Kissy has swum to shore to alert Tiger Tanaka; but he doesn’t yet know if she’s succeeded. Connery subtly incorporates this uncertainty into the tension of the scene. It’s a classic spy beat, handled not with bombast, but with slow-burn intensity.

It’s another example that refutes the idea Connery had disengaged. He’s not just showing up and reading lines; he’s reacting, building tension, and conveying Bond’s intelligence and self-control under pressure.

Conclusion: Still Bond, Still Brilliant

It’s easy to look at You Only Live Twice and see a Bond film where the lead actor was beginning to question his place in the franchise. But that doesn’t mean Connery gave a lazy performance; only that he gave a measured one. What’s clear from the voices of his colleagues, collaborators, and co-stars is that Connery remained deeply professional, physically committed, emotionally intelligent, and every bit the star they admired.

"No matter what the odds...They don't stand a chance against James Bond; Sean Connery, 007."

The myth of a disinterested Connery falls apart when confronted with the facts. If anything, You Only Live Twice is a subtle evolution of the character; Bond as the jaded veteran, composed and calculating, letting the madness bounce off him.

Diamonds Are Forever – Relaxed Doesn’t Mean Lazy

By the time Diamonds Are Forever reached cinemas in 1971, the James Bond series had weathered a moment of uncertainty. With George Lazenby exiting after just one film, the return of Sean Connery was both a marketing coup and a creative gamble. For Connery, it was a chance to step back into a familiar role, take control of his contract, and fund a passion project (The Offence). But some critics would go on to dismiss his performance as disinterested or uncommitted.

That’s a misreading not only of Connery’s performance on screen, but of his work ethic and mindset behind the scenes.

Connery’s Own Words: Still Enjoyable, Still Sharp

Contrary to popular belief, Connery expressed genuine enthusiasm during production. In an interview published on 27 April 1971, he stated:

“It doesn't make any great demands on anyone. Playing James Bond again is still enjoyable. It's really quite fun, you know.”

In this BBC interview with Sheridan Morley, first broadcast on the 31st July 1971, Connery was candid about his reasons for returning to the role.

Far from sounding embittered, Connery appeared relaxed and confident; an actor returning to a role he had mastered. In a BBC interview filmed in his dressing room at Pinewood Studios, he even praised the script:

“Probably the best we've had, certainly construction-wise, with a beginning, middle and an end of a story.”

In another interview, he also addressed the elephant in the room; his age:

“I say I'm not as young as I was, but the villains will still end up dead.”

An Actor Under Pressure, Not Going Through the Motions

Connery also gave voice to the burden of carrying a production of this scale:

“I feel like I'm at the centre of a huge emotional web. If I'm vulnerable or sick the entire production goes to cock. Nobody seems to realise the strain.”

A candid photo of Connery arriving at Los Angeles Airport on the 12th April 1971, ready to join the main unit for filming.

This quote pulls back the curtain. Far from “walking through the role,” Connery was acutely aware of the responsibility he carried. His fatigue wasn’t laziness; it was the natural strain of being the axis around which the entire film turned.

On Set: Calm, Committed, and Often Enjoying Himself

Still photographer Terry O’Neill, a close friend of Connery’s, shared a revealing insight:

“Film sets can be short bursts of activity and long periods of boredom. [...] In between takes, Sean loved to wander down to the casino floor and have a little flutter on the slots. It wasn't just about killing time.”

Although Connery made himself busy in-between takes, Guy Hamilton remembered that he always turned up on time when he was needed on set.

Connery’s time on set was punctuated by moments of playfulness; but never at the expense of the work. A teenage Bond fan, Robert Short, who had rare access to the production, recalled the filming of the Bambi and Thumper fight scene:

“Connery, for the most part, did his own stunts and enjoyed every minute of it.”

Connery laughs whilst in the pool of the Elrod House with young Olympic gymnast Mary Hiller (often credited as Lola Larson), who played Bambi, and Trina Parks, who played Thumper.

Associate Producer Stanley Sopel backed this up, commenting of Connery's experience during filming:

“He had a darn good time doing it. He certainly had a whale of a time the eight weeks we shot in the States.”

Associate Producer Stanley Sopel (left) was instrumental in convincing Connery (right) to return to the role, despite the actor feeling he had been mistreated by Saltzman and Broccoli (centre).

And Jill St. John, who played Tiffany Case, remembered him as a generous co-star:

“He's a very good pal to have as your leading man. To be his co-star is to feel almost protected.”

Following Connery's passing, St John opined: "Sean made playing Bond look effortless, that was his art. He never just phoned it in, he just did his part perfectly."

Still Creative, Still Collaborative

Connery didn’t just act; he contributed. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz recalled that Connery’s return hinged on the quality of the script:

“I was supposed to do 40 pages in two weeks and send them to Sean Connery. I worked with Guy [Hamilton] and I did them, and Sean said yes, he would come back, based on those 40 pages.”

The cover of Mankiewicz's Revised First Draft, dated 24th February 1971. This may have been the draft sent to Connery, whose return to the role was officially announced on the 1st March 1971.

Connery had already been offered a staggering £1.25 million salary, and yet he reportedly took a week to make his decision. That he held off until seeing the script; and ultimately agreed based on those 40 pages; speaks volumes about his continued care for the character. He didn’t hate Bond. What he disliked was being defined solely as Bond. But the role itself? He respected it, and wanted to ensure it was being done properly.

Co-writer Tom Mankiewicz, who Connery referred to affectionately as "boyo". 

Tom Mankiewicz also remembered Connery's respect for the writing process in another moment of collaboration:

“Sean said to me: ‘You know, it [Plenty O'Toole's name] kind of refers to a male organ. Would you mind if I said ‘Named after your father maybe’?’ I said that it was a great line. But just the fact that he asked me—I was [only] 27—shows you the way he approached his job.”

Guy Hamilton directs Connery on location inside the Las Vegas Riviera Hotel & Casino.

Director Guy Hamilton backed this shift in tone, saying of Connery’s return:

“Fundamentally [Connery] agreed Bond must be exaggerated, expanded, after the kind of saturnine presence of before, especially On Her Majesty's Secret Service.”

While that comment may raise eyebrows among fans of OHMSS today, it reflects the thinking at the time; when that film was not as universally praised as it is now. Hamilton’s words confirm that Connery was not just playing Bond again; he was helping redefine him for a new tone.

Performance Highlights That Show Connery at His Most Playful

If Diamonds Are Forever has one clear takeaway when it comes to Connery’s performance, it’s that he’s having fun; and he wants the audience to have fun too. The “weary, slow-moving” label simply doesn’t hold up when you look at his screen presence across the film. What you get instead is a Bond performance filled with confidence, wit, and just enough cynicism to suit the film’s darker edges.

BOND: "You are English?" FRANKS: "Yes, I'm English." 

One of Connery’s best tools in Diamonds is his mastery of undercover scenes. Take the moment when Bond is walking into the elevator with the real Peter Franks, building up to their brutal fight. Connery’s Bond pretends to be German, replying stiffly in a forced accent, “I speak English!” It’s subtle, silly, and perfect; it shows Bond buying time, and Connery gives it just the right comic spin without breaking the moment’s tension.

Later, when Bond is fully impersonating Franks, Connery hams up the part with delightful irony; especially at Amsterdam Airport, where he tells a flight attendant with mock grief:

“We were inseparable, you know.”

It’s such a dryly theatrical moment that it’s hard not to smile, and it showcases Connery’s ability to go big in the right way when the tone allows it.

He’s equally charming in more traditional Bond scenes. When he meets Plenty O’Toole (played by Lana Wood) at the casino, Connery exudes relaxed swagger.

 Connery’s Bond charms and teases, fully in control.

After winning big, he casually hands her a wad of cash and prepares to leave. When she tags along, gushing, “You’re a terrific guy… a little weird, but a terrific guy,” he reacts with amused indifference, as if this is just part of the job. The whole exchange recalls earlier Connery-Bond moments with femme fatales like Miss Taro in Dr. No or Fiona Volpe in Thunderball. The chemistry may be playful, and Plenty isn't a villainess, but Bond is always in control; and Connery knows exactly how to project that.

Visible concern and anger show Connery’s Bond was still emotionally engaged.

His physical reactions are just as sharp. When Plenty is suddenly hurled out of the hotel window by gangsters, Connery makes Bond’s horror believable. The quick dash to the window, the visible relief when she lands in the pool, and the shift to visible anger when one thug mutters, “I didn’t know there was a pool down there,” all happen in seconds. It’s a textbook moment of Connery acting; not as a superhero, but as a spy who’s appalled by casual cruelty.

Later, when Bond finds Tiffany Case in his bed; having taken Plenty’s place; he quips, “Well, the evening may not be a total loss after all…”

Connery delivers it with effortless cool and a cheeky glint in his eye. It's pure Bond, but it’s also pure Connery.

And then there’s the finale on Blofeld’s oil rig. As Bond gleefully uses a crane to smash Blofeld’s Bathosub into the control centre, Connery is visibly having a ball. In the close-ups of him at the controls, his grin is broad, mischievous, and completely infectious.

Proof of the joy he experienced in playing the role again.

It’s one of the clearest visual pieces of evidence that he enjoyed filming the movie—and that his Bond was as alive and engaged as ever.

There are countless other examples; the elevator fight, the banter with Tiffany in her Amsterdam flat, and one particularly slick stunt near the end of the Techtronics escape. As Bond dismounts a stolen ATV (still moving) and runs toward Tiffany's waiting Ford Mustang, Connery pulls off the sequence in a single fluid motion, delivering the line:

“Get in the car! If you see a mad professor in a minibus, just smile.”

Cool, confident, and in total command.

It’s a small but telling moment; pure Bond: quick-thinking, agile, dryly funny. And it's executed with the ease and athleticism of an actor completely comfortable in the role.

For many fans, Diamonds Are Forever might not be the most serious Bond entry; but Connery’s twinkle-in-the-eye performance is arguably one of the most entertaining in the whole series. It’s a masterclass in tonal control, comic timing, and still-simmering danger.

The Final Word: Cubby Broccoli

Perhaps the most definitive defence came from Cubby Broccoli himself, who worked with Connery from the very start:

“The odd critic complained that Sean ‘walked’ through the picture, didn’t give the production all he had. I refute this. He may have had his faults, but Sean is too much the professional to short-change himself, let alone us, as an actor.”

A satirical cartoon published around the release of Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, poking fun at Connery’s age and weight. While humorous, it reflects a growing narrative that Connery was no longer physically suited to play Bond; an idea that ignores the commitment and charisma he still brought to the role.

It’s a fitting summation. Connery’s Bond in Diamonds Are Forever is older, more ironic, and more self-aware; but not diminished. He meets the film’s sardonic tone with dry wit, controlled menace, and total command of the role he helped define.

Connery photographed outside the Elrod House. Even in a pale suit and pink tie, often criticised; he radiates Bond’s quiet confidence.

Never Say Never Again – A Strong Return Against the Odds

When Sean Connery returned to the role of James Bond in 1983’s Never Say Never Again, it wasn’t as part of the "official" EON series, but as the star of an independently produced remake of Thunderball. At 52 years old, Connery might have seemed an unlikely candidate to don the tuxedo again.

Interestingly, this time Connery’s performance drew less criticism than in his earlier return for Diamonds Are Forever. In fact, many fans have remarked that he looks leaner and more physically fit in Never Say Never Again than he did in 1971. While that’s true, the greater takeaway is this: despite a far more chaotic and unpleasant production experience, Connery’s Bond remained sharp, funny, and in command.

A Difficult Shoot, A Committed Performance

Behind the scenes, the production of Never Say Never Again was fraught with tension. Connery’s working relationship with producer Jack Schwartzman was notoriously poor, with the actor often stepping in to steady a production he felt was teetering.

Speaking candidly at the National Film Theatre in 1983 while promoting the film, Connery said:

“When you get into a situation where somebody who is totally incompetent is in charge, a real ass, then everything is a struggle. [...] What I could have done is just let it [the film] bury itself.”

Once again with creative control and input, Connery chose Irvin Kershner as the film's director after his first choice, Richard Donner, declined the offer.

Director Irvin Kershner recalled Connery’s influence during production:

“[Connery] frequently came up with bits of dialogue which made an important difference. We talked about each scene endlessly before and during shooting [...] he actually created the role, so it would have been silly not to use his input.”

These quotes are especially telling. Connery had every reason to disengage; he had no contractual obligation to the Bond brand, was working outside the familiar EON system, and was battling a chaotic shoot led by someone he considered unfit to manage the film. And yet, he didn’t let it bury itself. Instead, he stayed the course, working closely with Irvin Kershner and especially assistant director David Tomblin, to keep the film afloat, crafting the script and delivering a performance that remains one of the most widely praised elements of the production.

Performance Highlights: Flippant, Focused, and Fun

Even critics who don’t rate Never Say Never Again highly tend to agree that Connery himself is in fine form. He brings his trademark cool, sarcasm, and self-assured presence to a film that might otherwise wobble without him.

Take the moment Bond first meets Fatima Blush, who soaks him with a dramatic waterskiing stunt before landing theatrically in his arms. She gasps, “I made you all wet!” and Connery, barely fazed, replies:

“Yes, but my martini is still dry.”

It’s pure Connery; cool under pressure, witty without forcing it, and charming without ever seeming to try too hard.

Later, in a wonderfully absurd scene, Fatima holds Bond at gunpoint after a motorbike chase, demanding he write a note confessing that she was his best lover. Connery plays it completely deadpan, drawing out her instability with lines like:

“Well, there was this girl in Philadelphia…”

Even under threat, Connery keeps it playful.

His relaxed tone and amused deflection make the scene work beautifully, even as the film around it teeters into cartoonish territory.

Another highlight comes after Bond wins the bizarre video game “Domination” against Largo. As a reward, he asks for a dance with Domino. When Largo asks, “So, do you lose as gracefully as you win?” Connery delivers the perfect mic-drop line:

“I wouldn’t know; I’ve never lost.”

“I’ve never lost”—a line only Connery could deliver like this.

These moments shine because they’re delivered with such casual control. Connery doesn’t push; he just is Bond. Even if the film around him is uneven, he anchors it with charm and consistency.

In a film where the editing is occasionally disjointed and the pacing uneven, Connery provides the through-line. His performance is steady, charismatic, and joyfully in command.

Between the Stills: A Man, Not a Myth

One recurring issue when evaluating Sean Connery’s performances as Bond; particularly in You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever; is the tendency to draw sweeping conclusions from a handful of behind-the-scenes photos or anecdotes. It’s true that there are images of Connery on set looking visibly tired or irritable, such as a Japanese press still taken at Kobe Docks during the filming of You Only Live Twice. In it, he sits in partial shadow, shirt sleeves rolled, expression serious, almost defiant; an image often used to imply dissatisfaction or even contempt for the role.

A still easily misused to suggest Connery's total disengagement...

But context matters.

There are also dozens of stills from both films showing Connery smiling, joking with cast and crew, sharing birthday cake on location, talking with Cubby Broccoli, and even laughing on set beside actors and extras. There are warm moments captured with Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Jill St. John and Lana Wood, as well as affectionate stills with crew members. These images are just as real, just as authentic; and just as telling.

...but the full story shows joy, too.

Connery’s relationship with Bond, and with the producers, wasn’t a straight line. It had peaks and valleys. Some days were joyful; others were tense. But that doesn't make him unprofessional. It makes him human. And too often, the myth of the “reluctant Bond” is based on cherry-picked photos or out-of-context remarks rather than a balanced view of the working environment across months of production.

Judging by photos like this, Connery's relationship with Cubby Broccoli, though strained by the mid-60s, was not always acrimonious.

Understanding Connery’s Bond-era career means accepting this complexity. It’s not about denying the strain he felt, but acknowledging the full picture: the man who occasionally clashed with his bosses was the same man who danced with co-stars, improvised on set, and trained for weeks to sell a fight scene.

Conclusion: Reappraising Connery’s Bond With Fresh Eyes

Sean Connery’s legacy as Bond is often narrowly defined. For many, his “classic” performances ended with Goldfinger or Thunderball, and everything after that is seen through the fog of fatigue, contract disputes, or a changing cinematic landscape. Yet a closer, more compassionate look reveals a different truth.

Connery’s time as James Bond had its difficulties. He was not always comfortable with fame, nor with the growing scale of the productions that swirled around him. But what emerges from the testimonies of directors, co-stars, producers, and Connery himself is a portrait of an actor who cared; about the character, about the quality of the work, and about his role in shaping a pop culture phenomenon.

In You Only Live Twice, his performance was quieter, more internalised; not a sign of disengagement, but of experience. In Diamonds Are Forever, he navigated a campier, more ironic script with dry wit and sharp timing, never missing a beat even when the tone drifted from the serious spycraft of earlier films. And in Never Say Never Again, under far worse conditions than any of his EON Bond films, he still delivered a Bond who was older, wiser, and yet unmistakably dangerous.

The idea that Sean Connery stopped trying is a myth born of selective memory and out-of-context moments. The image of him looking exhausted on set should be weighed against the dozens of moments where he’s laughing, training, improvising, collaborating; and delivering unforgettable performances. He was a professional. A performer with control and presence. Whether the tone was exotic spectacle, crime caper, or something else, Connery always calibrated his Bond to meet the moment.

Still charismatic, still Bond; just with more layers.

To appreciate Connery’s full contribution to the Bond legacy is to watch these later performances with open eyes and without preconception. You’ll find an actor still in command, still charismatic, and still unmistakably 007.

"I don't think a single other role changes a man quite as much as Bond. It's a cross, a privilege, a joke, a challenge, and as bloody intrusive as a nightmare. Fortunately, the Bond character is so much larger than life that there is always fun in the role." - Sean Connery, 1971

FURTHER READING

This article was inspired in part by my own work on “Diamonds Reimagined,” a fan-made reconstruction of Connery’s return to Bond in 1971. You can read more about that project here.

Many of the quotes and anecdotes featured in this article can be in found in the excellent Special Issue of MI6 Confidential; Sean Connery: A James Bond Journey. As of May 2025, there are still copies available to order.

You can also find some of these quotes in Some Kind of Hero: The Making of the James Bond Films, which was written and researched by the same authors: Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdury.

Other quotes came from The James Bond Archives, edited by Paul Duncan. I especially reccommend this as a resource for anybody interested in the timelines of the making of the Bond films. There are some stories in here which are familiar, but also ones I'd never heard of.

The quote from Tom Mankiewicz about Connery suggesting the "Named after your father, perhaps?" line I found in the free e-book Scripting 007, available to download via this link on the website commander007.net.

The full interview with You Only Live Twice's Japanese assistant director Kazuto Kawabe on his memories of Sean Connery can be read here.

I'd like to give additional credit to the fantastic archive site thunderballs.org, from which I sourced most of the production stills and behind the scenes photographs featured in this article. I always keep coming back to it for inspiration when working on Diamonds Reimagined.