This James Bond story involving underwater action features what I think is the strongest group of female characters across all the films. The plot centers on stolen atomic bombs and finds agent 007 (Sean Connery) heading to Nassau, Bahamas, where he encounters SPECTRE agent Emil Largo (Adolfo Celi) and his seductive partner (Luciana Paluzzi). Claudine Auger portrays Largo’s somewhat innocent associate. "Thunderball," released in 1965, consistently ranks among my favorites starring Connery because of its engaging plot twists, the memorable title song performed by Tom Jones, and particularly, the impressive female cast. Besides Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona and Claudine Auger as Domino, Molly Peters appears as a curvy masseuse at a health center, while Martine Beswick, who had previously been in “From Russia with Love” as one of the women fighting cats, is present as an MI6 agent stationed in the Bahamas. It was something of a surprise to me that so much of the movie unfolds in the Bahamas, especially considering "Dr. No," from 1962, primarily occurred in Jamaica, which sits about 400 miles further south in the Caribbean. People who are curious should know that “Thunderball” was recreated as the unofficial film “Never Say Never Again” (1983), marking Connery’s last time playing 007. While I personally favor this one—it was the highest-grossing Bond movie of the 1960s—"Never Say Never Again" is still worth seeing, even if it doesn't have quite the same scope as Roger Moore's lively "Octopussy," which came out at the same time. The film’s length is 2 hours and 10 minutes, and filming took place in Château d'Anet, Anet (the opening scenes) & Paris, France; England; and the Bahamas. GRADE: A-

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