"I tend to notice little things like that, whether a girl is a blonde or a brunette."

The return of Sean Connery to the James Bond story, with a slightly less emotionally charged and camp-tinged journey from the emotionally dynamic On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to a more extravagant and camp-infused film.

Directed by Guy Hamilton, the movie begins with Bond on his quest for his longtime nemesis Blofeld’s elimination, which launches a globe-traveling exploration of a diamond smuggling ring that endangers global safety. It then quickly pivots to Las Vegas where ice-cold tension of Bond’s icy getaways is replaced by neon lights and casino glitz, which suggests a swing to spectacle over realism.

The plot is energetic, but convoluted and veering into absurdities frequently. Bond discovers a scheme where stolen diamonds are used to fuel a space-based laser weapon, with Blofeld at the helm of this latest mess yet again.

This story features plastic surgery doubles, moon buggy chases, and an oddball pair of henchmen—Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. This eerie influence is an added surreal layer to the movie. Although the story lacks the emotionality that we saw earlier in these films, it is made up by quick speed and embrace of its own eccentricity.

Connery's performance is smooth and charming, albeit considerably more relaxed in tone than his earlier Bond movies. There’s no doubt he delivers the trademark wit and suaveness with grace, but there’s something about him that feels disengaged: as though the actor in question is aware of the film’s more airy vibe. Jill St. John’s Tiffany Case starts as the witty, able Bond girl but quickly becomes more of a comic relief, an allusion to camp as the film moves toward that goal. Charles Gray’s Blofeld, for all his polish, loses the menace of earlier representations, adding to the film’s dramatic lightness.

Diamonds Are Forever’s early ’70s excess is on display on the film's screen. The Las Vegas location creates a living room of sorts, an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to a colorful set design that is not unlike that from Ken Adam's production design. Meanwhile John Barry gives the film a moody ring of jazz and Shirley Bassey's signature title song introduces the film to glitzy glamour. It is that stylised treatment of the villain’s career that tends to overshadow and distract from the true stakes.

Diamonds Are Forever is thus more a transitional entry to the Bond canon than anything else. It comes to a close in the Connery era — an almost smug smirk, the way some movie books to boot can — while recognizing what this franchise can offer in terms of camp and spectacle. Sure, it may not have the grit or emotional resonance a lot like previous films. But it certainly offers a nice - if uneven and sometimes ruffled - look inside the grandeur of its era. As for movie lovers who love its older brethren: It's a little strange in a good-looking combination of charm, chaos and casino lights that offers up a one of a kind moment in 007 cinema history.

It is now available on 4K, thanks to this stunning 4K restoration. Diamonds Are Forever is one of the standout transfers in the James Bond 4K Collection and finally does justice to the film’s exotic color palette and lavish production design.

007: The Sean Connery James Bond 6-Film Collection Limited Edition SteelBook Box Set 4K

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray - June 10, 2025
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French; German; Italian; Spanish; Dutch
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; )French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; German: Dolby Digital 5.1; Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

A fortune in stolen diamonds thrusts James Bond into action! Sean Connery returns as Agent 007 and teams up with the beautiful Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) to prevent his nemesis Blofeld (Charles Gray) from using the diamonds in a deadly laser satellite.

VIDEO

The brand-new 4K transfer of the original camera negatives for each of these films is monumentally beautiful.   Sony has outdone themselves.

Truly, the results are as incredible as you can expect.  Using state of the art technology, a new 8K 16-bit scan of the original Technicolor camera negative became the basis for the 4K UHD scan. In a word: perfection. I cannot use enough adjectives to express how flawlessly beautiful these films look in their native 4K scan. This is not hyperbole. Film grain is fine and intact and adds detail to the picture - the likes you have never seen.

Colors, especially with the HDR enhancements, are deeper and punchier than they ever were before in the land of all things 007, without sacrificing their intended looks and atmosphere. In fact, the overall detail and depth of these pictures cannot be overstated.  The 4K Blu-ray discs feature the DOLBY VISION HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen — frame by frame.

AUDIO

The DTS-HD Master Audio are ideal for these releases.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See below for details

Special Features:

Explore the making of and release of the films as never before, with commentaries, special features, behind the scenes footage, TV commercials and trailers. The six Blu-Rays are presented with a numbered certificate of authenticity and silver metal limited edition case. The James Bond Sean Connery Six Film Blu-Ray Collection Steelbook features a wealth of special features: 

• Commentary featuring Director Guy Hamilton cast and crew
• Sean Connery 1971: The BBC Interview
• Lesson # 007: Close Quarters Combat
• Oil Rig Attack
• Satellite Test Reel
• Explosion Tests
• Alternate and Expanded Angles:
• Elevator Fight - Angle 1
• Elevator Fight - Angle 2
• Elevator Fight - Angle 3
• Elevator Fight - Angle 4
• Vegas Car Chase - Angle 1
• Vegas Car Chase - Angle 2
• Vegas Car Chase - Angle 3
• Moonbuggy Chase
• Bambi & Thumper
• Bond Arrives on the Oil Rig
• Deleted Scenes:
• Sammy Davis JR
• Killing Shady Tree
• Dinner with Plenty
• Plenty Returns
• Through The Alley Again
• Mr. & Mrs. Jones in the Bridal Suite
• Inside Diamonds Are Forever
• Cubby Broccoli The Man Behind Bond
• Exotic Locations
• Christmas Teaser Trailer
• TV Broadcasts:
• The Newest, Greatest Bond Adventure
• From The Diamond Fields Of South Africa
• Sean Connery as James Bond 007
• The Women Are Still Falling For Him
• Radio Communications:
• Only One Man Can Blow Up A Volcano
• Sean Connery As James Bond 007
• Only One Man... Would Drive a Car with an Ejection Seat

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 120 mins
Director: Guy Hamilton
Writer: Richard Maibaum; Tom Mankiewicz
Cast: Sean Connery; Jill St. John; Charles Gray
Genre: Spy | Thriller
Tagline: StarsSean ConneryJill St. JohnCharles Gray
Memorable Movie Quote: "They're both aboard. I must say Miss Case seems quite attractive..."
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site:
Release Date: December 17, 1971
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: 
Synopsis: A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon.