50 Greatest James Bond Moments Of All Time

43. Thunderball: Finale

The Spy Who Loved Me
MGM

Once again, Thunderball's underwater action is very hit-or-miss but it got this insane climax absolutely right.

It can be divided into two parts. Firstly, there's a beautifully-done underwater battle (with harpoons instead of guns) between the US Navy and the Spectre forces as the navy tries to retrieve one of the stolen atomic bombs.

Then, there's an equally thrilling final showdown on Largo's boat, which refreshingly ends with the main Bond Girl Domino (Claudine Auger) killing Largo instead of Bond.

Thunderball's bonkers climax easily makes up for some of the fairly anaemic action earlier in the film and aside from some obvious sped-up footage, these scenes are ageing incredibly well too.

Contributor

Film Studies graduate, aspiring screenwriter and all-around nerd who, despite being a pretentious cinephile who loves art-house movies, also loves modern blockbusters and would rather watch superhero movies than classic Hollywood films. Once met Tommy Wiseau.