Ranking Every James Bond Opening Scene From Worst To Best
22. Diamonds Are Forever
When Sean Connery quit the role of James Bond in 1967, producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had some big shoes to fill, and the pair eventually decided Australian model George Lazenby was the man for the job. But after just one film, Lazenby also quit. So who did Broccoli and Saltzman hire to replace him? Why Sean Connery of course!
Naturally, this led to some confusion. On Her Majesty's Secret Service ended with a cliffhanger that was both a deeply emotional climax and an intriguing setup for the next Bond adventure, but with Lazenby gone, Broccoli and Saltzman decided to quickly resolve this cliffhanger in Diamonds are Forever's cold open, resulting in an awkward and rushed scene.
After interrogating the world's most poorly dubbed henchmen and displaying some cringeworthy sexism, Bond finally locates Blofeld, who looks and behaves completely different than he did in the previous film. 007 then kills the villain by throwing him into a conveniently placed lava pit.
Diamonds are Forever's opening is a fiasco; it feels as if the producers couldn't choose between resolving On Her Majesty's Secret Service's cliffhanger or ignoring it entirely, so they did a little of both. Although Bond is clearly hunting Blofeld, his motivations are never clarified and his wife is never mentioned. The only positive aspect of this opening is that it's funny. But let's make one thing clear Diamonds are Forever; we're laughing at you, not with you.