Sean Connery

Five Days One Summer (1982)

 

Ageing doctor Douglas takes his beautiful young mistress on an alpine walking holiday only to find that she is falling for the charms of a dashing tour guide. 

From memory: Psychological melodrama goes a bit far combining the story of a complex and dubious love relationship with the thrills of dangerous mountaineering, but is mildly entertaining, if you can bear it.

Halliwell*: "Superbly photographed and crafted mountain movie,akin to the German epics of the early thirties.. Alas, the content is very thin."

Maltin**: "...story doesn't come off, despite impeccable production. Slow, ethereal, ultimately unsatisfying." 

The First Great Train Robbery (1978)

In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.

From memory: This period heist drama has good production value and cinematography, but lacks originality, and the star cast is not quite challenged in their roles.

Halliwell*: "Patchy but generally very likeable period crime story, with just a few lapses of pace and taste."

Maltin***: "Stylish fun..."

First Knight (1995)

Lancelot falls in love with Guinevere, who is due to be married to King Arthur. Meanwhile, a violent warlord tries to seize power from Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Very professionally produced adaptation of the saga, good production design, excellent cinematography and some solid performances, but Richard Gere is a quite dubious casting choice for Lancelot.

Halliwell (no star): "This is less the medieval epic it attempts to be, and closer in spirit to A Yankee in King Arthur's Court, thanks to Gere's American gigolo masquerading as Lancelot; it lacks passion and there is no feeling that anything is worth fighting or dying for."

Maltin***: "Handsome, sweeping, romantic adventure saga...Awkward narrative moments (and the casting of a contemporary-sound American as Lancelot) outweighed by the overall intelligence of William Nicholson's script, John Box's breathtaking production design, Jerry Goldsmith's majestic score, and the splendid performances by Ormond and Connery. Camelot has never looked so magical."

Outland (1981)

A federal marshal stationed at a mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io, uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy.

From memory: Above-average science faction action drama has great production design and some suspense, but it's nothing more than a Western set in space.

Halliwell (no star): "Ludicrous, over-plotted outer-space version of High Noon, in such thick colour that the action is hard to follow."

Maltin**1/2: "Slickly made, but predictable and unpleasant in tone."

The Untouchables (1987)

Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop Al Capone; because of rampant corruption, he assembles a small, hand-picked team.

Streamlined entertainment without any depth; quite enjoyable for ist sheer professionalism in all departments.

Halliwell**: "The long-running TV show is given a new polish in this showy, violent gangster picture, which seemed to please all classes."

Maltin****: "High-energy entertainment that packs a wallop...Fluidly (and flamboyantly) filmed, with powerhouse performances by Connery..., and De Niro, as a grandiose Al Capone. Climactic shoot-out, with echoes of POTEMKIN, will have you on the edge of your seat!"

Thunderball (1965)

James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.

The nonchalant and over-sexed super agent's 4th adventure is full of action and sparely clad dames, all nicely produced, but with only hints of a thorough plot.

Halliwell**: "Commercially the most successful Bond, but certainly not the best despite a plethora of action sequences."

Maltin**1/2: "Fourth James Bond film isn't as lively as the others. Plenty of gimmicks, and Oscar winning special effects...but film tends to bog down - especially underwater. Celi makes a formidable Bond villain."

Sean Connery

Sean Connery

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery