List of James Bond henchmen in Diamonds Are Forever
A list of henchmen from the 1971 James BOND film and novel Diamonds Are Forever from the List of James Bond henchmen.
Mister Wint and Mister Kidd
Mr Albert Wint & Mr Charles Kidd are fictional characters in the James Bond novel and film Diamonds Are Forever. In the novel, Wint and Kidd are members of the The Spangled Mob. In the film, they are henchmen for the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In the film Mr. Wint is played by Bruce Glover and Mr. Kidd by Putter Smith.
Film
Mr. Wint and his partner Mr. Kidd are assassins working for Ernst Stavro Blofeld (it can be assumed, though the pair share no scenes with their employer). Their assignment is to kill everyone in the diamond-smuggling 'pipeline' that has been diverted to facilitate Blofeld's scheme to build a giant laser satellite. They are quite possibly psychotic, undoubtedly sadistic â photographing the body of the old lady (Mrs Whistler) they have drowned in the canals of Amsterdam, for example, and joking about sending the pictures to the primary-age children to whom she was the school teacher. It should be noted, however, that it is Mr. Kidd who makes the effort to take the "picture for the children" while Mr. Wint seems to dismiss his partner's antics. They also use a large amount of proverbs (Example: Wint saying "If at first you don't succeed, Mr. Kidd", followed by Kidd's reply "Try, try again Mr. Wint.")
The two use numerous methods of [...] their targets (or trying to), some highly creative:
- Placing a scorpion down the shirt of a South African dentist.
- Using a radio-controlled bomb to blow up a helicopter shortly after [...] the dentist.
- Sealing Bond in a coffin and sending him into a crematorium furnace. (In their dry style of humor, Kidd calls it "heart-warming", while Wint refers to it as a "glowing tribute").
- Putting Bond into a length of pipeline to be buried in the desert outside Las Vegas.
- Drenching Plenty O'Toole with her legs tied to a block of cement, in a swimming pool just deep enough to submerge her only up to the tip of her nose and by doing so, drowning her as slowly as possible.
Their final attempt to kill Bond and Case takes place on a cruise liner after Bond foils Blofeld's plot. They pose as stewards in the couple's suite, serving them a romantic dinner consisting of Oysters Andaluz, shashlik, tidbits, prime rib au jus and Salade Utopia. Dessert is Le Bombe Surprise - in the most literal sense, since a bomb is really hidden in it. However, Bond links the smell of Wint's cologne to his misadventure in the pipeline and quickly realizes that something is wrong. After tasting a glass of Mouton Rothschild '55, Bond casually remarks that he had expected a claret with such a grand dinner. When Mr. Wint replies that the cellars are unfortunately poorly stocked with clarets, Bond exposes the henchman's ignorance, sharply replying that Mouton Rothschild in fact is a claret.
Realizing Bond has blown their cover, the pair immediately turn against him. Mr. Kidd ignites the shashlik skewers, aiming to attack Bond while Mr. Wint strangles him. During the struggle, Bond first neutralizes Mr. Kidd by splashing Courvoisier on the flaming shashlik, setting Mr. Kidd on fire. Within seconds, he is engulfed in flames, and in desperation jumps overboard, apparently already dead as he hits the water. After Bond eliminates Mr. Kidd, Tiffany throws the dessert at Mr. Wint but she misses, and it reveals the bomb hidden in the bombe. When Wint is distracted by the sight of the bomb, Bond gains the upper hand against him, pulling the villain's coat-tails between his legs and tying his hands and the bomb together with them. Bond hoists Mr. Wint overboard, and the bomb explodes as he hits the water.
It is strongly implied in the film that the two are homosexual lovers, even holding hands in one scene. At one point in the film, Mr. Kidd remarks that Tiffany Case is attractive, only to receive a glare from Mr. Wint. Kidd then adds, "...for a lady". Mr. Wint can also be seen spraying himself with perfume (Bond later remarks that Wint smells like a "tart's handkerchief").
Novel
In the novel, the duo have a less flamboyant role. As killers and "enforcers" to the Spangled Mob, it is their mission, among other things, to make sure the smuggling of the diamonds and everything connected to it go off without a hitch. If something does go wrong, Wint and Kidd (they are never referred to as "Mr." in the novels) are sent to "persuade" the perpetrators to never make a mistake again. They are obviously quite sadistic and give evidence of enjoying their jobs. This is particularly evident in a scene which Bond witnesses in a mud-bath, where they pour boiling mud over the face of a jockey who they believe has prevented a Mob-owned horse winning a race.
From London to New York City it is their job to tail whoever is smuggling the diamonds internationally to ensure that the smuggler doesn't get any ideas about going into business for himself. For this, the duo pose as American businessmen who call themselves "W. Winter" and "B. Kitteridge".
Although they are both hardened assassins, Wint is pathologically afraid of travel. When he does have to travel, he wears an identifying name tag and a sticker that says "My blood group is F". He also has to be paid a special bonus by his employers. Because of his phobia, Mr. Wint picked up the nickname "Windy" - although no one would dare call him that to his face. Kidd is nicknamed "Boofy." Felix Leiter suspects that they are both homosexual.
In a ghost town outside Las Vegas, the leading gangster, Seraffimo Spang, penetrates Bond's cover and orders Wint and Kidd to torture Bond to learn his true identity. Wint and Kidd then perform a "Brooklyn stomping," kicking Bond into unconsciousness while wearing football cleats, after which Tiffany Case helps him escape.
After they kidnap Tiffany on the Queen Elizabeth, Bond comes to her rescue by climbing down the side of the ship and diving into her cabin via the porthole. They have a fight, and Bond shoots them both. To avoid trouble, he then fakes evidence in the cabin to make it look like a [...]-[...].
Trivia
- The original names of the henchmen were supposedly Wint & Gore, but Ian Fleming changed Gore to Kidd at the request of his wife's cousin, who was nicknamed "Boofy" Gore. However, the name Gore does occur in some versions of the novel.
- Likewise, Kidd's original nickname was "Dolly," and appears as such in early British editions of the book.
- When they detonate a helicopter early in the movie, Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd say, "If God had wanted man to fly... he would have given him wings." This is ironic, considering that they fly later in the film.
- Mr. Wint is played by Bruce Glover, the father of Crispin Glover.
- There are now two diamond stores in London trading under the name 'Wint & Kidd'
- In the animated series Codename: Kids Next Door, two of the KNDs enemies are named Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb, and when they are talking to each other, they end sentences with Mr (the others last name) like in the movie.
- Some fans have claimed that Kane & Lynch from the video game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men are based upon these two
- In an Alternate Version found on a documentary on the Diamonds Are Forever DVD, instead of placing the Scorpion down the back of the doctor, Wint jams the scorpion into his mouth. The Censors found this too shocking and requested the scene to be changed.
Peter Franks
Peter Franks is a diamond smuggler, portrayed by British judo champion Joe Robinson. In both the film and the book, James Bond takes his identity in order to meet Tiffany Case.
In the book, Bond takes the identity of Franks because the two look similar. Franks never physically appears.
In the movie, Franks is taken into customs of the Dover Ferry terminal so Bond can take his identity, and after he is released he goes to Amsterdam to meet Tiffany. Bond, knowing he can't let Tiffany meet the real Peter Franks, heads for her apartment, where he encounters Franks in the elevator, and Bond's cover is blown when he is about to attack him. A long and brutal fight then ensues, and Bond finally kills Peter by knocking him off a balcony with a fire extinguisher. Bond then switches his wallet with Peter's, to make Tiffany think he killed James Bond, thus maintaining his cover as Franks. The two then smuggle the diamonds to Los Angeles within the body of Peter Franks.
Shady Tree
Shady Tree is a fictional character in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.
In both the novel and movie, Michael (Shady) Tree was the link in the "Pipeline" who received the Diamonds once they were in America. His fate is unrevealed in the novel; he was based in New York and acted as a 'frontman'. He is a red-haired hunchback and deals with most of the 'small fry' henchmen.
In the movie, he first appears taking James Bond off a crematorium because the diamonds given to him were fake. Then Bond goes to the hotel where he works as a stand-up comedian, and Tree is killed by Wint and Kidd. The duo came to him saying "we adored your and have a few suggestions", to which he replied that even with critics he hadn't changed his act in forty years. Then, in a deleted scene, Kidd shoots a toy gun from which a "bang" sign pops out - and then the gun fires a real bullet, [...] Tree. As the assassins come out of the room, a SPECTRE agent informs that Tree was needed alive because of the fake diamonds, to which Kidd replies "That is most annoying."
Bert Saxby
Albert R. "Bert" Saxby is a fictional character in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. One of Ernst Stavro Blofeld's leading henchmen, Saxby was portrayed by King Kong star Bruce Cabot (who passed away the following year).
Bert Saxby worked for Willard Whyte, until Blofeld took over; Saxby then became Blofeld's right-hand man. He was shot and killed by CIA agents while attempting to assassinate Willard Whyte. As the dead Saxby tumbled down a hill, Whyte spouted one of the movie's best-remembered deadpan-lines: "Tell him he's fired!"
His name is a direct reference to James Bond film-producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli.
Bambi and Thumper
Bambi & Thumper are fictional characters in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, portrayed by actress Trina Parks and Lola Larson. Their names are references to Bambi.
The two are bodyguards who prevent anyone from seeing the reclusive Willard Whyte. When James Bond enters the house where Mr. Whyte is supposed to be staying at, he's greeted by these two women, who quickly attack him using various athletic jumps and kicks. Bond is even choked by Bambi's thighs, but soon gets out from that predicament, only to be thrown into an outdoor pool. The two women jump in to finish him off, but Bond is quickly able to turn the tables on them, holding them both underwater while Felix Leiter and his men show up. While Bond repeatedly dunks them for quite a while, he talks amusedly to Leiter, who complains about Bond wasting time in the pool. The bubbles and struggles of the women underwater indicate that they are just about to drown, when Bond first releases Thumper. She immediately flees to the poolside, while Bambi gets drenched for even some seconds longer. Thumper points out the shed below where Whyte is being held, and Bond eventually lets up Bambi, too. Bond, heading for Whyte, leaves behind the exhaustedly coughing women who are presumably arrested.