You Only Live Twice
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert · Action · Thriller · Adventure · 1h 57m · 1967
Trailer
Director
Lewis Gilbert
Writer
Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, Harold Jack Bloom
Studio
EON Productions, United Artists
Release
1967-06-13
Runtime
1h 57m
Genres
Action, Thriller, Adventure
Full Plot
During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union lose one spacecraft each after they are both seemingly swallowed whole by a second unidentified spacecraft. The two superpowers are quick to blame one another for the disappearances, causing tensions to skyrocket. The United Kingdom has an alternate theory regarding the disappearances however, a theory involving Japan, and sends their number one spy, James Bond, to investigate there. With the help of the Japanese Secret Service, he uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have ever imagined.
Cast & Characters
James Bond
Sean Connery
Aki
Akiko Wakabayashi
Kissy Suzuki
Mie Hama
Tiger Tanaka
Tetsuro Tamba
Mr. Osato
Teru Shimada
Helga Brandt
Karin Dor
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Donald Pleasence
M
Bernard Lee
Dikko Henderson, British contact living in Japan. Gray would later play Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever, also opposite Sean Connery.
Charles Gray
Mr. Osato's secretary
Francesca Tu (uncredited)
Chinese Girl (Hong Kong), Ling, undercover MI6 agent
Tsai Chin
Car Driver, one of Osato's henchmen, who fights Bond in Osato's office
Peter Fanene Maivia
Spectre Number 3, one of Blofeld's henchmen. Kwouk had previously played the Chinese agent Mr. Ling in Goldfinger.
Burt Kwouk
Spectre Number 4, one of Blofeld's henchmen and Mr Osato's secretary
Michael Chow
Did You Know?
Did You Know that Lewis Gilbert was initially declined the offer to direct, but accepted after producer Albert R. Broccoli called him saying: "You can't give up this job."
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that the film's largest audience in the world is set in one country, Japan, with several minutes devoted to an elaborate Japanese wedding.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Roald Dahl was chosen to write the adaptation despite having no prior experience writing a screenplay except for the uncompleted The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Sean Connery had stated he was tired of playing James Bond and all the associated commitment, which led producers to persuade him by increasing his fee for the film.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
You Only Live Twice holds 6.8/10 on IMDb (128K votes), 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 68% audience score.
Critics and audiences are broadly aligned on this one.
Ratings as of August 3, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedYou Only Live Twice's 6.8 IMDb average and 73% Rotten Tomatoes score place it solidly mid-pack in the 60-plus-year Bond franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is You Only Live Twice's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
You Only Live Twice holds a 73% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 68% audience score.
What is You Only Live Twice's IMDb rating?+
You Only Live Twice has a 6.8/10 rating on IMDb from 128K votes.
Is You Only Live Twice good? What are critics saying?+
You Only Live Twice holds 6.8/10 on IMDb (128K votes), 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 68% audience score.
How long is You Only Live Twice?+
You Only Live Twice has a runtime of 1h 57m.
Who directed You Only Live Twice?+
You Only Live Twice was directed by Lewis Gilbert.
Where can I watch You Only Live Twice?+
You Only Live Twice is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "You Only Live Twice" (1967) is largely positive, with many praising its exciting and entertaining storyline, iconic scenery, and memorable cast, particularly Sean Connery's performance as 007. The film is also commended for taking Bond films in a new direction, introducing Japan as the main setting and exploring themes of international espionage. However, some critics have noted that it falls short of perfection, with certain plot points feeling unconvincing or overly simplistic. Overall, the film is considered an improvement over its predecessors, despite some minor flaws.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
_**James goes to Japan**_ "You Only Live Twice" (1967) takes agent 007 to Japan where he seeks the secret SPECTRE installation responsible for literally stealing space capsules and threatening war between the USA and USSR. This 5th installment in the franchise upped the ante with…
Wuchak · 8/10Yeah... forgotten isn't it? Maybe it's forgotten because they try and turn Sean Connery into a Japanese man to hide him and he just ends up looking like a harry chested Leonard Nimoy. Or maybe it's forgotten because little choppers are more Roger Moore than Sean Connery. Whatever…
GenerationofSwine · 3/10This is in the hay day of 007 films. Made when 007 was exciting and entertaining. That gets a lot of hate from people with Generation Xenophobe ideology. But it's totally exciting. Here, we get almost all the venues. We even get outer space. We get super beautiful scenery that pr…
drystyx · 9/10This time, "007" (Sean Connery) has to investigate some mysterious goings on in outer space as first an American, then a Soviet rocket disappear. Naturally, they blame one another but "M" (Bernard Lee) has an inkling that Japan might be the source of the mischief and so our suave…
CinemaSerf · 7/10An improvement over Thunderball but still not as good as the original 3 Connery films, it is still very iconic despite it only just having a reappraisal.
tmdb93836550 · 8/10Entertaining but not as good as the previous entries. I did like the Japanese setting and Connery of course is charismatic, not to mention Mie Hamma in a bikini was beautiful, but there was something missing. I also thought Donald Pleasance wasn't nearly as threatening as Blofeld…
JPV852 · 7/10
From the trailer's comments
Back in the 60s you didn't have a bunch of franchise movies like Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Avengers. Bond films were about the only multi movie thing going, and each one was eagerly awaited!
@BradiKal61 · 441 likesThe old bond movies took you into a adventure.
@vsboy2577 · 33 likesRemember, Kids: It's YOLT not YOLO!
@Akira-u1u · 188 likesRIP sir Sean Connery, legends never dies.
@Netibous-by9ye · 55 likesOne of my favorite James Bond movies!
@parkerpshebnisky1051 · 134 likesBasically, they just showed you the whole movie.
@RepublicofMAC · 107 likesRest In Peace Sir Sean Connery - Your Legacy Will Live On Forever. My Childhood Hero 😥 The OG 🙌
@leroy1874 · 114 likesThe climatic battle in the volcano was really awesome. The ninjas coming down the ropes from the roof was thrilling scene.
@schallrd1 · 18 likes
