James Bond must stop a warmongering arms dealer
and a double-dealing general from starting World War III. ACTION
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The Living Daylights (1987)Directed by John Glen
Written by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson Starring Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker, John Rhys-Davies, Art Malik, Andreas Wisnlewski, Robert Brown, Desmond Llewelyn, Caroline Bliss Sequel to 1985's A View to a Kill Based on the short story by Ian Fleming |
Timothy Dalton never really got his due as James Bond. He only gave us two films, and audiences weren't ready for a Bond as dark as the one Dalton wanted to play. After the goofiness of Roger Moore, seeing a new Bond lighting drug lords on fire was a bit much. Personally, I've always loved Dalton's Bond, and while his second film vastly outshines the first, this film is his debut and certainly has a lot to say. The Living Daylights has a convoluted plot and two underwhelming villains, but to be fair, most of the Bond films are fairly convoluted and only some of the villains are truly great. The more I watch this one, though, the more I grow to like it.
It finally feels like the 80s for 007, and John Barry's epic score reflects this the entire time. It would be his last Bond film. James Bond is sent to aid a defecting Soviet general (Krabbe) in his transition to helping the British government, but when that general is immediately captured by the KGB, Bond senses that something is up. Turns out, General Koskov orchestrated the whole thing with the help of American arms dealer Brad Whitaker (Baker) in order to manipulate Bond into killing the new KGB leader, thus allowing Koskov and Whitaker to sell a shit ton of opium under the radar. It's not the tightest story, but the action sequences make up for it. This film is a good intro for Timothy Dalton. Both of his films make me want more, and it irritates me that Roger Moore didn't just retire after Moonraker and let Dalton have the 80s. As a standalone, it could be better, but as we've seen in the past and the future of Bond, it could certainly be way worse too. |
The first Bond film to feature Timothy Dalton is a highly entertaining movie. Dalton takes over the Bond role with ease. He perfectly pulls off the suave part and the trained killing machine. I really can't believe he only got two films in the role. The villain admittedly isn't one of the more memorable ones in Bond's canon, but it doesn't take away from the general fun of this film.
I also liked how this was a slightly darker Bond, finally shying away from some more of the campier moments in previous films. A great introduction of Dalton's Bond and a generally entertaining movie. |