The Living Daylights

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BOND EVER !!!!!!!!!!
Review: This Bond is my absooulte favorite. Timothy Dalton makes an excellent 007. I also like 007's girl Kara. This movie's plot is extremly hard to figure out but The Living Daylights rules!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Dalton's no good, but this one is well plotted
Review: I still can't accept Dalton as James Bond, but he was lucky to be put in one of the better written Bond movies. Joe Don Baker makes a good and very fun villain (he would later appear as Bonds CIA contact in the Pierce movies). Great stunts and action scenes as well.

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Summary: It knocked THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS out of me!!
Review: The Living daylights is the best 007 movie since On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Live and Let Die, if you love action, and an edge of your seat movie get The Living Dayligths. Timothy Dalton dayview as bond is fantastic.

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Summary: Dalton gives new life to the "Bond" character!
Review: Timothy Dalton has revitalized the "James Bond" character from the characature it had become in the hands of Roger Moore. Even more refreshing is the story treatment which departs from the agonizing string of self-parodies which were merely re-hashes of "You Only Live Twice." This Bond is fresh, cool, cynical. We're treated to new locales; new gimmicks; and exciting new stunts. And, by the time we get to the Russian airbase in Afganistan, you'll discover something that's been missing from Bond films for a long time. A Plot! Yes, there really is a reason why James is dragging that beautiful girl (not to mention her cello) half-way around the globe. And, it's believeable! Although this is the first Bond film not based even loosely on an Ian Fleming novel, it will thrill "The Living Daylights" out of you.

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Summary: Bond Grows Up
Review: "The Living Daylights", loosely based on the short story, was certainly the turning point in the Bond movies and broke away from the film series' usual traditions. Dalton plays Bond ruthlessly and seriously, an agent no one should mess with. Moore and Brosnan pale in comparison. This is a performance not seen since the first two Connery films and "OHMSS". He leans toward the style from the novels of the character's creator and the results are great. This was the way Ian Fleming intended Bond to be.

The action and dialogue scenes make it clear that Bond has matured and we will never look back at the lighthearted nature of the previous films. Kara is the only Bond girl in the entire movie, but her relationship with 007 is the most realistic in the whole series. The villians are very dull and not interesting at all, but isn't it about time they stop making comic book-like bad guys like Hugo Drax? The only problem is that the story tends to drag at some points.

The movie also has the best Bond score, John Barry's last with a great main theme sung by a-ha, a nice love song and a cool upbeat version of the James Bond theme. "The Living Daylights" is probably not going to go down in history as one of the best of the Bond movies (mainly because audiences have been brainwashed by Moore's humorous outings), but it's worth checking out.

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Summary: Dangerous Bond
Review: The taglines for this, the 15th Bond entry, promised- "The most dangerous Bond ever," and right there beyond the flippant fun that Roger Moore had brought, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS came and made good on that vow. In a cool, totally decked-out Aston Martin, our favorite spy propels himself into this, the last of the series' Cold War intrigues (furthermore being the final title penned by its creator, Ian Fleming). And herein, the flavour of Fleming is found everywhere-

Having been a child of 007's Roger Moore era, I had- on some seven different occasions during the course of his 14-year reign as Bond- looked forward with great anticipation to the very heights of fun and adventure. Moore, with his infectious charm and cheeky wit, was absolutely and completely entertaining as Bond. So I was naturally a little edgy when, in 1987, he retired, to pass the torch to another actor.

I was in college, studying English literature when I heard Timothy Dalton would be the next James Bond. To me, this seemed an exceedingly interesting choice- for here was a classically trained Welsh actor, who at that time had been fairly unknown. Yet I already knew him, of course: not only had he made his impression in some of the Shakespeare plays I'd been studying, but this ardent, sensitive actor had actually won my heart with his perfect portrayals of two beloved Bronte heroes- (Charlotte's "Rochester" and Emily's "Heathcliff.") Needless to say, I just couldn't wait for this one~~

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS is a spy thriller in every classical sense. From the get-go, it's exciting: the gun-barrel sequence, where John Barry's arrangement pulses more quickly to keep in tempo with the motion of a more youthful 007- the exhilarating pre-credits: where, after a parachute jump onto the Rock of Gibraltar, a double-0 agent gets murdered and Bond jumps onto the roof of a speeding jeep as it hurtles down the cliff, and requites the assassin in like. He then lands emergently onto a yacht- where, by sheer coincidence, the bikini-clad babe onboard has been lamenting her failure to find any "real men" anywhere. Bond grabs her phone to call headquarters, introducing himself with a brisk offhand, "Bond, James Bond". She offers him champagne and, as a consequence, he's an hour late reporting back........

After opening credits - Maurice Binder's flowing artwork gracing John Barry's title song- (a colorful pop number performed by Ah-Ha that won't ever let you forget it's the 80's), Bond reports to Bratislava for a seemingly unrelated assignment. Saunders, of section V, Vienna (Thomas Wheatley) has arranged the defection of a top KGB agent, Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé). Bond is called in to kill the sniper assigned to assassinate Koskov if he should try to bolt. -This scene makes up the whole of Fleming's short story, wherein our hero turns over in his mind the conflicting implications of his work. Well, it's apparent that this James Bond is definitely a man who, though despising certain aspects of his profession, is quite capable of killing an enemy sniper in cold blood. The sniper, however, turns out being the lovely woman cellist that Bond had only moments before been admiring. And Bond, who follows instincts before orders, observes, "that girl didn't know one end of a rifle from the other," and instead of killing her, shoots the weapon from her hand.

Nevertheless, the coup is a grand success. Hours later, in a safe house on the English countryside- (wherein Bond shows himself to be a connoisseur of good food: "The foie gras is excellent," and champagne: "The brand on the list was questionable, so I took the liberty of choosing something different.") -Koskov reveals a sinister plot by General Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies), the head of the KGB, to kill foreign spies- ("Smiert Spionen," Fleming's SMERSH term meaning death to spies). Bond is immediately a little skeptical of Koskov's story, and his suspicions are further enhanced when, shortly thereafter, Koskov gets snatched out of Britain by forces unknown -pulled off by henchman Necros (Andreas Wisniewski), disguised as the most menacing milkman one could ever imagine. For answers, Bond returns to Czechoslovakia to investigate that female "sniper," and discovers she's Kara Milovy (Maryam d'Abo), Koskov's girlfriend. He then poses as Koskov's friend in the hope that she'll be able to locate him.

The inertia of this complex plot carries Bond further, through a number of beautiful locales in the world- London, Vienna, Tangier, Afghanistan, and New York. His mission involves drugs, deceit, diamonds, eccentric American arms dealer Brad Whitaker (Joe Don Baker), and the Afghan resistance, Mujahadin. There's action aplenty - highlights being a car chase in the Aston Martin fully armed, a ski chase downslope in a cello case, and a seat-gripping airplane ride I'd never in a million years want to ride!

The late 80's had safe-sex everywhere afoot - even in Bond. Kara's certainly endearing as the Bond girl, but she doesn't hold the screen next to Bond so well as many of her predecessors. The villains are undeniably wonderful: a swarthy combination of the fearsome and the ludicrous. And Dalton's tough, gritty Bond is as close to Ian Fleming's creation that any actor has come- yet whether or not that's a good thing is a matter of infinite debate. The cinematic Bond had already been well established by then. Like Connery, though, Dalton has a certain cat-like grace, albeit minus the twinkle in his eye. And though he brings an intensity to the character that even Connery could not own, he never really does let loose - never hams it up or has the famous fun that every other Bond has had! But notwithstanding all that, I'm forever disposed to find him perfect.

Rating:
Summary: "The Living Daylights": Nobody does it better!
Review: With the release of "The Living Daylights", Bond fans finally saw another "Golden Bond Film" in the classic tradition of "Goldfinger". This film was, hands down, the best of the Dalton era films - the only other Bond movie with Dalton being the mildly disappointing "License to Kill". Timothy Dalton replaced Roger Moore as agent 007 when the gray haired Moore decided to call it quits after the release of "A View to a Kill" in the mid-eighties. Naturally, with a new Bond came a new style. I believe that Dalton's style was the most compensating to Ian Flemming's Bond; he wasn't a super man all of the time. He has moments when doubt or fears enter his mind. In other words, Dalton is a much more realistic Bond than Connery or Moore ever were. Unfortunately for Dalton, however, it seems many people like the unrealistic Bond better than the realistic.

"The Living Daylights" has a classic story and action. It's one for all Bond fans to definitely see, while being good enough to warrant the attention of first time viewers. No film (except perhaps "Goldfinger") has done it better than "The Living Daylights".

Rating:
Summary: Timothy Dalton as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007
Review: As a child of the 70's and 80's,The Roger Moore-era movies defined the tone of the entire James Bond 007 series.When Moore left the series after A View To A Kill,Timothy Dalton took over and put Bond in a direction that was familier to readers of Ian Fleming's novels, yet confusing to moivegoers.
The Living Daylights (1987)brought an end to the tongue and cheek tone of Moore's movies.Instead,Dalton becomes the 007 of the original novels,Tough,ruthless ,yet still refined. Dalton read the original novels and redefined the roll.
Unfortunately,movie goers were a bit uneasy with a James Bond who didn't crack cheesy one liners,jump into bed with an average of three women per movie and was harder edged than any other Bond on the screen.
The movie itself is a fine, yet slow-paced, involving a latter-day cold war defection of a Soviet soldier, only to be turn into a plot involving the elimination of British spies.Great scenes include an escape from the iron curtain in an updated Aston Marten, and an airplane cargo fight in mid air.
Dalton only portrayed Bond one more time (License to Kill) before the series was in limbo for six years (until Goldeneye with Pierce Brosnan in 1995).Since then, Dalton's portrayal of Bond has been praised in it's approach to bring Bond back to where it all began.

Rating:
Summary: Tipping The Hat To Mr. Fleming!
Review: With Timothy Dalton replacing Roger Moore as James Bond, the franchise embarks on a new and welcome direction. Taking advantage of Dalton's tougher and more serious personality, "The Living Daylights" returns to the more authentic style and tone of the Bond novels and early movies, and in doing so recaptures the spirit of Ian Fleming. This was Dalton's original idea behind his portrayal, and the producers chose wisely to back it up. Rightfully so the DVD includes a wonderful documentary with Fleming as the subject. As a result of this renewed approach, the series once again shifts its focus to the Cold War (albeit it nearing its twilight), and the themes of espionage and political intrigue that have distinguished some of the better Bonds. In turn, the action becomes much more realistic and intense than that of the Roger Moore era, with fantastic stunts to be found all around. It's not a perfect film; it's biggest weakness being it's apparent lack of a truly menacing villainous presence. But it's a wonderful breath of fresh air after the Moore years and succeeds on most counts. John Barry contributes his final score to the franchise, beautifully updating the sound to reflect the late 80's, and collaborates with Norwegian rock group a-ha to deliver a good, underrated title song which has been unfairly bashed by many. You be the judge.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I think where the Broccoli/Saltzman team went wrong with the immortal Bond series was that Roger Moore was too old to play the part to begin with. While Connery retired at the age of 37 (and returned for one film at the age of 41....I don't consider 'Never Say Never Again' a real Bond film), he was replaced by George Lazenby, who at the age of 30, was the youngest of all the Bonds. However, Moore was three years older (age 46) than Connery when cast in the role. It is also interesting that Ian Fleming's original choice to play the role of Bond for Dr. No in 1962 was......Roger Moore, after the great Cary Grant said he would play Bond on the condition he would play the role for one time only. But the producers thought Moore was too young, which doesn't make sense because he was three years older than Connery. So why did Broccoli/Saltzman cast Moore 11 years after Fleming's recomendation? The only reason I can possibly understand and the only one that seems plausible is the fact that Roger Moore was a giant, particularly in Britain, because of his portrayal of Simon Templar. If you think Moore was boring in the role of 007 and that's all you know of him, you must not be aquainted with Moore as Templar. But Moore was never able to bring over the true charm and roughness that he so wonderfully did with Templar. Perhaps if he were cast in the role of 007 in 1969, it would have been different. Hence, the Bond series declined under Moore and movies like 'Moonraker' and 'A View to a Kill' made the series unwatchable. Enter Timothy Dalton....the series is reborn with a brilliant, classically trained actor and the series has new life, a new direction, a Bond much more like Ian Fleming presented in the first place. With all due respect to Sean Connery, who is the original cinematic Bond, the best cinematic Bond, the man who will always be known as the REAL cinematic Bond (face it folks, the trio of 'From Russia with Love', 'Goldfinger', and 'Thunderball' will never be matched let alone be surpassed in history as the definitive Bond features), the Bond Ian Fleming created was not out to get laid every ten minutes (I find that to be not only immoral, but abnormal). 'The Living Daylights' is certainly a plus in the Bond category. With the departure of Bernard Lee as 'M' following 'Moonraker' and the departure of Moore and Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny following 'A View to a Kill', the series took off again. It was time for a change. While the Bond series is not known for good acting, Timothy Dalton is, by far, the best actor of the lot. As an actor with worthy credentials, his portrayal is hard-edged, yet compassionate and he brings it off with believable style.