Home :: DVD :: Art House & International  

Asian Cinema
British Cinema
European Cinema
General
Latin American Cinema
The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights

List Price: $26.98
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 11 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "I must have scared the living daylights out of her."
Review: Timothy Dalton brings a more serious side to Bond that definitely works in this film. The villains Brad Whitaker and Georgi Koskov are working secretly together for diamond smuggling and drug selling way out in Afghanistan. The new Bond girl Kara Milovi is a charming chelloist that helps Bond along the way. There's also a new Miss Moneypenny that (although she doesn't hold a candle to Lois Maxwell, she's good nonetheless.)
The new song is blast onto the screen by a-ha and what a magnificent song it is! This movie has ice chases, high-roof escapes and a daring battle in the middle of Afghanistan! I have seen this movie 186 times and it is one of the Best!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: Timothy Dalton did display a Bond that was totally different from Roger Moore, which is probably why some critics were not too impressed with his performance. But Bond fans who enjoy watching a Bond that doesn't go from one lady to another, who is serious, who shows his emotions, this Bond movie is for you. Who could forget that scene when Bond is meant to kill the sniper but then he realises that the sniper is the cellist. You can see that tension in his face as he worries over killing her. That was pure Dalton.
The song "The Living Daylights" sung by A-ha is brilliant: it is highly dramatic but viewers have not mention about the song at the end, "if there was a man", which is really heart-warming.
The action in the film can keep you on your toes, especially since Dalton performed most of his own stunts, so it is believable as well. Viewers have mention that the plot can be confusing but compared to some other plots in other Bond films, this one would have be one of the easiest to follow.
"The living daylights" is a lot less violent than "Licence to Kill" so children below 15 should be recommonded to not watch the latter.
To critics who find Dalton boring, are mistaken. With that cruel face and those violent eyes, it would make you wonder what this Bond is capable of doing.

To finish, one viewer mention that it was surprising that Bond and Milovy did not get married, which I agree. But we see in "Licence to Kill" that Bond will not intend to marry again after the lost of his wife, Tracy. But still, I do agree with that viewer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Want to see the real James Bond?
Review: Dalton's first film as James Bond is an under-rated gem. As time passes more and more Bond fans are re-viewing this film and changing their negative opinions of it. I've always thought it was one of the better ones. "The Living Daylights" begins with Bond aiding the defection of Russian General Georgi Koskov. In exchange for passage to the West and all its freedoms, Koskov reveals a KGB plot to assasinate British secret agents. Bond's name is on the liquidation list. Koskov is then kidnapped back by the KGB. The British are red-faced. Bond has no leads other than to track down and eliminate General Leonid Pushkin, the man supposedly in charge of Operation "Spiert Spionem". From there on, nothing is as it seems. Bond falls for a girl who seems the anti-thesis of the typical buxom and gorgeous Bond-girl. And the world does not need to be saved from a possible nuclear meltdown or missile attack. "The Living Daylights" is a very modest plot by 007 standards but the storyline is intricate and more realistic than most of the Roger Moore movies.

007 is infamous for his serial womanising but on this assignment he's a strictly one-woman man. Bond has eyes only for shy cellist, Kara (Maryam D'Abo) who's also the girlfriend of Georgi Koskov, the man he's searching for. This leads to an inevitable situation where Bond strings her along to 'use' her to get to Koskov. But a romantic bond that is not usually seen in 007 movies develops. This is part of why The Living Daylights is unique. It shows James Bond as less of a man who uses women for gratification (although we all know Bond's true nature, a change is always refreshing). The villains in this film aren't exceptional, they just manage to serve the plot well. They don't have the meglomanical tendencies of past baddies who wanted to blow things up and rule the world. Jeroen Krabbe (Koskov) and Joe Don Baker (Whittaker) put in serviceable performances. They both have their moments. Necros, their blonde henchman, serves up some menace though he's no memorable entry in the Bond rogues gallery. What compensates for it is Dalton's strong performance and the engaging storyline, which as always, takes Bond to plenty of seedy and exotic locations. Dalton's turn as 007 is gritty and intense. In spite of this he still has an aura that is suave and slightly dangerous. The scene in the amusement park in Vienna where he gets "Koskov's message" says it all. The special camera lens is supposed to accentuate Dalton's grimace but his face conveys much more: a seething that simmers beneath that cold exterior. Despite the gleam in his eye and the gritting of teeth, we know 007 rarely shows his emotions. This is how Bond ought to be. It is a shame that his gig as 007 lasted just two films. Fans are divided over Dalton, but in his short tenure he brought something new to the character. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dalton's first Bond film is one of the best!
Review: After the awful A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights is a welcome return to the sure-fire formula of action, stunts, cool cars and witty humour.

Timothy Dalton is great as Bond, and adds a nice touch to the film with dry wit and charm. And the action is great, with car chases reminiscent of Moore's early films.

There are problems with the film though. There is the lack of a sufficiently meaty villain, but it's made up for with a nice ensemble of other bad guys including John Rhys-Davies. The plot is somewhat over-complicated, but provides some great action and stunts. A solid entry to the franchise, and a great action film to boot.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Living Daylights has everything
Review: The Living Daylights is a vastly underrated movie, just like my personal favorite LALD. I ranked this #4, sandwiched between the 2 "golds," Goldfinger and GoldenEye. Timothy Dalton brings a new type of Bond to the screen. There aren't as many hilarious lines by Bond (although I loved after Whitaker asked Bond where the opium was, Bond responded, "Up in smoke"), but his demeanor is unlike any other. Joe Don Baker makes an excellent bad guy, Brad Whitaker, but the character should have been used more often, especially in the first half of the movie. Maryam D'Abo was one of the most attractive Bond girls by far, although her tantrum in Afghanistan was rather childish. Another great aspect of the movie were the gadgets and the car. The whistle-activated key ring was creative and Q's "ghetto blaster" for the Americans was quite funny. The car was my favorite, though. It had many of the standard features: the machine guns and rocket power in the back. But the laser in the chasis(or "salt corrosion" as Bond calls it) and the skies were added bonuses. The plot had a tendency to go all over the place, but Valentin's debut was memorable and it was one of the more action-packed Bond films.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Bond
Review: This is one of the best Bond movies, my own favorite, and should not be missed. Timothy Dalton makes an excellent Bond and perfectly portrays Fleming's character instead of the invincible superhero of most of the other movies. The story has Bond battling a Russian General and assassin scheming with an Ameircan arms dealer. A nice and clever expansion on Fleming's orignal short story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Bond Fleming created
Review: Most veteran moviegoers will always consider Sean Connery to be the penultimate James Bond, although Pierce Brosnan is certainly a great heir to the role for the latest generation of Bondophiles. But, those of us who devoured Ian Fleming's novels as teenagers will recognize that Timothy Dalton comes closest of all the actors to the character Fleming created. Dalton's Bond is tough, moody, cynical, and occasionally conflicted between friendship and "King and Country." (See also "License to Kill.") I treasure all of these movies, but the Dalton Bonds remain my favorites.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ... from Bond 15 to Bond 20
Review: This is the 15th Bond film in the Series starring Timothy Dalton.

Here is some info on Bond 20 starring Pierce Brosnan

Latest news on Bond 20, no name yet, but here is the cast list

JAMES BOND - Pierce Brosnan
Gala Brand - Rosamund Pike
Jinx - Halle Berry
Jack Wade - Joe Don Baker
Miss Moneypenny - Samantha Bond
M - Dame Judi Dench
Q - John Cleese
Tanner - Michael Kitchen
Nurse Warmflash - Serena Scott Thomas
Robinson - Colin Salmon
Admiral Roebuck - Geoffrey Palmer

Some of the cast does not have confirmed roles

Produced by Michael G Wilson & Barbara Broccoli
Music by David Arnold
Production Designer Peter Lamont
SFX supervisor Chris Corbould
Action Unit Director Vic Armstrong
Executive Producer Anthony Waye
Costumes By Lindy Hemming
Directed By Lee Tamahori

Currently being made by EON productions, at Pinewood Studios in London
Will be released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer & United Artists...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'm back-with the same thoughts
Review: It is a crime, in my opinion, for them to let Dalton do two Bond movies. See my review on "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." I feel the same way

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Wonderful stunts and action..."
Review: Timothy Dalton is good, but not great Bond, in this entertaining outing with Bond up against double-crossing Russian general. Wonderful stunts and action, but the film just goes on far too long. The girl, Kara (Maryam d'Abo), is wimpy and hardly sexy, and Joen Don Baker is miscast as villianous American arms dealer. Great direction from John Glen, his fourth film in the series.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 11 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates