Director : John Glen
Year Of Release : 1987
Principal Cast : Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Joe Don Baker, John Rhys-Davies, Art Malik, Jeroen Krabbe, Andreas Wisniewski, Thomas Wheatley, Robert Brown, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, Caroline Bliss, John Terry, Walter Gotell, Virginia Hey, Julia T Wallace.
Approx Running Time : 130 Minutes
Synopsis: James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov.
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A new Bond for a new era: following 12 years of Roger Moore’s ageing portrayal of Ian Fleming’s famous superspy, the role was recast (dalliances with everyone from Pierce Brosnan and Kiwi actor Sam Neill for the role were suggested) with British actor Timothy Dalton essaying the part for the first time. With the Cold War continuing the loom large in political and international discussions, Bond’s enemies once again were a mix of Eastern European heavies and a distinctive KGB bent, while the film’s overall tone is a fairly flat, occasionally inert affair. Compared to Moore’s final film, A View To A Kill, which failed to ignite interest only two years prior, The Living Daylights is a more serious Bond this time out, lacking the kitschy camp humour and spectacular overblown set-pieces for a lower-key outing featuring the world’s most unsecret agent.
Well before Daniel Craig stepped up to bat, Timothy Dalton was (to me, at least) the perfect representation of James Bond to that point. As a spy, Bond needed to have nerves of steel, incredible skill and, above all, an ice-cold demeanour to which his chosen profession would allow him to operate satisfactorily. Although Connery had accomplished much to set the foundation, neither George Lazenby or Roger Moore personified the tough but approachable character with the kind of reserve needed. Dalton, with his chiselled profile and clenched delivery, not to mention his steely-eyed glare, encapsulates as closely as I imagined the coil-spring of tension inherent in international espionage with his performance as Bond. Bond’s leading lady in The Living Daylights is youthful, beautiful and innocent – Maryam d’Abo personifies the prototypical Bond Girl with wide-eyed enthusiasm and a thick Russian accent, although her part is (as usual for Bond) largely superficial and honorific.
The Living Daylights isn’t the greatest Bond film ever made – in fact, it’s well down the list for a number of reasons, chief among them a bland directorial style from franchise veteran John Glen, whose command of action sequences and large-scale stunts is workmanlike without being the showstopper Bond deserves. The central plot is generic to a fault – maybe not for 1987, but certainly for a rewatch these days – with it’s overblown Russian caricatures and double-triple-and-quadruple-crossing twists and turns. Bond’s romance with Kara, in spite of her supposed relationship with another man, feels clumsy and kinda creepy, although in the end… well, you know, Bond always gets the girl. As usual there’s weapons, covert operatives being gunned down left and right, countless Russian henchmen dealt with at the end of a gunbarrel, and enough clichéd accents to sink a battle-cruiser – it’s like the tick-box of the franchise just keeps popping up like malware to continually remind us of exactly which type of film we’re watching.
The Living Daylights doesn’t demand devotion like many of its contemporary entries in the “modern Bond” era (I include the Brosnan and Craig films in this category), and while undeservedly lacking in iconic moments, it’s through no fault of Dalton that the film is harshly judged today. Dalton steps into the role as if he had done it his whole life, infusing the character with an undercurrent of hard-edged focus that Moore had figured didn’t warrant attention, and although surrounded by cliché and convention, he more than ably commands the screen in spite of the film’s limitations.
Pretty much an accurate review of this movie. Middling and ultimately forgettable. I also remember the length of this film was also a downfall. Man, the 80s Bond movies were dreadful.
Without giving too much away, tomorrow's review of Licence To Kill reflects your thoughts implicitly.
I've always really liked this one although everything you say about it is true. I think this and GoldenEye kind of have the perfect balance of the campy and serious sides of Bond (funnily enough they both have Joe Don Baker being amazing in them). I definitely agree John Glen's direction is far from impressive but that's never really been the selling point of the old Bonds (especially when he directed about half of em…). Good fun that does entertaining work with the franchise tropes if it is still a little longer than it should be. I do LOVE the car chase in this one though. And the fight on cargo hanging out the plane. And Dalton's perfectly frustrated delivery of the line "Why didn't you learn the violin" when the girl's having to lug around her cello haha!
LOL yeah the violin line did make me chuckle. Poor Dalton – a great Bond surrounded by mediocrity.
I really have to go back through the Bonds. In particular, I need to rewatch the Timothy Dalton entries. Those are just a blur to me even though I've seen them multiple times.
Ha ha, yeah this was what drove me give the Dalton's another shot. I'm trying to work my way through some of the older ones but I just don't have the time.