The Living Daylights
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.90 You Save: $7.08 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.55 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Living Daylights
Movie Review: Revitalized 007
Summary: 4 Stars
After 12 years of Roger Moore mediocrity, the 007 series recaptured the Ian Fleming spirit with this 1987 spy thriller. "The Living Daylights" marked Timothy Dalton's impressive debut as a deadly serious James Bond - an ideal choice for a no-nonsense, globe-hopping adventure. Good scripting by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson brings out the best in John Glen's action-filled direction. Once again, the villains are disappointingly lackluster, yet the production values remain top-notch. John Barry contributes another memorable score (his last 007 outing to date). Though "Licence to Kill" (1989) proved a worthy follow-up, "The Living Daylights" is the superior Dalton effort.Movie Review: Third Best Bond
Summary: 4 Stars
Dalton is the third best Bond IMO (Connery & Craig coming first). This one movie is better than the entire Roger Moore run. It's much closer to the books & Ian Fleming's original vision. The downside - it is slow moving & unnecessarily sprawling. The movie runs 2 hours 11 minutes - it could have been a tight 1 hour 45 minutes, IMO.
Small quibble. Good script, great cast, excellent score, fun action. With a more mature tone than the Moore series. Recommended, especially if you loved Casino Royale.
Movie Review: 3 stars out of 4
Summary: 4 Stars
The Bottom Line:
This first outing by Timothy Dalton impresses on almost every level, from its hard-edged Bond to its (mostly) serious plot to its villainous villains; distinctly underrated in almost every quarter, The Living Daylights is a film worth seeking out.
Movie Review: Good film but not one of my favorites
Summary: 4 Stars
Dalton did a great job in his short time as Bond. They didn't give him a lot to work with in this one, but he still did a good job.Movie Review: A decent debut for Timothy Dalton
Summary: 3 Stars
Despite the weak villians and the lame plot, The Living Daylights has a three dimensional side that people often overlook. Timothy Dalton was terrific and he is certaintly the high point of the film.
Unlike the Bond's who came before, and after, Timothy Dalton his genuine introduction was regulated to after the colourful pre-title sequence. The mission Bond undertakes after the credits role is "assisiting" in the defection of a Russian General named Georgi Koskov who has a KGB sniper on his tail. Bond is not interested in the assissination he's about to make, his attitude at the moment he appears is quite clear. He's tired of the killing and his only solace he finds during the dreadful affair is a girl with a chello he spots at the theatre were Koskov plans to make his escape; The perfect homage to Fleming's very swarthy and cold short story. Later on the film the plot thickens when Koskov is appearantly kidnapped right after his defection. Before Koskov is abducted he points the finger at the current head of the KGB, General Leonardi Pushkin whom Koskov accuses of going mad and wanting to eliminate all western spies. Bond confronts Puskin later and he's is ruthless about it, you really think he'll pull that trigger at any moment and you almost forget he had his doubts about Pushkin being guilty of murdering western agents earlier. Now the draw back to Dalton's brooding interpretation of the character is that he just does not know how to cut through the camera, you feel his presence but he seemed uncomfortable playing the lighter aspects of Bond. I am not sure it's the fact that the one-liners were more atkin to Roger Moore's James Bond but Dalton seemed none too comfortable about Bond being a bit of a romantic action hero who drops those one liners like Phillip Marlowe.
Though Dalton had trouble with the comedy that dosen't mean he was being too serious in the world The Living Daylights occurs in, it's more down to earth and socially conscience than most Bonds. First off all the allies have their hands dirty in this one. Kamran Shah, who helps Bond and Bond girl Kara Milovy in the desert, is selling dope to buy arms and General Puskin already had a long established history of buying weapons through the primary antagonists. Lastly this is the only Bond film, so far, to mention a then current on-going conflict, The Soviet Afghan War.
The characterizations here are sharper than usual. Kara Milovy is one of the more well written Bond girls. She is the kind of the girl who looks up to Pussy Galore and Honey Rider, she's niave and scared like anyone who with an atmosphere of murder and deceit. Also Saunders is one of the more tragic deaths in the series. He was man enough to swallow his pride and helps Bond with a critical matter after professionally being bested by Bond earlier in the film and he dies not because it was in the line of duty persay, it was mistaken identity.
This Bond film is a bit of a mixed bag, the villians are inept and merely plotting mundane crimes that could not even suffice for less glamourless thrillers. Despite the lack of thrills, the action is suitable, the side characters are well written, and Dalton definetly shines as 007 for better or worse.