The Living Daylights
|
List Price: Our Price: $10.99 You Save: $3.99 (27%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $4.42 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Living Daylights
Movie Review: Dalton impressive, film less so
Summary: 3 Stars
After seven films as agent 007 (one film more than Connery in the official series), Roger Moore left bondage but the series needed time to recover from his smirking, lightweight reign. "The Living Daylights," written before Moore's forced abdication, found his replacement haunted by his ghost.
As James Bond, Timothy Dalton has it all: dark, brooding looks and a theatrical background that makes even big Sean look like an amateur. What he lacked, and what seems to have done him in after only two films, is the humor that had wearingly become the series' trademark during Moore's twelve year stint in the role. Dalton, despite having made his film debut in 1968's "The Lion in Winter," was also a complete unknown to most filmgoers, so his name meant nothing on the marquee. As was the case with George Lazenby in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," James Bond was the sole selling point with this film, and after Moore's last gasp in the dreadful "A View to a Kill," the fabled spy's name had lost much of its luster.
"The Living Daylights" did decent business in the U.S. (and much better in the U.K.), but proved a less than sterling showcase for Dalton's dirtier, more realistic 007. The villains are a big stepdown from both the glory days of Goldinger and even Christopher Walken's Max Zorin, the one redeeming element of Moore's swansong. Joe Don Baker, who would return to the series twice as an ally to Pierce Brosnan's Bond, lacks the menace he brought to his hitman role in Don Siegel's "Charlie Varrick," and Jereon Krabbe would have to wait six years before making much of an impression in a mainstream film (which he did in "The Fugitive"). Not only is Maryam d'Abo the dullest Bondgirl in memory, but even the maestro himself, John Barry, misses the mark with a less than memorable score. As for the title song performed by Aha, one of the less pleasant flavors of the month from 1987, it strains to be catchy but only succeeds in being forgettable.
On the plus side, the action is well-staged, there's some great scenery, and Dalton is so perfectly cast that he is the only Bond who might have displaced Connery as the favorite of Bond fans. His next film, "Licence To Kill," would be tailor-made for his more introspective, dangerous Bond, and that film represents a considerable improvement over his debut effort. "The Living Daylights" is worth seeing to gauge his considerable potential.
Brian W. Fairbanks
Movie Review: Dalton's Unsteady Entry Into The Bond Role
Summary: 3 Stars
Timothy Dalton's first appearance as 007 in the franchise is rather unsteady but decent. Despite Dalton's limitations, Albert Broccoli still managed to have this film made with a good screenplay and a good director.
The story revolves around the defection of a Soviet KGB officer named General Koskov (Jeroen Krabbe) with information on a Soviet plot to eliminate Britain's MI-6. With orders to dispose of Koskov's superior(John Rhys-Davies), Bond discovers a secret plot between Koskov and an American arms merchant (Joe Don Baker). Bond must race against time to foil the plot and save the world. All of this wouldn't be possible without the help of the traditional Bond babe (Maryam d'Abo) who plays Koskov's musically inclined lover.
The film is well directed with plenty of action. Dalton tried to make a break with the Bond played by Roger Moore by being a leaner, meaner agent with almost no sense of humor. The script therefore has little of the dry sarcasm so typical to the previous Bond films. Despite these flaws, Timothy Dalton manages to keep up a good performance worthy of several viewings.
Movie Review: Timothy Dalton as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007
Summary: 5 Stars
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 familiar to readers of Ian Fleming's novels, yet confusing to moviegoers.
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 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.
Movie Review: Dangerous Bond
Summary: 4 Stars
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 Krabb?). 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.
Movie Review: Not Your Average Bond
Summary: 4 Stars
Dalton is the Bond of the books! He went outside the norm of the James Bond tradition and I congradulate him for it. The movie itself is well done. It feels like you watching an actual story then a bunch of action scenes. The keychain scenes are hilarious!