The Living Daylights (1987)

After 7 films, it was clear that Moore was done, and the series needed to be refreshed. Cut then, to this: Timothy Dalton making his 007 debut, and the series making a return to a more grounded and less ridiculous approach to the spy thriller. Dalton gets dumped on, but I rather like his brief era, but maybe that's because I'm a fan of a more realistic and dark approach. That's also why I dig Daniel Craig. I will concede that each Bond has their good and bad points though. And Dalton is fine here. He was criticized for being humorless. Well, he's not entirely, but he is really dry with his quips. Okay, the plot. Well, it's immense: Bond is signed on to aid in the defection of a Soviet, only to find himself stuck in the middle of a complex plot that also involves tons of Cold War intrigue, lies, deception, arms smuggling, the opium trade, and the Soviet war in Afghanistan (later revisited in Rambo III). Yeah, it's a lot, but it's all handled surprisingly well, and during its 131 minute run-time the film moves along at a pretty brisk pace. For the most part that is. It does start to drag some and get real drawn out during the final act, but it does conclude quite satisfactorily. Like I said, Dalton is good, but you can tell it's his first film, as he is a bit stiff at times. Again though, I like him. Maryam d'Abo isn't the worst Bond girl, but she struck me as really wooden and rather blah. She's nice looking though. The film fares better with the supporting cast, with top honors going to Joe Don Baker, Jeroen Krabbe, and John Phys-Davies. The stunts and action are staged and executed fairly well, the direction is fairly assured, and overall, this is a really enjoyable, sadly underrated romp. Give it a go.

It may not be perfect, but the first of the two Timothy Dalton James Bond films from the late '80s is everything you could want from a Bond film. It's a globe-trotting adventure, packed with action, intrigue, romance, and plenty of engaging characters who spend the movie double-crossing each other. It sets the template for many a Bond flick to follow and many films which have come since have referenced it – from RAMBO III to AIR FORCE ONE, along with THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM and QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Yes, there are a couple of flaws – a bloated running time and some typical '80s excess moments which take the edge off some of the action – but for the most part this is tough pulp fun.I firmly believe that Dalton was and still is the best actor ever to have played the British secret agent – Daniel Craig can't match Dalton's cool exterior and air of quiet professionalism. Roger Moore may have the most fun in the role, but Timothy Dalton is the most believable of the pack and his appearance only serves to remind us of Pierce Brosnan's appalling turn during the 1990s. I didn't think much of Maryam d'Abo as the oddly sexless Bond girl (and this has to be the least sexy Bond flick in existence) despite the fact she made some good turns in other productions, she just seems uncomfortable here and her acting strained. There's good support from dependables like Art Malik and John Rhys-Davies but the villains don't make much of an impact: Joe Don Baker chews the scenery in a couple of instances but Dutch actor Jeroen Krabba is saddled with a weedy, slimy bad guy rather than a challenging one. The good news is that this has one of the best henchmen in a Bond flick: German actor Andreas Wisniewski with his garroting headphones. He's powerful, frightening, icily cold and also made a memorable appearance in the following year's DIE HARD as another henchman. Shame he didn't do more films! THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS has many decent action set-pieces, and they're not all of the predictable blow-em-up variety (like Brosnan's were). Okay, so the Arab attack on the Russian base is a bit too pyrotechnic for its own good, but there's a fantastic opening car chase in which Dalton does some of his own stunts to great effect, and a tremendous extended tussle involving a henchman, a stash of opium, and a bomb on a plane. Others keep the film moving nicely and I didn't get bored for a second – so full kudos to those involved for making this such an entertaining entry in the long running series.

Directed by John Glen and produced by Albert Broccoli, it has script by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson, and is the fifteenth film in the franchise. In this film, besides the central cast inherited from previous films, Timothy Dalton embodies, for the first time, the role of James Bond, alongside a great cast: Maryam d'Abo plays the Bond- girl Kara Milovy, Jeroen Krabbé gives life to General Koskov, John Rhys-Davies plays General Pushkin and Art Malik plays Kamran Shah.In this film, Bond is tasked to assist in the defection of a Russian general who, as in London, announces the resumption of "Smert Spionam" (Death to Spies) policy by the USSR. However, after several setbacks and after meeting the girlfriend of the fugitive general, Bond discovers that the defection was nothing but theater and there is someone interested in triggering a new world war.For the first time, Timothy Dalton gave body and life to James Bond. and, despite his way was quite different from the polite and courteous Moore, its not difficult for us, after some minutes of film, see Dalton as the new 007. Hard, violent and seductive at the right time, the actor was able to give a new impetus to the spy and bring Bond definitely to the eighties. And, although Maryam d'Abo doesn't fit the usual pattern of Bond-girls (super attractive, fatal, curvaceous and sexy), its impossible don't think that her sweet, gentle and loving ways blends very well with the vigorous and virile Dalton's Bond. The script is very interesting and addresses some issues that are still present in our society: the fear of a new world war or arms trafficking, for example. Some scenes in this film are iconic, such as the escape of Bond and Kara to the border with Austria by skiing inside a cello case, or the incredible fight scenes in the Afghan airport. Also great is the opening theme, sung by A-ha, in my opinion one of the best achieved in the franchise.

Dalton shows a serious side that's been missing from the role since Sean Connery's earliest 007 days. And as a whole, the new picture is less of a special-effects affair than most of Roger Moore's Bond films.There's no shortage of action in The Living Daylights, but the movie adds up to a real adventure. Besides, the action scenes even have quiet moments: A lyrical skydiving passage early on suggests that the film will have a bit of texture.Director John Glen and screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson are all veterans of the 25-year-old series. Glen and Maibaum go back to the Connery films, and it shows. In The Living Daylights, they tell a tale of arms deals and defections, classical musicians and drug runners, romance and intrigue.It's all a little too complicated to explain here; in fact, it's all a little too complicated, period. But if the plot threads tangle from time to time, if too much depends on coincidence, and if the story runs on about 20 minutes too long, there are more than enough good things in this film to justify a trip to the theater.The look of the movie is bright and vivid -- and the ''credits'' sequence is no exception. As scantily clad women gyrate to the film's theme music, they look strangely wraith-like. Perhaps they are ghosts of earlier Bond girls, reappearing here to cheer on their successor.If so their encouragement seems to have worked: Maryam d'Abo plays the role of Czech cellist Kara Milovy with charm and sensitivity. She matches up well with Dalton, too. (They've both got the same sort of angular profiles.) Even the late Ian Fleming, who started this whole Bond business with his novels, might have approved of her.Other major players in this 15th Bond film (or 17th, depending on whether you include the anomalous Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again) include Joe Don Baker as a half-mad arms dealer, John Rhys- Davies as a KGB boss, Jeroen Krabbe as the double-dealing General Koskov, Andreas Wisniewski as a chameleon-like terrorist and Art Malik as an Afghan leader.The supporting cast features Desmond Llewelyn, returning as gadgeteer Q, and Robert Brown, returning as M, head of the British Secret Service. Caroline Bliss, who assumes the role of the ever- adoring Miss Moneypenny, is amusing in her very brief appearance. When she looks at Bond, she seems to be thinking, ''Let's have a look at the rest of those dimples.''Series-mastermind Albert ''Cubby'' Broccoli would do well to give us more of this Moneypenny in the future. And whatever Broccoli does, let's hope he holds onto his new Bond for a while.Remember the name: Dalton, Timothy Dalton. Accept no substitutes.