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List Price: $26.98 | | Label: United Artists
Salesrank: 57008
Released: October 17, 2000 |
| Our Price: $3.94 |
| Used Price: $2.37 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Timothy Dalton made his 007 debut in the lean, mean mode of Sean Connery, doing away with the pun-filled camp of Roger Moore's final outings. He establishes his persona right from the gritty pre-credits sequence, in which he hangs from a speeding truck as it barrels down narrow cobblestone streets, battles an assassin mano a mano, and lands in the arms of a bikinied babe. This James Bond is ruthless, tough, and romantic. The Living Daylights, set during the thaw of the cold war, begins with the defection of Russian KGB General Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) and his revelation of a Soviet plot to eliminate Britain's secret agent force. Assigned to eliminate Koskov's Soviet boss (John Rhys-Davies, cutting a memorable figure in his brief appearance), Bond uncovers a conspiracy involving Koskov and an American arms dealer (Joe Don Baker). Maryam d'Abo makes a fine Bond girl as Koskov's beautiful cellist girlfriend, a classy innocent who soon loses her naive blush and shows her pluck. The villains are lackluster--Krabbé is a clown and Baker a blowhard--and Dalton hadn't yet mastered the delivery of the trademark quips, but it's a sleek script with a no-nonsense attitude. Veteran series director John Glen's action scenes have never been better--especially the show-stopping mid-air battle on the net of a speeding cargo plane--and he returns the series to the smart, rough, high-energy adventures that made the Bond reputation. --Sean Axmaker
The Living Daylights Reviews:
Revitalized 007 
2009-11-25 - 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.
Timothy Dalton really delivers! 
2009-09-27 - This is one of my favorite Bond movies. I didn't think I would like Dalton as Bond, but he really delivered a golden performance here. He shows just enough emotion to believe he's human, while maintaining the cool James Bond head, no matter how sticky the wicket gets. Good show, Old Man!!!
Dalton is under rated as 007
2009-05-26 - Each Bond actor gets to throw their own interpretation at the character. Many people didn't like Timothy Dalton, but I felt he did a credible job and created quite an enjoyable Bond. His toughness and edge were believable, he handled the tongue in cheek humor well, and had a slight vulnerable side that gave his romantic encounters some realism.
Living Daylights has just the right combination of spy thriller, mystery, romance, action, gadgets, and excitement.
The story has several holes and the main villain is a bit of a joke, but then again it's better than the cliche super villain who has to spend 5 minutes patiently explaining his plan of world domination to Bond instead of just shooting him and then putting Bond in restraints while 'sharks with lasers on their heads,' circle the tank below.
This is an entertaining Bond adventure that holds true to Ian Fleming's vision of his character and I really enjoyed the movie and have watched it several times.
The Best Bond EVER!!!
2009-05-05 - Listen up, Timothy Dalton delivers the best Bond performance ever in The Living Daylights. His charisma and charm are awesome. Forget Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan....The Living Daylights is the best Bond film ever made. It goes to show that alot of violence is not necessary to make a good film.
I Guess Perspective Makes The Difference
2009-03-05 - I saw this movie in a theatre on August 7, 1987. At point in time, "Octopussy" was my only reference point for James Bond. And in what may be an even bigger irony, I didn't care overly much for this movie at the time. But time changes perspectives and that has come with this movie as well, which I have upgraded from a 1-star 20 years ago to a 3.5 star today.
The opening sequence is pretty good if perhaps a bit below average from some of the more memorable openings (just consider the recent "Quantum of Solace" riveting opening or even "Moonraker"). Bond and two other agents are dropped on the Rock of Gibraltar to enage in a military exercise. While there the other two agents are killed by a bad guy, whom Bond chases. An exciting car chase ensues and then Bond parachutes out of the back of the jeep, leaving the militant to blow up on his way into the sea. Bond, of course, conveniently lands on a cruise ship and scores with a gal.
This movie is heavily influenced by the time frame it was released, the late 1980s. Bond does not get around quite as much in this movie and due to the new fears of AIDS, very little romance is actually shown but is left to the watcher's imagination. Also, Gorbachev's reforms in Russia and the thawing of the ice of the Cold War contribute to this movie becoming something almost nostalgic.
The simple fact is that nobody is Bernard Lee, unless he's (she's) Judi Dench. So Robert Brown adopts the moniker of "M" for this movie and does a passable job. The plot centers around the phony defection of a Russian named Yurgi Karskov (former chess champion of the Ukraine, sixth grade division). He's dating a Russian cellist named Kara, and enlists the help of Bond and another agent named Saunders in his escape. He also hires Kara to pose as a sniper. Kara, of course, is not a REAL sniper and the gun, in fact, has blanks. Bond stuffs Karskov in the Soviet pipeline and sends him into Eastern Europe where MI6 takes him into custody. Before that, however, Bond makes a critical decision to NOT kill Kara, the sniper, because he suspects she isn't a professional killer. Yurgi then has a meeting with the rest of MI6 and suggests that Soviet General Pushkin needs to be assassinated because he has come up with a plan to kill Allied spies called Spient Spiornom (or something like that). M disagrees with Bond's decision to not kill Kara but decides to keep him on the case anyway.
In custody at a stowaway house, a daring recovery of Karskov is made that is financed by disgraced General Brad Whittaker (played by Joe Don "Buford Pusser" Baker, who would later show up in GoldenEye as Jack Wade - kind of difficult for a dead man, wouldn't you say?) and executed by a handsome limey who - you just know - is going to be in a showdown of strength with Bond in a pivotal scene. Karskov is "re-captured" as several agents are injured. While in custody, however, Karskov has revealed to the British Secret Service that Russian General Vladmir Pushkin has instigated a plan to eliminate Western spies. Bond's face reveals a suspicion that Karskov is full of a certain substance found in barnyards (he later tells him that much, in fact) in regards to Pushkin. Realizing he will lose control of the case, Bond insists that he will follow through with M's orders to assassinate Pushkin.
Meanwhile in a backyard pool somewhere off a beautiful seacoast, Whittaker and his henchman meet along with Karskov. Bond travels to Austria to retrieve Kara - and to make a long story short, they escape on her cello. Bond then interrupts Pushkin's planned Redneck Rendevous (with his mistress, no less) and informs Pushkin he has orders to kill him. Pushkin challenges Bond, pointing out it is a case of whom he really trusts. Bond retorts that if he really trusted Karskov, this conversation wouldn't be happening. What follows is a staged assassination - made all-the-more incredible by the fact that Whittaker's henchman is supposed to kill Pushkin and never gets the chance.
Yurgi gets Kara to slip Bond a mickey (known as chloral hydrate), and he awakens in custody in an Afghan jail. Using gadgets provided by the always irrepressible Desmond Llewellyn, Bond escapes from the slammer and manages to commandeer a C-130 full of opium. It is here that Bond and the blond henchman have it out - dangling outside of the back of a C-130 no less among a time bomb. Bond eventually sends the idiot flying toward the ground and recovers, closing the back of the C-130 and finding the bomb just before detonation. He and Kara escape the C-130 by firing out the back of it in a jeep going about 200 mph - and, of course, the jeep isn't even scratched.
Eventually, Bond eliminates Whittaker and we're left with Pushkin telling his associates to make sure Karskov is on the next plane to Moscow in 'a diplomatic bag,' the insinuation being he was executed.
"TLD" has a number of commendable scenes, but the material was clearly not written for Timothy Dalton. He is an excellent actor as anyone who has seen his other works would attest ("Scarlett," "The Rocketeer") - but he was short-changed by the movie and had the charisma of a bottle of water. He did better the second time around but by then it was too late.
Also - who did Maryam D'Abo have to sleep with to get that part? She is by far the ugliest Bond woman (other than maybe Grace Jones, but Grace was at least entertaining), had no charisma, and while I understand she was playing a Russian, she was blah. Why Bond slept with her, I'll never know.
As I stated earlier, my view of this movie has gotten better over the years. I call it a high third-tier Bond. Worth one view - at most.
