Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
Timothy Dalton’s first of two outings as James Bond doesn’t have nearly the campiness or seductive power that Roger Moore and Sean Connery end up dripping to. Smiling is not something that Dalton’s 007 is prone to.
“James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.”
Director: John Glen
Writers: Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson
Cast: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown, Caroline Bliss, John Terry, Jeroen Krabbé, John Rhys-Davies
Release Date: July 31, 1987
IMDB
It is not original to say that The Living Daylights is a more grounded approach to Bond, but just because it’s been said before doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Timothy Dalton’s first of two outings as James Bond doesn’t have nearly the campiness or seductive power that Roger Moore and Sean Connery end up dripping to. Smiling is not something that Dalton’s 007 is prone to.
I want to ask the makers of the Uncharted games if they took inspiration from the end of The Living Daylights. IYKYK. Also, Bond is going up against a quintessential blond, beautiful KGB agent in Necros. Especially with Rocky IV (1985) coming out two years prior, Necros is like a slender Ivan Drago. And to think that Die Hard (1988) comes out a year later with another big blonde Russian baddie.
There are also plenty of recognizable faces that pop up. Jeroen Krabbé plays General Georgi Koskov in The Living Daylights, but most would recognize him as Dr. Charles Nichols from The Fugitive (1993). Then there is John Rhys-Davies, who reached fame playing Gimli in Lord Of The Rings but had already established himself in a franchise as Sallah in Indiana Jones films.
The Living Daylights is not a perfect movie. The ending is too long, and the movie is slightly bloated. While Bond’s battle with an outrageous greedy general in an armory museum is great fun, it was a quick add-on that felt poorly edited.
STANKO RATING: B
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