Action/Adventure/Thriller
2 hours and 10 minutes
Rated: PG
Written by: Richard Maibaum & Michael G. Wilson
Directed by: John Glen
Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson
Cast:
Timothy Dalton
Maryam d'Abo
Joe Don Baker
Art Malik
Jeroen Krabbé
This BOND is dangerous
Dangerous indeed. Before there was Daniel Craig, James Bond's darker moments were expressed on the silver screen by veteran Shakespearean Welsh actor Timothy Dalton. Dalton was first offered the role in the late 1960s after Sean Connery stepped out (for the first time) and turned it down surprisingly feeling he was too young to play the part. Nevertheless, he must have made a strong impression upon Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, and in The Living Daylights it's easy for us all to see why.
After the seventh and final Roger Moore James Bond film A View to a Kill in 1985 it was beginning to seem as if James Bond had become a joke. Sean Connery recalls Moore's Bond as having all the subtlety of a "pie thrown in the face". Upon Moore's exiting, the franchise's producers - Albert R. Broccoli and his stepson Michael G. Wilson - had two concerning questions to tackle: first and foremost, who would be the next James Bond? And second, what direction did they need to take the franchise in now that the absurd Roger Moore-era had come to an end? Regarding the first question, Pierce Brosnan was originally cast to play James Bond in The Living Daylights, but had to drop out of the role due to a prior commitment to his Bond-esque TV show Remington Steele. Dalton ultimately was asked again to play James Bond and this time around he didn't let the opportunity pass him by. In regards to question number two, it was actually Dalton who had stipulated that if he were to play Bond he had no intention of portraying him any other way than how he is written in Ian Fleming's novels. Dangerous, dark, mysterious - these are all words to encapsulate Fleming's Bond and it was what Dalton and the producer's went for in The Living Daylights.
In order to obtain the serious tone set within Fleming's novels, the screenwriters used one of Fleming's short stories as the jumping off point for the film's plot. Following the supposed defection of a Soviet general, Bond and his superiors are told about a secret operation by the KGB to eliminate Western spies. As the story unfolds, things are not as they seem - revealing double-crossings throughout, and a back story set against the Soviet/Afghan War. While this dates the film, it still functions as an effective period piece. This is certainly a more serious plot than the megalomaniac themed stories of the previous Bond films. Even Bond's enemies in The Living Daylights seem more human than possibly ever before - a lot of this contributed to strong dialogue.
The dialogue can only sell the movie to a certain degree, and it is the performances within The Living Daylights that ultimately do the trick. Dalton portrays Fleming's Bond so expertly that he is perhaps only rivaled by Daniel Craig in regards to which actor portrayed Bond the closest to how he appears within the novels (at least Dalton looks the way Bond is supposed to, as opposed to the blond-haired, machismo Craig). Maryam d'Abo does a good job as the love interest, but she often feels like a character whom Bond has to drag along for the ride out of pure obligation. More impressive are Bond's villains and allies. John Rhys-Davies is excellent as the head of the KGB - pulling off what may be the perfect impression of a communist bureaucrat. Jeroen Krabbé plays the role of the supposed defector with all the sly sleaziness you'd expect for such a part, and finally Joe Don Baker's amusing portrayal of a military-obsessed arms dealer is so great that one can't help but want to see more scenes with his character as the focal point.
The film contains some strong action-sequences, and many are extremely impressive given Dalton's physicality. While Connery previously also participated in most of his stunts, Dalton's commitment to doing so is a breath of fresh air given Moore's almost non-committal attitude towards action sequences (the man didn't even run in his movies - he had stunt men do it). The film's opening sequence (involving Dalton jumping on top of a moving Jeep), a gadget-laden Aston Martin, a gun fight at a Soviet air base and Bond's final confrontation with Joe Don Baker's character Brad Whitaker are some of the standout action sequences. Also to be commended is the return of Bond-composer John Barry who conducts the music throughout. Barry also helped collaborate with 80s band a-ha who did the film's catchy rock title song. This would be Barry's last time around composing music for any Bond film.
Less impressive are the film's throwback moments to Roger Moore-era comedy. While they are small in comparison to Dalton's more serious scenes portraying Bond, these comedic and kitsch moments threaten the dark overtone that the producers were going for. One such moment - the most absurd throughout the entire movie - involves Bond and Bond-girl Kara Milovy escaping Soviet troops by sledding down a snowy mountain ... in a cello case. This stunt would certainly feel more at home within Octopussy or The Man with the Golden Gun, but in The Living Daylights it just seems uncomfortable. Other awkward moments include Dalton delivering the kitschy one-liners that were often the bulk of Roger Moore's dialogue.
In the end, The Living Daylights is a highly impressive Bond movie despite its bit of transitional awkwardness. The realistic storyline and characters all set the mood that this is an era of a darker, more serious James Bond. Timothy Dalton and his costars deliver outstanding performances, the film is scored with an excellent soundtrack throughout, and the impressive action sequences remain some of the most memorable within the Bond canon.
9/10
Ranking among other Bond films: 4 out of 26
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