Recapping 007 #15 - The Living Daylights (1987) (Review)

[@Lieutenant_Dude]

But seriously Timothy dalton is unbelievably underrated. His rugged manliness was on point, and he looked so much like bond’s illustration in the pulps. License to kill is one of my favorites.

[@user-yv4mm6bx3c]

Indeed. This is one of my favorite Bond films.

[@fletcherhamilton3177]

I’m torn between Dalton and Brosnan. Ultimately Brosnan had a boyish flippancy about him that just wasn’t in the Dalton recipe. I’d also LOVE to see Brosnan back now as an older, ‘silver’ Bond (but not ‘disillusioned’ because I’m tired of that old ‘I hate the world now so I’m not interest in saving it anymore’ angle).

[@truongnam6157]

license sucks. Daylights is the best dalton could have done.

[@marguskiis7711]

Dalton was a perfect Bond.

[@robertsmalley8138]

Dalton better than Brosnan

[@cookiesontoast9981]

@@robertsmalley8138 Much better. Brosnan is my least favourite official Bond aside from Lazenby.

[@johnjamele]

@@cookiesontoast9981 Brosnan is in a close race for worst with Moore. The thing is, Moore had some entertaining outings as Bond- TSWLM, FYEO-- while Brosnan's only half-decent outing was GoldenEye, which was written for Dalton.

[@steevrawjers]

yes dalton is the ultimate bond

[@legrandmechantloup7983]

THE perfect bond

[@Nostalgianerd]

Dalton is the best Bond by a country mile.

[@ellipsis-007]

I agree

[@dudimanplay9785]

Yes

[@DarthLordRaven]

HE LOOKS LIKE A BOND BUT He had worse acting.

[@itsfaiz2967]

@@DarthLordRaven I disagree (respectfully, of course). Dalton is a stage actor first and foremost so his actions are a little different to that of most actors. The “stiffness” people keep commenting about is actually how Bond is in the books. He is the most accurate Bond of compared to the source material

[@Asshole88]

@@DarthLordRaven he's the best actor to play Bond. Straight out the novels.

[@streetwithoutjoy]

Way underrated, one of my personal favorites.

[@jamieclumpas8545]

Thursday Night Fever I find the acting and ending weak.

[@mirnalaguerre1903]

Thursday Night Fever is

[@simonbutterfield4860]

Thursday, I get what you're saying but I feel that Licence to Kill was the better film, but as DutchBond fan says here; the forced humour of Moore had really begun to grate and Dalton was the most faithful portrayal of the Bond of tthe books

[@eggbertinkabod1121]

@@jamieclumpas8545 yo mother WEAK

[@eggbertinkabod1121]

@@mirnalaguerre1903 FUCK U

[@Gazzjones180]

Timothy Dalton was ahead of his time he gave us a glimpse of what was to come with the Daniel Craig era with a harder take on bond sadly I think audiences where not redey for this kind of bond yet but Dalton's films are very good same he only did two due to the issues with united artists

[@Catinkontti]

Yeah thanks to Moore being extremely soft Bond especially in his last two films the audiences weren't ready for serious and blunt Bond which was delivered exactly by Dalton. Fact is that Dalton was later called to be in Golden Eye but he resigned the role for he had just had enough of franchise which was suffering financial issues during that time.

[@thesentinel5523]

DALTON>>>>>>>>>>>Craig Craig has had much better writers than Dalton until now with Phebe Waller Bridge LOL!

[@DrMcMoist]

He needs to be locked up. He's a slasher.

[@mrclingford]

@@DrMcMoist Don't worry. It's only of prices.

[@annajames229]

Totally agree 👍

[@イギリスの男]

I love the “why didn’t you learn the violin...!” scene. Proves he’s humorous, but doesn’t get enough of it to prove so

[@RJSRdg]

Later: "Aren't you glad I insisted you bring your cello?"

[@seanwalsh72]

The Living Daylights is such a breath of fresh air especially after the farce of the last couple of Moore films. I'm glad that the last couple of years have seen a change of opinion concerning Timothy Dalton's Bond. Dalton is a really good Bond and is clearly the basis of Craig's performance as 007.

[@marguskiis7711]

Better than Craig.

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

Dalton doing Casino Royale would have been sublime

[@johnjamele]

@@johnnyskinwalker4095 absolutely.

[@dereklewis4321]

Don't disrespect Octopussy

[@nkoonkukoo]

@@johnjamele Dalton would have made Casino Royale a masterpiece

[@IdiocyShow]

Hot take: Timothy Dalton is the most underrated Bond EVER! He’s just fantastic in the role.

[@pkempy]

Just his voice grinds on me a bit, too theatrical. Connery and lazenby had the best voices.

[@IdiocyShow]

@peter g Lazenby’s a good Bond, but not a great one. He’s the weakest part of OHMSS

[@KimBailey-w2g]

In very tense, I mean I fell in love with him right from the word jump Saul, the trailer for the living daylights I was like OK I’m gonna give them a chance holy shit I never seen a man so stunning in my life and handsome in that charisma not charm and we walked in his attitude and his brooding and all that oh my God I fell in love with them right then and there And he’s very intense. I mean intense with a T.

[@mohammedashian8094]

@@pkempyreally? Too theatrical? That’s your criticism?

[@iidirectxii7545]

The Austin Martin V8 used in this movie is beyond beautiful, one of my favourite Bond car's.

[@clausmadsen6754]

II DIRECTx II Austin? That’s pretty funny

[@tonydoherty2190]

Your right best bond car ever

[@mrscorpion-_-217]

My dad has one :)

[@DB_137]

Lotus Esprit turbo was really good but underrated for bond films too

[@kingssuck06]

“Ive had a few extra options installed”

[@calderarecords]

Dalton is my favourite Bond. He just nailed the books for me. And he is a mental powerhouse in real life. I enjoyed every second of this review, thank you Dutch boy!!

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

"He's charming isn't he?" Moore has so much class. 😎

[@space_monkey5662]

Bro is the living daylights hit or flop??

[@tanx360]

way underrated Bond, Dalton.

[@stevencassidy6982]

"Isn't he charming..." I love Wogan. If I was doing the very best Bond films...the Living Daylights gets top place. Everyone's using everyone else - Koskov, Whitaker, Pushkin...You can't trust anyone. We actually take this Bond seriously.There's three scenes which make this film - Saunders murder, the attempted murder of Pushkin and Karas drugging of Bond. All superb scene's. The climax is spectacular with John Barry's music blaring away. But from start to finish its Dalton's film. In my book, the very best Bond

[@CMZIEBARTH]

Scenes

[@T4SelNiNO]

Dalton was superb in this film. And after Connerys first 3,this is my favourite

[@seanmartin7636]

My top 10 Bondfilms: 1. From Russia With Love 2. Casino Royale 3. Skyfall 4. Goldeneye 5. Licence To Kill 6. Dr No 7. The Living Daylights 8. The Spy Who Loved Me 9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 10. Goldfinger My favorite Bonds: 1) Sean Connery 2) Daniel Craig 3) Timothy Dalton. These 3 men are the only actors where I could believe they would be a professional killer.

[@lw3646]

Great list For me my favourites (not necessarily the best, just persinal favourites). 1. Casino Royale 2. Dr No 3. From Russia with Love 4. The Living Daylights 5. Goldeneye 6. The Spy Who Loved Me 7. Octopussy 8. Goldfinger 9. Skyfall 10. License to Kill Casino Royale I think is actually flawless, its so well made, not just a brilliant Bond movie but a brilliant movie in general, it was so fresh and welcome, a real palette cleanser, just what was needed at the time. The whole pacing, the writing, the acting, the casting and the editing are so good, if anything Craig maybe peaked too soon. My favourite Bond is probably Roger Moore, I still can't think of a single person I'd rather be than his version of the character, so much charm and excitement and fun was packed into his version of the character. I think Bronsan was well cast, saurve yet masculine, Connery also excellent though less fun, Craig sells it the best, most credible physically, though I think the writers try and make his version too 3D and real, that then starts to clash with the fantastical nature of the universe he's in, full of gorgeous women, megalomania and an indestructible hero. Craig's Bond is too morose and self-pitying in his last couple of films for me, that's the writing and direction too though. Dalton was good, refreshing at the time with good scripts behind him but he felt the romance always felt the most awkward and forced, it was like he was hardly interested in the opposite sex. Craig

[@troyandrew6154]

For your eyes only and thunderball are also good ones

[@antitroll890]

I think in regards to Daltons movies The Living Daylights has the better plot but Licence to Kill has the better story so I enjoy the latter more but Dalton is still awesome in the role in his debut

[@steevrawjers]

both movies are great fun and great bond films

[@adonizi]

I used to hate Dalton, but he has grown on me a lot. Hes maybe my favourite Bond after Connery. Both of his movies are excellent.

[@dereklewis4321]

He plays the most realistic bond.

[@alucard624]

@@dereklewis4321 He definitely played Bond as close as possible to what Fleming wrote him as before Craig took it to the next level. Both Dalton and Craig are the literary Bond come to life IMO.

[@alucard624]

@J Fitz Bond doesn't smoke anymore period. That's an edict by the movie studio to avoid promoting smoking thanks to changing times and attitudes about smoking.

[@anonb4632]

He's miscast although I really like him other roles. He didn't make the worst Bond film. Brosnan did.

[@mariakelly90210]

@@anonb4632 The first 3 Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies were pretty good. Die Another Day, not so much.

[@mercenaryknight5419]

This and For Your Eyes Only (1981) are the best 007 films of the 1980s.

[@Jordan5Harrison]

My favourite bond actor in my favourite bond film.

[@cinephile9885]

Jordan Harrison, that's great!

[@vivavideo-videofilmer]

Mine too

[@user-op8ge3kq6s]

I Think license to kill is better

[@greyosh7]

Dalton's walk and gun pose still my favorite.

[@jonno209]

Great film. Easily in my top 5. Dalton rocks.

[@steevrawjers]

easily

[@mariakelly4179]

Timothy Dalton was a great James Bond, and Maryam D'Abo was a sweet innocent who has no idea exactly what the hell is going on but gamely rolls with the punches Bond girl.

[@scottknode898]

She was a good girl after the disappointment of Tanya Roberts as Stacy Sutton in A View To A Kill who was also annoying and even Roger Moore didn’t care for Roberts along with fact that she was half his age

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

This movie just screams quality. The way they added new elements and actors while also bringing back classic features (like the return of the Aston Martin) is just masterful. Not to mention, my favorite Bond girl. I wonder what Fleming would've thought of Dalton as Bond. One criticism, it does sorta lose that anti-war subtext we see in FRWL, it was the 1980's, the years of Reagan and Thatcher if I remember correctly, so it's a product of its time in that regard, coming off as more partisan, specifically in its depiction of the Mujaheddin - a depiction not uncommon in movies of the time but one that DEFINITELY did not age well in light of future events.

[@mrbeancounter90]

Top Work, Also "The Pretenders - If There Was A Man" End Credit Music is perhaps the most romantic music in the series. A genuine, sensual theme with lovely melodies.

[@buffalopatriot]

Absolutely one of the best Bond songs. It also has the John Barry 'touch'. Minor chords, lower register brass, and overall arrangement.

[@billa107]

Love the review and movie. The Living Daylights for me is just so fun with a smart plot. While, I think the villains needed to be more stronger characters or a bit bigger as antagonists, I still love this movie anyway. Top ten worthy Bond film.

[@graycav56]

Love this flick. Dalton was awesome and D’Abo was stunning.

[@tomemeigh5338]

I always could tell that Dalton had read the books, because he portrayed Bond the way that Ian Fleming had written Bond in the first place. After seeing this video, apparently that was the case, and Dalton knew Bond better than any of the other actors.

[@MY-pj8cd]

Fun fact: Whitaker, reappears in Golden eye as Jack Wade.

[@scottknode898]

Also Joe Don Baker returned as Jack Wade in Tomorrow Never Dies

[@mrmatt1165]

i know dude.

[@gsxerwhite]

And MITCHELL!!!

[@henrykujawa4427]

Funny thing: my best friend and I would try to "cast" actors in various parts as we both read the John Gardner books as they came out in the 80s. "ICEBREAKER" featured a CIA agent we both thought Joe Don Baker would be perfect for. More than a decade later, whatta ya know, Joe Don Baker was in a Bond film playing a CIA agent!

[@lukasnummer1]

What people forget to realize (which is putting it mildly) is that Dalton stepped in at a time when the Bond franchise was at a low point - and successfully brought it back! Roger Moore's last two movies, "A View to A Kill" in particular, had dramatically underperformed at the box office. "The Living Daylights" made more money than "Octopussy" and AVTAK combined! Just because "License to Kill" didn't do as well (but could have if not for wrong promotion and stupid age restrictions) doesn't mean that Dalton was somehow unsuccessful.

[@andyford3179]

I thought I read somewhere that it was the third least successful bond film ?

[@johnjamele]

License to Kill failed in the US (nowhere else) for two reasons, neither of which had anything to do with the quality of the film: 1. Last-minute change from "License Revoked" which upset marketing and lead to poor-quality posters, etc. 2. Release date in the middle of probably the most spectacular blockbuster summer of all time. There was SO MUCH to see in the theatres that summer, SEVERAL big movies underperformed. It was the last Bond film to BE a summer release as a result.

[@greatwuta]

@@johnjamele You right, summer of 89 everybody wanted to see Batman and I did not see one commercial of License To Kill. For years I thought Dalton only did one 007 film.

[@anonb4632]

Bond was still sinking. And the Cold War was thawing. I think Goldeneye saved the franchise by dealing with that main issue but I'm amazed it didn't die with Dalton. I really like Dalton in most roles but he didn't work as Bond for me. He tried to round out Bond and make him more three dimensional but Bond is quite shallow.

[@lukasnummer1]

@@anonb4632 I am not sure how shallow Bond really is. In Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights", Bond falls in love with this young cellist, having just seen her one time from across the street; her leaving the scene feels like "a stab in the heart" to Bond, something that "had not happened to him since his youth". Vesper's death in the first Bond story "Casino Royale" also really gets to him; he philosophies that perhaps the "good" and the "evil" side depend on each other to exist, like mirror images. Maybe Bond becomes a shallower man over the years, as he has to protect himself emotionally. After his wife had died in the previous novel, Bond is also a broken man in "You Only Live Twice", a dark poetic book woven in morbid images and deathly sceneries. When Bond finally kills Blofeld, he also kills a part of himself. I think Dalton did a wonderful job in bringing out the tragedy of the character: a man whose seriousness and professionalism hide a hopelessly romantic soul. Bond is only one-dimensional of you look at it superficially, I would say. I agree with Bond being a Cold War character, by the way. They're also having problems nowadays somehow adjusting him to the 21st century.

[@CRITTERBUSTERS]

Great review man, Dalton was an excellent bond easily my personal favourite, I think the two films he did were some of the best in the series, can't wait for your review of Licence to Kill as it is my favourite of the two Dalton films, it's just a shame Timothy Dalton never got to do Goldeneye.

[@J-V89]

CRITTERBUSTERS he's my personal favorite too and did you know that Dalton was going to do a third film, it was supposed to be released in 1991 and it was going to be called Property of a Lady

[@johnjamele]

@@J-V89 yep, they had a plot outline involving a chemical factory explosion in Scotland and androids and scenes in China, sounds like it would have been cool.

[@steevrawjers]

yeah golden eye would have been way better with dalton and golden eye was pretty good with brosnan

[@smokeylee1986]

Such a shame Timothy Dalton decided to leave the role. He was brilliant and I'd love to have seen Goldeneye with him in.

[@doctorsocrates4413]

@@smokeylee1986 Goldeneye was written specifically for dalton before all the legal issues made dalton leave the franchise..real shame.

[@barrymccann7892]

Dalton was actually offered The Living Daylights ahead of Brosnan but could not accept at that time because of his schedule on Brenda Starr. After Brosnan came and went, Dalton was re approached with a revised start date which he was happily able to meet this time.

[@vik_body_beld7294]

I think all Fans would agree that their Favorite Bond flim is the one which they saw in their teenage years or the first flim they saw. So, if born in the 70s/80s, chances are Dalton's movies would be in your top10. The first Bond movie I saw was Licence to Kill and was hooked to it. Both of Dalton's movies are in my top 10 along with Brosnan's. Nothing was released between 89 and 95 so it made Brosnan's movie long awaited and special.

[@jasongann8535]

VIK_BODY_BELD there’s a lot of truth to your comment.

[@Mutantgamer]

I was born around Brosnan's era but was way too young to have any interest in watching James Bond. Thus the first Bond movie i really watched was Casino Royale. Daniel Craig is indeed my favourite.

[@johnjamele]

The first one I saw was Spy Who Loved Me, on the big screen, summer 1977. I loved it. But I never loved Moore as Bond after I saw Connery reruns on TV. All that said, my favorite Bond movies are mostly Connery vehicles but my favorite Bond is Dalton.

[@tbyers31]

I agree. A teenager in the 70's, I always preferred Roger Moore while everyone else pined for Sean. I enjoyed the spectacle and cartoony bits until I realized what I was missing in Dalton's hard-edged Bond. I wish he had continued. Brosnan was not physically convincing in my view. And as others have commented, Dalton definitely foreshadowed Craig, whose Casino Royale is in my top 3.

[@georgeh4171]

Born in 88 so Goldeneye is THE Bond film for me. It was a cultural phenomenon at the time, especially with the N64 game.

[@rogerhwerner6997]

Walter Gogel was terrific his first Bond film was From Russia With Love when he played a Spectre operative. I'd forgotten about the flying carpet gag. Glad it was left out.

[@TheAeroAvatar]

@DutchBondFan The more I watch both of Dalton's movies, the more I really wish he had gotten at least one more before quitting. This guy really knew his Bond, and he gave 007 the shakeup he needed.

[@MementoMorituri]

Dalton is my Bond. He's the real thing. The only time Fleming's Bond was on screen.

[@sircles-net]

Word. The only time I really felt he was on screen, especially in the car with the head of section V.

[@emanuell5926]

Well, you forgot Sean Connery

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@emanuell5926 Agreed. I do get fed up when people say 'Dalton paved the way for Craig' as if 'From Russia with Love' especially did not exist.

[@frankb821]

"The biggest stunt Moore ever did was bang Grace Jones." haha you're killing me! Classic. Living Daylights is in my top 3, despite the villain weak links, for all the reasons you mention!

[@spaceodds1985]

One of my top five favourite Bond films starring my favourite Bond to date. Dalton is superb in the role and he gave the series the energetic shot in the arm is so needed. Right from the moment he turns towards the camera, Dalton was Bond, the opening set piece is a smack down to earth after the OTT nonsense of the Moore era. The film to this day feels like a breath of fresh air, John Barry provides his best score for the Bond series, the pacing is superb and never feels sluggish and Bond comes across as the character that Ian Fleming always envisioned. One of the best Bond films of the 80s and of the series.

[@TheHCPMusic]

The reason Bond isn't able to kill Whitaker by "shooting him in the stomach" is that Whitaker declares in that scene that Bond's ammo is no match for his state of the art Body Armor. (If you notice, some of the bullet "sparkles" in that scene flash on Whitaker's shoulders.) Still, body armor may protect you from a fatal injury, but it doesn't make you Tony Stark in an Iron Man suit. And, since the Walther PPK was once described (waaayyyyyyy back in 1962) as delivering "a punch like a brick through a plate glass window," taking a full-on shot in the face shield would have still rocked Whitaker back on his heels. And getting hit in the shoulder would have knocked him down, period. But, wait. Realism in a Bond film? Nahhhhhhhh..... kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKi4fZaqdrN3gJI

[@ksztyrix]

.32 ACP is pretty whimpy, more like pebble, not a brick

[@SwordHMX]

Maybe would have knocked him down if he wasn't used to the impact. Brad Whitaker seems like the kind of guy who practiced taking bullets off as armor.

[@JonasRosenven]

TheHCPMusic I think you've been watching too many movies. This gun is not rocking anyone anywhere. It will barely move a tiny steel target that sits on a hinge. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6ikYZtti62Sl6Mm7s

[@Gman941]

.32 is a terrible round. In the book, James Bond uses his PPK just as a small defensive pistol, in situations where something is better nothing. Not a primary pistol. Also in the books, he had a 1911 with a long barrel and .44 revolver in his car, for more firepower. Ian Fleming knew more guns, are better than one. The "Brick through a plate glass" quip is because the .32 is better than the .25 that the Beretta 415 was chambered in. Which is somewhat true. One can say the same to the .380 compared to the .32.

[@dereklewis4321]

@@ksztyrix A bullet is a bullet. I wouldnt want to get shot a by even a .22.

[@J-V89]

The Living Daylights is my first bond film ever,it got me interested in bond, it's the reason why Timothy Dalton is my personal favorite Bond. Like when I heard or think about James Bond I think of Timothy Dalton. This and license to kill are in my top 5 bond films and I really wish that Dalton would have done a third film.

[@DutchBondFan]

I think most of us Bond fans do! I'm sure he would have been amazing once again. A real shame we never got "Bond 17" as it was intended somewhere around 1991....

[@azraelle6232]

Even with some of the weakest villains and the Afghanistan plot that goes essentially nowhere, this is still my favorite Bond film of all time. Dalton slays it as James Bond, Maryam is beautiful and as you said a perfect fit for the role, and the soundtrack is one of the best!

[@CursoryMercenary]

Great movie, both of Dalton's Bond's are brilliant and amongst the best.

[@Iglesias301]

I love this movie. This is my favorite Bond film together with Dr. No, From Russia With Love and At Her Majesty's Secret Service. I just wish Dalton had started earlier and stayed a bit longer.

[@davider6884]

The Living Daylights is one of the best Bond films for me! It‘s actually in my top 5 list! Dalton is excellent as Bond and I really like this film from A to Z! Kara is one my favourite Bond girls from the series! Though my favourite character from this flick is definitely Brad Whitacker. The plot is strong and the atmosphere and the continuity are golden as well! I was also excited to see the car from OHMSS again! Since this film is in my top 5 I‘m giving it a 10/10!

[@barneymetcalfe8896]

Will always be a top five bond film for me! Great review! Can't wait for Licence To Kill

[@Gareth-410]

Definitely the most underrated Bond film of all time.

[@machtrebel]

Re: the showdown between Bond and Whitaker. You say that Bond had no problem taking down Pushkin, but can't shoot Whitaker. That is because Whitaker's entire uniform is bulletproof. He speaks mockingly about Bond's peashooter being no match for it.

[@scottknode898]

It was not Whitaker’s uniform he had an Assault Rifle with bulletproof armor that protected him.

[@getmario64]

"The Living Daylights" is not only the best Bond film ever, but it's friggin awesome! It's a better rendition of a decent James Bond film that we wanted to see after Moore's old tiring Bond film is finally over. Timothy Dalton is the most underrated Bond character ever and not only that, he adapts his 007 character. This is how he becomes a professional 00 agent who becomes much darker, a lot of motivation, and his emotions were quite good for his changing purposes whether he is sad or happy, that will be later on in the next film. The action sequences were so good, the John Barry mix theme is so awesome to hear, Kara Milovy is a charming Bond girl without no hotness, but a nice one, the villains were less, but they seem to hand out pretty well. As much I'm a big fan of Dalton's Bond era, this is a better Spy flick. Go ahead comment whatever you want! Also, thank for letting tired Moore outta here! Whatever it was, it's the best "The Living Daylights" film ever. 😏

[@JayJay-nc7pr]

I like Timothy Dalton as Bond he was a breath of fresh air after the very long Moore era, Dalton was intended to replace Connery in the late 60s but he felt he was too young at the time, Dalton was also a very 1980s hero, in the era of Schwarzenegger and Stallone, Roger Moore’s Upper class English dandy was woefully outdated by the mid 1980s, Dalton brought the raw and gritty edge to Bond that hadn’t been seen since the Connery/Lazenby era of the 60s, its thanks to Dalton that we have the more edgy and violent bond of today.

[@knubbelkeks69]

A great review as always! Dalton has always been one of my favourites and I really don't get why so few people like him. He was a bit ahead of his time perhaps. I think, if his two movies would've come after Brosnan's, he would've been really sucesssfull.

[@SiLoMixMaster]

Dalton was a beast, The Living Daylights was a quality Bond film

[@mrbeancounter90]

A friend of mine at school, his mum was a friend of Timothy Dalton when they were actors at RADA. No, I didn't ask. Not exactly tactful. But most probably.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Actually....you do resemble Timothy slightly ?

[@TheHCPMusic]

Excellent! A new installment, and one of my favorite Bonds!

[@dereklewis4321]

TDalt played a great straight Bond. Probably the most realistic portrayal of the charecter.

[@rfletch62]

An almost perfect Bond movie. Great opening, Cold War era, even the kitchen fight (which features a butler who may have been a retired 00 himself) made this one top of the line. Dalton was the best Bond.

[@DreBourbeau]

i have to respectfully disagree, i love the second half of this film, with its hilariously dated view of Afghanistan and the muhajideen (albeit done slightly more tastefully than Rambo III). also, the desert photography is gorgeous.

[@DutchBondFan]

Fair enough. There are some enjoyable scenes in there, it just feels like a train of exciting espionage that comes to a sudden stop when it reaches the Afghanisthan scenes. There's a certain loss of a spark, maybe it's because a lot of the mysteries are already unfolded and part of why this plot was so much fun was all the mystery and espionage. I think it's very comparable to Dr. No in that way!

[@dereklewis4321]

The final fight in the plane is one if the best

[@jamstonjulian6947]

I enjoy it on a film level but it does become far less of a spy film.

[@anonb4632]

Rambo III never gets shown now.

[@dannyd464]

This Is pure James bond, the stunts are amazing.

[@devinfraserashpole4753]

You know, these reviews actually upset me a bit about the James Bond series. @DutchBondFan, you really see things which the producers could have done a better job with, great work on spotting these things. I guess the small things really do count. Thanks for these reviews, they are very funny and quite eye opening.

[@DutchBondFan]

+Devin ‘Devin564’ Ashpole Happy to hear they are having both an educational and entertaining effect! As those are defenitely the elements im hoping to fullfill for my audience!

[@drgoldfinger8887]

This is the best morning ever! You are awesome at doing review! Keep up the great work and good morning!

[@DRush76]

My third favorite James Bond movie of all time. ["Timothy Dalton was ahead of his time . . ."] Dalton set in motion on how many movie and television spies would be portrayed for the next 20 to 30 years.

[@cinephile9885]

DutchBondFan, I would like to ask you two questions. 1. What do you think of Calvin Dyson? 2. Is The Living Daylights the most underrated 007 film?

[@DutchBondFan]

+Angel Castaneda I like Calvin's work. His style and opinions on these movies are very different, so that automatically makes my videos diverse in the community. And I think the most underrated Bond film is yet to come ;)

[@cinephile9885]

The Raccoon, you will, if you like the series. If you like modern Bond, you will appreciate it.

[@SadKeanu13]

Calvin Dyson!? oh please , he prefers those crappy ones than the better ones

[@bhutochakrabarti4173]

Jinno_

[@mariakelly4179]

UNCLE MAX I get a get a kick out of Calvin.

[@da90sReAlvloc]

Timothy Dalton was the bond character of the books

[@SeruMagic]

Another excellent review! I have always liked Timothy Dalton in the part ever since I was little, just wish he would have done more than two movies. I find both of his movies a little underrated as they are both top notch but don't get much attention outside of bond fandom. Can't wait for Licence to Kill! Keep up the good work!

[@jasonnelson5251]

Dalton would have been great in FYEO.

[@christopherfoote4643]

@@jasonnelson5251 Great suggestion. Apparently they had to recruit Roger Moore out of retirement. It's possible there were plans to bring a new title character into the role.

[@christopherfoote4643]

I didn't think Dalton was as serious as people said. I thought he played it deadpan. People miss that element. If you watch the two movies he's actually putting himself as a caricature. Watch the movies. Particularly in the Living Daylights. But there were parts I wish he had been less of a caricature. But as far as how he played Bond I thought he did a good job.

[@Roger69ej]

I remember watching Wogan when Sir Roger said he was interested in doing another Bond film. I seem to recall he wasn't in the best of health when he did A View to a Kill. I think 59 would have been stretching it a bit far though. I am glad they left the flying carpet scene out. Dalton was very underrated and would have made another had there not been a 6 year hiatus.

[@samuelstephens6163]

Roger Ellor-Jones Craig's about to come up on a five year hiatus. Not sure why it's all taking so long.

[@scottknode898]

Roger Moore was 57 when did A View To a kill or turned 57 during filming as had his birthday on set and he retired from playing Bond officially in December of 85 when was 58 years old. He was in good health he just knew he was getting too old to play Bond anymore and commented that the Bond girls in his last appearances were young enough to be his daughters age especially Tanya Roberts and said her mother was younger then he was and felt that the last straw. He had no chemistry with Roberts or Grace Jones at all and disliked the overall violence in his last film and wished he would have retired after For Your Eyes Only or Octopussy.

[@RJSRdg]

@@scottknode898 In some ways I think AVTAK could have been better, had Moore decided before filming it that it would be his last one (in the same way Daniel Craig did with NTTD). Not advocating killing Bond off, but perhaps a film in which Bond is contemplating retirement (and maybe finally 'gets it together' with Moneypenny!)

[@RJSRdg]

@@scottknode898 As to Moore's chemistry or lack of with Roberts and Jones - Grace Jones was notoriously difficult to work with and it would probably be a challenge for anyone to have chemistry with her! In fact, May Day probably wouldn't have worked as a character if she had had chemistry with Bond. For all that though, Bond does display a more affectionate side towards her when she finds Jenny's body in the flooded mine, and again when he tries to dissuade her from riding the wagon with the bomb on it. With Tanya Roberts, I'd agree there's a lack of sexual chemistry but again Moore plays it as someone he cares about, and there's a particularly touching scene when he tucks her up in bed - indeed had it not been for the two of them being in the shower at the end of the film, it could have worked as Bond looking out for her as a daughter he never had.

[@jameselectric1179]

Great review and i agree Timothy Dalton was underrated i think TLD was very refreshing return to how Bond should be .. LTK is my preferred Dalton Bond so i look forward to your next review . keep up the great work ..

[@Kritic1Cing6]

Perhaps the most underrated Bond film to this very day!

[@jameskennedy4377]

I enjoy Dalton in TLD (except for the romantic stuff that seems too sappy, imo) and the first half of the movie is excellent, including one of the best intro sequences of the entire series. Once they get to the desert, though, the film starts to drag a bit. For one thing, deserts are naturally dull to look at it. You have to have a very strong story to compensate for the drab setting. Still, TLD is better than almost all of the Moore films. If I remember correctly, Brosnan's Diet Coke ads were made after he lost out on the role, which was part of the joke of the commercials. They also didn't help audiences warm to Dalton because people were being shown how well Pierce fit the Bond part on a constant basis. Also, Koskov originally died when the plane hits his jeep but it was felt his death wasn't memorable so they filmed an add-in shot of him still at the wheel and included him in the ending with Bond and Pushkin.

[@thewindthatblows]

"Deserts are naturally dull to look at. You have to have a good story to compensate for the setting." What do you think about Lawrence of Arabia?

[@JoeNerd11]

Excellent review! Even his Bond tag line was cool ... "Dalton is Dangerous!" Now my personal favorite film of the series is right around the corner. Can't wait to hear your opinions of it!

[@DutchBondFan]

Don't think you'll be dissapointed in that case ;)

[@Syklonus]

Dalton is my favourite Bond. Timothy humanised the character while giving him a harsher edge than was ever seen before. The Living Daylights was a splendid return to espionage heavy plots similar to From Russia With Love, but with an 80s sheen. A real forgotten gem of all sorts!

[@natpearce37]

Glad you love this film too. No idea why no one seems to consider it a classic. I personally think it's even better than Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me, and that's saying a lot.

[@vasudevarao24]

Dalton not only made an excellent Bond but also was a very good actor, which is why I was always surprised that he got very few lead roles outside those 2 Bond movies. He would have been a good fit for both action flicks and the more serious cinema. Hollywood underutilized his talent.

[@robertcornhole5197]

There's a lot to like in this one, but yeah, the villains ruin it a little for me. They're just so milquetoast and non-threatening. Koskov especially pales after the last rogue Russian general, Orlov.

[@jamessalem2825]

And the best John Barry Score. Excellent review as always

[@EugenioHertz]

nice video man, congrats, also the opening with all the bonds walking, GREAT !!!!!!!!! A++++++++

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I remember reading a film critic's paper that said you could tell a lot about the writer of any given James Bond movie by the way they frame the relationship between Bond and Moneypenny.

[@AaronStark1993]

Hard to pick a favorite Bond movie, but gun to my head I would say this is my favorite. Great plot, great action scenes, and Dalton's performance is fantastic. His grit and darkness was a needed change of pace after Roger Moore pretty much made a mockery of the character. It's nice to see someone portray Bond as originally written in Fleming's novels.

[@GarretGrayCamera]

I just re-watched this one and I felt like the audience might be sizing Dalton up in the opening scenes. The opening scene is so well done that Dalton is instantly believable as Bond. Usually after the song there's a lot of talking but in this film it goes into the sniper/defection scene and that was fun and helped to solidify Dalton as Bond. PS: I thought it was interesting they took the song Necros was playing on his Walkman, "Where Has Everybody Gone," and turned it into an orchestration throughout the film. It seems like an odd choice since we don't really ever hear the full song other than just a snippet of it but it works.

[@SeanWareGaming]

Dalton is my favorite Bond. He's the one that started the dark, edgy Bond way before Daniel Craig.

[@drexchef08]

Great research on this video. So fascinating seeing all the news stories about Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton!

[@MegaCunnie]

TD was a great Bond.

[@CannonFodder93]

Ah, yes... The Living Daylights. I love this movie. Timothy Dalton is quite possibly the closest to the book Bond that we've ever gotten, and he plays the part to the hilt, leaving a great impression. I just love his gritty and hard-edged performance and if it weren't for Sean Connery's performance in Never Say Never Again, Timothy would actually be my favorite Bond actor overall. I'm glad to see Desmond Llewelyn and Robert Brown as Q and M again. I do feel Robert's M feels much more fitting for Tim's Bond rather than Roger Moore's. Don't get me wrong, I love his chemistry with Roger, but I feel he has more authority and presence when he is playing with Tim. It's sad to see Geoffrey Keen and Walter Gotell go, but I don't see them quite working in the following flick. Maryam d'Abo is a very adorable and innocent Bond girl. I really find her quite endearing and seems to be quite similar to Stacey Sutton in that she is basically a civilian, not someone who is used to this sort of excitement. Along with Stamper, I always felt Necros was one of the best Red Grant clones. Plus, he has one of the best themes ever. Koskov and Whitaker are fun villains to me (I love Whitaker's Napoleon complex) and Pushkin, Saunders and Kamran Shah are wonderful supporting characters. Only characters that don't do it for me are Moneypenny and Felix. Moneypenny just doesn't leave an impression on me and Felix just feels like he was added at the last minute. The theme for the movie is great and one of my favorites (it constantly switches between second and third favorite songs with A View to a Kill for me). And this was John Barry's last Bond score, and IMO, his best one. I like the use of the synthesizer and this movie has quite possibly my favorite rendition of the Bond theme. Another solid entry from John Glen, showing why he is my favorite Bond director.

[@STWproductionz]

Such a shame the villains weren't ironed out in this movie. I still rank as my number two pick for best bond, though. Great review , btw.

[@JWBabaYaga]

Timothy Dalton has an awesome voice! “And the ESSENCE...” at 3:05 particularly.

[@ericshippie1563]

I love these recaps. This guy is funny and articulate

[@slickduecemanattorneyatlaw2558]

Your subtle humor throughout the videos is amazing 😂 Dalton's two films are both on my top ten bond movies!

[@lukestrawwalker]

I COMPLETELY forgot about that Diet Coke commercial until you posted it... thanks for bringing that back to my memory! I remember those when they were on TV and thought they were particularly badass, though I never could stand diet drinks (I'd rather have the real thing with actual sugar in it or just water)... Maryam D'Abo's "Kara" was clueless, but she was SO adorable... She just had that nerdy "girl next door that you'd like to bang" look, and she was an interesting character. She was a refreshing change in that she got stronger as the movie went on, instead of the usual formula you've mentioned before, particularly with the "strong, independent American women" (like Tiffany Case in DAF and Holly Goodhead in Moonraker, and Tanya Roberts in AVTAK) who start off strong and independent and turn into silly bimbo's needing rescuing by the end... That was a refreshing change as well... Yes, thank goodness they dumped the stupid "flying carpet" gag... that would have been probably the stupidest moment in Bond history had it ended up in the final film... You have to remember in the ending, that Whitaker is a top-end arms dealer, selling "the latest US and European stuff" (as he told Pushkin). So, he's got the latest body armor on under his clothing-- certainly more than a match for Bond's Walther PPK... I thought the fight scene with Whitaker was interesting if a bit anti-climatic... After all Bond has already blown their scheme out of the water... but of course Bond being Bond, we have to have closure; he had to deal with Whitaker and Kozkov... and of course he gets help from Felix to infiltrate Whitaker's compound and we get the payoff of Pushkin and Bond teaming up to take down Kozkov at the end... I may be in the minority, but I liked Dalton's interpretation of Bond, for what it was. My only complaint about Dalton was that he was always SO serious in the role, that he just didn't do comedy or lighthearted stuff well at all-- the signature one-liners made famous throughout the Bond franchise just fell flat when Dalton delivered them, for the most part... Dalton's Bond always seemed to be just "pissed off at the world" and he seemed ready to put his head through a brick wall... I guess maybe that's why when it came to him playing a tender moment or delivering a one-liner, it just seemed very forced or fake... He just didn't seem to have fun with the role... I mean, I LIKED his "more serious Bond" and his take being closer to the original Bond "as written" in the books, but I think maybe he took it just a little TOO far, or else he just didn't do comedy well. I know of ONE one-liner he delivered absolutely spot-on-- when playing the undercover Nazi agent actor in Hollywood "Neville Sinclair" in the movie "The Rocketeer", at the climax of the movie he's berated by a worked-up Gestapo man who's come to collect "the rocket" Sinclair was supposed to be securing for them, and the Gestapo man insults him by stammering, "You, YOU.... ACTOR!!!" and Dalton pulls his pistol, shoots the Gestapo man dead, who falls out of the zeppelin, much to the shock of the German Zeppelin captain, who looks in horror at Dalton... Dalton turns to look at him, and says, "Fur zee Fatherland!" with a rather rakish expression, and the shocked Zeppelin captain nods and mutters, "Ja, ja!"... It was a really funny moment and delivered spot-on perfect to make that scene work... Too bad he didn't really get many of those moments in his Bond films... Always seemed to me when he did a one liner, he got his look on his face like "well, whaddya think of that?? Glad that's out of the way!" Anyway, I think with a little tone-down of the "darker, grittiness" of Dalton's portrayal of Bond, that he would have been a lot more popular. I think his interpretation was TOO "polar opposite" of the lighthearted, joking, constantly quipping Moore's version of Bond to be easily accepted by the fans. Had it been "toned down" or more gradual transformation of Bond from Moore to Dalton, I think it would have brought the audience along in a more accepting way. As it was, when Dalton left the role, we finally got Pierce Brosnan, and his Bond always seemed to me very much a mix between Dalton's Bond and Moore's Bond... a more realistic and serious interpretation of Bond than Moore's more lighthearted version, but not as dark, gritty, and "pissed off all the time" as Dalton's version. It's a shame that Brosnan didn't take over for Moore, and then Dalton take over for Brosnan later on... I think Brosnan's version would have been a good transition between the comedic Moore Bond and the dark, gritty, and serious Dalton Bond... And, I think that just as Brosnan's Bond was more of a return to Moore's comedic Bond, Craig's Bond is more of a return to Dalton's "more serious" and "gritty" Bond... just toned down a bit, which is a very good balance... Later! OL J R :)

[@johnwest901]

Thank you DutchBondFan! Love your reviews.

[@sircles-net]

What I would also say about this film, is that it is a gigantic tale. There are so many places visited and the breadth of the locations and the accompanying soundtrack really blow you away. The Pushkin fake assassination is hinted at just enough even for the kids and all of the action scenes are great. It is also a Bond film that isn’t impossible. There are no supervillains or conspiracies to fight Bond, just a very ambitious KGB agent and an arms dealer that isn’t working with Uncle Sam. Great film, great bond, great gadgets, great girl.

[@ComputerLearning0]

Jeroen Krabbé is well known here in the USA and I loved him in The Living Daylights, The Fugitive and he was fantastic on Miami Vice - that was a superb episode featuring Gina Calabrese and her backstory. You had to have real talent to have such a prominent appearance on Vice.

[@nathansmith4529]

To me this movie is pure fun and does Bond great justice. Great look back on the movie excellent work. Dalton is my personal favorite Bond, he just oozes everything I imagined Bond to be. Also best ending song ever.

[@PSLRacing]

I don't know if I've commented on any of your previous recapping Bond videos, but if I haven't then I just want to say you're doing a fantastic job with these. I've never seen any of Dalton's James Bond films in full for some reason, so I really enjoyed this one, and the upcoming videos, just so I can see more of Timothy Dalton as James Bond.

[@alexvelazquez8224]

you do a great job recapping the movies

[@subramaniamsrivatsa2719]

For me Dalton is Bond. He brings life into it. My favourite movie - Licence to kill. No words to describe Dalton's performance. The very first time I saw it, was done . Seen it 100's of times . And it still lives

[@thegamingmanatee6803]

YES! Been waiting for you to talk about the Dalton movies. Love your channel keep up the good work!

[@davidyoung5114]

Dalton's two outings as James Bond are amongst my top 9 films in this series (GOLDFINGER/FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; THE SPY WHO LOVED ME/FOR YOUR EYES ONLY; GOLDENEYE; CASINO ROYALE/SKYFALL) being the others. All the rest fall into the 'other' category. Let's hope Daniel Craig goes out on a high note with his last turn as Bond!

[@dna598]

God i love this one. It's got everything.

[@lookigotanewusername]

Been binge watching all of the Bond movies again. After I watch one of them i come to see what good old DBF thinks of the movie i had just watched. Little fact, I lived in Gibraltar for 2 years back in 2008-09. I showed the girl i was dating there this opening sequence of the movie and she took me up the rock to show me some of the shooting locations. The most notable was when she showed me that one particular curve where the jeep drives off of the cliff and blows up in mid air while Bond parachutes, it was very exciting for me. She also told me that one of her parents' cousins was an extra in the film, though i dont remember who she pointed out (it was 10 years ago after all). I just thought i'd share my experience with you all. I would have liked to seen Dalton play Bond at least one more time.

[@DutchBondFan]

Fantastic story! Must be fascinating to live in such a small country! Also honoring to hear you watch my recaps after every viewing! Thats just heartwarming!

[@lookigotanewusername]

@@DutchBondFan Oh yes! It was quite an experience for me. Interesting fact, the border to Gibraltar and Spain is one of (if not the only) place left in the EU where you still have to show your passport to cross, and those bastards honed in on my American passport all the damn time. Also when i lived there I used to play World of Warcraft on a heavy Dutch populated server. Hearing your little Dutch accent brings back some memories for me, dude.

[@asho483]

Fun Fact: The milkman spy was actually re-used from another preceding English spy film called 'Carry On Spying'. The agent in that also used exploding things in milk bottles and was known as 'Milsh Man'.

[@gsxerwhite]

That’s pretty interesting

[@les4767]

Dalton was a great James Bond. It's too bad the next film was "License to Kill." I would've liked to see more of Timothy Dalton.

[@Olinad209]

For me Kara was the most beautiful Bond girl don't know why she's very underrated

[@OtterSam]

Timothy Dalton is my favourite James Bond by far I’m not just by how the fact that he is the closest to the character of the novels but also just the way he takes it he’s the best I wish we had a third film with him