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What did he promise you? His heart? Give her his heart.
JAMES BOND:
With Dalton returning for his second installment, we've unfortunately already reached the end of his era, as time would reveal a six year hiatus before Brosnan would eventually step in. Dalton is in fine form here - he can manage to have a few odd spots at times with his acting seeming a bit too theatrical, but for the most part, I think he plays the role pretty damn well in this, working with (or against) anyone he possibly can to track down and stop Sanchez.
While I do enjoy this film much more than TLD, which ends Dalton's run on a high note, it is a shame that we couldn't have gotten a couple more out of him in 1991 and 1993. A man can dream, but as I said, at least Dalton in this goes out on a much higher note, impressing me constantly throughout and getting a lot of great moments to work with; the way he slowly uncouples and dismantles Sanchez's operation - without the man himself even knowing until the finale - is splendidly done, and I get a kick out of it every time I watch this.
BOND GIRLS:
Pam Bouvier: In the Dalton era, even though he has so few women present in his two films, I'd have to say Pam comes out on top as my favorite (during his tenure, that is). She can seem a bit too whiny and pouty at times, particularly a lot in the Isthmus City scenes, but her appearance during the finale is great and not too forced/overdone, which gives us plenty more time to enjoy the action that Bond finds himself in.
Lupe Lamora: The actress herself is terrible, which paves the way to an unfortunate performance, but most of the time, it's background noise to me. She's pretty to look at and isn't too influential or critical throughout, sans for her assisting Bond during his escape from Sanchez's estate/the work with framing Krest. In the end, she has her moments, but overall, definitely not one of my favorites. I've always found it odd how she seems to get rather attached to Bond, stays that way throughout, then immediately drops his ass for President Lopez.
Side Addition - Della Leiter: While she certainly wouldn't be described as a "Bond girl," I've always felt that she and Bond have a very odd, yet romantic connection, of sorts? The way they look into one another's eyes when they kiss (more than once), and also the fact that he seems 100x more distressed over her death than Felix's (not necessarily his death, but Bond does believe he's dead when he first finds him on the couch).
BOND ALLIES:
Felix Leiter: I'd say this is most certainly the most fleshed out Felix's appearance ever gets, and I've always been a fan of Hedison in the role, albeit not my favorite. His gruesome injury makes for a thrilling, revenge-driven installment once Bond finds out and puts the pieces together. Again: would've been a pleasure to have Dalton return for two more and, perhaps, Hedison, as well.
Sharkey: I'm a huge fan of Sharkey - makes for some good fun in the more serious times (his "My God, what a terrible waste...of money" line is always good), and I've always loved how he's in no way an agent/law enforcement of any sort, and yet he's loyal to both Bond and Felix throughout the entirety of it, even giving his life in the end to help Bond track down Sanchez and his men. I'm just glad Bond gets immediate revenge for him.
M/MP/Q:
M: I suppose you could say this is M in one of his more deadly appearances? Meaning that Bond directly comes into contact with danger because of him, also like in QoS. He doesn't seem to be terribly convinced by Bond's actions throughout - not as much as Moneypenny does, anyway - and it ends up being our last appearance of Robert Brown as M, who I quite enjoyed.
MP: Again, Bliss is my least favorite actress to take on the role, but I will say she is much better in this than in TLD, and I do enjoy that she goes out of her way to make sure that Bond is not only alright, but gets some assistance in the field in the form of Major Boothroyd. Job well done!
Q: Just like how this movie is M in one of his more sinister appearances, this is Q in one of his more active/engaged roles, as he's featured quite prominently throughout - not in the form of a workshop scene, but actually in the field. It is a little overdone in the end, but still enjoyable, as I suppose Q felt he needed as much help he could possibly get. Llewelyn's appearance is appreciated, as always, and I'm more than happy he managed to return after a long hiatus for GE.
VILLAIN/HENCHMEN:
(After writing this up, it's now set in just how many henchmen are alongside Sanchez in this, and I love it. There's been a horrible lack of memorable henchmen lately.)
Franz Sanchez: Damn, is Robert Davi pretty sinister (yet oddly likable, at times) in this. With the brutal execution of Lupe's lover in the beginning, he cements himself as a villain that isn't to be messed with or slighted whatsoever. Davi plays the role of a heartless drug baron very well, with a "loyalty over money" attitude when it comes to his crew and those who are close to him. It's perfectly demonstrated in his insistence of paying off Ed Killifer instead of letting Krest "deep-six him." His willingness in not only trusting Bond, but allowing him to sway his mind on his closest friends, makes for a very good time, as his mistaken murdering of Krest on his boat is an excellent scene, and one of his stronger moments in the film.
Milton Krest: He's always been one of my favorite henchmen - incredibly sinister and callous, his cover operation helps Sanchez in moving his drugs. He's got a quick temper and an eagerness to make some rash decisions without thinking them through in the slightest, and in the end, Bond one-ups him, resulting in Sanchez turning him into an overcooked Hot Pocket.
Dario: A young Benicio del Toro also makes for a great henchman, and he's just as deadly and cunning as Sanchez is, who he seems to have a great, close connection with. I always see him as a Sanchez-in-training, perhaps alongside the likes of Perez and Braun, in hopes of having them take over one day. Bond ensures that'll never happen by turning his body into mush.
Truman-Lodge: Money-hungry and good with numbers, I suppose you could consider this gleeful accountant a henchman - albeit one that isn't remotely threatening, since he is by Sanchez's side throughout the entire film.
Heller: He's another one that is with Sanchez for the entire ride (although his loyalty is tested and questioned considerably throughout), although he doesn't really make a notable impact until his raiding of Kwang's safe house and execution of Loti. I don't mind him.
Ed Killifer: Killifer seems to be one of those characters that is introduced relatively early on in the film, and somehow, Bond senses right off the bat that he isn't who he seems, much like Denbigh in SP. He's easily swayed to the side of evil through a $2 million bribe, and even though he can't manage to endure the entirety of Leiter's maiming, he's still an evil prick for betraying him, and gets what's coming to him by falling victim to a shark, as well.
Professor Joe Butcher: Much like Truman-Lodge, he's technically a bad guy, but not necessarily one that ever poses a real threat. Still, he's a great addition to it all, as his religious front helps get the word out about what Sanchez is selling. His final "Bless your heart!" is a nice touch, and I can only assume he's more than far away enough at this point to escape unharmed.
Perez/Braun: A little underrated pair that's always present, yet doesn't get much dialogue, I've always managed to enjoy their presence throughout. Braun, to me, looks like a textbook bad guy, and he's a mute, loyal assistant to the end. Perez seems just as competent and loyal to what Sanchez is offering, and he dies in the same truck explosion that Braun finds himself in, plummeting off the cliff.
STORY/ACTION:
(I am omitting a few sequences that I don't really consider an "action scene," such as Sanchez's escape, Bond's attempted assassination of Sanchez, etc., simply because they're way too short.)
After the pre-wedding arrest of Franz Sanchez, a notorious drug lord, Felix Leiter and his wife find themselves his inevitable victims, as he makes his escape. Bond, driven by revenge and betraying the orders of those around him, sets off to destroy Sanchez and everything that's valuable to him, through both the destruction of his entire operation and the shakeup of his own crew. While it most certainly seems like an extended 'Miami Vice' episode that may be a bit more tame compared to the likes of more grandiose installments with bizarre villainous schemes, it still makes for a great adventure, and they manage to take a straight-forward plot and put the usual Bond flair on it, which is always welcome.
The action itself in the PTS is relatively tame, until we get to the impressively done helicopter/plane stunt, which Bond pulls off without a hitch. Bond and Felix jumping out in unison as they parachute to the wedding party awaiting them below is an excellent shot, as is the score that accompanies it.
I like the action during Bond's investigation of Krest's marine research center, but again, it's pretty short, so as soon as it manages to pick up, it's already over.
The first meaty action scene is Bond's infiltration of the Wavekrest, which sees him nabbing some immediate revenge for the death of Sharkey, before diving into the depths of the sea to take the dead man's scuba gear. After destroying a good portion of the drugs and tussling with a few enemy divers, Bond makes a quick, last-second getaway by using a harpoon to connect to (and subsequently climb onboard) the plane that's taking off. Another well-done, practical stunt, that ends with Bond disposing of the men and flying off. One of those final looks on Krest's face is great, as he knows he's screwed in terms of trying to logically explain this to Sanchez.
The meet with Pam Bouvier and following bar fight, unfortunately, is awful to me. I like the way it builds up, but the fight itself is incredibly cheesy, and feels ripped out of 'Road House.' It's even more of a shame that it lasts as long as it does.
The assault on Kwang's safe house is great, and it's always refreshing when they find a way to craft an action scene that doesn't have to involve Bond at the forefront of it all. The "allies," in this situation (if you even want to call them that, i.e. Kwang, Loti, Fallon, etc.), easily sacrifice themselves as to not give up who they are, before Sanchez and Heller retrieve Bond's unconscious body and escape from the scene.
Finally, there's the finale, which I touched up on the other day. Exciting, and is probably in my Top 10 finales in the series ranking.
MI6Community Bondathon: (May change at any time.)
1.) DN
2.) OHMSS
3.) LALD
4.) TSWLM
5.) GF
6.) YOLT
7.) FYEO
8.) FRWL
9.) OP
10.) LTK
11.) TB
12.) AVTAK
13.) DAF
14.) TLD
15.) TMWTGG
16.) MR
Finally, the week of ass-kissing and love begins for GE.
Haha, I like that idea. Great stuff.
The shark attack is quite harrowing compared with the UK cinema version. I remember reading there was a quite explicit cut of the 'give her his heart' bit, even more than what we see on the Ultimate Edition DVD, (which is the most complete version, I suppose).
Even with LTK being gory, I'd say CR is still the grittiest Bond, because it's more believable.
Not a bad theory, but a better one is that it was a dream, and they accidentally cut the waking up scene from the final film.
They called it “The Battle of the Bonds.” Sean Connery, the original Bond, returning to the role he made famous in the same summer movie season that also saw the release of a new Bond film by Roger Moore, his worthy successor in the role of 007. As a Connery fan and one who was largely disappointed by the humorous direction the films had been taking, I was openly rooting for Connery’s film to show Moore & co. how to do the role right. My awareness of the tangled lines of ownership for the Thunderball storyline was sketchy at best. I just wanted one more really good Bond film from Connery. Sadly, I wasn’t going to get what I wanted.
Nowadays my expectations are a little different. I realize now that the humorous slant on the Bond character was more a function of the times in which those films were being made, than a choice allowed to the actor. Connery’s Bond had started moving in a humorous direction with DAF, before Moore ever arrived on the scene. If anything, NSNA may be even more of a campfest than Octopussy. Despite my enjoyment of the performances given by Sean Connery and Barbara Carrera in Never Say Never Again, the film does not live up to my original expectations. But rather than dissecting and reviewing this film in full, I’d like to examine the intent of the film-makers here. When attempting to remake a successful artistic piece from the past (in music, we call such efforts “cover” versions of the original songs) one should either attempt to faithfully recreate a piece of genuine merit that has fallen out of public awareness, or bring a new vision to an existing and still popular piece. In every case, these efforts should be done from a position of genuine respect for the original piece being covered.
Never Say Never Again does not approach its’ material from a position of respect; instead, it is a work filled with contempt for the efforts of both Eon Productions and Ian Fleming. Decades earlier, prior to the involvement of Broccoli and Salzman in the James Bond series, Kevin McClory was given ownership of the Thunderball storyline by the courts for purposes of making films using that storyline due to Ian Fleming’s (shall we say) naïve actions in attempting to bring the Bond character to the screen. McClory co-produced Thunderball with Broccoli and Salzman, taking advantage of a singular moment in which any competent effort utilizing the Bond character was essentially a license to mint money. Thereafter, McClory’s various efforts in the courts to seize all rights – or at least all film rights – to James Bond, were in the long run unsuccessful. A certain venom towards the work of Eon Productions is evident in McClory’s one and only attempt to re-use the storyline to which he had legal rights. The contempt that McClory felt towards the work of Eon Productions may or may not have been evident to audiences that attended NSNA during its original run…but it is all too clear to my eyes when viewing the film today. Consequently, I prefer not to watch this film again. I’ll never say never…but I WILL say this:
Those of you who do choose to watch this film, look carefully at the look of abject terror on the face of that horse…the horse that Connery and Basinger are riding, as it jumps off a very high cliff into the water below. Horses don’t like to do the sort of thing that horse is being forced to do… and nowadays, there are laws in place that would prevent the film makers from filming that scene in such a fashion as to endanger the animal in question. But the look of terror on that horse's face -- and the knowledge that the horse did indeed suffer grievous injury in the filming of that scene -- inspires me to make this pledge: I hope to never see Never Say Never Again.........for a good long time.
Octopussy, on the other hand, is always a fun Bond romp to these eyes. More to come shortly....
I remember seeing that the horse didn't jump off a cliff (of any height), but instead was tipped off some sort of ramp on scaffolding. Not saying that is any better.
It took me by surprise the first time I saw this, but it doesn't kill the enjoyment of the entirety of the film for me. I'm pretty sure I saw the same thing as you, and I doubt the actors jumped from the top of the castle, anyway - they likely jumped off at the same point as the horse did. Agreed, it doesn't make it much better, but it's a bit more careful than flinging the horse off the castle aimlessly and hoping it makes it out okay.
Apologies for the delay in catching up with you. The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that I usually watch the prescribed Bond film on a Wednesday. Yet on Wednesday the 25th something big came up. I was going to do a “Dalton Double” this Wednesday, but I felt obligated. So I put it off ‘till today.
I’ll be quick as I’m getting far behind....
Charles “Jerry” Juroe, head of marketing for U.A, said of Roger Moore when he handed in his licence to kill, that “he had two or three (potential Bond movies) in him”. I, like many, thought that Charles was being diplomatic. But yet it would be comforting to see Uncle Rog and the established crew see out the 80’s.....
And then Timothy Dalton in his first look to camera, shatters that illusion. The intensity that Dalton bought to the role. And by that I mean Dalton could actually move.
Superb Mr Bond, superb!
This ranks as one of the very best Bond films. Glen’s direction is assured while it also features probably the best cinematography of his tenure. The screenplay is as intelligent and complex as any in the series. Barry’s score serves as a fitting swansong to this great man. The film is filled with a real sense of Fleming, yet all the cinematic hallmarks are here, and executed brilliantly and originally. The film benefits from a great attention to detail, and the fantastic elements of espionage are well tempered with some classic action.
Taking Fleming's The Living Daylights short story as a springboard, the writing pair of Maibaum and Wilson served up a cracking plot, full of Cold War machinations, all set to a more credible plot and believable romantic story. Making the screenplay amongst the finest of the series.
Timothy Dalton is supremely impressive in his début outing as 007. Dalton’s Bond is much more than a cerebral Bond, however - his lean frame and physicality lends himself to being a very plausible man of action. Dalton is a more human Bond, a’la George Lazenby, and proved to be a resourceful and resilient fighter.
If there is one slight caveat to Dalton’s performance, is that he is too mission focused to appreciate the joie de vivre of his life, which the literary Bond almost always managed to do. It is a small, rather inconsequential matter, that doesn’t detract from one of the most Flemingesque performances in the series. Dalton also enjoys a convincing relationship with leading lady, Maryam d'Abo, in this well rounded thriller.
Some thoughts -
- Good job Bond is up to snuff, as the rest of the 00’s in the PTS, aren’t.
- It is as if John Barry and John Glen are saying goodbye to the more comedic styles of the Moore era, before embarking of their new life with the latest 007 – both the score and the direction – plenty of bemused on-lookers; terrified locals; shots of animals; plenty of destruction.
- Is scenic artist Jacqueline Stears wife of the legendary John Stears?
- I hope the Harrier returned to pick up Q. A man of his age should not be traipsing up and down those damned stairs.
- M gave Bond the order to kill his opposite number, Pushkin. Is M trying to start World War III?
- Necros is the heir apparent to Grant, being a real match for Bond.
- Dalton does not have the ability to deliver a line like Sir Rog or King Connery, but who does?
- When Kara is setting up her “dummy” in the phone box, a red car drives past. I think it has a flat tyre.
- The contrast between the austere Eastern bloc city of Bratislava and the vibrant city of Vienna.
- When Bond is following the Russian delegate to Pushkin’s hotel in Tangiers, the Audi that Bond is driving bumps into a hapless chap, despite honking to him.
- “Mmmm. Perfect.” It appears Dalton has been going to Joey’s school of acting.
- That tender look that Bond gives Kara after he gently admonishes her, when she exclaims “we’re free!”
- The lifesize warlords with Whitaker’s face emblazoned upon them and his miniature toy soldier collection. Very “Benign Bizarre”.
- The heartfelt thanks between Bond and Saunders in the cafe, just before Saunders’ untimely demise.
- Kara taking Shah’s gun off him and riding to rescue Bond, shaming Shah to to the same. Kara is brave and loyal, yet very naive.
- Glen finally manages to pluck up the courage and to do a full of Western, in the fight for the Russian airbase, after briefly flirting with the idea in OP and AVTAK.
- Despite Dalton rejuvenating the crew of The Living Daylights, there does seem to be a slight pedestrian feeling to the procedures.
- It is clear that $30 million in 1987 does not stretch as far as in 1981.
- The relationship between the editors and the director is not as tight as the relationship between Peter Hunt and his directors.
- This is the first Bond film to present Jimmy as a spy, as opposed to the playboy adventurer that he has morphed into in quite some time.
- With Jimbo tasting the raw opium in FYEO and here in the TLD, I fear our Jim is a bit of a smackhead.
- I find the Bond movies with romantic subplots to be the most diverting, such as FRWL, OHMSS, Spy, FYEO and CR, TLD fits in well.
- I like the Pretenders, “If There Was A Man”.
- Goodbye to Gotell and Keen.
Royale’s Ranking -
1. From Russia With Love
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
3. Dr. No
4. Goldfinger
5. Thunderball
6. The Living Daylights
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. Octopussy
9. For Your Eyes Only
10. You Only Live Twice
11. A View To A Kill
12. Moonraker
13. The Man With The Golden Gun
14. Diamonds Are Forever
15. Live and Let Die
While YOLT has been going up and down my rankings like the proverbial buzz saw yo-yo – it peaked at No. 4, ahead of GF and TB no less, to its current ranking of 10th
- LALD has been rooted at the bottom of the pile.
So, a caveat – read excuses - from me about my shameful placing of LALD. It is a fantastic film. As a film I would probably rate it above TMWTGG and DAF. But, as I’m primarily focused on the role of Bond, and his journey throughout his mission, I feel Bond is a more interesting character in TMWTGG – he’s haunted by the spectre of Scaramanga causing Bond to act in quite the unusual way – while in LALD Bond is more of a “vanilla” type of character, though his interactions with Solitaire and Rosie lends him a certain caddishness to him.
And in the case of DAF, I prefer the quasi-dream scape that movie has provided us with, and I prefer Connery’s portrayal of Bond to Sir Rog’s in LALD.
I know about the scene where he runs s pedestrian over. Almost as legendary as the cyclist splitting the chase in half in Octopussy, but the flat tyre is new on me :)
Well worth the wait!
Girl, technically, but I'll be anyone's old anything for the right price :)
And here is a late report on Licence to Kill. What can I say - I've always been the kind of person who does their homework in the car on the way to school.
This is a great PTS, with just the right mix of intrigue, action and humour, setting everything up for the film to follow. (Bond could have had a more exciting wedding outfit than that, though. His uniform. Or a kilt.)
The theme is OK, but coming after very contemporary numbers from Duran Duran and a-ha it feels like a throwback to the Shirley Bassey style that doesn't quite work. It does sit nicely over the titles, which are fun and look pretty fresh for their age.
I don't enjoy Dalton's Bond quite as much here as in TLD; there is less of the charming smile, for obvious reasons, and a slight overdose of grim. To make up for it he gets more physical, proving he can take, and give, a beating. For me, the outstanding scene is his cold, methodical and highly professional preparation for shooting Sanchez. Not his fault it all goes wrong...
Some top drawer villains here. Sanchez is terrifyingly sane, savvy and believable, with the odd flash of eccentricity like, er, keeping a pet iguana. Milton Krest offers a more old-school bad guy combo of sadism/bullying/cowardice/ostentatious wealth. Televangelist Joe Butcher ought to annoy me, but instead he's a welcome bit of light relief among a very scary bunch.
Pam is one of my top Bond girls, largely because, unlike Kara last time round, she knows how to fly a plane. (I like planes. I may have mentioned.) She's brave, professional, useful and competent, doesn't seem out of her depth even when things get really silly, and has plenty of good comebacks and brushoffs for Bond before she inevitably succumbs to Dalton's overwhelming attractiveness and goes all soppy. In short, she's Bond Girl I Would Most Like To Be.
Lupe is that classic Bond love interest, the 'bird with a wing down' who needs rescuing from a dodgy boyfriend (see also Domino Vitali), but Bond never seems all that interested in her beyond accepting her help and getting her out of the mess she's in. I don't find the alleged love triangle very convincing, because for me there was always going to be an obvious winner. I could be biased.
Meanwhile, back at MI6: Robert Brown is my least favourite M, but he absolutely nails the 'country club' line in a way I don't think the others could manage.
Q, of course, gets to go out and about a bit. I enjoy seeing more of the character, and his obvious affection for Bond as well as vice versa (the 'field agent' comment). Presumably Mr Llewellyn also took home a bigger cheque than usual, so everyone wins.
There are some excellent stunts; I do enjoy the helicopter/plane stuff in the PTS, but the tanker chase is probably my favourite as it's so unlike anything we've seen before.
The gadgets are a bit hit or miss, but let's allow Q his fun; he's on holiday, after all. (Except for the camera thing. That's utterly dreadful.) I haven't been able to take the exploding toothpaste seriously since Austin Powers, mind.
Misc:
I'm a big fan of outdated computer technology in Bond films, so I enjoy Felix's office.
Bond looks really uncomfortable about having to queue up in an airport for a commercial flight like some kind of normal person. No wonder he seizes on the old escaped drug dealer excuse and legs it.
Cannot watch him clambering along the statues without thinking of The Naked Gun.
And finally: Bond leaping into the pool, pulling Pam in after him and kissing her is hands down one of the sexiest things to happen in the series.
Then it's ruined by the winking fish.
And that's the last we see of Tim.
ALAS.
=D>
Following @Birdleson’s advice I watched LTK today. A Dalton double weekender!
Some Thoughts on Licence To Kill
- From the first bars of the GB theme, one can tell this Bondian epic is going to be different.
- Watching the Bond films in order, exposes just how much brutality there is in this film. A shock to the system.
- This is an end of an era – Maibaum, Glen, Binder, Brown, Bliss all bowed out with LTK, and in the ensuing years until GE, we would lose Terrence Young and Harry Saltzman.
- Really impressed with Glen’s work on this one. A really focused action-y driven Bond picture.
- Della’s relative – sat with her in the back of the limo. I detected J.W. Pepper vibes coming from him. Should have been a cameo.
- I like Binder’s titles. An understated and underrated title song.
- Answering @NicNac’s question about how did the helicopter deposit the plane – not well, judging by the scene immediately after the main titles.
- They were really scrapping the bottom of the acting barrel in casting LTK. Yes, I’m looking at you Bush.
- There’s something “off” about the way Dalton says Della when he discovers her murdered. Although Dalton is suitably flustered over discovering Felix’s maimed body.
- Did Dario really rape Della? I always assumed “We gave her a nice honeymoon” meant that he had killed her, but not necessarily raped her. In which case, I’m glad he got grounded up. Still, pretty shocking for a Bond movie.
- Krest wanted to kill Killifer. Wonder if that had any bearing on Sanchez's view of him?
- Sanchez – charming and scary. Wonderful combination for a Bond villain.
- Sanchez came to the defence of his lackies in the scene where Bond is introduced to Sanchez and his goons, after Bond says “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard”. “Señor Bond, you got big cojones. You come here, to my place, without references, carrying a piece, throwing around a lot of money... but you should know something: nobody saw you come in, so nobody has to see you go out.”
- Again, referring to @NicNac’s post above, I wonder if Sanchez has got Dario addicted to crack, in order for Dario to do anything for Sanchez. And I mean anything. Houseboy come killer? Makes you look at that relationship in a completely different light.
- Love the climatic tanker battle.
- I would've chosen Lupe. Sure she’s a gold digger, but my God, Lupe is stunning. “I love James so much!” was meant to be unconvincing.
- The combination of 80's action movie and one of the most innovative Bond pictures makes this an absolute must watch for me.
- Looking at the crew, Matthew Glen and Neil Lamont worked on LTK. A real family affair. I hope EON are still doing this.
- Jewellery by Sheila Goldfinger.
- I always enjoy nods to Fleming- Bond is beaten to a pulp, which happens often in the novels; Lupe is a card dealer like Tiffany Case; Instead of a brash thug in the vein of the literacy Scaramanga, we get a charming thug in Franz Sanchez. And I suppose Bond can fit into that category as well here.
I was surprised how good LTK looked. Granted it's not up there with the rest of the other cinematographic delights that the Bond movies have to offer us, but on Blu Ray, the colours have never looked sharper and more vibrant. GoldenEye looks like closer to LTK chronically than Tomorrow Never Dies; if I didn't know which one came out first, I'd be pushed hard to try to split them apart, GE and LTK. (well 1989 computer technology and 90's hair aside...)
This has everything one can expect from a Bond film, especially a great cast, I particularly like the heavies in this one, and inventive action - the escape from WaveKrest and the tanker climax are up there with the best Bondian action sequences.
Timothy Dalton once again excelling as Bond, although this time we don’t see Fleming’s consummate professional, but a more animalistic interpretation, where Bond loses his sheen of sophistication, exposing the blunt instrument beneath. For most of the movie Bond fights with his heart, the personal nature of the story clouding his judgement, making his aim sloppy. It is only once Bond learns about the stinger missiles is he finally able to treat his vendetta as a mission, and he finally gains control of the situation. Superb again, Mr Dalton, superb.
Once again I was impressed with Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez; he has such a twisted view of things; loyalty over money, and yet Sanchez is capable of some truly harrowing feats. I wonder if the writers looked back to Ian Fleming's The Man With The Golden Gun - there are some subtle similarities between the characters of Franz Sanchez and Francisco Scaramanga, especially the whiff of homosexuality - notice Sanchez's hugs, and affection to, Dario last a little too long, and Sanchez may be attracted to Bond. Or maybe I'm looking in to it too much.
I heard criticism from some quarters, that Bond going rogue, and have him set against a drug dealer was very eighties, and clichéd, but with the passage of time, the intrinsic rewatchabilty of LTK make this a somewhat timeless piece. Also, I find Bond going rogue to be in line with Fleming's version of the character; note when Bond discovers that Dr Shatterhand is in fact Blofeld, he forgets his mission, and swears vengeance. If the stakes are high enough for Bond, I believe he would go rogue, particularly as Delia got murdered - who knows what latent memories they have stirred up in Bond's mind?
All in all I was rather chuffed to see Licence To Kill. But, as always, I got rather emotional over the end credits - just two films with the fantastic Mr Dalton.
Royale’s Ranking -
1. From Russia With Love
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
3. Dr. No
4. Goldfinger
5. Licence To Kill
6. Thunderball
7. The Living Daylights
8. The Spy Who Loved Me
9. Octopussy
10. For Your Eyes Only
11. You Only Live Twice
12. A View To A Kill
13. Moonraker
14. The Man With The Golden Gun
15. Diamonds Are Forever
16. Live and Let Die
Smeg on a Duck! I do hope that Spy survives in the top ten ‘till the end. Although, alas, YOLT has inevitably slipped out. Which is a shame.
GENERAL THOUGHTS:
Sublime perfection, this one. Holds too special a place in my heart for me to typically have anything to say about it that isn't a glowing positive. I'll never forget waking up one morning around 1996/1997, with my mom handing me a shopping bag with a new movie in it she picked up that she thought I'd like. It was a sealed copy of GE, and after perusing the front and back, I immediately opened it up, went to the living room, and threw it in the VCR. Everything afterward is fuzzy, but I'm pretty certain it involved me sitting in front of the TV, jaw dropped, for two hours, before I immediately rewound it and watched it again. And again. And again. And probably once more, for good measure.
Of course, it isn't perfect - no film is - but rewinding/rewatching this thing in my VCR as a kid about a few hundred times immediately cemented this as the greatest installment in the series, in my opinion, and it'll never be dethroned. You lot know how I feel about Brosnan here/in general, and while he may not domineer the confidence in the role that the other first time actors did (particularly Connery/Moore/Craig), he still shines in this, getting a lot of great moments, great action scenes, and good moments to work with in the dialogue department, like his exchanges with MP, the Q workshop scene, the banter between him and Alec (from the graveyard scene onward, particularly the finale), the moment he and Natalya share before being interrogated by Mishkin, etc.
Objectively, the movie is a great installment in the series, but it does have its issues and hinderances. The score by Serra manages to shine in some scenes (the casino scene and the meeting at the graveyard are standouts), but is a heavy negative in others, such as the cheesy porno-esque music that plays during the chase between Bond and Xenia. The aforementioned so-so moments that Brosnan conveys may not help the overall finished product, and I've heard mention in the past of bad model work, but I'll take this over bad CG any day.
Subjectively, it's a Bond movie that can never be bested. My favorite installment, probably my favorite overall movie ever, too, with how much it means to me and how many times I've watched and loved it over the past couple of decades. From the opening gunbarrel to the closing credits (well, to the beginning of the closing credits, as Serra's closing song makes me want to clean my ears with screwdrivers), I'm immediately guaranteed a fun time when I put this movie in, and before I know it, I'm already at the Tiger helicopter escape scene with Bond and Natalya, and after that, the film almost turns into a QoS Jr., moving along at breakneck speeds through its consistent usage of big action moments/sequences.
My ranking will be posted when I share the final assessment of the film, but you know where it'll be ranked.
(Going to save my PTS/finale review for the big list I usually post near the end of the week.)
TITLE SEQUENCE:
Given any title sequence, I immediately assume women and weapons to be featured, and this one delivers. Against a fiery background, we get a look at plenty of women and guns firing and moving in the distance as we also get a hint of the post-Cold War world that Bond now finds himself in with the hammers/sickles falling. There are also nods to the plot, as well, such as the two-headed woman symbolizing Alec Trevelyan/Janus. Overall, fantastic title sequence.
TITLE SONG:
I've never done a Bond Theme Song ranking, but I'd assume that Turner's 'Goldeneye' probably ranks around 5th-10th place for me. It's a great entry, and the song in its entirety fits in with the feel of the movie itself. The lyrics fit in pretty well with the overall plot, aside from a few lines.
My apologies for being late with this one. I should be watching the movie tonight so I will post something tomorrow. Unfortunately, I've had a crazy week and a half with not much time for anything at home.
Noticeable that after the difficult late 80s period when sexual promiscuity was heavily criticised (and who is more promiscuous than 007?) we seem to have relaxed our stance a little. No sooner said than done as Bond seduces his evaluator by showing off the size of his...ego. Not only that but the old rogue is back to his sexist best.
'What's that dear?' he asks and short of slapping her behind he really couldn't be more like the sexist, misogynist dinosaur that M so cleverly earmarked from day one.
But, hoorah for that I say.
Bond has always been a playful character (on film that is, I only ever talk about the film character). He fiddles with Q's gadgets, smirks at the ladies, and teases them mercilessly. Occasionally he forgets himself and gets on with the job at hand.
Brosnan has a couple of heavyweight actors to contend with, and when he is up against it, with Judy Dench and later Robbie Coltraine he is excellent. In the M scene his deadpan expression and delivery is spot on, and whether that's him raising his game to match Dench we may never know.
In the scenes with Coltraine Brosnan's delivery of the simple line 'talented girl'which sees Bond back peddling after insulting Zuckovsky's girlfriend, is a true laugh out loud moment. In fact it's a very good scene all round.
Again, his unmasked confusion when he meets Alec in the graveyard is impressive and perfectly convincing.
Brosnan isn't always good. In the Q scene his obvious delight at finally being James Bond shines through just a little too much.
His Bond is clearly multi lingual but when he speaks a foreign language, French here ("Bon soir Pierre, ca va bien?"), German in Tomorrow Never Dies, his delivery is stilted and awkward. Not hard to drop a simple French sentence in and make it sound convincing surely?
On the whole it's a very decent debut.
Izabella Scorupco as Natalya. A beautiful girl with a deep, sultry voice, she suits Brosnan well and they have good chemistry. Points off for appearing to wear the same blouse and cardigan for several days. In fact until they go to Cuba she never changed, yet Alec said she smelt of strawberries?
Doubt that, old son, doubt that very much.
Sean Bean is Travelyan the ex 00 colleague of Bonds who re-appears from the dead as the film's main villain. Bean does ok, although often upstaged by Famke Janssen who is having a ball as the rather demented femme fatal Xenia Onatopp. Arguably the most successful of her kind since Fiona in Thunderball. But then if I thought about it, she may be the only one of her kind since Fiona.
Alan Cumming is Boris. Yeah, nothing at all annoying about Boris!
I like Jo Don Baker's Jack Wade. He shares some amusing moments with Bond. Not overtly comical but amusing enough to offer some good diversion.
Also Robbie Coltraine as the good guy/bad guy Zukovsky, a Russian gangster who sets Bond up with Alec/Janus. Coltraine's comedy background lays the foundation for a scene stealing appearance here.
Apparantly Coltraine took the role almost on the basis of his opening line alone. "Walther PPK 7.65mm. I know of only three men who use such a gun...and I believe I've killed two of them".
It's a great performance helped by some terrific dialogue.
Gottfried John as the often baffled, back-peddling side kick to Alec, General Ourumov. Amusingly he always appears to be half a step behind the action, his mind clearly playing catch-up. Good performance again.
Samantha Bond is the new Moneypenny. She's very good in the role, but Penny's penchant for ticking Bond off has taken a more sinister turn with mention of sexual harassment in the work place! How very 90s.
Judi Dench is the new M. She throws the ball up and smashes it out of the park.
As mentioned above Brosnan clearly ups his game as he sits opposite Dench, for fear of being acted off the stage. It makes for the most successful Bond/M scene since the heady days of Sean Connery. The dialogue bristles and we have one of the most iconic lines of dialogue from the history of the franchise ('sexist, misogynist dinosaur').
It has been a long time from Licence To Kill with it's hit and miss casting to GoldenEye. Eon have upped the game, not only by dragging Bond into the modern world, but by putting a cast together worthy of such a huge, successful franchise.
Isn't it tastes of strawberries? So maybe she managed to brush her teeth even if she didn't find time for a change of clothes.
In the Judi Dench documentary that aired around Christmas, Samantha Bond talks about how terrified Pierce was at the prospect of acting opposite JD. I'm glad he managed to pull himself together and deliver.
Good point. ;)
The bungee jump is a great way to re-introduce Bond after such a long break. We have Bond skulking in the shadows offering a hint here and there of the new man in the role. A little like Lazenby's intro if I'm honest (and Connery as well if we need to stretch a point).
It's a great mini-movie. The Bond people have thrown the kitchen sink at this to introduce their man in spectacular style.
The French Riviera, St Petersburg, Cuba, the frozen north of Russia are the main locations. Loving the mix of wealth-soaked glamour, harsh wasteland, long summers and cold winters. The camera doesn't exactly make love to the scenery, but some nice locations all the same, and St Petersburg is a truly amazing city.
Bond has his Q lab scene with plenty of ridiculous gadgets including the soon to be derided (in Skyfall) exploding pen. No matter how often I try I can't count the clicks to my own satisfaction. Bravo Bond for managing to do so with all of the distractions going on.
Sadly no gadget laden French loaf (Q's lunch!)
The action never gets in the way of the story and the only massive set piece after the PTS is the tank chase, shot in St Petersburg, with clever studio based inserts.
It's ok without having any of the sheer thrills of the tanker chase in Licence To Kill, or the excitement of the chases in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
In fact with so many comedy police officers on show it's probably closer related to the double decker bus chase in Live And Let Die.
But importantly, Bond's having fun again.
Bond and Alec have a decent fight at the end, but still too well choreographed to bear comparison to the great Bond v Grant bruiser in From Russia With Love. That still looks like the actors were placed in a confined space and told to beat the hell out of each other.
The film has it's genuinely funny moments. The dialogue has some corkers, especially the Zukovsky scenes.
Tanner's 'Evil Queen' speech is funny.
Where the humour doesn't work is the well trodden scenes between Bond and Q and Bond and Moneypenny. These are now smacking of desperation.
Alec's back story is interesting although someone does point out that MI6 should have picked up on the Cossack connection. The thefts of the helicopter and goldeneye are reasonably enjoyable, mainly due to Famke Jannsen's wonderfully insane Onatopp.
In the end though, as Bond says, Alec is just a bank robber.
Interesting that they seem to use a lookalike of the dead Admiral to take the helicopter. We don't see the looky likey but can only assume the Janus Syndicate didn't go to the same trouble Spectre went to in Thunderball with all of the plastic surgery and vocal coaching.
A casino scene, a vodka martini, a seduction or two, plenty of action and a good cast of characters. GoldenEye romps home with plenty of great Bond elements. But only just.
GoldenEye - Production Notes
Martin Campbell takes directorial duties and history shows him to be a very solid, competent Bond director. No particular visual flair, but he keeps the film taut and exciting.
Maurice Binder has gone. He certainly lost his wayin the 80s, and when we see the magnificent title designs for GoldenEye by Daniel Kleinman, full of symbolism and exciting imagery, we can only wish Binder had stepped down a little earlier.
Bono and The Edge, from U2, wrote the theme song. Tina Turner breathes life into it, and there you have it. A real dark horse of a Bond theme song. It fits in with the title designs sublimely.
The script has plenty of quotable dialogue, and allows characters to interact properly (something we see less of as the Brosnan era unfolds). Key dramatic scenes involving Bond with M, Alec and (for more comedic purposes) Zukovsky play out extremely well.
As many have pointed out, after the incredible titles with Tina Turner's fantastic turn we merge into the opening scene proper. I like the engine roar coming out of the song, and I don't mind for one second the set up of the sequence (Bond being evaluated). The girl is well cast - a sort of early version of Fields from Quantum Of Solace - immature and out of her depth.
However the music that accompanies the car chase is right out of Shaft and rather than enhance the scene it's actually distracting. Apart from that I don't mind the score as such and I appreciate that John Barry set the bar impossibly high.
I like the sets. MI6 has gone a bit high tech. Less cozy and a more modern 90s feel, even though the computers which were state of the art in 1995 were looking very old fashioned in a short period of time.
Little else to add really. Others have mentioned the model work - the Severnaya scenes do look a little Thunderbird-ish.
In conclusion GoldenEye is one that didn't overwhelm me in 1995, but it's virtues have become more apparent over the years. It's a very good, if not great, Bond film.
Brosnan was occasionally caught between trying to be the tough- guy man of the world and his natural inclination to smarm it all up a bit. However he does have a certain big screen charisma which is most important when you take the lead in a big action film, and as such he comes out of it intact and ready to take Bond on towards the 21st century.
hah! Point taken. It was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard the opening bars of the GE music. Don't want to dis the great Isaac ;)