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New perspective on LTK after first viewing in 15 years
I had looked for a thread about LTK to post to but either the search capability is faulty or I am...however, this may merit its own thread.
I decided to rewatch LTK and it was the first time that I had seen the movie in 15 years. I was a HUGE fan of Dalton when his films first came out. When we saw LTK on the opening weekend I was in a bit of a state of shock after the film was over...my first thought was "That was so...different." But once the shock wore off I loved it, and loved that they were making Bond movies for adults. In fact, there were four of us there; three huge Bond fans and one guy who was very dismissive of Bond (he was one of the "cool guys" from my school). After the film was over the non-Bond fan was very enthusiastic about the film - he said "If this is the way they make them now I'll watch every one."
I saw the film probably 3 times in the theatre when it first came out and a few times on VHS in the next couple of years. Then I didn't see it again until the mid-late 90's when GE came out. I remember thinking that the film seemed...smaller than I remember and Dalton seemed much less charming than Brosnan, although much more like "James Bond". But I remember that the thing that struck me was the shot of Dalton exhaling after finally killing Sanchez. Never before in a Bond film did I get such a feeling of a journey being closed.
So a few of the threads on this website made me think that I should rewatch it. It's interesting now for several reasons. The film is now 23 years old (!) which means it's an older film than GF was when I first watched it when I was a kid. I'm now an adult (I'm the same age as Craig) and I've had enough experiences in my life that I'm much closer to Bond (at least in character if not possession of luxury goods!) than I ever could have imagined I would be when I first saw LTK. And of course I can look at the film with nostalgia, with the context of all the other Bond films that came before and that have come after it, and I can see it without the excitement of it being "new". Another interesting thing is that I just finished re-reading all the Fleming books - a very interesting thing to have in mind watching this film.
So what were my initial thoughts? The first was that the film seemed very American, a little bland, and a bit cheap looking at first. It has the least-Bondian score of any Bond film that I can think of and that certainly makes it seem like a generic American action picture, as well as little details like the slo-mo shots of the DEA agents running from the helicopter in the beginning. I was starting to worry that I had really made the film much better in my mind than it really was. But then an interesting thing happened - the film kept getting better. More than any Bond film I can think of the film keeps getting better as it goes along. I looks better, the pacing is better, the action gets better, more interesting characters come in, the emotions are deepened, and then sense of "bigness" of the story starts to appear. Especially once the film leaves Florida it really picks up.
So the biggest aspect of what makes LTK what it is is Dalton. Here's where re-reading Fleming came in handy, as well as watching the film as an older man. When I was younger, unsure of myself, lacking confidence, and awkward many people in films seemed "cooler" to me and Dalton was one of them. When viewing the film now I was really struck by how much Dalton portrayed Bond as Fleming's "ordinary man" to whom extra-ordinary things happen. I think that this is one reason why Dalton didn't register with audiences too much - he just isn't the larger-than-life character that audiences expect in a Bond film. I actually find this a refreshing change and think that he really nailed Fleming's Bond. But I also see now that he really didn't have as much charm as many of the other actors - the love scenes come off as forced, and Dalton has a strange...I guess you'd call it a chuckle that just doesn't sound sincere (like when he pushes Pam into the boat's steering wheel to honk the horn). It's a shame because in all other aspects of the film his performance was great, especially lots of little moments like his reaction to finding Della and Felix or his fearful yell of "Don't move!" when he thinks that Pam has been shot in the back after the bar fight (as well as his very Flemingesque explosion of anger when he realizes that she hasn't been shot).
The rest of the cast is quite good, with Q getting a great embiggened role and both he and Moneypenny showing how much the characters really care for each other. Davi is phenomenal as the villain and creates a well-rounded, interesting character whose need for loyalty is really well-played - in the hands of a lesser actor it could have been cheesy; with Davi it's done with total conviction. Pam and Lupe are not the strongest characters in the franchise but nowhere near the worst - I understand why so many men like Pam (those legs!) but I always had a weakness for Lupe (something that I never could have imagined when LTK first came out - my girlfriend was often told that she looked like Taliso Soto when LTK first came out. Then a friend of mine met her when QoS had come out and said "She looks just like that Bond girl!" but he meant Olga Kurylenko - that has more to do with how makeup and eyebrow plucking has changed since 1989!). I understand that some people don't like Soto's performance but I think that has more to do with the character than with the actress's abilities. Anthony Zerbe was very good also and actually made me feel bad for him during his...demise (which led to one of the series' best one liners IMHO - "Launder it."). I thought that the actor who played Killifer could have made an interesting Leiter but the one glaring weak spot for me was Della - I had a huge crush on the actress from Three's Company but her performance was too broad and sitcom-y for my tastes now.
The best part of LTK is how Bond finds his way into Sanchez's operation and then uses his mind to get the better of him. The planting the seeds of doubt was masterful and a great change from many of the other films (and again, something more like what would happen in a Fleming novel - I was thinking of Bond and Scaramanga working together in TMWTGG). But in addition to that there were some great action setpieces - the escape from fighting Krest's goons underwater via the seaplane (with that great scene where Krest realizes how improbable it sounds when describing it to Sanchez), the fight in Krest's warehouse, and especially the tanker chase. IMHO it's one of the stellar action setpieces of the series which is interesting when you think of how unusual it is and how little there was to it. Nice to see Bond getting beaten up and suffering for his victory as well - I can't remember any other Bond looking like he had earned his victory as much as Dalton did at the end of LTK.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience to watch it again. As I said it looked a bit cheap but not dated (as someone who was young at the time I can assure you that the clothes that Dalton wore were indeed cool at the time and even his swept back hair was considered stylish). But more than anything it's a great counterpoint to the campy, cartoony Bond films before it and an interesting precurser to both Brosnan's and Craig's take on the role. In many ways it's probably as close to Fleming's character as we'll ever get.
I decided to rewatch LTK and it was the first time that I had seen the movie in 15 years. I was a HUGE fan of Dalton when his films first came out. When we saw LTK on the opening weekend I was in a bit of a state of shock after the film was over...my first thought was "That was so...different." But once the shock wore off I loved it, and loved that they were making Bond movies for adults. In fact, there were four of us there; three huge Bond fans and one guy who was very dismissive of Bond (he was one of the "cool guys" from my school). After the film was over the non-Bond fan was very enthusiastic about the film - he said "If this is the way they make them now I'll watch every one."
I saw the film probably 3 times in the theatre when it first came out and a few times on VHS in the next couple of years. Then I didn't see it again until the mid-late 90's when GE came out. I remember thinking that the film seemed...smaller than I remember and Dalton seemed much less charming than Brosnan, although much more like "James Bond". But I remember that the thing that struck me was the shot of Dalton exhaling after finally killing Sanchez. Never before in a Bond film did I get such a feeling of a journey being closed.
So a few of the threads on this website made me think that I should rewatch it. It's interesting now for several reasons. The film is now 23 years old (!) which means it's an older film than GF was when I first watched it when I was a kid. I'm now an adult (I'm the same age as Craig) and I've had enough experiences in my life that I'm much closer to Bond (at least in character if not possession of luxury goods!) than I ever could have imagined I would be when I first saw LTK. And of course I can look at the film with nostalgia, with the context of all the other Bond films that came before and that have come after it, and I can see it without the excitement of it being "new". Another interesting thing is that I just finished re-reading all the Fleming books - a very interesting thing to have in mind watching this film.
So what were my initial thoughts? The first was that the film seemed very American, a little bland, and a bit cheap looking at first. It has the least-Bondian score of any Bond film that I can think of and that certainly makes it seem like a generic American action picture, as well as little details like the slo-mo shots of the DEA agents running from the helicopter in the beginning. I was starting to worry that I had really made the film much better in my mind than it really was. But then an interesting thing happened - the film kept getting better. More than any Bond film I can think of the film keeps getting better as it goes along. I looks better, the pacing is better, the action gets better, more interesting characters come in, the emotions are deepened, and then sense of "bigness" of the story starts to appear. Especially once the film leaves Florida it really picks up.
So the biggest aspect of what makes LTK what it is is Dalton. Here's where re-reading Fleming came in handy, as well as watching the film as an older man. When I was younger, unsure of myself, lacking confidence, and awkward many people in films seemed "cooler" to me and Dalton was one of them. When viewing the film now I was really struck by how much Dalton portrayed Bond as Fleming's "ordinary man" to whom extra-ordinary things happen. I think that this is one reason why Dalton didn't register with audiences too much - he just isn't the larger-than-life character that audiences expect in a Bond film. I actually find this a refreshing change and think that he really nailed Fleming's Bond. But I also see now that he really didn't have as much charm as many of the other actors - the love scenes come off as forced, and Dalton has a strange...I guess you'd call it a chuckle that just doesn't sound sincere (like when he pushes Pam into the boat's steering wheel to honk the horn). It's a shame because in all other aspects of the film his performance was great, especially lots of little moments like his reaction to finding Della and Felix or his fearful yell of "Don't move!" when he thinks that Pam has been shot in the back after the bar fight (as well as his very Flemingesque explosion of anger when he realizes that she hasn't been shot).
The rest of the cast is quite good, with Q getting a great embiggened role and both he and Moneypenny showing how much the characters really care for each other. Davi is phenomenal as the villain and creates a well-rounded, interesting character whose need for loyalty is really well-played - in the hands of a lesser actor it could have been cheesy; with Davi it's done with total conviction. Pam and Lupe are not the strongest characters in the franchise but nowhere near the worst - I understand why so many men like Pam (those legs!) but I always had a weakness for Lupe (something that I never could have imagined when LTK first came out - my girlfriend was often told that she looked like Taliso Soto when LTK first came out. Then a friend of mine met her when QoS had come out and said "She looks just like that Bond girl!" but he meant Olga Kurylenko - that has more to do with how makeup and eyebrow plucking has changed since 1989!). I understand that some people don't like Soto's performance but I think that has more to do with the character than with the actress's abilities. Anthony Zerbe was very good also and actually made me feel bad for him during his...demise (which led to one of the series' best one liners IMHO - "Launder it."). I thought that the actor who played Killifer could have made an interesting Leiter but the one glaring weak spot for me was Della - I had a huge crush on the actress from Three's Company but her performance was too broad and sitcom-y for my tastes now.
The best part of LTK is how Bond finds his way into Sanchez's operation and then uses his mind to get the better of him. The planting the seeds of doubt was masterful and a great change from many of the other films (and again, something more like what would happen in a Fleming novel - I was thinking of Bond and Scaramanga working together in TMWTGG). But in addition to that there were some great action setpieces - the escape from fighting Krest's goons underwater via the seaplane (with that great scene where Krest realizes how improbable it sounds when describing it to Sanchez), the fight in Krest's warehouse, and especially the tanker chase. IMHO it's one of the stellar action setpieces of the series which is interesting when you think of how unusual it is and how little there was to it. Nice to see Bond getting beaten up and suffering for his victory as well - I can't remember any other Bond looking like he had earned his victory as much as Dalton did at the end of LTK.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience to watch it again. As I said it looked a bit cheap but not dated (as someone who was young at the time I can assure you that the clothes that Dalton wore were indeed cool at the time and even his swept back hair was considered stylish). But more than anything it's a great counterpoint to the campy, cartoony Bond films before it and an interesting precurser to both Brosnan's and Craig's take on the role. In many ways it's probably as close to Fleming's character as we'll ever get.
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Comments
"I wanted to make him human. He's not a 'superman' - you can't identify with a superman.. - you can always identify with James Bond of the books, I mean he's very much a man, and a tarnished man really you know, he's not perfect. Human, real.."
- Timothy Dalton on approaching his portrayal of James Bond (lifted from the James Bond Story documentary)
this is why I love Dalton's portrayal of James Bond, he understands the character on a much deeper psychological level - instead focusing just on all the surface material, which a lot of people can't often look beyond.
I'd pick Pam too. :)
However, as TLF says, I'm not sure whether Dalton is the most engaging, charismatic presence - despite his impressive 6"+ height. If he was he would be seen in more movies - THAT'S A FACT! It occured to me recently that perhaps Dalton is more comfortable with (and more suited to) highbrow TV drama's or plays. He just isn't a movie star unlike Connery, Moore, Brosnan and Craig (even Laz had the potential to be more of a movie star with his physical background, good looks and prima dona attitude).
In the past I considered LTK one of the very best in the series but, on recent viewing alongside more "classic" Bond films, it's problems showed up more.
Firstly I actually found Davi by far the more engaging and terrifying character. In many ways an opposite to Dalton but I'd argue more effective. Where Dalton snarls, shouts and looks away from the camera Davi smiles and (for the most part) uses a low soothing voice, even when he's about to inflict immense pain on someone ("it's ok baby...we all make mistakes...you're escapades are getting more creative...not a word") He also gets most of the best lines in the film:
"What did he promise you...his heart? Give her his heart!"
"Loyalty is more...important to me than money"
"You like my little valantine huh!"
"I want you to know this is nothing personal...it's purely business"
"Like a liittle bird"
"Launder it"
"when you're up to your ankles, you will not beg to tell me everything...when you're up to your knees...you'll kiss my ass to kill you"
"I guess its time to start turning overhead"
I certainly know which of the two men would scare me more...and it's NOT Dalton.
Secondly, production wise, as TLF said, the film has issues too. Recently I saw LTK virtually back-to-back with OHMSS. Despite my preference for Dalton over Laz OHMSS felt the way Bond SHOULD be...exotic, colourful, exciting and expenisve. The "cheap" nature of Kill really showed up more after Laz's solo adventure. It almost feels like more of a "made for TV" movie. I'm sorry but Bond shouldn't feel that way. There's one rather dodgy shot when Bond and Pam are riding away in a speed boat (or rather infront of a cheap looking blue screen with water splashing behind them) after the bar fight. In the space of a second the background goes from pitch black to dawn. This may be a relitively trivial point but it again shows the "cheap" nature of the film.
I will say that the story is a solid but not executed in QUITE the correct manner. The Bond of Ian Fleming, whilst vengeful, would NOT (at least to me) run off and persue a vendetta but rather wait for the opportunity to come to him. He was cunning, calculating but primarily loyal to his job. This is best shown at the beginning of YOLT where Bond is recovering from the death of his wife. Does he go AWOL on a vendetta? No, he tries to get back to work. It's only when he finds out that the "Doctor" is Blofeld that the plan for revenge starts taking shape.
I like LTK. I think the Michael Kamen score is soothing and the film has an exciting premise that at least tries to do something a bit different, but there's something about it that just doesn't feel quite right. As @Thelordflasheart said in many ways it just feels too American. Apparently they made a deliberate attempt to appeal to American's due to the competition at the BO at the time. If that's the case they downright failed!
I'll definitely take LTK it over all of RM's & PB's and look for ward to a viewing on BR in September ( the release for the set as moved forward according to an email from Amazon) but for me this when the films took a dive in visual quality, some nice exciting set pieces but overall LTK now looks cheap.
Bang on!! :D
GE may look a bit cheap in places but it does at least have a bit more panache and style.
Monte Carlo, the church in St. Petersberg (i like the shot of the overhanging cross), the spa and the graveyard with its errie atmosphere. Not to mention its just a more "fun" movie.
I'll say that it is PB's best film but for me that isn't saying much I remember hating it when I first saw it back in 95 on the cinema screen and my thoughts on it haven't change much, it's just all the other 3 that followed were even worst so in comparison it was the best.
I still think it looks cheap compared to say TLD.
I was interested by BAIN's comment that behaviour of Bond in this film is out of character. That is what I have always felt myself. Not having read the novles, I cannot comment on the literary merits of the plot, but certainly in terms of the screen Bond, it always struck a duff note for me when Bond goes on the run from Hemmingway's house.
There are plenty of great scenes in the film. Dalton is generally very good with the material he is given. But for me it marks a turning point, after which the films only really began to get back on track after CR. But even now, the idea that Bond needs some personal motivation or grudge to drive him, rather than his sense of duty/loyalty, remains a constant theme in the movies. I blame LTK for bringing this mushy emotional dimension into the series and it has not done Bond any favours IMO.
I think it's interesting, given the way we often attribute changes in direction to the actors, that Dalton said in a recent interview (Empire Bond special issues) that he only saw the LTK script ten days before filming began. Therefore, it seems unlike Craig, Dalton was much more of a Moore in terms of how he approached the job. Yes, he brought his own seriousness and attention to detail, plus a distinct take on the character, but he essentially accepted the scripts that were given to him. Far from being a prima donna thespian, he was actually pretty much an actor for hire, prepared to do whatever was asked of him - remember the magic carpet stunt in TLD that was left out of the final edit?
Any way, LTK will always be a mixed bag for me. Not bad, but not the most enjoyable in the series. And with hindsight, I see it as he begining of a very poor period in the series.
Yes, it's interesting to think that the whole serious tone was not actually of Dalton's choosing. Such a shame he didn't make a third. I am sure it would have had a lighter tone and changed the perception that he was the 'dark' Bond. You know my view on Dalts but I still feel that in TLD he struck the perfect balance in terms of his performance. With LTK we get a foretaste of DC's (IMO) slightly too dour Bond. But then, as DC's comments show, he has also always been open to more humour and felt CR and QoS lacked a lightness of touch. Fingers crossed for SF!
Craig: "That last hand...nearly killed me" (I smile)
(Vesper): Smart
(Bond): Single
(I smile)
Dalton: Why didn't you learn the VIOLIN? (Eh!)
"Looks like he came to a dead end" (Eh!)
"He got the BOOT" (Eh!)
I cannot blame TD, DC or even PB for week scripts though.
I love Dan's one-liners. The lottery winning teachers joke from QoS is brilliant, and that is just one great example. I smirk every time.
In Royale he's better served.
It was the first premiere that I went to and I was actually shocked on the day, more by the soundtrack rather than the film.
Funny then that over time the film is one of my favourites (I find it very watchable) and the soundtrack I also think is actually one of the better non John Barry ones, although if I close my eyes I still think sometimes I'm watching Lethal Weapon.
Great film, Great Bond, Great times!!
One theory I had is that he felt intimidated by Bond as it was such a huge role and that he tried too hard, which is why he comes off as less relaxed and a little forced. Or it could be that after being pursued by Cubby for so long he felt that he *should* do the part although he still had some reservations. I mean, doing publicity for Bond was something he hated doing and tried to avoid as much as possible. Some Bond actors have been glory hounds and some grudgingly accept that publicity is part of the job; Dalton is the only one who was openly unhappy with doing press and didn't much hide it (even Connery's behaviour in Japan was an abberation; normally he "played the game").
That aside, I do appreciate his performance even more now. And I can see myself always wishing to be like Connery or Craig but in many ways I've already become much like Dalton's Bond which makes him a very relate-able character. He reminds me of what Speilberg said about Indiana Jones (I'm paraphrasing) - "We wanted a counterpoint to all the "super-hero" type action heroes; we wanted people to look at him and say if I was just a little more brave and a little more resourceful I could be like him".
It's interesting to see the film as an "old" Bond film. Because we can see them at any time and there are so many before and after it the film becomes much more a part of the series than being THE Bond film which it was looked as at the time of its release. Now it looks like a refreshing change rather than a shocking shift; I think that twenty years from now QoS will be "softened" in a similar manner. I remember how divisive the film was when it first came out, now I think "That's what all the fuss was about?".
I certainly see the flaws in the film much more clearly now - as a Bond fan you have a built-in loyalty to the films when they first came out - but I also appreciate the strengths. It was a nice bit of nostalgia too - I was working in a high end clothing store when the film first came out and they would play the theme song once every couple of hours for a month. Dressed to the nines (in my one very expensive suit), surrounded by luxury goods and wealthy customers, working with beautiful women, hearing the theme - I felt like I was part of Bond's world. Of course I realize now that it was an illusion - being paid minimum wage to work in a classy store is not the same as being able to shop there as a customer. But it was fun to pretend...
I thought the Dalton vs Craig thread had become the official "Craig is better than Dalton at everything" thread. This has nothing to do with Craig.
Anyway, I love both Dalton's films, but here are my reasons for preferring LTK. The 1st, is the villian. Whittaker and Koskov weren't used well in TLD and weren't that memorable. Sanchez though, he was great. He had the best lines in the film, and for me he seemed the most dangerous out of all the Bond villians. Another reason I prefer LTK is the action. TLD had some great action, the car chase is my favourite in the series, but LTK's stunts were amazing. And the last reason is the originality. It's the first and only time Bond has gone rogue and I think it's intresting seeing that.
You're right @Thelivingroyale. Apologies.
As I said, I don't make these criticisms of LTK lightly. It was one of the first Bond films I saw. I remember watching it on ITV when I was about 10 or so. I'd always really enjoyed it. Its just viewing it alongside OHMSS makes it easier to see the films possible flaws.
Yeah I do agree with you on the cheapness. That's the one issue I have with the film. Other than that, it's great.
I personally really enjoy LTK. It's a great film IMO and Dalton is excellent in it, but it needed to have a few more elements of class added in to really make it one of the better Bond films like TLD was.
I know what you mean, it does always seem very dirty and cheap, like a used video/record store or something like that. Still, that doesn't stop LTK from being my #2 favorite, because it has a lot more going for it that can make up for the poor locations.