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The comma of black hair. :D What more needs to be said?
Craig is easily the least Fleming-looking. Not much Hoagy Carmichael there...
Agreed, he just delivered lines with a harder edge.
Correct on both example above, they suit the tone of the film and so does Dalton's delivery.
"Whoever she was it must have scared The Living Daylights out of her".......perfect.
No iteration of Bond has been one to pull punches when villains cross him, but none of them have made single minded justice their drive for an entire mission like Dalton does, or conveyed a sense of fury and hatred as fully as he does at pivotal moments in Licence to Kill. Nor have they set a nefarious villain soaked in petrol on fire with a lighter, real up close and personal like Dalton did, and didn’t even flinch.
Early in LTK, Dalton kicks the traitorous Killifer into a shark tank with a chillingly dead eyed coldness we haven’t quite seen the like of before or since in the franchise. This is taken from the pages of the Live & Let Die novel and it's just perfect!
All Bond fans are worse off for the legal troubles surrounding ownership of the franchise that followed the release of his second outing as Bond, as the years of delays led Timothy Dalton to stand down as 007. If he had stayed on for more than two films, he would certainly receive far more recognition than he currently does.
Regardless, his impact on the emotional depth of Bond, and the darker side of his character is undeniable and it's very Fleming. It’s being felt even more so now, a quarter century after his brief run, in the grittier direction Craig has taken him this past decade. For him to have left such an indelible mark on such an iconic character with just two films (though you could argue with just Licence to Kill), is a major achievement.
My only apprehension with regards to future Dalton films would have been the awful Cyborg and robot script that has surfaced (it sounds worse than DAD).
@suavejmf the script you're referring to actually isn't bad apart from the one scene with the cyborg henchwoman. I can't see it making it into the final film either.
Haven't seen it since I was a child, but I remember Dalton giving a terrific performance.
It's available on Amazon Prime.
It isn't fair that he looks so good for his age.
Shares the number one spot of coolest person of the universe with Alain Delon. What a badass!
Alain Delon? Good choice.
Merci bien ;)
I was gutted when he stepped down.
As was I! Especially as it was on the cards that Brosnan was getting a second chance!!
Ah. With some distance to it, yeah, Dalton's the better Bond. No halves there. But I still keep many of Pierce's mannerisms and do think he's a stellar guy, although not a brilliant actor. One grows up with these guys and they're our idols for life, right?
He's not a great actor but with good direction and the right role he can make a good contribution to a film. Although he's so often cast as leading man/hero I don't think this is actually the best way to use him. In my opinion his best roles have been where his good looks and 'charm' are contrasted with a weak and morally compromised soul - the Tailor of Panama, The Ghost Writer etc.
His personal story is also moving - lots of knocks and setbacks but he just keeps going, which is highly endearing and earns him a lot of respect from me.
But frankly I'd have preferred he'd never been Bond. Dalton all the way through to 97 would have been ideal for me. Then Jeremy Isaacs perhaps for a couple up to Craig...?
Having said all this, Bond was a bit lost by 95. You can see the cracks there already in 89. It was post cold war. No one really knew what a Bond type character was supposed to be doing. People were talking about the end of history and the world seemed relatively safe and predictable. I suppose Brosnan gave us a Bond for that era - safe and predictable. Fast forward a decade and things had changed completely. And today the world seems even madder and more disordered than it did in 2005. And Bond seems more plausible again.
I don't know much about Dalton. He seems a bit of a loner and slightly odd really. I haven't really enjoyed him in any of his other roles. But IMO he was a very good Bond, although I understand where the criticisms come from.
Good post! I agree with most of it! I was aware of Brosnan way before Bond, as I am Irish, he was in our media a lot. When the story broke he was going to be Bond in The Living Daylights, they went nuts but my heart sank. Just thought he was wrong for the part. Was thrilled when I heard he was out because of his contract with MTM. Didn't know much about Dalton (Saw him in The Lion in Winter, and Agatha) But just felt he was gonna be great, and he exceeded my expectations! I knew when Dalton left, Brossa was inevitably going to get the role. When GE came out, I, like other fans, was stoked to see Bond back, but I didn't get the same excitement when viewing the film. My hunch was right . Brosnan was indeed a poor replacement, and worse was to come. As you say, the man himself is decent, but as 007, he was the weakest imo. (He was a great Thomas Crown though, to give him his due! What happened the sequel Brossa?)
I agree 100%. But then I thought it stank at the time.
What I find bizarre is how so many people seem to like it though. There are other films where I can see where people are coming from but the love for GE has always literally baffled me. I don't like SF but appreciate the visuals and some of the ideas. With GE I just don't see it all. I've always felt Cambell didn't get Bond at all in GE - he's just a generic action hero, nothing Bondian about him at all - just smashing stuff up and shooting everyone in sight.
I've always thought the first half of TND was Brosnan's best effort. I actually thought after TND things were going to improve but then we got TWINE - IMO the worst film in the series.
What did Gatiss and Sweet say about Dalton?
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x70gcn6
Very interesting and well-argumented discussions there. Quite rightly Dalton is described as the connaisseur’s Bond.
My only quibble is that he slates QOS a little too hard IMO, but otherwise all good.