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"Who ever she was, I must have scared the living daylights out of her"
It is now the autumn of 1985. Following the financially successful but critically disappointing A View to a Kill, work begins on the script for the next Bond film, entitled "The Living Daylights". Cubby Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson initially intend to try and persuade Roger Moore to come back despite declining box offices and both critical and general public opinion he had obviously aged well beyond the role, however Moore decides he's really had enough and declines. Faced with no option but to find a new actor to play Bond, Broccoli returns to his first choice to replace Sean Connery in 1968, the Shakespearean trained Welsh actor Timothy Dalton. However, Dalton is legally obligated to film "Brenda Starr" and has to decline the role for a second time. After both Sam Neill and Lewis Collins among others fail to impress in their screen tests, Broccoli remembers once meeting and being impressed with young Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, now a star due to his work in the recently cancelled American TV series "Remington Steele", and offers him the role after a screen test lasting several days. The resulting announcement that Brosnan would be the next James Bond causes a surge in interest in the series, which led to NBC exercising (on the very last possible day) a 60-day option in Brosnan's contract obligating him to make 5 new episodes that would prevent him from joining the scheduled production. This forces Broccoli, who states "Remington Steele will not be James Bond", to withdraw his offer to Brosnan. Meanwhile, the third time proves to be the charm as Dalton had by now completed his Brenda Starr filming and finally agrees to take the role. With John Glen again directing a deception loaded and well written Maibaum/Wilson script, the plot adapts much of Ian Fleming's short story in the beginning of the film, in which Bond acts as a counter-sniper to protect a Soviet defector, KGB General Georgi Koskov. He tells Bond and MI6 that General Leonid Pushkin, head of the KGB, has gone crazy and activated a Cold War plot from Stalin's time, "Smiert Spionom" (Russian for "Death To Spies", which Fleming originally used in the novel version of "From Russia With Love"), that calls for the systematic killing of British and American agents. When Koskov is seemingly snatched back by the KGB, and agent 004 believed to be a victim of Pushkin's plot, M gives Bond orders to eliminate Pushkin before more agents are killed.
Principal filming of the 15th movie in the series began with the Rock Of Gibraltar PTS, on September 17, 1986. Locations such as Morocco and Austria are prominently used, as well as England, Germany, Italy, and the United States for other shots. The movie debuted in London on June 27, 1987. Budgeted for $40 million, the film would go on to gross $191 million, exceeding Moore's final two entries and generally garnering critical acclaim for choosing realism and espionage to excessive humor, as well as to Dalton for his performance as a "darker Bond" and for performing many of his own stunts.
THE CAST-
- Timothy Dalton as James Bond
- Maryam d'Abo as Kara Milovy
- Jeroen Krabbé as General Georgi Koskov
- Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker
- John Rhys-Davies as General Leonid Pushkin
- Art Malik as Kamran Shah
- Andreas Wisniewski as Necros
- Thomas Wheatley as Saunders
- Robert Brown as M
- Desmond Llewelyn as Q
- Geoffrey Keen as Frederick Gray
- Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny
- John Terry as Felix Leiter
- Walter Gotell as General Gogol
- Julie T. Wallace as Rosika Milkos
BOND- Having come to an agreement with Cubby that a change towards realism in both character and overall tone was needed, Dalton goes straight to Fleming's source material and brings us literary Bond, a world weary agent who often feels burned out by his job and the things he has to do to survive in his world. Initially Dalton seems to be feeling his way through but with each scene he gets better and better and by the time he interrogates Pushkin, he becomes Fleming's literary Bond personified with a few touches of the dangerous killer personality that Connery and Young brought. He can be a little heavy handed in certain scenes but Dalton's eyes never let the viewer forget Bond is nobody to mess around with, something very important that wasn't always given it's proper due in the Moore era. I slightly prefer Dalton's LTK performance to this, but this was both a brilliant debut and much needed breath of fresh air- 4.5/5
WOMEN- With the AIDS disease and a push for safer, monogamous relationships a big headline of the day, Bond goes with the times and one woman. London born European actress Maryam D'Abo is chosen as Kara Milovy, the cellist girlfriend of Koskov. Bond smuggles her out of Czechoslovakia in order to track him down but a strictly business move becomes personal and complicated when they fall for the other. D'Abo plays the role of a woman and ordinary citizen totally out of her depth in Bond's world with a great deal of personal warmth and just the right amount of innocence. Their romance is very believable, age appropriate, and one you can invest in as her chemistry with Dalton is evident. On top of it, D'Abo would later produce a wonderful feature "Bond Girls Are Forever" featuring updated interviews with 40 years worth of Bond women, and has mostly been a good ambassador for the series. An excellent performance. As far as other women, the only one that would otherwise classify as a Bond girl here is Belle Avery as Linda the yacht lady in the PTS, who we don't know if Bond beds or not. She gets all of 3-4 lines so it's hard to judge her. What we do know is that women with bad haircuts are still in vogue, and that D'Abo carries this singlehandedly to a solid score- 4/5
VILLAINS- As in 1983, we get a group of villains with little personal connection doing business together. In the lead is Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé as Soviet general Georgi Koskov. He's working a diamonds for opium "get rich quick" deal here with his associates in Afghanistan financed by Soviet money earmarked for arms, as well as working Bond and Kara. A year before he starred in a movie called "No Mercy" where he carried a lot of menace. Here, his character is so soft from living the good life, it's hard to believe he's a general. He's, well, he probably couldn't scare a fly. His game here is psychological and he's the brains of the operation. His partner is American actor Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker, an American arms dealer and ex-mercenary based in Tangier. Whitaker is not particularly exciting either as a villain, and not quite the man he claims to be, but he will kill you. That task though is usually entrusted to their muscle, a killer known only as Necros. Played by German dancer turned actor Andreas Wisniewski, Necros is a master of disguises, accents, and very efficient. He brings the genuine menace to this category. There's other minor villains who do a pretty good job, but overall these guys are just slightly better than average and that's mostly due to Wisniewski's excellent performance- 3.5/5
HUMOR- Thankfully the sight and sound gags are gone per Dalton's request, although there is a hilarious deleted scene called "Magic Carpet Ride" on the UDVD that was obviously written with Moore in mind. Dalton's sense of humor is more understated and reminiscent of Lazenby and he does well enough with the script he got to get some laughs. I love the scene where Kara makes him go back for her cello which he frustratingly crams into the Aston Martin stating, "Why didn't you learn the violin". Most of the humor in this movie definitely comes from Dalton and D'Abo which works well in every scene they have because of their chemistry, although Koskov's escape and the end scene with the heavily armed Mujaheddin are also comical. Almost everyone here gets in a good one. It was truly a relief for me to have humor come back in the 1960's style rather than relying on it to create needless scenes- 4/5
ACTION- Opening with the awesome chase and Bond's escape on top of the Rock, this movie doesn't let up when it comes to great action. But as this film is geared towards fans of the early Bond entries, it's meted out in doses to augment the story before the big finale. Excellent fight in the Bladen safe house, the Aston Martin snow chase on the Weissensee and the unique cello case escape from Czechoslovakia are lots of fun. The action explodes when the film goes to Afghanistan as Bond and the Mujahadin go after the villains, the amazing cargo net fight where Necros gets his comeuppance, and Bond's short but excellently written dispatch of Whitaker- 4.5/5
SADISM- Most of it comes from Necros. His killing of Saunders isn't shown in full, but you get the idea it sure doesn't bother him. Nice work when he grills the face of the MI6 agent he fights at the Bladen safe house. He uses headphone wires to strangle a few people. The Afghan jailer, played by the late English character actor Ken Sharrock, definitely enjoys abusing his prisoners and the thought of having a female to rape also seems to turn him on. The head of the Snow Leopard gang wasn't a nice fellow either. I wonder if he ever did make it to dinner? Kara also obviously doesn't have a nice experience under interrogation. The best of all though comes when Bond gives Necros "the boot". Not outstanding, but good enough to be slightly better than average- 3.5/5
MUSIC- Sadly, the 11th and final time we'd have the master John Barry in the chair. But what a way to go out, as I'd easily write the half length of my normal review to really capture all the little nuances of each composition in this effort. So I'll stick to the obvious of the big three things. The first thing you notice with this is that the big brass is back in a big way! It's very prevalent in a lot of tracks and it really gives the film a 1964-1965 type of feel especially in the standout track "Opium and Mujahadin". Some very subtle percussion in the last minute of this adds a special flourish. After a solid title song collaboration with Norwegian pop band a-ha, you also notice the second big thing about this. The co-effort openly influences electronic rhythm tracks being added to the big brass which gives the overall theme a strong identity easily distinguishable from his other efforts. The tracks "Exercise At Gibraltar" and "Ice Chase" are good examples of this movie's musical style. The title song and both co-writes with Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders are major influences on his efforts, and I dare say inspirational as well. This is further evidenced as the first Hynde/Pretenders co-write "Where Has Every Body Gone", which makes it's way into action tracks in a traditional manner and works even better than the theme song. There's also more traditional and original tracks like "The Sniper Was A Woman" that brings tension to Koskov's rigged escape. Also noticeable to a trained ear is a little of the OHMSS style of rapid string work in "Koskov Escapes", which leads to the big brass buildup for the finish. And "The Final Confrontation" that finishes off Whitaker is majestic and very reminiscent of the brilliant work Barry does in the DAF soundtrack and the TMWTGG "Fun House" pieces even as a shorter type of cue. I'll wrap it here with the romance and thus the major influence of the beyond exquisite second effort with Hynde and her boys, "If There Was A Man". We hear more of this piece overall than the others. "Into Vienna" is essentially the full instrumental version minus vocals but it also gets the more lush OP/AVTAK type of treatment in "Bond Meets Kara", and suffice it to say like those prior two efforts it is magical in it's simplicity. This effort totally reaches it's full glory though when Hynde adds her vocals, and becomes one of the greatest and definitely most underrated ballads of the series. I love this song more than I can fully express. I should also note that Borodin "String Quartet in D" and the classical pieces that give the soundtrack an third bit of identity. I've mentioned that the 1980's efforts to this point were just under his Connery and Lazenby efforts...but this one joins those in my book and is his best one since 1971. Like I said, what a way to go out! 5/5
LOCATIONS- The Rock is a bit drab, but works well for the PTS. The locations of this film stand out in great contrast to me. On one hand you get one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe in Vienna. The Schönbrunn Palace is gorgeous and the Alpine area around the frozen Weissensee does well for the chase scenes filmed there. England's Stonor House doubles as the Bladen house and a great example of a English country manor. Morocco is a bit of a more mixed bag. Whitaker's Tangier villa and it's vistas are stunning, a beautiful hotel, but then you get the Moroccan desert doubling for Afghanistan- 3/5
GADGETS- FINALLY, the Aston Martin returns! Q has it well modernized too with all sorts of "optional extras" such as a rocket motor, rocket launchers, special radio, laser equipped tire rims, and it's fully winterized to handle snow and ice. Just not well suited for lugging cellos around. The other memorable gadget is Bond's very versatile key ring finder. Not only does it open 90% of known locks, but it has 2 sound activated functions. A wolf whistle will blow someone or something up, and "Rue Britannia" will unleash stun gas. Can't forget Q's ghetto blaster and the usual goodies in his lab. The gadgets are especially important in saving Bond some major problems and are memorable besides, all the things you would expect and want if you like gadgets- 5/5
SUPPORTING CAST- It seems that Q has found a new relationship with Dalton's Bond. They actually get along and Q seems almost happy to see him. Robert Brown continues to improve steadily as M, and Minister Gray makes his final appearance. The big disappointment with the regulars is Caroline Bliss as the new Moneypenny. Her dialogue is consistent by Maxwell standards, but unlike Maxwell she has little to no chemistry with her Bond and I was unimpressed. Now when we look past the regulars, there is quite a bit more to like. The first of the standouts is veteran John Rhys-Davies as General Leonid Pushkin, General Gogol's replacement as head of the KGB. Like Bond, he is suspicious of the Koskov/Whitaker alliance and eventually they realize their interests in the matter coincide. Rhys-Davies plays it all in a mostly stern manner but there's a warm side to him. His girlfriend is good looking and I was surprised to see a rare bit of top nudity introduced. Next up is Art Malik as Kamran Shah, who becomes Bond's Mujahadin ally after Bond saves him from certain execution. He can relate to Bond having been Oxford educated and after Bond saves his men later, he and his men develop genuine affection for he and Kara. Next up is Thomas Wheatley as Saunders, head of Section V. It's apparent he's a bit jealous of Bond being forced upon his Koskov project and reluctant to work with him, but like everyone else he finds himself eventually both respecting, trusting, and even liking Bond. Julie T. Wallace is a riot as Czech pipeline operative Rosika Milkos, and a nice addition. We also have the final appearance of Walter Gotell as General Gogol in a brief appearance at the end. He had originally been earmarked for what became the Pushkin role but due to being physically ill (he would live another 10 years) he was apparently only able to do a brief cameo in the end. All in all, well played by almost everyone and very enjoyable. Did I mention John Terry as "Felix Leiter du jour". No, I think my comments on him are like an explanation for the mysterious deaths of the various Spinal Tap drummers...best left alone- 4/5
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS- Like most original Connery fans, notice I don't say Moore fans, I was very happy to see a change after 12 years. But I honestly didn't know what to expect. While I knew Brosnan well from American network TV, I really didn't know Dalton at all when he was officially announced as the new Bond. I remember my Dad had thought Brosnan had the right stuff to be Bond as he watched Remington Steele weekly, and was a good choice as far as he was concerned. And he was really mad at NBC for costing him the role. He didn't know "this Dalton guy" and called to ask me if I knew anything. Luckily for me I was able by that time to have seen a little bit of his "Doctor And The Devils" film then airing on cable. I told Dad that Dalton very much looked like he'd be in the Connery/Lazenby mold and as lousy as the film was, I thought he was a better actor than Brosnan and might be real good if they wrote to his strengths. Later we would hear he was a much bigger admirer of Connery than Moore as Bond and would be digging deep into the character and his motivations, which we all loved hearing. So off the 3 "Bondateers" went, hoping for Dalton to deliver the kind of Bond we had sometimes missed, and convinced by film's end that we had gotten just that. And he would only get better. This film is always one I've held in high esteem, but over the past 2 years or so it's moved past Thunderball and OHMSS and sits at #5 in my personal rankings. It's the last of the true Cold War thrillers with a deceptive but intelligent and very well written script that keeps you guessing well into the movie, injecting the right amounts of romance, action, and humor, and the whole package was a great big breath of fresh air for Connery die-hards that I hadn't seen since 1981. It scores a big 41 out of 50 points for me, for a score of 4.1
You expected otherwise- from me??? :))
Nah, but it's nice to have my expectations met :)
So much to enjoy in this film. IMO, the last thoroughly enjoyable, well written and utterly Bondian film in the series.
Thought you'd enjoy this review from yesterday's Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/oct/05/living-daylights-favourite-bond-film?INTCMP=SRCH
I do prefer LTK but TLD is still a close 2nd on my list of best Bond films.
Wow, you really are a Dalts fan! Even I can't rank his films above the early Connery entries.
I was slightly older than you when I saw TLD and I loved pretty much everything about it. Still do.
Still, that leaves me significantly younger than some of the old crusties on this thread.
I was so f*cking angry when I found out LTK was coming out and I couldn't see it because it was a 15 :))
I do remember when I heard that Timothy Dalton was announced as the new Bond as being very happy, a great actor who was brilliant as Prince Barin in Flash Gordon, hopefully we would get a return to 'proper' Bond films…
I really liked Brosnan as Remington Steele but didn't want him playing Bond - to me he would be a lightweight version of Moore (who I was angry at for pretending to be Bond - why couldn't they have found a guy as cool as Connery?). I was surprised when they picked this no-name guy but then I saw a picture of him and thought well, at least he really looks like Bond. Then I read more about what they were planning to do with TLD and some of the pre-release buzz and I was hopeful. Then after reading some interviews with Dalton I was legitimately excited.
Seeing TLD was a great experience; Bond was back! At least a serious Bond, not a punning clown with single-entendre jokes that my 13 year old self found immature. The new guy had presence, was serious, was a good actor, and was actually believable in the action scenes. I remember being blown away by seeing Dalton in the PTS. It seems so silly now but at the time it was strange to have a Bond that you could actually believe in the action scenes.
The romance was Kara was believable and I thought was more driven by a return to the romanticism of Fleming's Bond than by AIDS panic. You could really see how Bond fell for this girl and wanted to protect and care for her as opposed to thinking "Oh, someone I can shag as soon as the script demands it". It was also great to see an Aston Martin return. Add to that great action, some really good humour (I find Dalton far more charming and funny in this film than his reputation would have many people believe), and a good supporting cast and the film was a winner. There were a couple of small gripes - neither Caroline Bliss nor Joe Don Baker really created memorable characters (although Necros and Saunders were both great) and I always found Robert Brown to be a poor M - not in comparison to Bernard Lee, just poor period.
It was interesting to see TLD at my rep theatre a few years back. I still enjoyed it but realized now that there was an "OH THANK GOD!!!" feeling after the despair (to me anyway) of the Moore years that pushed it higher in my estimation. I still love Dalton, though now I see that his charisma was a little lacking and I find his performance a little broad for my tastes (and this from a guy who desperately wanted to BE Dalton's Bond when he grew up!). Still, a very solid Bond film and a great change in direction for the series.
Thanks very much for this my Bond brother, I am flattered. It's truly a labo(u)r of love every time I do a review, if someone enjoyed what I wrote and had a laugh or two as well, that's gratifying. You and our fellow "aging agents" also add things in your reviews including your own unique perspective and experience with each film that I enjoy immensely as well. I look forward to every one of them.
I want to say this to all the originals here, especially to everyone who has hung in there and committed themselves to doing every movie, even the thankfully very few that we don't much care for - I don't know how everyone else feels, but as each day goes by I feel like we are all, pardon the pun "bonding" with the other in ways past our love for these films. I feel like I've found long lost brothers in you, Nic, OHMSS, Kerim, and a sister in 4Ever. How much fun it would be to gather around with all of you at an outdoor table on warm days, party like Fleming, and tell old war stories with all of you. No doubt we would be falling out of our chairs in laughter quite often. Remembering time with our personal families as kids, wide eyed and innocent, anticipating and counting down to the new adventure, practically squirming in our chairs waiting for the lights to go out and be transported into this magical world. These reviews have helped me revive old and wonderful memories from the back of my mind that I deeply treasure, and thus far this "project" of mine has exceeded my hopes. And occasionally rather sad because of how much I miss my loved ones who shared those times with me, my Dad, my Pop-Pop, my wife who I miss most of all and who took up the mantle for my Dad and accompanied me and my brother to every film 1995-2008. I still have my brother and now the wonderful son I was blessed with makes it 4 generations of fans as he takes up the mantle for his Mom and keeps it "3 tickets please" as it has been for 44 years this year. And now the bonus of all of you in my life, our private messages, it brings me a lot of joy at a time that has been extremely difficult for me as you are no doubt aware. My profound thanks for that.
To the rest of you, thanks for your input and kind compliments as well. Glad us "old crusties" are worth the read :)
Bond 4.8 Dalton landing the role was a surprise when everyone thought Pierce Brosnan would be the next Bond. Dalton was a pleasant surprise for most fans. He is such a screen presence that he did not need any large buildup to introduce him to audiences. He is first seen in the PTS when he sees a fellow "00" fall to his death as the camera pans on his surprise look. He is a man on a mission and is determined to get the assassin. Glen throws in his trademark animal scare with the monkeys at Gibralta and Dalton is visibly shaken. Then the fight in the cab of the humvee. Violent and it shows the film is not fooling around. The only drawback to Dalton in the film is his attempts at the wisecracks and light humor. Audiences had come to expect it and this is not Dalton's strong suit. His "salt corrosion" line and at the end of the PTS fall flat. Aside from these slight instances Timothy Dalton delivers and passes with flying colors.
Women 4 Kara shows an innocence that was last seen with Jane Seymore. She is a great girl and has some wonderful on screen chemistry with Dalton. We are denied seeing our Bond alley cat around in the age of "safe sex" and the AIDS epidemic and Bond has a monogomous relationship with Kara. Maryann D'Abo does a good job. The other women are hot but they add nothing to Bond or the plot.
Villains 3 this is where the film falls down. The principal villain General Koskov is more of a Bon Vivant and plays it very light. Joe Don Baker as the billionaire arms dealer, Brad Whitaker is good but not given enough screen time. Necros is cast as the sterotypical blond heavy but not much else though his raid on the safe house is well conceived and violent.
Humor 3 Like mentioned earlier this is not Dalton's storng suit and would have been best if left out of the picture. The car chase in Czechoslovakia is just there as filler and adds littler if nothing to the narrative.
Action 5 the film has lots of action and it is well paced. The big set piece is the attack on the Russian airbase. Well done with lots of bullets, explosions and all we come to expect. The fight between Bond and Necros dangling from the Herculan cargo plane is well edited and full of suspense.
Sadism 4 Dalton ripping off Pushkin's mistress robe, Necros attack. Saunders' brutal death. This film is not fooling around and is in keeping with Bond's world.
Music 4 the title song is weak by A-Ha but the rest of Berry's soundtrack is up to snuff.
Locations 5 Well utilized and gave a feeling of being there.
Gadget 4 The aston martin was just there but the gadgets are to the minimum. The key chain is believable and adds to the narrative.
Supporting Cast 5 I liked the new Moneypenny. EON had decided to go with a younger Moneypenny in keeping with the younger Bond. Robert Brown is back as M and he delivers. Sauinders is a typical arrogant Mi6 agent and he does not like Bond but he id good and adds to the film.
Overall 41.8 or rounded to 42
This is a very good film. Dalton delivers on most fronts and I think it was wise of EON to return to a more dangerous Bond. In the books Bond is a moody brooding government killer who has a conscience and dislikes some aspects of the job. Dalton captured the true essence of the character and his portrayal of Bond is one of the best. After seeing the film I waited in anticipation for the next film.
Some critics thought the film was taking itself too seriously and after 12 years of the light hearted Moore era they were not prepared for Dalton's hard edged Bond. (this was only a sample of what the next film would be). I prefer my Bonds in the vein of Dalton.
The Living Daylights
BOND- 5. Timothy Dalton is Bond. For once when the credits read '…as Ian Fleming's James Bond' it was true. After 12 years of Moore we had a change of face and pace. In the PTS the camera dollies into a windswept Mi6 agents as he turns his head after hearing a death cry, a great introduction to the new Bond. Going back to Fleming's books to get the character Dalton delivers a Bond I for one never thought we would see again - a tough, psychical, suave secret agent who was believable in the role. To me Dalton nailed the character from the off, he had respect for Fleming's creation and I'm sure Mr Fleming would have approved. I love the look of disbelief as Koskov is outlining the plan for Smiert Spionam.
WOMEN- 4. A change of pace with the women too, D'abo was great as Kara, who has a believable relationship with Bond and growing as the film unfolds. The bored socialite in the PTS (re-voiced - watch the trailer) was quite nice and diverted Bond from reporting in.
VILLAINS- 4. Koskov and Whittaker are serviceable villains, but is the henchman Necros who gets all the plaudits here. An assassin who can imitate anyone from just listing to a few words, has a fantastic fight at the safe house, and a brilliant exit after battling Bond on a cargo net in a great suspenseful set piece.
HUMOR- 4. After 12 years of Moore's smooth delivery a lot of people just didn't get Dalton's way with a line. Critics, who had said they'd had enough of Moore, were saying that he didn't do a quip like Moore - no, because he is Dalton. And Dalton is different. Better. I like his delivery, especially why didn't you learn the violin. Thankfully the silly stuff which was written in incase Moore returned, the 'magic carpet ride' and a quip about getting two stretchers for Saunders was cut from a film that was actually taking itself and the subject matter seriously.
ACTION-5. Wham Bang thank you Tim! Plenty of action in this thriller. Fights aboard speeding LandRover, cargo bags flapping outside of a plane, explosive fight at the safe house, desert storm. This film has action to spare but none of it seems just there, it pushes the plot forward.
SADISM- 4. Most of that goes to Necros, pushing an Mi6 agent's face on a hot hob (ouch), strangulation by Walkman and a shattering death for Saunders, great stuff.
MUSIC-5. Barry's final Bond score, and what a one to go out on. Plus he gets a cameo. A fantastic score with some great songs by The Pretenders (Barry has said he enjoyed working with Chrissy Hynde and the boys more than he did with A-ha, and thought they should have done the main theme). Top make.
LOCATIONS-5. Again. Great locations, all used to great effect and photographed well.
GADGETS- 4. After years of Lotus, we get a tricked-up Aston again that features in a great set-piece, a useful keyring and who would have thought that a cello case could be a gadget?!
SUPPORTING CAST- 4. All round a great support cast, and the first film in which I could believe Robert Brown as M, he seems to have upped his game in the Dalton films and works well with Dalton. Krabbe and Baker are good if not exceptional, Q is in better form than he had been from AVTAK, the only down side really is Bliss as Moneypenny, while good to look at, she (or the producers) decided to go down the cliche path of a secretary with glasses and sucking on a pencil - something that Lois was adamant not to do! Saunder's is a great character too, who goes from being irritated by Bond to helping him out even if it means his job and pension. I also like John Terry as Lieter, and would have welcomed him back in LTK as he is near Dalton's age and it would have been nice to have some continuity with the character.
EDIT Yes they are major support, excellent portrayed by both actors, I think I may re-evaule my support cast score to 5, John Rhys-Davies' character was a welcome change from Gogol - who appeared at the end anyhow. Brilliant. Ark Malick's character helped the plot along and had some good scenes with Dalton.
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS- 44 or 4.4 What a welcome return to Bond. Back when this was released, films were released on a Friday in the UK, and I must have seen it on release day, as I used to only work Friday morning and some Friday afternoons I would take a trip to Plymouth and watch a film in the afternoons. I really, really enjoyed this cinema experience, a great actor in a great Bond film, something I doubted we would ever have again. I can recall driving back in my gold Vauxhall Cavalier, imagining I was Bond, a huge grin on my face and the thought running through my mind was 'We've got Bond back.' Whereas after AVTAK I was slightly embarrassed, after this one I was telling everyone that they really had to see the new Bond film. There is so much to enjoy in this film and will always be a favourite of mine.
When I look at pictures of Dalton taken at this time and around LTK I see Bond, the Bond that I imagined as I read and re-read the books that Mr Fleming wrote. My only regret, that he didn't make more. Still we do have two of the best films in the series by (imo) the best Bond.
Will definitely take flapping cargo nets over flapping arms!
Careful With That Axe
BOND: When you're at a party, you know how a slow night turns into a good thing and that you are there just a little too long when the party disperes or you have that one drink too many? That's what happened with Roger in AVTAK. The momentum from the heights of FYEO and OP did not carry over. Roger was clearly aged at this point. It was obvious he wasn't doing his own stunts. Roger didn't seem to enthusiastic about playing Bond one last time, but not to the degree of Sean Connery. Roger was just there. This would have been the ideal time to bring in Dalton. (2)
WOMEN: Oh dear. If I had been Roger, I probably would have just left Stacy in the blazing elevator. Stacy was annoying at best. But, compared to Christmas Jones, at least Stacy was passable as a geologist. Stacy had a nice house and some cute pets though. Jenny Flex and Pan Ho were good supporting ladies, particularly Allison Doody who would go on to star with other Bond alumni. This would be a weak three on my scorecard, but the Grace Jones one point penalty law is in effect. (2)
VILLAINS: This is gretting promising. Christopher Walken is star of AVTAK hands down. Christopher plays an over the top, psychotic, megalomaniacal Auric Goldfinger Max Zorin. Few people could have pulled off this role, but Walken's method acting bode well for him in the Zorin role. The revisiting of Nazi experiments was a good setup for Zorin's character. Zorin is surrounded by a solid group of villians including Scarpine, Dr. Mortimer (who played Zorin's father figure well), Bob Conley and a solid staff. I guess technically Gogol and Fiona are villians as well. This group has the making of being a fine staff of villians, but alas, the Grace Jones Penalty is still in effect. (4)
HUMOUR: Not a whole lot to laugh at here. A car shaved in half, Moneypenny nearly saying a mild naughty word, Tibbett as Bond's "servant", tickling to Tchaikovsky, and May Day foolishly not jumping on the cart when she is clear of the cave. (2)
ACTION: AVTAK does have some good action going for it. The Eiffel Tower chase, the horse race chase, the Golden Gate Bridge axe and blimp fight and the escape from the mine highlight the actions scenes. Not great, but not terrible. (3)
SADISM: Being an over the top, psychotic, megalomaniac villian also requires a sadistic side. Having the non-participating businessman freefall off the blimp is pretty sadistic. So is committing mass murder on your workerbees to avoid paying overtime. So is forcing us to watch an innuendo filled martial arts training session. An easy five. Oh right, the May Day Mandate was in effect. (4)
MUSIC: Duran Duran hit #1 on the charts with their main theme and deservedly so. John Barry helps Christopher Walken salvage AVTAK with a pretty impressive soundtrack. I would have given this a 4, but since everyone wisely kept Grace Jones from contributing her music, I'll shall give this a (5).
LOCATIONS: Doesn't get much nicer than Paris and San Francisco and its main landmarks. (5)
I can't believe I just gave AVTAK two straight 5's.
GADGETS: After a significant contribution in OP, Q mostly stayed on the sidelines in this outing. There was a robot with a camera and a phony chip. (2)
SUPPORTING CAST: We say so long to Lois Maxwell after a 23 run as Ms. Moneypenny. Sadly she did not age well, but was glad to see they let her out of the office and get more involved in the film. Q, M, Gogol and the PM kind of took a step back, but they had a nice finishing scene recognizing Bond with a Soviet Award, Great to see Patrick Macnee as Sir Godfrey Tibbett. This completed the Avengers trifecta. Although he was written out early, Macnee and Moore worked very well together and is my runner up MVP. I think I would have rather had Cec Linder as Felix than David Yip as Chuck Lee. Yip was pretty vanilla in his role. I liked Aubergeine in his one scene. If you blinked, you missed the Maud Adams cameo. A good supporting cast for a not so good film. (4)
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS: (33). In a way, I was glad this was the end of the Roger Moore Era, but in another way, I wish Roger Moore had gotten a better send off with OP. Besides the age factor, my other major beef with AVTAK was the casting of Grace Jones. In past Bond films, there have been bad characters, but decent actors doing their best with what they have. The May Day character is memorable, but for the wrong reasons. Bridgette Neilsen would have been a better May Day, as would a few other women whose names do not immediately come to mind. Grace Jones is just not an endearing person. If you've read My Word is Bond, you know what I'm talking about. Nobody would have ever confused A View to a Kill for From Russia With Love, but AVTAK would have been a lot better with Dalton as Bond (eliminating the age distraction) and someone else as May Day, and with a better written Stacy character.
MVP: Christopher Walken (Max Zorin)
Running Rankings:
1. From Russia With Love (45, MVP: Pedro Armedariz)
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (45, MVP: Diana Rigg)
3. Thunderball (42, MVP: Luciana Paluzzi)
4. Octopussy (40, MVP: Steven Berkoff)
5. Dr No (38, MVP: Sean Connery)
6. For Your Eyes Only (37, MVP, Topol)
7. Live And Let Die (37, MVP: Yaphet Kotto)
8. You Only Live Twice (37, MVP: Tetsura Tambo)
9. Goldfinger (36, MVP: Harold Sakata)
10. The Spy Who Love Me (36, MVP, Roger Moore)
11. A View To A Kill (33, MVP, Christopher Walken)
12. Moonraker (33, MVP: Bernard Lee)
13. Diamonds Are Forever (32, Co-MVP's Bruce Glover and Putter Smith)
14. The Man With The Golden Gun (31, MVP: Christopher Lee)
I now noticed I forgot the California Girls Citation, but I'll keep AVTAK ahead of MR in rankings.
The Living Daylights will (hopefully) be up in the next 24 hours. I'm looking forward to reviewing the two Dalton films.
Too excited! Yes they are major support, excellent portrayed by both actors, I think I may re-evaule my support cast score to 5, John Rhys-Davies' character was a welcome change from Gogol - who appeared at the end anyhow. Brilliant. Ark Malick's character helped the plot along and had some good scenes with Dalton. Just want to watch this film again…now! but alas, it'll be time to get the kids up and off to school then work for me. Damn work takes up too much film watching time.
BOND
Four years on from YOLT Bond is looking 10 years older and 10 lbs heavier, but it’s Sean Connery for goodness sake so let’s be realistic about this.
Connery’s Bond is more playful here and certainly seems to have acquired a smutty sense of humour (‘providing the collars and cuffs match’ and to Plenty O’Toole‘ named after you father perhaps?’)
Bond shows his usual unerring snobbery about the good things in life, identifying the original vintage a sherry is based on, but then falling short on the subject of diamonds. When he admits to little knowledge on this subject M retorts ‘Refreshing to hear that there is one subject you're not an expert on’. It’s a lovely and satisfying moment.
Connery delivers his lines like the true pro he is but his clothes and his portly appearance lose him a point. Or two.
3/5
WOMEN
Tiffany Case is the main girl. A brash American who starts out as part of Blofeld’s diamond chain. She is smart, adaptable and brave as well as beautiful. As soon as Bond takes charge of her affairs she turns into a reasonably hopeless bimbo.
Plenty O Toole is the busty nymphet picked up by Bond at the casino for some hanky panky, but dumped unceremoniously from her hotel window. She doesn’t learn and finishes up weighed down at the bottom of a pool.
Bambi and Thumper are a couple of Blofeld’s sidekicks who tussle with Bond.
And that’s it. Bond doesn’t even get to slam dunk Plenty, so how can this bunch possibly earn more than 2/5
VILLAINS
Controversially I think Charles Grey suited the role of Blofeld in this most camp of Bond films. He delivers his lines with obvious relish (and Blofeld gets some corkers in this film) and one mustn’t be distracted by his cross dressing. He still comes across as quite sinister. Lucky for us Telly Savalas didn’t reprise the role I say. Telly in a dress?
Bambi and Thumper mentioned above are perfectly competent until they get a little wet in the pool. Then they flap around like a pair of girls (oh wait…..?)
Best of all are Wint and Kidd, designated with the task of ‘closing’ the pipeline. They mince about in the true spirit of the film and represent the real excesses in 70s kitsch that the film seems determined to capture.
Other villains like Saxby are on hand, but it’s all somewhat diluted by the tone of the film 3/5
HUMOUR
Plenty of humour in dark and light shades. Bond trapped in a burning coffin, Blofeld drowned in clay, Wint & Kidd’s morbid one liners etc etc. It all adds to the overall feeling that you are trapped in a three ringed nightmare.
But it’s hard to argue against the overall effectiveness of some very good and funny dialogue 4/5
ACTION
Seldom is the action in a Bond film dull. DAF manages to be just that. Often the editing is ponderous and spoils the overall effect (witness the PTS), there is a tame frolic on moon buggies, an elevator punch up that simply fails to capture the brutality of the train fight in FRWL, a car chase that is the centre piece of the film but has dated badly and isn’t really that exciting, a few minor scuffles and punch ups – including Bambi and Thumper - and the tamest of tame climax on the oil rig. Disappointing to say the least.
However semi-action scenes where Bond is stuck in a burning coffin, Bond swinging from the top of Whyte penthouse, Bond stuck in the underground pipe, all come off slightly better. 2/5
SADISM
Thanks to Wint and Kidd there is plenty of nasty surprises for several of the cast members, plus some decent attempts on Bond’s life.
Typical of a film that has such a bizarre and outlandish look and feel to it, you are wrong footed by some quite astonishing moments of sadistic nastiness. The scorpion sting sets the ball rolling and it continues through to le bombe surprise. 4/5
MUSIC
I’m no expert on the music of Bond, but I do know DAF is bang on, with plenty of beautiful melody and one of the most underrated of theme songs. 4/5
LOCATIONS
Amsterdam, Las Vegas, some oil rig. Vegas is now a standard touristy place for anyone with a penchant for a bit of tackiness. Back in 1971 it was less common and probably looked like an excellent spot for a bit of Bond glamour. I’m really not sure here so middle ground is best 2/5
GADGETS
Q supplies Bond with some nifty fake finger prints, a device for disguising voices (or should I say imitating other peoples’ voices). Bond uses a rather splendid pully/winch/sucker/gun/wire combo thingy to get in to Whyte’s penthouse that is enough to give anyone vertigo. And Q has his own device to win the Vegas slot machines. This is one of the film’s best moments back in a time before they became too aware of Q’s value to the franchise and over cooked his role. 3/5
SUPPORTING CAST
Bernard Lee is lovely as ever as M, Q is good, Penny only appears briefly (but memorably).
We have yet another new Leiter although this is maybe the least memorable of any of them. Jimmy Dean is excellent as Whyte. The cast is sprinkled with brief appearances by actors thoughtlessly disposed of by Wint and Kidd.
3/5
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS 30/50I remember very clearly seeing this at the cinema although it was a re-release a few years after it first appeared. I was quite surprised at how strange and slightly camp it all was, and, unforgivably for a Bond film a little bit boring and confusing.
I have a bit of a soft spot for it I admit, but it’s still a big, multi-coloured mess of a film. Guy Hamilton never seems to have control as the pace meanders and one set piece after the other fails to come to life.
On the positive side there is some funny dialogue and a smattering of good performances. And of course some wonderful music from Mr Barry.
Octopussy
BOND - 4 out of 5 - Roger Moore still shines bright in this one, completely comfortable and in command as James Bond. He has perfected the Moore light touch but also (thankfully) brings back some of the seriousness and intensity we saw so well in FYEO into the second half of this film. For me, this is definitely the movie Sir Roger should have stepped down with; it would have been a lovely way to go out, closer to the top.
WOMEN - 4 out of 5 Maud Adams is a great lead Bond girl in Octopussy, really lovely and strong, with a great chemistry with Roger's Bond. I rather wish she had come into the film a little earlier; I like her scenes with Bond very much. And she stands up to the sleezy yet charming villain, Kamal Khan. Maud looks even better than she did in TMWTGG. She is rather flawless in appearance yet does not look very young - she is a woman and a formidable one. So even though Roger is older in this movie, they look (and act) great together. Magda is rather interesting looking and plays an important role in this story, being Kahn's accomplice and also Octopussy's. I felt that Kristina Wayborn was trying to underplay the character to give her a "coolness" and that sort of worked. Frankly, I know she is very pretty but her hair bugged me. She has an extremely high forehead and her hairstyles were not flattering to her (she looked best in bed with Bond ... and who wouldn't?). She did, however, have some cute lines (especially "I need refilling") and a spectacular exit unwrapping herself as she tumbled over the balcony. I always wanted to try that after seeing her do it! All the women seemed to be quite attractive in this one, including the latin beauty in the PTS and Octopussy's gang.
VILLAINS - 4 out of 5 This is an interesting and assorted mix! We have the French charmer, Louis Jourdan, playing an evil and sadistic Afghan prince. He is rather tightly wound and lets his cool elegance slip from time to time; I thought Jourdan played him very well. His henchman, Gobinda, is someone you don't want to cross. Hulking, simmering, and lets you know with his eyes and manner that he wants nothing more than to shred you to bits with his bare hands. The man who wielded the yo-yo type saw blade was scary. That was a innovative instrument of death for sure. Then we have the knife-throwing twins who were calmly just doing their job.
But in this movie, my favorite is General Orlov, a loony and psychotic bad tempered Russian who menaces throughout. He sulks, he has quiet menace, he goes over the top - just a fabulous peformance by Steven Berkoff; a great villain. I like Gogol's scenes with him, too.
HUMOUR - 3 out of 5. Here is where I have two different feelings about this Bond movie. I didn't enjoy some of the humor and thought it was too silly at times (and had been thinking in the theatre: dear God no, not Moonraker again!) ... yet it contained itself enough. Just enough. I concur that this movie is rather schizophrenic (however that is spelled) with two halves - the first being mostly Moore light (yet that killing of 009 was not light!) - when the General's plan starts to come to fruitiion and Bond hops it to Germany, it becomes more of the kind of Bond film I love, more serious yet it still had some humor (glancing at watch in gorilla suit for example). Also, I did rather like Q coming to rescue the girls in a hot air baloon. :)
ACTION 3 out of 5 - rather a good bit, nicely served up for the most part. Some chase scenes, yes, but I found some of that humor not great and I did not like the manhunt thru the jungle. Ah, but a very good set piece that lasted deliciously long enough - the fight scenes on the train were very enjoyable and well done, and the removal of the bomb at the circus was suitably tense.
SADISM 2.5 out of 5 - I suppose we sense how sick and twisted Khan is, but not really shown too much; other than the vicous sawblade slicing and dicing away (which we never see it draw blood ...), I don't recall any real sadism.
MUSIC 3.5 out of 5 - The theme song is pretty good, not great; but I feel it is lacking just due to Rita's voice/interpretation (sorry, Rita) - I never hear any deep emotion or strength in it. I feel like she is lazily singing it in the shower (while nursing a hangover). It is, however, a lovely tune and fits well into the movie. Compare this to Nancy Sinatra singing You Only Live Twice (which I feel is haunting and sung with feeling). The other music throughout seems to be very good, appropriate; Barry clearly knows his stuff.
LOCATIONS 3 out of 5 -. India was shown off to good effect, but that was about it. Not a highlight for me.
GADGETS 3 out of 5 - Some rather silly stuff with a fake horse and a fake crocodile; ah, but the killer buzz saw was fine (it's just a weapon but rather creative so I am including it as a gadget). What else was there? Rather forgettable for me ... yes, Bond's pen came in very handy (acid to corrode thru metal then also can be used as a listening device) and the minijet at the very beginning. Okay I just upgraded this to a 3.
SUPPORTING CAST - 3 out of 5. Just okay, I think. Q and Moneypenny very nice; even Ms. Smallbone, all right. M getting better. Nothing shines for me except if we include the villains. Orlov and Gogol were a delight. Vijay was serviceable, okay; not bad, just not anything to get excited about.
OVERALL - Well, I like my little Octopussy when I am in a mood for a change of pace, locale, and a mixture of action. I like Roger in this one very much, and Maud helps make this movie the higher ranking it is. They are a fine pair, the story is pretty good and moves along, and once Bond gets on the train it kicks up a notch.
I want to mention one set piece I have always thought was very well done and memorable - the whole tracking and killing of 009 was very well filmed and reminded me afterwards a bit of Hitchcock - the stark contrast of a clown (associated with fun and laughter) running for his life, desperate, then stabbed in the back amidst a group of chattering happy people at an elegant party - his falling through the French doors in his last dying efforts to get a message (the Faberge egg) to the British ambassador, falling bloody practically at his feet. Very effective and dramatic ... and sad. Hitchcock loved to show that evil and death and horror can happen in the midst of an innocent looking place or event (making the impact even stronger). When I remember Octopussy, I usually remember this scene first, then Roger and Maud together, then the train fight and on to the circus where Bond saves the day. Those moments are like little Faberge jewels for me and make the film worthwhile. Overall, a rather average Bond movie for my tastes but it has its moments for sure.
Nice point 4Ever, I've always thought this to be a great sequence. And a nice review all round. If they had only cut some of the sillier bits OP could have been great, still it is one of Moore's best.
Agreed that the tracking and killing of 009 especially with Barry's "009 Gets The Knife" amping the tension up even higher was indeed a great sequence. It just bothered me a little that 009 had plenty of time to jump in the water before the twins got there. Still, the way it ended up with him quite literally crashing the ambassador's party was a solid finish. I'll never understand the early silliness either, but that's the Moore era for you. It ended up strong and beat NSNA up pretty good both artistically and financially and that's the best part of all.
I was wondering if i could take you all back to 1971 and ask what your expectations of Diamonds are Forever was before going to see it? Did you expect there to be no real reference to Tracy? At the time, were you happy to see a return to a more light hearted Bond? Or did you want a revenge driven film? Or was DAF just a simple case of having Connery back that you didn't care what the film was?
Just be interesting to see how people felt at the time, leaving aside the Moore/Dalton/Brosnan/Craig films and what went on after DAF
The Dogs of War
BOND: OMG! OMG! Fleming's Bond is back! I know they didn't say OMG in 1987, but then again, we wouldn't be talking through this medium in 1987 either. Anyways, after a 7 film run, Roger Moore has passed the torch to Timothy Dalton. One thing is for certain, Dalton is not Moore. It seems that Dalton actually read the Fleming novels and based his Bond off of Fleming's Bond, yet avoided copying Connery, Lazenby or Moore. Dalton seems to be a moodier and darker Bond. Not as light as the other three but still brings the dry humor to the table. Dalton appears to be basing his Bond at the end of Bond's career. Dalton did a great job working with most of the characters in TLD. The winds of change has swept through the Bond universe and critics be damned, Fleming's Bond is back in a strong way and never you mind that Aussie Bond, that fat and bald Bond or that senior citizen Bond. (5)
WOMEN: TLD is unique in that the Bond women are downplayed. There's usually a lead, a #2 girl and a few others for the general testosterone boost. TLD centers around just one women. She is Maryam D'Abo who plays Kyra, a Soviet classical cello musician. She is not the equal like recent Bond girls, but she and Dalton have a good chemistry about them. She is initially a pawn in her boyfriend Koskov's scheme, but she does become a good ally once Koskov is through with her so to speak. Kyra is passionate and resourceful and is useful in the mission. She is not the butt kicker like Anya, Holly and Melina were, but she is not in the way like Tiffany, Solitaire and Stacey were. The rest of the women basically consist of the woman on the boat looking for a real man, that woman who loves to motorboard engineers, that who woman who is dating the Soviet Defense Minister who plays Texas Hold' Em on the side and those women working for Felix. D'Abo has the burden of singlehandedly carrying the torch for the women and she does a fine job. (4)
VILLAINS: Like OP, we have co-villians. The first is Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker the arms dealer. A good concept for a villian, particularly in the 80's where you had numerous conflicts going on, plus the winding days of the Cold War. There just seems to be something missing with Whitaker that I can't quite place my finger on. Whitaker seems a little over the top and while not deadpan like Hugo Drax, seems to lack emotion, especially when things didn't go his way. Georgi Koskov is also a good character. He's the charming Soviet pseudo defector. Koskov sucessfully convinces his girlfriend Kyra to stage an assassination while keeping her heart on his strings, outsmart MI6 and nearly pulls off a drugs for arms deal. The Dalton era did produce some charming villians. Lastly is the main henchman Necros. A good name for the best henchman since Spy's Jaws. While not necessarily physically menacing, he is clever in posing as a milkman and in batlling Bond. A solid trio here, but there's just something missing. (4)
HUMOUR: While considerably toned down compared to the Moore Era, the humor is still there, but dryer and darker. Most of the humor comes from the interfacing of Bond and Kyra and with Q Branch and Moneypenny. No double taking monkeys or Beach Boys during cello case rides here. (3)
ACTION: Dalton's debut provides some excellent action. The highlights are the Gibraltar chase, the Soviet Air Base raid and the Cargo Net Conflict. The best action sequence though belongs to the Escape from Czechandorslovakia. An excellent sequence involving the police chas, the destruction of the semi in the way, the frozen lake chase, crashing the gate and of course the cello case chase leading Bond and Kyra into Austria. (5)
SADISM: Not a whole lot for sadism here. The only real bit of sadism was the Soviet jailer excited of the prospect of a female prisoner, which fortunately doesn't materialize. (2)
MUSIC: A-ha provides a very underated MTS song. Nearly on par with Duran Duran's A View to a Kill, but with far less fanfare. John Barry goes out in a blaze of glory in his final stint as the music man. TLD's score ranges from excellent 80s sounds (including the Pretenders in the film), classic sounds of Austria and Middle Eastern sounds of Morocco. (5)
LOCATIONS: I hear Czechandorslovakia is a nice place to visit. TLD nails it with Vienna in focusing on the classical music aspect. I imagine Morocco is the palce to be if you're going to visit Northen Africa and not see pyramids. I imagine there's not much difference between the Moroccan desert and the Afghan desert. I would not want to drive downhill at high speeds in Gibraltar. (4)
GADGETS: The winterized Astin Martin more than serves its purpose in TLD. It seems like every "option" installed was used at some point. I often wonder how well that ghettoblaster worked out for the Americans. (4)
SUPPORTING CAST: Let's start with MI6. Caroline Bliss is the new Ms. Moneypenny. She deserve more exposure. Something tells me Lois Maxwell didn't have Barry Manilow records in her flat. Robert Brown again is solid as M, but why would he have an executive desk on an airplane. Desmond Llewelyn seems happier to be working with Timothy Dalton, probably because Timothy didn't altar Desmond's script. We say farewell to two recurring characters. Geoffrey Keen's MD and General Gogol whom is now a diplomat. Other supporting characters include Saunders. I loved the Saunders character of being strictly by the book, but realizing that despite Bond's reputation, it's for the best to let Bond be Bond. John Rhys-Davies is brilliant as General Pushkin. The interogations scene and the fake assassanation scenes are classic. "If I trusted Koskov, we wouldn't be talking" is my personal favorite line of the film. Rhys-Davies is also splendid in sending Koskov back in a diplomatic bag. While Kamran Shah was a good ally in 1987, I'm no so sure Bin Laden Shah would be anything near being a good ally 15 years later. Felix's return should have waited another two years. Despite John Terry, the non-MI6 supporting cast (specifically Saunders and Pushkin) are magnificient (5)
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS: (41). Timothy Dalton was the breath of fresh air the franchise needed after the stale AVTAK. The late 80s was a more conservative time, and TLD reflected that. The promiscunous of Bond was minimized and the two main problems of the time, the Cold War and drugs were properly focused on. Dalton is a well trained and experienced actor whose portrayal of Bond of the late 80s fit in with the times. Yet for whatever reason, he was panned by the critics. This is why you should never listen to movie critics because anyone could qualfiy be a movie critic. The mainstrem media does not realize what they're missing out on, but the true Bond fans know that Dalton is a welcome addition as James Bond.
MVP: Timothy Dalton (James Bond)
Running Rankings:
1. From Russia With Love (45, MVP: Pedro Armedariz)
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (45, MVP: Diana Rigg)
3. Thunderball (42, MVP: Luciana Paluzzi)
4. The Living Daylights (41, MVP: Timothy Dalton)
5. Octopussy (40, MVP: Steven Berkoff)
6. Dr No (38, MVP: Sean Connery)
7. For Your Eyes Only (37, MVP, Topol)
8. Live And Let Die (37, MVP: Yaphet Kotto)
9. You Only Live Twice (37, MVP: Tetsura Tambo)
10. Goldfinger (36, MVP: Harold Sakata)
11. The Spy Who Love Me (36, MVP, Roger Moore)
12. A View To A Kill (33, MVP, Christopher Walken)
13. Moonraker (33, MVP: Bernard Lee)
14. Diamonds Are Forever (32, Co-MVP's Bruce Glover and Putter Smith)
15. The Man With The Golden Gun (31, MVP: Christopher Lee)
We likely discussed DAF and Connery's return early in the thread, but to answer for myself point by point-
1. Expectations were universally high, after all Connery was back and Lazenby was gone.
2. I did expect the ending of OHMSS to be addressed even at 10 years of age, and early on it appears that Bond is doing just that. I wanted a revenge film and it deserved to happen. But to do it in the PTS and then move on felt very weak and basically it was lip service. No mention of Tracy. No mention of Irma Bunt or even a replacement to kill off. Charles Gray as Blofeld, and an inconclusive finish made things even worse. Connery or no Connery, a poor effort that made me wish for Lazenby/Hunt part 2. To be fair, once Bond discovers Blofeld is alive he does try to kill him for real this time, but with all the comedy this often gets lost in the narrative.
DAF has one of Barry's best soundtracks and Wint/Kidd are entertaining henchmen, some good chase sequences. I can enjoy the film for what it is but not as a sequel to OHMSS in the same sense QOS is for CR. It's easy to understand why the film ranks very low.
1. Goldfinger- 4.23
2 (tie) From Russia With Love- 4.20
2 (tie) The Living Daylights (4/6 reviews)- 4.20
4. Thunderball- 4.10
5. The Spy Who Loved Me- 4.05
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (5/6 reviews)- 3.96
7. You Only Live Twice- 3.92
8. For Your Eyes Only- 3.90
9. Live And Let Die- 3.83
10. Octopussy- 3.73
11. Dr. No- 3.62
12. A View To A Kill (5/6 reviews)- 3.32
13. The Man With The Golden Gun- 3.13
14. Diamonds Are Forever- 3.02
15. Moonraker- 2.97
Always remember that your personal ratings are what they are. Once we've completed all 22 films (we'll do Skyfall in time of course), we can discuss the results versus our personal ratings and have fun comparing them.
As usual, below is a list of who hasn't reviewed a particular film, so you know which ones you have done and which you haven't. Also, please try to review your prior scores for different categories for the sake of consistency. If anyone is going away or has decided to drop out, kindly let me know. If a 7th original reading this is interested in doing all the films, please let myself or Nic know. You don't have to go into great detail if time is your concern, just give a score by category and a brief explanation if that is all you can do.
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE- Almost there Nic!
A VIEW TO A KILL- No vote from 4EverBonded.
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS- No votes from Nic or 4EverBonded.
Before I finish up, this bit of news is for the non-reviewers who follow this thread. We have spoken amongst ourselves this past week and everyone agrees that a pause of the reviews is needed. For one, with Skyfall on the way, the various worldwide release dates will cause some of us to miss time on the site in order to avoid spoilers from those who have seen it. This will not affect NicNac or Lancaster, but myself, OHMSS, and Kerim are Americans and we will be away for a few weeks. 4Ever will not see the film in Japan until early December. By the time she can return around 12/9 it's the holiday season and family/shopping time will be in order. Besides, we'd all like to concentrate on and enjoy talking about Skyfall and recharge our batteries a bit. Rest assured, the first Saturday of January 2013 the reviews for the Brosnan era will begin and we will continue all the way through Quantum Of Solace. Eventually Skyfall will be reviewed after the DVD is released.
Tomorrow I will post the final movie review before our hiatus, the sixteenth entry and final film of the Dalton era, "Licence To Kill". I look forward to lots of great reading, so until tomorrow have a great evening and weekend everyone!
"We're not a country club, 007! Effective immediately, your licence to kill is revoked"
It's now late 1987. Shortly after "The Living Daylights" is released to positive reviews, Cubby Broccoli and writers Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum start to discuss the next film. Encouraged by the successful change in actor, direction, and increased profits, the new film would retain a realistic style and introduce a "dark side" of the Bond character never fully explored before. Before the outlined script can be developed, a writer's strike forces Maibaum to drop out and leaves Wilson to work on it on his own. Originally entitled "Licence Revoked" and later changed in order to avoid confusion from the general public about the title's meaning, this is the first Bond film not to use a Fleming title. However, certain elements of the story are borrowed from Fleming's 1960 Bond short story "The Hildebrand Rarity" as well as another from the "Live And Let Die" novel. The film plot sees an off duty Bond help his old CIA pal Felix Leiter, now working for the DEA, capture notorious Central American drug lord Franz Sanchez impromptu on the way to Leiter's wedding. After Sanchez escapes from federal custody by way of a hefty bribe to a crooked DEA agent, he has Leiter maimed and his new wife Della murdered while on their honeymoon to send a message to those who would interfere in his business. Beside himself with rage, Bond is next suspended without pay nor support from MI6 when he disregards orders and goes after Sanchez on a personal mission of revenge.
Due to budgetary concerns over changes in English taxation laws that resulted in higher rates for foreign artists, Broccoli elects to film out of Churubusco Studios in Mexico City, and on location in other parts of Mexico and Florida, with Pinewood being used only for minimal work. Principal filming of the 16th Bond adventure began in Mexico on July 18, 1988 in Mexico and moved to the Key West and the Florida Keys in August, wrapping 4 months from the start date on November 18th. Before the film is released, both British and American censors react to what they deem to be "excessive and realistic violence", with the British censors demanding 36 seconds of the footage cut from the movie. It would not be until the 2006 release of the Ultimate DVD before the full uncut film would be seen. Licence To Kill debuted in London on June 13th, 1989. Budgeted for $32 million, the movie would earn $156 million despite the content issues and lack of United States promotion that caused the film to fare poorly against several much more hyped releases there. Reviews of the film to this day continue to be mixed among fans and film critics, with many fiercely loyal to it and others finding it too divergent from the established formula. It would be the 2nd and last appearance of Timothy Dalton as Bond, as well as for Robert Brown, Caroline Bliss, and director John Glen.
THE CAST-
- Timothy Dalton as James Bond
- Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez
- Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier
- Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora
- Anthony Zerbe as Milton Krest
- Benicio del Toro as Dario
- Don Stroud as Colonel Heller
- Frank McRae as Sharkey
- Everett McGill as Ed Killifer
- Wayne Newton as Professor Joe Butcher
- Anthony Starke as Truman-Lodge
- Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. as President Hector Lopez
- Robert Brown as M
- Desmond Llewelyn as Q
- Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny
- David Hedison as Felix Leiter
- Priscilla Barnes as Della Churchill Leiter
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Kwang
- Christopher Neame as Fallon
- Diana Lee Hsu as Loti
BOND- Given the "new for Bond" storyline of a rogue agent out for revenge, Dalton lets the darkest side of Bond out with a ferocity never before seen in the series. Now then, some people have stated that this film does not feel like a Bond film, which I completely disagree with. He's still making time with the ladies, tuxedo clad and winning at the casino, ordering his usual vodka martini shaken not stirred, and using the same amount of wits that have saved him many times before. He's just really angry because he's very loyal to those he loves, and no one at the DEA or MI6 are willing to overlook politics to see that justice is done. The storyline of how Bond goes about taking Sanchez's organization down from within is awesomely written and conceived and purely Bond, not at all like the movies it was against that summer. The nature of this unofficial mission plays even better into Dalton's natural intensity than TLD, and he was as rock star as Connery ever was in this effort- 5/5
WOMEN- Two American models turned actresses are the featured players. Carey Lowell, who like Barbara Bach is better known nowadays for her famous husband (in this case Richard Gere), has the lead role of Pam Bouvier, an ex-Army pilot who is spying on Sanchez's operation on behalf of the DEA. Despite some early misgivings regarding her abilities, Bond quickly realizes that Pam is smart, tough, well trained, and competent. She's feisty and proud of her abilities, and never lets Bond forget about that or the fact that he needs her help to pull this off. That need attracts each to the other as well. Lowell does a really good job, my only complaint is that she looks a lot better in the wig she wears early on rather than her normal butch look we see later, and she doesn't much turn me on. Who does though with a big hot damn is Talisa Soto as Sanchez's girlfriend Lupe Lamora, she is physically true Bond girl material in the exotic beauty category. The only thing she likes anymore about Sanchez is his money, otherwise she knows he is an abusive monster and wants to get away from him as soon as possible. Bond's demonstration that he is strong enough to solve her problem attracts her as well to him. But her mercenary nature regarding money and power is never off the table, and both use the other to get what they want. Not quite perfect in every way, but close- 4.5/5
VILLAINS- One of the most memorable individual villains and his various henchmen grace the screen, led by American actor Robert Davi as main baddie Franz Sanchez. Hired after Cubby's eldest daughter Tina recommends him, Davi brings a lot of great acting talent to the role. Like most very successful criminals Sanchez greatly enjoys his wealth and lifestyle, but he's never forgotten where he came from nor outgrown his thuggish street roots. His is a very dangerous business that he's murdered his way to the top of, and when angered he is more than willing to kill someone all by himself. Davi is awesome in the role and plays it perfectly. His main henchman is a thoroughly evil young Nicaraguan simply known as Dario, played by Puerto Rican actor and future Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in his 2nd movie. This guy is so sick in the coconut that even the Contras don't want him, but he's just perfect as far as Sanchez is concerned and Dario is completely loyal to the death. They have a big brother type relationship and are very close, which adds deeper meaning to the story and how evil Sanchez himself is. Del Toro is as brilliant as Davi in his role, in every way. Another veteran in American film and TV star Anthony Zerbe plays Milton Krest (originally a Fleming character from "The Hildebrand Rarity"), a major distributor for Sanchez's American operations who uses his marine research company as a front. How to describe Krest? A slimy character who often appears to have a drinking problem, Zerbe does a great job as well because Krest is as easy to hate as anyone. Other henchmen are Don Stroud as security chief Colonel Heller, Anthony Starke as financial whiz Truman-Lodge, and finally Everett McGill (with prop cigar) as Ed Killifer, a corrupt DEA agent who takes Sanchez's $2 million dollar bribe to help him escape and finger the man responsible for his capture, in this case Felix Leiter. Outstanding casting, outstanding performances, and one that is arguably the greatest cast of Bond villains in the series- 5/5
HUMOR- Similar to Dalton's first effort, understated. But this time we get Q as a field assistant and enjoying himself. Other than his usual reminders and admonishments, it's very amusing to see Q casually chuck one of the gadgets he's always so serious about. Another great moment, I can't believe I'm saying this, is the sight gag in Bimini and the look on Dalton's face when the marlin spear comes crashing through the chair he's using to defend himself. Bond's repartee with his gadget master "I hope you don't snore, Q" serves to lighten the generally very black mood of Bond and gives you a solid connection to Bond's normal world. True there isn't as much humor as normal due to the tone of the film, but when there is it's well delivered and mostly not forced- 3/5
ACTION- Not just unique, but genuinely thrilling. The PTS where Leiter takes a detour from his wedding with Bond in tow that ends with a mid-flight capture of Sanchez is both thrilling and exhilarating and starts the film off on a very high note that is mostly sustained throughout. Among the many highlights are the Bimini bar fight, Bond's invasion of Krest's warehouse, Bond's awesome underwater escape from Krest's killers and capture of Sanchez's seaplane loaded with $5 million dollars that helps get him close to Sanchez, and more that culminates with the destruction of Sanchez's distribution center and a wild, incredible, death defying tanker chase featuring Bond trying to catch and finish off Sanchez down a steep, winding, and treacherous mountain road in Mexicali that had been closed down due to many auto related deaths and was also rumored by the locals to be haunted as a result. Absolutely as good as it gets- 5/5
SADISM- In my opinion, without question the most sadistic of Bond films as touched on in the opening notes. You get that right away as Sanchez orders Dario to cut the heart out of Lupe's latest lover- while he's still alive! His screams while Sanchez beats Lupe's backside bloody for her action immediately lets the viewer know about how evil these guys are. Sanchez next has Leiter's new wife raped and murdered and then feeds Felix alive to a hungry shark, but only to maim him as a message to anyone who would try to capture him. He deals with those who would betray his loyalty even more severely- thanks to Bond he explodes Krest in a hyberbaric chamber, has Heller impaled, and tries to have Bond shredded alive. Bond manages to make sure Dario instead meets that fate before Bond quite literally sends Sanchez to the "hell" where he belongs. Not for the squeamish, but if you like the sort of bloody revenge filled mayhem this one brings, you can't help but give it max scores-5/5
MUSIC- With John Barry unable to make a 12th appearance due to medical issues, action movie and rock composer Michael Kamen is chosen on the suggestion of director John Glen. In addition, four different artists are chosen to contribute songs, which I'll cover first. For the title song "Licence To Kill", which bears enough melodic similarity in parts to Goldfinger that royalties and writing credits were paid to John Barry, Anthony Newley, and Leslie Bricusse, Motown legend Gladys Knight is chosen to sing. The song gets negative reactions which I don't understand. Although not quite the same thing, there's a tangible Barry/Bassey vibe and Knight certainly nails it. I love the drama the gong adds and the bridge is superb. Very well written and performed all around, it gives me the goosebumps like a Barry/Bassey song would and is another element that gives the movie a Bondian touch. I've always wondered though what Vic Flick and Eric Clapton's rejected song was like, just as a comparison. Philadelphia legend Patti LaBelle performs the end song "If You Asked Me To". The song would be a bigger hit later on when Céline Dion would do another version, but I prefer this original and Patti is also one of the very best in the business as well. What a voice! Ivory's "Wedding Party" and Tim Feehan's "Dirty Love" are basically filler. Now to Kamen, who chooses the British National Philharmonic Orchestra to play his compositions. The movie begins with "James And Felix On Their Way To Church" blasting out during the gunbarrel and is used during the PTS. I can only describe this as "big, loud, and aggressive" with lots of horns, strings, and percussion but must admit it works well enough, in particular the end which just feels triumphant and fits the scene like a glove."Sanchez Is In The Bahamas/Shark Fishing" also gets use during the PTS. "His Funny Valentine" is first heard when we meet Sanchez during the PTS and again when Leiter is maimed. In addition to the big sound, Kamen is conscious of the location and character background and uses lots of Spanish style flamenco guitar as well throughout the soundtrack to try and capture this element of the film. Following the movie Kamen is light on romantic cues but the one he does do, simply entitled "Pam", uses the guitar and lush strings and I find it quite beautiful and consistent with what he's trying to do thematically. The big finale "Licence Revoked" matches the tanker chase brilliantly and sends the movie out of a musical high note with big and loud brass, lots of the 007 theme, really Bondian and very exciting. In summation, Kamen breaks up his compositions and chooses to use them in a variety of scenes rather than as shorter individual cues or in a Barryesque manner. They don't impress as much as standalone pieces when you listen to the soundtrack itself if you don't know where in the film they were used, but in the movie context they seem to fit very well and as a result the film has a uniquely Spanish yet Bondian feel that I generally enjoy, overall a good job by Kamen along with the title and end themes- 4/5
LOCATIONS- Due to the dreaded English "taxman", locations are limited to Mexico and the Florida Keys, which also double for Bimini and the Bahamas. As a result most likely due to the facilities at Churubusco Studios not being up to those at Pinewood, some often complain that the film feels more like the 1980's hit American TV series "Miami Vice" than a Bond adventure. This isn't a big issue as far as I'm concerned, but it does at times lack the high gloss feel we're used to and doesn't help push the score to be more than average. Yet the underwater footage is as good as normal, the Hemingway House features lush gardens and a feeling of isolation in the middle of the Key West hustle and bustle, the Villa Arabesque in Acapulco that serves as Sanchez's home is lavish with it's white marble and stunning views, and the restored Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya that doubles for Sanchez's distribution center is an amazing feat of ancient architecture brought back to it's original glory. I really don't have any major complaints- 3/5
GADGETS- Q brings all the supplies that a traveler needs. The main one is a now classic signature gun that is programmed so that only Bond can operate it. Plastic explosives disguised as toothpaste. A detonator hidden in a pack of cigarettes. A radio transmitter inside a broom. The exploding alarm clock and laser shooting camera aren't used, but what is works in the narrative-4/5
SUPPORTING CAST- Q is obviously the big star of the regulars getting extended and quality time here. One of my favorite performances along with his Goldfinger scene. Robert Brown's finale as M is his best yet, he seemed to have found his interpretation here. I may catch grief for this, but his scene with Bond at the Hemingway house was Bernard Lee worthy and powerful. Caroline Bliss is less obtrusive and her time thankfully limited. David Hedison returns as Felix Leiter, which was a first until the Craig era, and does a good job. "Three's Company" actress Priscilla Barnes plays Della Churchill Leiter, sorry to say, she annoys me. A little too bubbly and a little too friendly with Bond, but her final scene is acceptable. But wait...there's more! Frank McRae is a hoot as Sharkey, Japanese actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa plays Hong Kong narc Kwang, Vegas legend Wayne Newton cracks me up as TV evangelist and Sanchez middleman Professor Joe Butcher, 1960 Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson appears as a DEA agent, and finally in a touching nod to the distant past, Pedro Armendariz Jr, son of the late great Kerim Bey a.k.a Pedro Sr, rounds it out as Sanchez's pocket president Hector Lopez. Aside from Barnes and Bliss, more entertainment- 4.5/5
OVERALL SCORE AND RECOLLECTIONS- After "The Living Daylights", the 3 Bondateers were highly anticipating this one from the moment details started to leak out. It got even better for me when a work connection provided me with an official EON press kit. It has plot and cast details and glossy black and white photos of Dalton and various cast members that is my one of my most treasured pieces of genuinely collectible Bond memorabilia, along with my various original posters and assorted knicknacks such as the Goldfinger cars my Dad collected for me. This film also deeply affects me on a personal level though with both anger and sadness, as my Dad passed away in February 1992 and thanks to the legal issues, it would not only end the Dalton era but even worse deny me one last Bond film in 1991 with my Dad. As far as the movie itself, I can't say enough good things about how much I love it, which was across the board with all three of us. My Dad said the series was in great hands with Dalton and obviously we wanted more. The movie takes Bond into brand new territory that makes it a standout entry in terms of uniqueness, and contains virtually everything you should want in a Bond film. It's Bond's dark side unleashed and a brilliantly written story of revenge, but as I've said there is plenty of the Bond we know still there to enjoy. For years Dalton and this film fell into the same unloved and disrespected category of OHMSS, but like that film future generations of Bond aficionados have rescued it's reputation and mostly come to realize what I always have from the day I first saw it in the theater- it's easily both one of the best yet most underrated films in the series. A genuine top 3 film and one I enjoy even to the day as much as I did in 1989. I went to see this one 3 times during it's theatrical run and 2 is the norm unless it's exceptionally bad, which should say a lot. It scores a whopping 43 points, for an average of 4.3
There's one notable exception. The "looks like he came to a dead end" line, which falls utterly flat and didn't need to be there. It would have been more appropriate after the car kick in FYEO (I'm not suggesting it should have been in there).