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I used to think of QOS as an interlude, something that ties up a few loose ends from CR but broadens the menace of the shadow organisation behind LeChiffre, something to build upon further in a next film.
That idea was of course ruined--and I don't necessarily mean that as a bad thing--by the direction they took with SF. SF was, obviously, a big hit. It may, however, also have been a curse at the same time. For example, I understand the artistic ambitions of SF but by the same token, perhaps it was a bit soon to suggest that Bond was already too old for this game. It's hard for me now, while watching SP, to completely forget how close Bond has already come to permanent retirement. Quite the whiplash after his first two "new-to-the-game" adventures. It feels like we're missing a few films to let Bond get a bit more seasoned; the same problem many have with the enormous jump from The Dark Knight to The Dark Knight Rises.
Furthermore, when they returned to the "shadow organisation" plot in SP, they somehow felt the need, not just to return to QOS and slowly continue to build on that film, but to quickly tie-up everything, including the events of SF, to Blofeld and reach even deeper into Bond's personal life. A bit much perhaps, but it did follow SF's playbook.
So for me, QOS doesn't feel like a Gerard Butler actioner, though I understand the comparison, but as a part of a story that will never be, since tonally (but not storywise) they gave the Craig era a soft reboot with SF.
My sincerest hope for NTTD is that the current team brings back some of the traditional Bond fun, despite the rumoured dark place we're most likely to start from.
Absolutely brilliant!!
:)) Absolutely brilliant!!! =D> :-bd
Still, the opening PTS is the best in the series, the Aston Martin V8 is class, the interrogation scene between Bond and Pushkin in Tangier is nail-bitingly tense, and the ending always puts a smile on my face. As for what could of been had Brosnan been in the role instead of Dalton, I don’t think he would of made TLD entertaining.
Somewhat late, but having just watched that, it put a smile on my face. I love the snow that is kicked up when the bad guys fire at Bond and Kara.
Not to diminish the seriousness of what’s going on in Afghanistan, but when I saw this footage of Afghans chasing the US plane I swear I could’ve seen Timothy Dalton in there…
- Favorite Bond actor
- Favorite PTS
- Favorite soundtrack
- 2nd favorite title song
- Atmosphere
- Aston Martin V8
- Bratislava sniper scene and Pushin interrogation. Both just ooze pure Fleming.
- Bond vs Necros. I can't say enough about how much I love this scene. The soundtrack blaring. Bond fighting four things at once: Necros, Kara's inability to control the plane, the bomb, and the cargo net ripping apart.
I could go on and on with other scenes.
I love First Blood and John Rambo. Not a big fan of Parts 2 and 3, despite their awesome scores. That fifth film is absolutely abysmal.
That said, I don't mind how the mujahidin come off in TLD. The film doesn't have Kamran Shah preach about sharia law, about the West, about the inferiority of women, ... Bond and Shah have a mutual enemy, and that is the only bit of politics they talk about. So the mujahidin in TLD is barely the real thing. It's an ultra-light version, a narrative convenience, like our "ally" General Gogol.
I'm fine with their role on TLD. Haven't seen Rambo though, and I suspect that's a bit different...!
Saw Rambo III the summer it was released and immediately saw the many similarities to TLD, but it really is just Rambo 2 transferring from the jungle to the desert with the Russian general, personal reason to go and all that.
The one thing I recall from that viewing was joking how the resistance fighters all spoke perfect English and my buddy in all seriousness wanted to argue that since English "is an international language" that it was understandable. The film was a box office disappointment and the Rambo phenomenon came to an abrupt end for years. Haven't watched 5, but 4 was one of the worst films I've ever had the misfortune to witness.
Anybody recall after 9/11 that TLD DVDs and VHS were scarce? Can anybody confirm or deny this?
Northern Alliance fighters sided with US/NATO forces to topple the Taliban in 2001.
I would not be surprised at all to see some of those men once again take up arms against the Taliban.
(No, they're not enlightened "small-D" democrats by any means... It's more a function of "warlordism". But they certainly had a friendlier disposition towards the West, and did not like the Taliban or their ways. I consider Bond ally Kamran Shah to be one such Afghan fighter.)
This list pretty much sums up why I - despite every objective voice in my adult brain telling me it isn't - find TLD almost the perfect Bond movie.
- Dalton's earnest, studied performance (his 007 really helps me to suspend disbelief)
- the slow burn Fleming-esque tension of the Bratislava & Countryside safehouse & scenes
- the most gorgeous gadget-laden Bond car ever imo (I will find a way to buy one, one day...)
- and, most of all, the interplay between the on-screen action and John Barry's (best ever, tied with OHMSS) Bond score creates such a rich, cinematic atmosphere.
It's my 4th favourite Bond film, after the first three Connery's. Doubt if that will ever change.
It has so much I love about James Bond in it. And it's very 'Flemingesque'
Dalton nails the character from the books.
It's balance between classic Fleming suspense and Cinematic 007 thrills is unmatched, imo.
Both the PTS and the final Jeep Parachute stunt just seem right up there with TSWLM's era-defining PTS. It's just so 'James Bond'.
It's my favourite PTS by far. A brilliant sequence that also has a great opening shot of the (at the time) new 007.
If the climax was stronger, this would be top 3 Bond for me just on the first hour alone
It’s possibly the best example we have of balancing pure cinematic AND literary Bond.
Agreed. Very well put.
It's my #4th Bond film too.
When I first watched it at the cinema I knew it was the Bond film I'd been waiting for.
After my beloved OHMSS, It wrestles with my second spot with the equally brilliant LTK though it could easily be Number 1!
Timothy Dalton IS James Bond!
Agreed, that sums it up well. CR also did this well, but was less escapist.
I truly hope we get back to that balance again…
One can only hope...
That's a great observation (agree on the others as well). That first cinema viewing had me clamoring for Barry's soundtrack as I sat watching TLD. Still one of my favorite and has been in my car's CD player constantly the past few years (yes, some of us still use CDs). At the same time, it makes me a bit sad we'll likely never get music of this quality again; times have just changed in terms of movie music.
Also I really like the previous poster's observation about the Bond vs. Necros sequence of having multiple things Bond was against besides just him. I notice that every time I watch the film and it's not until Bond and Kara finally land in the jeep you feel truly relieved. That's what a good film does. A lot of people mention how the Afghanistan scenes are a letdown, but I actually like them a lot more than many other Bond films at that point.
And Sanchez is one of my favorite villains, in any film.