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"We have nothing to declare?": Let's discuss... The Living Daylights (1987)/ Poll
St_George
Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
<img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/tld_banner.jpg">;
Well, I hope we do have something to declare... for, yes, this is the latest thread dedicated to a single, individual Bond flick in which we can all comment, discuss and pick it to pieces, however positively or negatively (or both we see fit). And this time it's the turn of Timbo - yup, in the spotlight is his debut as 007 peeps, The Living Daylights, no less.
Now, it may be no secret around these parts (especially if you've known me a while from the old place) that I'm not the greatest fan of Dalton as Bond; a fine actor unquestionably, but for me not a natural 007. And, must say, I'm not TLD's greatest fan either. But it's not all poor old Dalters' fault, let me just say. Sure, I think he went too heavy and world-weary in the role (to my senses, at times his incarnation of Fleming's hero borders on a serious depressive) and, yet, rather oddly there's one too many clumsy overly-arty, theatrical flourishes in his version too - as if he's over-playing the role. However, Timbo aside, TLD would rate higher for me if it were directed better - it tries to be gritty, hard-edged and exotic in the FRWL mould, but comes across a bit flat and looks a little dull (unlike, say, CR of 20 years later). In all fairness, this could be put down as much to the fact it was made in the '80s - a decade in which espionage thrillers did tend to be a bt 'colourless' - as to the fact it was directed by the not-the-most-inventive John Glen. And, for me, while Kara Milovy (although a bit wet) is a perfectly decent Bond Girl, the film's villains are all completely pants. But, for all that, most of the action set-pieces - especially the epic if over-played Afghan climax - genuinely impress.
So, overall, not a brilliant Bond entry for me, but far from terrible; there's a terrific 007 adventure trying to get out of TLD, it just can't quite decide exactly which one to let out - mind, sadly functional old John Glen probably couldn't deliver that if it did.
Anyhoo, that's my two cents' worth, now how about yours?
(Oh, and do vote in the poll to the side there, folks!) :)
![http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/tld_banner.jpg">](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/tld_banner.jpg">){kind=link}
Well, I hope we do have something to declare... for, yes, this is the latest thread dedicated to a single, individual Bond flick in which we can all comment, discuss and pick it to pieces, however positively or negatively (or both we see fit). And this time it's the turn of Timbo - yup, in the spotlight is his debut as 007 peeps, The Living Daylights, no less.
Now, it may be no secret around these parts (especially if you've known me a while from the old place) that I'm not the greatest fan of Dalton as Bond; a fine actor unquestionably, but for me not a natural 007. And, must say, I'm not TLD's greatest fan either. But it's not all poor old Dalters' fault, let me just say. Sure, I think he went too heavy and world-weary in the role (to my senses, at times his incarnation of Fleming's hero borders on a serious depressive) and, yet, rather oddly there's one too many clumsy overly-arty, theatrical flourishes in his version too - as if he's over-playing the role. However, Timbo aside, TLD would rate higher for me if it were directed better - it tries to be gritty, hard-edged and exotic in the FRWL mould, but comes across a bit flat and looks a little dull (unlike, say, CR of 20 years later). In all fairness, this could be put down as much to the fact it was made in the '80s - a decade in which espionage thrillers did tend to be a bt 'colourless' - as to the fact it was directed by the not-the-most-inventive John Glen. And, for me, while Kara Milovy (although a bit wet) is a perfectly decent Bond Girl, the film's villains are all completely pants. But, for all that, most of the action set-pieces - especially the epic if over-played Afghan climax - genuinely impress.
So, overall, not a brilliant Bond entry for me, but far from terrible; there's a terrific 007 adventure trying to get out of TLD, it just can't quite decide exactly which one to let out - mind, sadly functional old John Glen probably couldn't deliver that if it did.
Anyhoo, that's my two cents' worth, now how about yours?
(Oh, and do vote in the poll to the side there, folks!) :)
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Comments
Great film.
The start of the film is one of the best of any movie from the pts to the milkmans delivery.
Music is brilliant.
Rating from me: 10/10
PKK
P.S. MajorDSmythe, your input is requested here in this thread.
Daylights is a solid film but not one of the true greats IMO. I'd give it a 7 and its about number 13 or so in my list. The film does have at its heart a solid performance from Dalton, who certainly gives a much-needed harder edge to Bond. It also has a terrific score from John Barry and some stand-out action scenes.
However the plot to me sometimes feels a little...flat. I'd be lying if I said I was truely gripped when Bond and Kara were in the desert and it doesn't really help that the main villains of the piece are as memorable as Emilo Largo in NSNA. It's not that they are bad actors, it's more that their characters don't seem to have a real sense of menace to them. That's what a good spy story needs at its heart, a threatening, compelling main adversary. Necros is perhaps the best of the 3 baddies. However he's really a henchman, not the big cheese.
I also had a few issues with Kara the last time I watched TLD (which wasn't long ago). She's sweet but there's something very....puppy-like...about her which occasionally grates a bit. I prefer the sassy, independent girl in a Bond film myself. Give me Pussy Galore, Natalya or Vesper anyday. The love story between the 2 is cute but thats it really. I don't think they are Bogey/Becall by any means, in fact I think Pierce Brosnan and Izabella Scorupco came closer to that description...but I'm probably going to get shot down for that :p
Then finally there's Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny
~X(
It sounds like I don't like Daylights :-S I do, but I just don't think it's great.
I hate to say this but I think overall CR alone trumps both of Dalton's films - and that's coming from someone who prefers Dalton in the part. Royale was just brighter and had a far more energetic feel to it.
I am also a long-term nay sayer as far as Dalts is concerned. His mannered, tortured, teeth-grinding, eye-swivelling huffing and puffing Bond is theatrical and OTT (IMHO). Cinema acting is far more subtle than that, and a technique Messrs Connery and Craig have off to an art.
And he's a bit weedy looking as well if I may say so.
Anyways, despite that his relationship with Maryam/Kara is delicate, sweet and believable. Despite Glen's short comings as a director he develops Kara's feelings for Bond at just the right pace. Dalton and d'Abo look so good together you can fully understand why she ended up with the part. She plays the vulnerable, trusting Kara perfectly without turning her in to an airhead (unlike some I could mention cough* Talisa Soto).
Caroline Bliss is simply awful. I mean totally terrible. Caught between Lois Maxwell's sassy Penny and Samantha Bond's knowing and witty take on the part, Bliss plays her like a love-struck teenager. Yuk.
Jeroen Krabbe is terrific and chews the scenery up in true Bond villain style. Art Malik is good as well.
John Terry? Has an actor ever made the sort of impact where you can't remember him 3 seconds after he leaves the screen, quite so successfully?
The film itself moves along nicely and never becomes boring. It's Glen's best film by a mile (even though he himself thinks the bitter and nasty LTK is better). Therefore it's the best Bond film of the 80s. Honestly Benny, it is!
;-)
Oh, I completely missed out LTK in that ruminating there, didn't I? Oh well. ;)
And, yup, well mentioned about TLD's plot, @BAIN123. It goes for the taut Cold War thriller narrative of a FRWL or FYEO, but the plot is just unnecessarily convaluted by the time they're in the desert - and eventually you discover it all comes down to arms-dealing and diamond smuggling, which I've always found (probably no thanks to the very underwhelming villains) more than a little anti-climactic. Thank goodness for Kamran Shah in the last third of the movie - a fine character. If in a parallel universe Dalts made another three Bond films, you can bet you bottom dollar Shah was brought back for two of 'em.
However, you're also absolutely right, matey, in that TLD possesses a fine Barry score (the tinkly piano version of If There Was A Man underscores Bond and Kara's moments beautifully) and, fond as I am for a-ha, its title song ain't bad either. Even if The Barrymeister couldn't stand working with the Norwegian popsters, of course...
I suppose I just prefer Natalya as she isn't quite so wet and naive.
It is easy to know when you are watching the best parts of the film. Just look for Timothy Dalton wearing a tan jacket. He's wearing that jacket in the Pushkin interrogation (perhaps Dalton's finest moment as Bond), the assassination of Pushkin (Bond turning and firing a bullet into the spotlight is one of the most "Bondian" moments in the entire series), the chase through Tangiers, and meeting with Leiter.
Secondly, you know when you are watching some of the best parts of the film when you see the Necros character. One of the better henchman in the series.
I see some criticism of John Glen. I never understood why he gets so much grief. I think he did some excellent work in this film in particular.
A script that meanders in certain parts and a Brad Whitaker character that is useless serve to hurt the film significantly. Yet, the good out weighs the bad.
6/10
There have been many girls before who could handle weapons, and evere since Pussy Galore walked on set they have often been spoken of as Bonds equal. It really is nothing new. Like I said, we all have our favourites. :X
The PC police rule we have now is that merely every Bond girl is a Bond equal.
Enough of the 'equal to Bond' or a fellow agent.
I'll post my thoughts on TLD later.
My only regrets are that I wasn't old enough to see TLD in the cinema (turning 2 in 1987 did kinda cause a problem there) and that Dalton wasn't able to carry on into the 1990's. We could have had some cracking films. Casino Royale & Tomorrow Never Dies (Daltonised, of course) to name two, not to mention the other 3 Bond films Dalton could have squeezed in between 1991 and 1999.