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FRWL could arguably be the most 'faultless' Bond film. Through its 115 minute run time, its only true shortcoming might be that it just fails to reach the euphoric and escapist joys of later entries.
It is perfectly structured as a film; slowly building in suspense over the course of its initial two acts before providing catharsis in the form of relentless and thrilling action. The action already presents a step-up from its predecessor. The sequences tend to rely on silent build-up to generate excitement; Bond's conversation with Grant and the escalation in the boat chase are two good examples of this clever technique.
Fine performances all around; Connery gives one of his best, Bianchi portrays one of the better Connery Bond girls, an excellent cast of villains and a great ally in Kerim Bey.
Forgetting to mention the score would do great disservice to Barry, whose first effort, while outdoing himself in the later films, still resonates strongly to give a memorably 'Bond' adventure. Sparingly and effectively used; this is also where he composed the secondary Bond theme, "007".
8/10
This was on telly yesterday. Unlike the dreaded ITV our second channel RTE 2 showed it uncut and a decent print.
Way back before the dreaded Brossa era I would have ranked this Bond film at bottom.
Coming after the sublime OHMSS it was a big comedown.A naff story with sleazy unpleasant characters in cheap looking locale and dialogue crammed with corny one liners and worse Connery sleepwalking through the role and that scene where he disrobes in front of Tiffany makes him look like your dad after bath night!
Viewed today it still doesnt rank high buts this viewing i enjoyed and embraced its low brow antics. Connerys portrayal has sly moments, though he comes across as far more brutish.
Gray is still terrible but Wint and Kidd are good and though Jill St John comes across as a bit of a slag, she looks terrific ( particularly in her bikini moment. The action is poor with the highlights odf the lift fight and car chase rather bland looking now! As always i wait for my 'highlight', the unintentional scene where the stuntman waits for Connery to kick him off the quad bike. Always brings a smile to my face unlike screenwriter Tom Mankiewiczs groaning one liners!
You and I both. I've always enjoyed him in the role - Dikko, too.
Much like i prefer Joe Don Baker as Whitaker than the buffoonish irritating Jack Wade!
As good as ever. As before, the only problems I have with it are its subpar structure and lack of a good henchman. Through and through, this is smart and riveting entertainment that set an unfortunately high precedent for the Craig era.
9/10
I also like Brosnan's portrayal more in TWINE. Most of us talk about Craig's nuanced acting and yet fail to credit Brosnan for his (see: bunker scene). Yes, his acting isn't always perfect, but whos is? Going back to the scene in the bunker, I loved the way we get a glimpse of what his profession means to him - something we don't see in TND. OTOH I felt that he was already showing his age in '99 and so in hindsight he looks sharper and suaver in TND. Side note: I absolutely love the way he confidently taps ppl on the shoulder (or faking a lighter) before knocking them out cold. :D
Michelle Yeoh is truly great (sans her YAHHs) but she doesn't stand a chance against Marceau - her death being more emotional than the entirety of TND. Denise is the cherry on top.
The action scenes might go to TND though. They have more 'energy' maybe due to Brosnan, and the music fits them like a glove. (Not to say that TWINE's score doesn't, but it's not as good.) TND's PTS has similar action but it's the lines that make it better than TWINE's. Finally, the scenes are more chaotic and visceral. For example: helicopter chase, car chase and the kung-fu fight.
Btw: Once Bond dispatches Elektra, do we hear music from Goldeneye? I could've sworn it was some theme Serra had already used.
Brosnan does look his best in TND. Athletic and with a healthier, more brawling-capable weight than GoldenEye, where he looked a bit on the skinny side. I think he still looks good in TWINE though. Just older, more mature, but certainly not too old. Which I think works with TWINE's more serious, more drama-driven story. And yes, Brosnan did everything with style.
I like the action about equal in both. I feel that TND and TWINE feature some of the best, most creative, and most fun action sequences of the series.
Yeoh, Marceau, and Richards are all great. Wish Bellucci might have made it a quartet.
It's actually a somber variation on Elektra's theme. But played slowly and somberly like that, I can hear the resemblance that you do to Serra's love theme. They're different themes though.
One of my faves, @barryt007. As you say, the action and the music are perfectly synced. The whole sequence is a blast.
But it's uncanny how similar the themes sound. I doubt that it was a total coincidence, but what's the meaning behind it...?
This film still needs the sequel it always needed though. If B25 doesn't continue from this, then SP will get much worse in hindsight. Too much unfinished business.
Btw. If anyone likes editing Wiki pages then could you please add Japan to SP for "Locations depicted in films"? Tokyo did appear in SP after all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_film_locations
Well, if the direct sequel gets made then technically there never was a problem. It's only once they advance in another direction and leave SP discontinued, that there's a problem. If that makes any sense.
This is a moot point though really, as I don't think we'll see a Bond film for a long time yet.
Just a grand 007 film. Gets better with every viewing. I'm just hoping that one time that I'll watch it and Tracy will not be killed. Lazenby will always be just ok in my book but the rest of the film makes up for it in every way. It's a shame that they followed it up properly. Sean said that he wanted to do a similar Bond film and thats how DAF should have been. A proper follow up to it.
Eventually she does live; just keep viewing. I don't want to spoil the surprise completely with the exact number.
Solidified as a top 10 entry for me (10 out of 24) on this viewing. Dalton is excellent and he seemed 'cooler' to me this time around in comparison to many prior viewings. As I mentioned on another thread, I noticed he does a lot of his own stunts, and that really helped to make his contribution seem more impressive.
The only parts that still bother me in this film are the poor dialogue and dynamic with Carey Lowell ("It's a tough business you've picked Ms. Bouvier!! Leave it to the professionals!!!!"). Even Soto is tolerable (just), and her looks make up for her inability to emote or act. The stunt work is really good in this film - I continue to be amazed by the 'plane hook' at the start and the water ski sequence.
I found myself wondering whether it would be possible in reality to hook a plane in that vertical position by its tail - I assume in reality the tail would have just snapped off due to the weight of the fuselage below it?
Really enjoyed this one the last few times. I would also recommend seeing the inside documentary, really good stuff. It especially made me respect the truck chase alot more knowing all the work that went behind it, it is like a little action movie of its own.
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TLD
After my continued positive experience with LTK, I thought I'd try Dalton's debut film tonight. I've had a mixed impression of this film over the years. When I first saw it I much preferred it to his later effort (which I actually disliked immensely at first). As time has progressed, their positions have reversed and TLD is the one I'm not all that keen on these days. Sadly, tonight's viewing only served to reaffirm that negative opinion.
Dalton is excellent in this film as well, and his performance as Bond has actually grown on me over the past few nights. I think he does the intense, moody Bond far better than Daniel Craig. He's more accessible too and less robotic. More human. He certainly doesn't do 'cool' as well, but there is a certain authenticity to Dalton as Bond which is appealing. He looks good too. Lean, fit and tall as Bond should be.
So what's the problem? Well, it all comes down to the usual suspects: 1) whiny Kara, 2) weak villains and 3) Afghanistan. D'Abo is quite attractive (if a little undernourished), but I find her terribly annoying. While I tried to enjoy the Afghanistan sequences today, it didn't work out and I found myself tuning out as usual, only to become re-engaged during the plane fight. Then the awful epilogue at Whitaker's spoiled things again, and as usual it was further compounded by the naff concert replete with Kamran's men barging in like a bunch of goons (I can't imagine how this was considered amusing even in 1987).
So sadly I must disagree with the majority of forum members (who rate this film highly) on this one. It remains distinctly lower middle of the pack for me, but Dalton is excellent.