X
- 1987
- PG
- United Artists
- 2 h 10 m
- 1987
- PG
- United Artists
- 2 h 10 m
Summary James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov.
Directed By: John Glen
Written By: Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson, Ian Fleming
- 1987
- PG
- United Artists
- 2 h 10 m
- 1987
- PG
- United Artists
- 2 h 10 m
The Living Daylights
59
6.8
Where to Watch
Summary James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov.
Directed By: John Glen
Written By: Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson, Ian Fleming
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
59
56% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
59
56% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
You may not like Timothy Dalton as Bond, but the fact is they could put a trained seal in the role and the movies would be basically the same. And by those standards, this one is pretty good.
Timothy Dalton's monogamous, deadpan 007 brings a more nuanced interpretation to the central character, whose relationships evolve in ways rarely seen in the earlier films.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 75 User Ratings
6.8
56% Positive
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
40% Mixed
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
4% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 75 User Ratings
6.8
56% Positive
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
40% Mixed
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
4% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
The fifteenth James Bond movie and debut of Timothy Dalton. It is rated divisive from favorite Bond movie to one of the worst by fans and critics alike. For me it is one of the best in the franchise and a strong first performance by Timothy Dalton. After the end of the Roger Moore era they wanted a more serious approach. Do not worry as there are also bits of humor but far less than before. In the intro James Bond and two other 00 agents are performing a test infiltration on the British military base on Gibraltar (The guards have just paintball weapons for this occasion). This goes horribly wrong as a third party uses this for their benefits and after the events it seems that the Soviets were starting an escalation that could turn the cold war hot. He is send out on an investigation to get more information. I stop here to avoid spoilers. The overall story is one of the best in the franchise. It has good twists and when the allegiances unfold you notice they also have good schemers. The actors were used well and added to the experience. Lets start with Timothy Dalton as new James Bond. After Roger Moore was not available many names were thrown in the ring. There are rumors that even Mel Gibson was a candidate at one time. At the end Timothy Dalton who was a candidate before when George Lazenby took the role and Pierce Brosnan were left. Because Pierce Brosnans contract for Remington Steele prevented him Timothy Dalton was chosen. I think he does a great first performance and deliver. Most criticism for me is the fact that he is not like Sean Connery or Roger Moore. Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker is a good villain with human flaws and an ego to big for him. Enjoyable to watch and I think they could / should have done more with him. Art Malik as Kamran Shah was a positive surprise for me. He has not the biggest role but won me over easily and became a remarkable character. Maryam d’Abo as Kara Milovy is also good. They avoided the damsel in distress really good 8mostly) as she has some remarkable talents but not the best knowledge of human nature (Cant blame her as most of us fail in life with this too). John Rhys Davies as General Pushkin is also a great addition. He is such a talented actor and performed remarkably. An often underappreciated character is Andreas Wisniewski as Necros. He is one o the most capable henchman in the franchise. He has a no nonsense approach and is skilled enough to impress even James Bond (Think he would do well as 00 agent). These characters / actors in combination with the story are the reason for my rating as one of the best movies in the franchise. The rest is good as always for franchise standards. The gadgets by Q are again so enjoyable. I just say Ghettoblaster. Bonus points for the soundtrack. The Living Daylight from a-ha and the performances of The Pretenders are in the top region for the franchise. Overall this is a highlight for many including me. It has a great cast and delivers. I repeat my warning that it is also for many one of the weaker entries in the franchise but that makes it also a good topic for fans;-). I recommend it and rewatch it once in a while.
Report
The name's Dalton, Timothy Dalton, and in the film The Living Daylights he abandons the winks, the arched eyebrow and laid-back smile to get down to the dirty business of espionage. [27 July 1987, p.56]
Mr. Dalton, the latest successor to the role of James Bond, is well equipped for his new responsibilities.
Timothy Dalton stars as the 1987 model James Bond in this 15th entry in the series, with the usual assortment of dope smugglers, KGB operatives, and criminal psychos providing a few anxious moments at the welcoming party. Expect the expected.
Without a great Bond girl, a great villain or a hero with a sense of humor, The Living Daylights belongs somewhere on the lower rungs of the Bond ladder. But there are some nice stunts.
The Living Daylights marks one of those moments when the Bond franchise was awkwardly caught between two eras.
One of the most underrated films of the whole series. Dalton is perfect as Bond, he manages to come off as gritty but not overly gritty, and still maintain charm and class as 007. The action scenes are fantastic too, like the opening chase and the fight on the plane. You really feel the stakes in this one, and the whole thing really does feel like an actual SPY film. Whitaker and Koskov are rather weak villains, but besides that, an extremely underrated and superb film.
Report
I watched this movie through its final third, which took place in Afghanistan. The abrupt inclusion of a huge number of new characters and a late plot surprise that doesn't make much sense and receives little explanation detract slightly from what is otherwise a strong Bond adventure with a more grounded narrative emphasis and aesthetic vibe. There is still entertaining material there, but everything in and around it detracts from Timothy Dalton's portrayal as Agent 007.
Report
This Bond movie is neither bad nor good, and the heroine in Maryam d'Abo's Kara Milovy is neither really powerful nor weak either. Just average in every aspect. A slight bump up is given to Timothy Dalton being a fantastic Bond.
Report
Warning: Spoilers
While this is nothing brilliant, this could have been much worse. Out of the two films Timothy Dalton did, this is the better of the two as I personally disliked Licence to Kill. The plot is nothing special, the script is thin, the pacing is pedestrian and the film is overlong. Conversely, the locations are superb and very picturesque, the music is brilliant, the action is credible, the direction is decent and the acting from Dalton, Jeroen Knabbe(the Soviet general), Maryam D'Abo(as the beautiful Czech cellist) and Joe Don Baker(as the arms dealer) is not bad at all if not superb. Overall, it is decent but not extraordinary. 6/10 Bethany Cox.
Report
Behold another fiasco, taking massive hits and heavy losses, the banner has got to be vulnerable and is ought to make more mistakes like such.
The Living Daylights
Glen has a new asset to mold and present it neatly to the avid viewers. He fails in doing so, that's a one thing, but he couldn't even save the film either. Or maybe I should have gone the other way around. Maybe, it goes like this, the director, John Glen even failed to create a compelling bond chapter let alone stage the newer addition with sparkly lights and bright colors. This new and statistically the least successful Bond, has frankly no whatsoever rhythm in his body language to carry an entire film on his shoulder let alone a big banner like such. Addition to it, with zero empathy that he has to offer, Timothy Dalton is barely seeking for any opinion in here.
And if you find yourself cornered in a situation like such, he had the option to make an effort too. But ignoring that path perpetually, the boat he so graciously wishes to float on, is crooked itself. With an overlong and overridden concept, the film manages to convince you from time to time to, well, have a peak on the clock. And disappointed with how much is still left, the horrifying realization of what has been gone in over the last hour strikes with a jarring impact to us.
Since, the first hour is basically passing the parcel game, the romance between the lead characters. for a brief period in an intense scene, gives us a glimpse which apparently is meant to make up for all the drama that they cared for up till now. In a film, that desperately tries to be light on the feet and fast paced in its speech, to weave out a honeymoon sequence-- and not the obvious signature to-the-point scene but a train of rom-com alike montages-- has got to be a bold choice, it certainly gave me The Living Daylights.
Report
Awards
Jupiter Award
• 3 Nominations
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
BMI Film & TV Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
