SimonJack Despite being near the least popular actor to play James Bond (the least honor goes to George Lazenby), Timothy Dalton turns in a very good role in "The Living Daylights." And, this 1987 edition of British Agent 007 (James Bond), has a number of pluses going for it. First, it has almost nonstop action and almost no carousing. Second, it has the most advanced special gimmicks for Bond's disposal, which adds to the excitement. And third, it has a complex plot with mystery, intrigue and many twists. All of that makes for a very entertaining film. And, Dalton as Bond has a wry cynicism combined with a smile that says he sees through his adversary of the moment. All of the cast are quite good in this Bond thriller, with the possible exception of Jeroen Krabbe. He plays General Georgi Koskov over the top, with such flamboyance at times that even the most naïve viewer would have trouble believing he could be in the Soviet KGB. This film had a nice touch of the Afghan revolt and the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989). It has a smashing chase scene with Bond and Kara Milovy (played by Maryann d'Arbo) in the special weapons car evading and disrupting what looks like half the Russian army. And it has a fantastic fight scene in the air between Bond and Necros (played by Andreas Wisniewski) holding on to just netting around a pile of opium bags suspended below the open ramp of the transport plane. Lots of action and intrigue, and even more globetrotting than usual make this a very entertaining and enjoyable film. It's definitely one of the best plots of the entire Bond series.

stormhawk2018 After 7 films, it was clear that Moore was done, and the series needed to be refreshed. Cut then, to this: Timothy Dalton making his 007 debut, and the series making a return to a more grounded and less ridiculous approach to the spy thriller. Dalton gets dumped on, but I rather like his brief era, but maybe that's because I'm a fan of a more realistic and dark approach. That's also why I dig Daniel Craig. I will concede that each Bond has their good and bad points though. And Dalton is fine here. He was criticized for being humorless. Well, he's not entirely, but he is really dry with his quips. Okay, the plot. Well, it's immense: Bond is signed on to aid in the defection of a Soviet, only to find himself stuck in the middle of a complex plot that also involves tons of Cold War intrigue, lies, deception, arms smuggling, the opium trade, and the Soviet war in Afghanistan (later revisited in Rambo III). Yeah, it's a lot, but it's all handled surprisingly well, and during its 131 minute run-time the film moves along at a pretty brisk pace. For the most part that is. It does start to drag some and get real drawn out during the final act, but it does conclude quite satisfactorily. Like I said, Dalton is good, but you can tell it's his first film, as he is a bit stiff at times. Again though, I like him. Maryam d'Abo isn't the worst Bond girl, but she struck me as really wooden and rather blah. She's nice looking though. The film fares better with the supporting cast, with top honors going to Joe Don Baker, Jeroen Krabbe, and John Phys-Davies. The stunts and action are staged and executed fairly well, the direction is fairly assured, and overall, this is a really enjoyable, sadly underrated romp. Give it a go.

LeonLouisRicci The Longest Continuous Franchise in Movie History did an Abrupt About Face with the Departure of an Aging Roger Moore and the Over the Top Tone, Layered with Comedic Fluff that had been the Formula for a Decade. Abandoning for the 1970's, the Cynicism, "Black" Humor, and the Serious Semi-Realism of the Connery Films.Attempting the Change was a bit Risky since the Bond Films all made Money. Some made a Ton of Money. The Mediocre Box-Office of the Two Timothy Dalton Bonds had Them Second-Guessing. But in Retrospect both of the Dalton Deliveries Deserved, and have Subsequently Received, a Better Reputation. In Fact, after the Pierce Brosnan Films, Daniel Craig and the Producers Picked Up on the Timothy Dalton Take once again.While this, the 15th James Bond Movie, is Not as Good as the Next and Final Dalton, it is Leaps and Bounds Better than most of the Goofy Roger Moore Movies. It Suffers somewhat with a Bloated Plot and a Residue from the Previous Over-Kill that was Part of the Formula. However, Overall it is a Thrilling Cold-War Finale.It's not a Perfect Bond Movie (few are), but it Stands the Test of Time, for those that take Their James Bond Seriously.

Thomas Drufke For awhile, the Bond films lost the spy elements to the series. Not that there weren't some great installments, there were. But I feel as though The Living Daylights brought the franchise back to its spy roots. The last time a film delved into that was probably The Spy Who Loved Me. And as much as I loved Roger Moore in the role for so long, Timothy Dalton did a fine job as 007. You immediately buy into him as Bond which is something Lazenby really struggled with years before. I also appreciated the pacing of this film. A lot of Bond films over 2 hours are noticeably 2 hours. But this film speeds by, and if it weren't for a rough middle act, this would be one of the best of the series.Obviously I'm watching this nearly 30 some odd years after it's release, but I couldn't help but notice the story resemblances to this years Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Both being spy movies is a given, but it's opera house scene, along with the leading lady, and its twists and turns all seem to call back to The Living Daylights. But believe me, that's a good thing. I did like Maryam d'Abo as the main Bond girl with something else up her sleeve, but I thought the writing pushed the romance too much with James. Sometimes a women's role in a film doesn't need to feature a romance with the lead character. Other than that, she provided an interesting dynamic with Bond and the rest of the characters.It was nice to see John Rhys-Davies show up although I wish his role would have had more significance. His character tended to get lost in the jumble a bit with all the other secret intelligence that appear here. But again, I think this film benefited from its surprises and unpredictability. Having so many characters keeps us on the edge of our seat as to who makes it and who doesn't. I was also impressed with the writers decision to included certain lines about why this person wasn't going to be killed or why this person needed to be killed. So often in Bond films, I feel as though characters are killed off without real necessity or explanation. That's not the case in The Living Daylights.As if Bond didn't have enough Ski/snow chase sequences, there is yet another one in this film. We have to be nearing double digits at this point. But the action overall is quite impressive. Besides the explosive finale, there wasn't unnecessary special effects or explosions as there usually are. The middle to third act veers off a little bit for about 20 minutes but other than that, it's a well put together film. Maybe it's because it's a different actor, but I feel like this Bond film was much more modernized and didn't seem as dated as previous installments.+Dalton+Great finale+Unpredictable for the most part+Pacing & timely action-Veers off in the middle-Pushed romance7.3/10