Living Daylights, The (1987)

Which invites the question, where'd she put the nitelite?

Bond: Timothy Dalton (Licence to Kill • Hot Fuzz)

Bond Girl: Kara Milovy  Played By: Maryam d'Abo (Tomcat: Dangerous Desires • Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick)
Bond Villain: General Georgi Koskov  Played By: Jeroen Krabbé (The Punisher (1989) • Immortal Beloved)
Bond Villain: Brad Whitaker  Played By: Joe Don Baker (Walking Tall (1973) • GoldenEye)

Genre: Action Adventure Thriller (UK, USA) 

Directed By: John Glen (Octopussy • For Your Eyes Only)

Overview: James Bond assists the defection of Officer Georgi Koskov from Russia. The KGB respond with a daring rescue. Bond suspects that something is amiss. In fact Bond goes on to suspect a FAR MORE SINISTER PLOT!

Well, Timothy Dalton, eh? Not nearly half as bad as I remember. My recollection includes his barking yelled out orders with all-cleft, no-neck severity. Remembrance has clearly exaggerated that modicum of possibility into a full blown terror of what was possible. Phew, at least that doesn't happen till the next one. I'm a little surprised Timmy only made 2 films before quickly being replaced by Remington Steel, but I digress. Timothy Dalton is a much colder and less funny Bond than Moore and Connery, but that's ok, he's a killer and killings should be much freer of puns than they have been in the past. Sadly the Bond girl looks like an outright ditz, and often acts like one.

We begin The Living Daylights with a training exercise. Three secret agents are parachuted into a compound in Gibraltar that is on full alert waiting for them. The guards are equipped with paintball guns. Sadly the assassin out to kill them all is equipped with real guns, real knives, and a little signature card that reads "Death to Spies".

After the relatively decent title song by a-ha (that's right, no capitalization) we see James assigned to aiding a Russian officer's defection from a classical music concert. Intelligence reports that KGB may be aware of the attempt and that there will most likely be a sniper trying to stop his escape across the street. James, looking through a scope, notices one of the concert's female cellists pointing a rifle at the escaping General Koskov. James knows better than to send a bullet erupting through a lovely lady's skull, and shoots the rifle out of her hand instead. Already he suspects an obfuscation. He hooks up with the girl to find out what the deal is, all the while being tailed by Necros, Red Grant class assassin with an amazingly wicked name, and yeah, he's a stone cold professional. Lots of bad guys, twists on twists, and a plot that involves heavy involvement from Afghani guerillas… Oh lovely Taliban army! Thank you for saving our lovely democracies from the Russians. Let's hope you don't get bored sitting on all those weapons.

Bond Cars: Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Series 2)

 
Zing! She be trés pretty!

 Bond Gadgets:

Key finder with stun gas and plastic explosive
Skeleton key tool
The bulletproof Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Series 2) has ice spikes, as well as skis, lateral lasers and a rocket booster engine

The Living Daylights, for as escapist fun as it is, and features quite the climactic battle between James and Necros, certainly does not stand out as an important 007 film. I'm also saddened a little that the arms dealer, Brad Whitaker, was not focused on more than he was....

Oh right that whole helping the Taliban thing... errrr

Performance: 8 Cinematography: 8 Script: 7 Plot: 8 Mood: 7

Overall Rating: 76% (Or At Least Some Dusky Mood Lighting)

SuperSpyStats

Personal bodycount: 7

Foiled Assassinations: 1

Near Misses: 1

Dames Bedded: 1!

Martinis Drank: 1

What's all this?