The Living Daylights Review

MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1987

The Living Daylights, another entry in the long-running James Bond line, was the first film to introduce movie fans to Timothy Dalton in the role as the British super spy. It also marked a significant change in tone for the series. Gone was the campy and almost comical Roger Moore version, replaced instead by a serious brooding assassin. Gone were the ultra-unrealistic villains that Austin Powers loved to spoof, replaced instead by intelligent conspirators that aren't so unlike many of history's real villains.

While much of the action was still frenetic and over the top, for the most part The Living Daylights contained a much more realistic storyline and portrayal of Fleming's character. And for that reason, it remains one of the best Bond films ever created.

By now some of you reading this review are nodding enthusiastically about my previous statement that The Living Daylights was one of the best Bond films put to the big screen. A lot of fans truly appreciated Dalton's serious take on the role. He disliked the camp that was inherent in the series before him and sought to bring the series back in line with Ian Fleming's original vision, and I'm glad to say the Shakespearean-trained actor succeeded admirably.

Unfortunately although The Living Daylights saw great commercial success, many viewers were left wondering what happened to the James Bond they knew so well. They expected another goofy Roger Moore version, and instead witnessed a suave lady's man that was a serious professional killer. It's ironic that Dalton was chastised by so many for not being Bond enough, when in reality he was the purest Bond of all who played them when compared to the original novels.

In The Living Daylights James Bond (Timothy Dalton) undertakes a mission to protect General Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbe), a Russian turncoat, from the Russian military and assassins. The British Secret Service wishes to smuggle the traitor out of the Iron Curtain to learn from his insider knowledge.

Things take a puzzling turn when Bond discovers one of the would-be assassins is Kara Milovy (Maryam d'Abo), a beautiful cellist that barely knows which end of the gun to shoot from.

The mission to escort Koskov to safety is a success, but Bond soon learns that the man isn't all he appears to be. In fact his loyalties may still reside with Mother Russia. Bond finds himself in the midst of a sweeping adventure that takes him everywhere from the snowy Swiss Alps to the sandy deserts of Afghanistan as he deals with a cast of characters such as Russian General Leonid Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies), the devious assassin Necros (Andreas Wisniewski), the aforementioned musician and many more.

The Living Daylights offers plenty of varied and exciting action that will please both fans of the series as well as casual moviegoers looking for an enjoyable popcorn flick. The storyline is sharp and intelligent, but it never gets so complex as to distract from the action scenes.

Finding a flaw in this nearly perfect Bond film is difficult, but if I had to point one out it would have to be the Bond girl. Maryam d'Abo just wasn't one of the more compelling or memorable Bond girls, though by no means was she the worst either! That "honor" might be reserved for Halle Berry, a decent enough actress that really was not suited for such a role in Die Another Day.

The Living Daylights remains noteworthy for introducing a darker Bond, a more realistic backdrop and including everyone's favorite 80's villain: the U.S.S.R.

Movie rating: 9 stars

If you enjoyed The Living Daylights you may also find the following films to be of interest: