I love it. So does my kids. I can watch this particular film over and over again. And two Swedes (Maud isn't in any shot). The chemistry between Moore and McNee, Walkens psychopathia, a detective named Aubergine, chefs with butcher knifes, Nazis. And - Tanya reminding us that Bons first name is Janes. James. James. I adore the pre titles shoot in Island, 003, and Moores acting - not pretending to be 25 years old. He should have skipped the eye lift though. Barrys score, and Duran Durans hit is anazing. Scarpine - fresh out of Phenomenona, - Ivanova is super, the airship is fantastic (drop out). Everything is (from) (what a) A view. - To a kill
You can kind of see the ambitions of both Whitaker and Koskov. Both were political opportunists. I really think Whitaker in the end wanted to be some sort of dignified military dictator beyond the arms dealing, and would've gladly served as one for any (preferably Aryan) nation. Koskov was more ambitious, I believe. He probably figured that by delivering a notorious British agent (the killer of former KGB agents Scaramanga, Kreigler, and Zorin, and former military figures like Klebb and Orlov - even though not directly by his hands) to the Soviet government, he would be considered a bonafide hero. And an added bonus of being on a "secret mission" for an assassinated General Pushkin can pretty much gateway him to filling the vacant seat of KGB director. There, you're granted access to all kinds of intelligence around the world. Aid the government in starting wars and toppling other countries; and push for more undermining and sabotaging within the West. Create multiple bases of operations, even within the "nation" of a dignified military dictator. And better yet, aim higher! Go for the Russian presidency. The fall of the Soviet Union would be somewhat of a setback, but could grow into a perfect advantage. Shape the vulnerable former Superpower however you want. World domination is the goal ;)
If Brosnan would've played Bond right after Moore, I feel he and the producers would've kept with the "old formula" model, all because he revered both Moore and Connery's takes. However, I also deeply believe Dalton's two experimental outliers may have influenced Brosnan to want more out of the character and the films, hence his "peel back the layers" comment that would frequently come up during his tenure. Of course, there most likely were clashes of ideas: Brosnan wanting to do darker stuff, and the producers wanting to mostly play it safe, for box office sakes. And so, the compromises for both are on display in his films, sometimes with muddled results. He's The Composite Bond (a mixture of Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton). And his films are like standard Bond movies, with a dash of "this time, it's personal" in each of them. I think he really desired to make them more in the vein of OHMSS, and you can see it especially "The World is Not Enough." But in the end, "playing it safe" overruled the "layer-peeling" most of the time, so Brosnan did deep dives into the type of Bond he wanted to play, through works outside of the franchise. Hence Thomas Crown, The Matador, and Tailor; shucks, even with The November Man. These films are almost his way of saying to Bond fans, "Hey, these here are what I REALLY wanted to do with James!"
Dalton did a great job. Aside from Craig he's been my favourite Bond. If he'd had a few more flicks before Craig we could have avoided Brosnan altogether.
The Living Daylights is one amazing movie. Music. Atmosphere. Drama. Thrilling film. Tim Dalton was amazing. All it lacked was a better actress to play Kara. She couldn't act for s hit.
Timothy Dalton’s bond was excellent, he definitely made the man three dimensional. I think there was two generations of people who were too used to Roger Moore who played bond throughout the 70s and 80s. Also there were people who were expecting Pierce Brosnan to play bond which he effectively was at the front of the line according to brosnan, and the press kept hyping this up. However it didn’t happen due to his T.V contract Remington Steel being renewed and Dalton was then hired. I think there was a resentment from the general public who felt robbed that they didn’t get Brosnan as well as the fans of Moore not Wanting a gritty bond. I think people just felt alienated by Dalton’s presence and just looked for a reason to complain rather than giving the man a fair chance. It’s like “This man is not our James Bond” and unlike Lazenby Dalton was seen as a legitimate replacement for Moore. Dalton’s films weren’t bombs at the box office, in fact the Living Daylights grossed more than Roger Moore’s previous two films and even more than some of Connery’s. Licence to Kill did average business but that was due to a poor marketing campaign and heavy competition that year. So many sequels and big movies out in 1989. Dalton was expected to return for one more film in 1991 or 1992 however lawsuits with Eon and MGM prevented that from happening in 1993 Dalton’s contract expired, however Cubby Broccoli still wanted Dalton back. Once the lawsuit was over Dalton said he would like to do 1 more but Cubby said something to the effect of “Tim you can’t do just one more after 5 years of absence, you have to plan on 3-4.” Dalton felt it was too much and politely declined to return in 1994. However time has been kind to Dalton’s films thanks to Daniel Craig’s films, Living Daylights is a flawed yet entertaining entry and Licence to Kill is a tightly made Bond film that both keeps traditions and breaks them all at once. A criminally underrated entry that in my opinion is a classic bond film.
Tim Dalton was far better than craig as bond..dalton was better than brosnan also...Shame tim only did 2 films as he deserved goldeneye and a few more.
both dalton and bond were grim stoic serious bonds but tim dalton had a sense of flair and eloquence that craig cant match daniel craig was a blunt instrument,dalton is a sophisticated side arm
Very true the protagonist and antagonist didn't match in the living daylights. Another thing is the plot is complicated: to many double crossings. They dragged Koskov too much through the movie and should have been killed in the air base in Afghanistan..
Judy Dench said that the Daniel Craig bond films were too gloomy and it missed the humor of the ones before Daniel Craig came in. She also said that his films were too serious.. Timothy Dalton was the right mix of grittynes and bond tradition..I guess the audience and critiques of the 80s were not ready for a gritty and realistic tone after the campy too long Roger Moore era..
Wow! Can't believe only one comment! I guess folks did not appreciate your "un-Bonding" of Bond from the franchise! Most 007 fans can be so touchy! Lol I loved your insights & I made similiar comparisons, myself, while watching Tailor. I will have to watch it again because it's been a long time since I saw it. Never watched the other movie, I'll have to look that one up, too! I totally get what you are saying, and it certainly seems correct. Gives me a little more respect for Pierce too. Thanx for your hard work! :-)))))
Thanks. Yes, I do feel that Brosnan's impact on the whole James Bond mythos needs to encompass non-Bond films he did such as Tailor, Matador, etc. where he and the filmmakers are seemingly doing a "play" on the Bond character. Glad you enjoyed and have had similar feelings / impressions!
And the last movie that Craig was in for Bond was just say this it’s dog shit, and it pissed me off when they brought me on the DB five in the Aston Martin vanquish give me a break and Timothy Dalton is my bond and I will never except Daniel Craig give me a break looks like a burnt and he doesn’t have it glad it’s over because all those movies were made for just nothing but action and not bond films
What’s being supported in the essay is that, on the evidence of films such as The Rocketeer, Dalton had the capability to bring greater humour and élan - qualities typically associated with charismatic star power - to his characterisation as Bond. But that apparently was not his ambition (and the filmmakers seemed largely in support of this), at least not for the two films he ultimately made.
Thanx, bro, for more great insights! I've seen several Bond RU-vidrs dis Tanya over and over, but I have always liked her portrayal, plus, in my book, she is one of the most beautiful Bond girls ever. Walken gives an absolute fantastic performance! Moore is my least favorite 007, but as you said before, that is neither here nor there! 555
Thanks again. I wasn't sure if you'd like AVTAK, although I do feel it's a warm-up of sorts to the Timothy Dalton films. Yes, I feel Walken is a gem of a Bond villain, and I like how Stacey fits within the overall film.
@@andrewmcness thanks. And let me add that this is one of Moore's most enjoyable movies for me. I feel Live And Let Die is his best performance but the story line in For Your Eyes Only is the best. (Also the theme song by Sheena Easton is my favorite of the whole franchise. Perhaps this colors my judgement lol)
Wow! I am a lfelong Bond fan, & Dalton is my favorite! I clicked on your channel expecting another tired retrospective by some prejudiced self promoting, ill informed, less than spectacular, presenter. But you, sir, are not that. Your insights are both insightful and refreshing! Your deductions are very logical and do not exceed the facts. Your conclusions are concise and sometimes, revelatory! So, kudos to you! I subed your channel. Thank you for posting! :-)))))
Thank you very much - I really can't ask for more than that. I'm glad you enjoyed and found material of interest. I haven't always quite been able to pin down what I like so much/find so engaging about the Dalton films. So this essay, like some others, marked an exploration!
It wasn't Timothy's fault. Everyone was used to the Roger Moore style and then came along a more brusque, angrier character along with a less flamboyant story. It was all different . Timothy was great and is my favourite. His character is believable and hard working. It was probably the fault of the writers, in so much as, if you watch it today then you probably find some of the support characters a little childish ( Russian General for example ). I could see Timothy taken further along doing Pierce Brosnans Bond movies. Anyway too late now.
Glad you pointed out the hotel scene, its one of my favorite moments in the franchise. LTK has some of the best performances and writing of a Bond movie, just wish its cinematography and sets didn't feel so cheap or generic American action movie. Could argue it helps the dirty and gritty setting but idk, just super noticeable throughout the film. Still in my top 5
I would've loved to see Dalton handle a Casino Royale esque movie with a deep love interest and painful torture scene. I feel Dalton has more vulnerability that would've added to the power of scenes like those Craig had
Dalton is a superior actor. The scripts were plodding. Even the music dragged. Craig, who is as good as Connery, has benefited from superior scripts, and production value.
I know I'm probably in the minority, but Moore was the best Bond. Best humor, and the charming charisma of a real movie star. Craig is humorless and Dalton just didn't have that star quality.
Dalton was a great Bond he alone has captured the literary Bond and brought that to screen. Connery had swagger and sex appeal and looked the part. Lazenby was grossly miscast, Roger Moore was witty and charming but not really an action hero, Brosnan had charm and could pull off the action and love scenes but he had terrible scripts to work from and finally Craig he was wonderful as a rough around the edges newly minted 00 agent in Casino Royale in his prime deadly and a ladykiller but after that his other films have used and rehashed this tale of a washed up past his prime almost nihilistic Bond. How he went from newly 007 to a has-been with nothing in between is still odd.
What an excellent review. I feel Dalton was the only one to have read the books. He just looked awkward around the women. I love how he was depicted as a sniper in both films, which is more in keeping with the actual tasks one is asked to do in the service of the crown. Plus, license to kill, apart from the upending of a plane was a plausible story, not far fetched at all, great theme tune and the BEST villain in Robert Davi. In personal preference, it’s right up there.
Mine was the living daylights, and he took my breath away and the accent, which like a shot glass for whiskey, and those eyes oh my God wow I really wish she could’ve done more movies. Just too because he was the bomb Diggity long for me.
To quote the HISHE Casino Royale gun barrel sequence: Connery: I was the original *and* the best, I get to shoot him. Dalton: You wish you were the best.
I wouldn’t praise A View To A Kill as one of the best of Moore’s films, but it’s certainly not his worst that honour will go to Man With the Golden Gun. I think A View To A Kill had a lot of potential to be a great bond film, but it’s tone is too inconsistent and Moore just was not capable of convincing us that he could be an intense bond let alone taking on some truly twisted and sadistic villains like Zorin. I think had Timothy Dalton starred as bond and a few of the campy antics been removed as well as Tanya robert’s annoying Bond girl, it would’ve probably been a classic.
Dalton was the better Bond but Craig, it can be argued starred in the better films. I prefer Dalton all day long. Craig was too unpolished, less sophisticated more brute strength and hand to hand combat skills. He was more Bourne than Bond
If Dalton had the production of Craig films,on his own canon(a reboot with 5 films),and also had Craig physical trainer and wardrobe,Timothy Dalton could have become the best Bond ever,even better than Connery. Unfortunately Dalton films were good,thanks to his acting,but had many flaws. The Living Daylights had a very weak main Villain(Joe don Baker)(Necros was great),and his ONLY Bond girl was very forgetable. Licence to Kill had a great Villain(R.Davi) and Carey Lowell was one of the best Bond Girls,but the story wasn't as spectacular as we want on a Bond film. In Craig saga,Casino Royale,Skyfall and No Time to Die,were vehicles to Daniel Craig great performance
I think the real reason why LTK didn't fair to well at the box office was the fact that it was just kinda outclassed by other films. If you wanted gadgets and cool cars, you had "Ghostbusters II" and "Back to the Future Part 2," the later of which strongly implies that the main villain murdered Marty's father. If you wanted action/adventure with a side of humor, there was "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and "Lethal Weapon 2," the former of which featured Sean Connery and the later revealed that the villains killed the hero's Riggs' wife (as well as his girlfriend and several fellow cops). Then there was "Batman," which had all of these elements: the various Bat-gadgets, the Batmobile and Batwing, the new black armored costume, several (mostly underwhelming) fights, a smattering of humor and of course, the hero's familiar origin with his parents being murdered, which was put on the iconic villain: the Joker. "Licence to Kill," was a step forward for Bond, but it showed that there was just too much competition in the market.
I like Dalton and I think this put a finger on why. His Bond is less arrogant. More of the "stranger." But I think this analysis does kind-of overlook the quality of the films. Sitting down to watch "Casino Royale," I wondered how this could possibly stand up against the superhero films and such of the time, but it blew me away. By contrast, "Licence to Kill," was a good film but there was so much else that year in the action/adventure genre.
At the time, Dalton's Bond was my favorite, but Craig's bond redefined the character. No gadgets, just violence, booze and pain killers when needed or not LOL. But the gadgets have always been a part of Bond, so the slow introduction of them was not only time but expected, and welcomed. Judy Dench as M was a surprise, but she was brilliant, and in a lot ways, the only Mum that Bond ever really had. I do wish that Dalton had done more than 2 films, they were like the books, dark and deadlier.
