The Living Daylights

1987 "The new James Bond...living on the edge."
6.7| 2h10m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 29 June 1987 Released
Producted By: United Artists
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.mgm.com/view/movie/1132/The-Living-Daylights/
Info

After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the KGB to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.

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Director

John Glen

Production Companies

United Artists

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The Living Daylights Audience Reviews

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Pluskylang Great Film overall
Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
gerard-45797 Just because Dalton plays a serious Bond doesn't make this movie one of the best Bonds as so many reviewers here want to convince us it is. It has too many flaws to be considered one of the best.First there is the lack of a strong central villain. Koskov and Whitaker are both unmenacing and uninteresting. Neither one of them measures up the villains of the Bond films that came before or after.Second, there is a distinct lack of sex appeal to the entire movie. For the first time ever in a Bond film, he only beds one woman and at the very end of the movie at that.Lastly, the plot is just too rambling and convoluted for words. The best Bond movies always benefited from use of Hitchcock's Macguffin, from the Lektor Decoder in From Russia with Love to the ATAC in For Your Eyes only. This film outsmarts itself and in turn bores the audience with its overly complex plot.In conclusion, don't believe the hype of some reviews of this film. These are from people delighted so much with Dalton's serious portrayal that they are willing to ignore the fact that this is not a great film.
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.
wkozak221 I think that people underestimated Dalton as bond. I always felt he gave a dark side to bond. Meaning that you had to remember bond was an assassin. Daltons bond did have a sense of humor. It was subtle but it was there. The story line was good. It was not far- fetched. I really like the updated Aston Martin. It is a shame they blow it up. The bad guy was interesting. He came across as charming but he was dangerous nonetheless. The stunts were very good. The opening sequence was very good. It was fun to see M on the plane giving the briefing. I really wish Dalton had a chance to portray bond more than he did. He had an edge like Connery did. If he has to kill he will with no reservations. This is part of his job after all.