New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Because I’m an idiot who only takes on causes destined to his own destruction, I found myself defending Timothy Dalton as James Bond. Just as with that other guy who wasn’t Bond for very long, It can be difficult to convince people that they’re not remembering it right. That’s probably because I’ve followed the films for a long time, and have seen them all many more times than is necessary, or even biologically safe. I remember when the franchise had the Super Spy genre all to itself, and the character was a much bigger social touchstone than today.

I remember how weird it felt to see someone else playing James Bond. Roger Moore was the Brett Favre of Bonds, having inhabited the role as long as I’ve been alive. I also remember being excited about the idea of Pierce Brosnan taking over. Like everyone else I’d seen him on television and thought he’d be perfect.

Between RoboCop and Predator, 1987 was shaping up to be a pretty good year for me.

And then they cast Timothy Dalton, and all the talk began of a more “politically correct” Bond. There would be less emphasis on sex, no more winking and mugging, and a darker, more serious tone. All I knew is that they made the Robin Hood guy from Flash Gordon James Bond, and I wasn’t happy about it. I changed my mind when I saw the film, because winning, as they say, fixes everything.

The Living Daylights was actually a success at the time, and although a lot of people weren’t sure that to make of the new Bond, the consensus was positive. By now you know that Dalton slipped into the tuxedo only once more in 1989, and there would be no more adventures for agent 007 until 1996. This has caused many to consider Dalton the George Clooney of James Bonds, having killed a beloved franchise with an unholy infusion of ice skates and nipples.

Not true. Lawyers are what nearly killed the franchise. Dalton is not my favorite Bond, and while the controversy surrounding his interpretation of the character is valid, he’s not bad. He just inherited the role at a bad time and the stink rubbed off on him.

So yes, I came to the man’s defense this week when someone compared him to everyone’s least favorite Batman. The fact of the matter is, The Living Daylights is a pretty decent film. It’s dated, and as we’ll discuss in a minute, makes some very questionable choices all across the board. But I’ll take it over almost any of the Moore era films and let’s be honest; Brosnan was too young at the time anyway.

The Living Daylights sees Bond working to help a KGB operative defect to the West. General Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) is scheduled to attend the symphony in a city near the border of Russian territory. Bond’s mission is to get the General across the border without being murdered. Obviously Bond is successful, but notices something off about the KGB sniper sent to stop him.

Yes, of course she’s a beautiful woman. But she also plays the cello and clearly has no idea how to use a gun. Later, Bond learns from a grateful Koskov about a KGB plot to wipe out Britain’s top agents (one of them gets knocked off in the film’s opening sequence), possibly as a prelude to something even bigger. As a result, Bond is ordered to assassinate the head of the KGB, a man named Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies). To his credit, Bond accepts the assignment without laughing.

Continued:       1       2