The Living Daylights (1987)

[zen007]

The 1980s was an interesting period for Bond films. First, all of them were directed by John Glen. Second, 3 of the 5 films showcased some of the best work of John Barry. And finally, the period was still influenced by the Cold War, where the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 when the last Bond film of the 80s, Licence to Kill, was released.

Challenges included a) finding suitable scripts for an aging Roger Moore, and b) bringing in Moore's replacement that could also provide a new direction to the franchise, which tends to reinvent itself from time to time to remain relevant.

Another interesting aspect of the 1980s was returning to utilize/build on Fleming material versus the 1970s, where we saw a relative departure from Fleming books apart from mostly using titles, characters, and locations. You can read more on this - HERE.


In 1987, the post-Moore era, which also aimed at a new direction, began with The Living Daylights. Timothy Dalton played the Bond that is relatively closer to the Bond in Fleming's books. This remains one of the most impactful performances by a Bond actor. You only have to see the segment where Dalton's anger flows off the screen in Vienna where his associate is killed.

The film also displayed how excellently a Fleming short story could be developed. "The Sniper was a woman" segment utilized Fleming's work and the rest of the film brilliantly built upon that short story.

Additionally, the film sports memorable stunts including the Ice Chase and Hercules segments. The locations include Gibraltar, Austria, and Morocco, along with the Northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Surrounding Bond are interesting characters such as Kara Milovy, General Koskov, General Puskin, Kamran Shah, etc.

Above all, John Barry goes out in style with the score, which is among the best for the franchise, meaning that it is among the best for films in general as well. One of the memorable pieces includes when Bond is put on the military/diplomatic plane to Afghanistan. You see a visual of the big plane in the air where Barry's score hints at the tension ahead and marks a change in direction in the film. In a way, reminding of the segment in Apocalypse Now where the boat heads into Cambodia.

The film is also notable for being the last Bond film about the Cold War era shot during the Cold War period.

Some may point to the villains being a weak area of the film. However, the film is about deception, and only Bond seems to suspect it. In that sense, the key villain character works well. Bond films have a history of using a group of villains (used that concept earlier in Octopussy for e.g.) and this film falls into that segment, after banking on "Zorin" in the preceding A View to a Kill.

Overall, this can be considered as a near-perfect (or even perfect w/o putting it under the microscope) espionage/intrigue Bond film with great acting (for the genre), stunts, story, and score!

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS | Aston Martin V8 - YouTube

How do you rate The Living Daylights and Dalton's performance? Is it the Bond highlight of the 80s?


PS 80s Bond films:

For Your Eyes Only (1981, Moore)
Octopussy (1983, Moore)
A View to a Kill (1985, Moore)
The Living Daylights (1987, Dalton)
License to Kill (1989, Dalton)