81 replies to this topic

[Pal]

I just watched TLD last night and wow, Dalton is by far the best Bond ever. Everything he does is so perfect and his acting abilities are top notch. He is definitely the most believeable Bond out of all of them and he really knows how to show his emotions. Like in the hotel with Pushkin, that scene, to me, solidifies him as the best Bond. Especially the "that was bloody stupid"! line and he smashes Puskin in the ribs with his gun. Simplu unbelievable.

[SnakeEyes]

If you liked that, you should like LTK.

You're preaching to the converted in this forum tho

Dalton is indeed the man.

[booyeah_]

I agree. The Living Daylights is one of my personal favorites. It had the right mix of memorable characters(Kara, Georgi Koskov, Necros), a plot that's complex but allows viewers to follow, great action, some of the best music of the series and top notch performances. Although Connery's my favorite Bond actor, Dalton was the best at portraying Ian Fleming's creation. He performed his own stunts, could deliver humor, serious moments, dramatic and romantic moments and he was believable. Just look at his reaction when he finds Saunders dead, who he isn't exactly best friends with.

Edited by booyeah_, 18 January 2004 - 09:25 PM.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

to each his own i suppose, but to me he was the worst, the best goes to roger moore, a view to a kill was bond at his best

[Qwerty]

Well, I'm glad you liked it. The Living Daylights is indeed one of my all time favorites, but I do like many of the other actors as James Bond more. However, The Living Daylights and Tim Dalton are both very good. I hope you're ready for a change in Licence To Kill, if you liked TLD so much.

[Tarl_Cabot]

I thought Dalton was very convincing as a secret agent and occasional commando/assassin; he reminds me of the character of the books too. He is good looking but he doesn't reak of show business beauty, something his successor cannot overcome.Pierce is ok but i never forgot I'm watching Pierce brosnan pretending to be James bond. He's good but I refuse to be brainwashed by the mainstream media and accept the universal acclaim he gets as the 'best bond since sean connery'. His films just don't do it for me. I'm waiting for an upgrade in 2007.

[1q2w3e4r]

he certianlly reminds me of the character in the books, however I tend to lean towards Licence to Kill being a better film. Seem's like he just ripped Fleming's Bond right off the page.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

i never forgot I'm watching Pierce brosnan pretending to be James bond.

tarl, old pal...same thing was true of dalton

[SnakeEyes]

Not to me it wasn't, I always watched Dalton AS Bond.
The same is almost true of Lazenby and Connery (in that order)
Moore started off well, but then went into a mixed bag. Sometimes I can suspend disbelief and think 'Bond' other times I see simply Roger acting funny.
Brosnan is always Brosnan, except for some parts of GE.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

was pierce playing bond in mrs. doubtfire? some say he comes across the same no matter what he is playing in

[Qwerty]

was pierce playing bond in mrs. doubtfire? some say he comes across the same no matter what he is playing in

He was quite funny as Stu in Mrs. Doubtfire. Great acting against the character that Robin Williams played. If only I knew he would be the next James Bond when I saw that one....

[1q2w3e4r]

No Pierce was playing Bond in The Thomas Crown Affair. Now if next time he get's a script that says "Bond 21" on the cover and can transfer that to film we might have a decent film.... Might not though. Finger's crossed.

[CommanderBond]

not my cup of tea but he is good. he did a good job bringing out a different side of bond...but connery is the man in my book.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

...but connery is the man in my book.

if i had a dollar for every time i have heard that i could quit my job and never work again

[Righty007]

Licence To Kill is one of the greatest James Bond films. Timothy Dalton was an awesome James Bond and I don't know why a lot of people don't like him. I suppose it may be because he only did two. If he had done a couple more good ones, he would be more respected.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

i dont know righty but it might be because of the holy war between the daltonites and the brosnazis

[Qwerty]

If he had done a couple more good ones, he would be more respected.

Certainly agree, Righty. I think he was a great James Bond, sure I like others better, but I don't discriminate between him and Brosnan. They're both great! The Living Daylights is a classic Bond film is a spectacular sense they should have more often. Licence To Kill, I've grown to like a lot more than I did and highly respect it.

Indeed, more films would have helped.

[Tarl_Cabot]

was pierce playing bond in mrs. doubtfire? some say he comes across the same no matter what he is playing in

He was quite funny as Stu in Mrs. Doubtfire. Great acting against the character that Robin Williams played. If only I knew he would be the next James Bond when I saw that one....

What was a funny storyline for me about that movie was that Robin Williams wanted to win his wife back from "James Bond"(ie every guys nightmare would be to compete with Bond for the attention of a girl). Pierce was playing basically a James Bond type guy: rich, worldly and handsome and it was renforced by the association Pierce has with the Bond role. Anyway, I found that amusing...

[Qwerty]

LOL! Never thought about it that way! Husbands beware....James Bond is on the loose! The dinner scene (All I can remember off the top of my head) was quite funny with Pierce and the others.

[SnakeEyes]

Thankfully, I remeber little from that 'film'.

Oh wait, didn't Doubtfires tits set on fire? HAHAHA

[Qwerty]

LOL! Yes, I remember that film when I was younger, Can't even think of the last time I saw it.

I believe you're right SnakeEyes.

[DLibrasnow]

I thought Dalton was REALLY good in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS but I was not a big fan of LICENSE TO KILL....So, hence I have mixed feelings about the Dalton era!

[CommanderBond]

...but connery is the man in my book.

if i had a dollar for every time i have heard that i could quit my job and never work again

hahaha but if you hear it so much it should be true

[bryonalston]

Dalton is without a doubt MY FAVORITE BOND. Connery just seemed to aloof and distant, which is a good quality for a spy, but not for James Bond. Lazenby acted too immature on screen. It seemed like he did his research on the part from one of those "How to play James Bond- for Dummies" books. Roger Moore, who made some of the most entertaining films in the series, didn't strike the right chord for me as James Bond, based on looks, age, and performance. His character seemed too focused on wasting time in Bed, than getting the job done, EXCEPT for in FYEO, that was one of his best performances, in the series, and career. Brosnan's Bond seems TOO perfect. Even though it's entertaining to watch him cause enormous explosions and havoc without even blinking, it seems like he would be better if he were more rough around the edges.

Dalton's Bond, though it is not perfect, brings what you would think of as a SECRET secret agent, emphasis on the secret part. He actually goes on realistic missions, cuts back on the reckless and unnecessary explosions, and still works. Also, I think that Dalton's performances were magnified by the intensity of his co-stars. It seems like most of them went out of their way to not only leave a lasting impression on the series, but actually become their character. Some of the perfect casting choices include:
-Andreas Wisniewski as NECROS in TLD. He perfectly embodied the part, and, due to good writing, didn't have to do much work to make it his own.
-Maryam D'Abo, even though she's not the best Bond Girl, left her mark on the series AFTER she played the part, with her work on the BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER book and documentary, among other things. She took her role very seriously, and it has paid off.
-Carey Lowell in LTK is one of my favorite Bond Girls, because, in her own words, "It's the first time Bond actually needs her more than she needs him." She has this essence of purity about her, yet she is as tough as Bond is in every way. She has all the elements of a perfect Bond girl, and uses them to her advantage.
-The most effective performance in the Dalton Era, perhaps of any performance since Moore in FYEO would be ROBERT DAVI's as FRANZ SANCHEZ in LTK. Like Dalton, he embedded himself in the part, and lived the role. It was played so perfectly, without a single moments falter, that it's almost scary, imagining someone's sheer determination to become someone else. (Possible future Bond plot?) Also, I like the twist on the plot: That Bond hardly has to do anything (except fire some shots, or plant some money...) James plays on Sanchez's weakness, which loyalty, and allows him to destroy his own empire. The rage he expresses when he discovers Bond has betrayed him, and Bond using the "Felix Lighter" to ignite Sanchez is my favorite scene in the entire series.

Aside from the performances, the non-stop action of previous Bond films is wisely tuned down, showing that the filmmakers devoted immense attention to the action sequences in the Dalton films. (My FAVORITE is the the Tanker Chase in LTK. Is it just me, or are ALL of the explosions in this film better than all of the rest in the series combined? Perhaps it's because of that demonic hand.)

[Pal]

Thanks for replying to my comments but i must appologize for somethiing. It seems as though i gave off the impression that I haven't seen LTK or many other Bond films.lol. Actually, I own all of them and I have seen them all multiple times. But when i last watched TLD, it was just the best performance of any Bond i have ever seen and everyhting about that movie is perfect, imho. And yes, I do really enjoy LTK. It is also one of my favorites. I really enjoy the hard-edge and ruthlessness of Dalton's performances. Simply magnificent.

[Johnboy007]

Thankfully, I remeber little from that 'film'.

Oh wait, didn't Doubtfires tits set on fire? HAHAHA

She got Brosnan to choke on a little shrimp, which i believe he was allergic to in the movie. (S)he had to give him the heimlich) (S)he also spit out her dentures in a champagne glass... classic movie

Brosnazi's...i find it impossible that i have honestly never heard that one before

[Agent 76]

Let me just say this:
Dalton Rulez! He was the second best James Bond ever! by far...is by close that he's not the best...but certainly almost perfect as 007.

[AAMD11]

I like Dalton, good Bond, but he is not my fav Bond that tittle is held by Roger Moore. But I do like Dalton, I wish he had made at least one more Bond!

[bryonalston]

Dalton was the only Bond that seemed like a genuine spy. All of the other ones stood out way too much to be a SECRET agent. I found it quite absurd that every hotel in the world knows Bond's real name and his signiture drink (even though this was the case in TLD as well) Dalton was the perfect secret agent, especially in LTK, where he didn't stumble/sleep his way into problems like Moore's Bond did, and used being held "captive" by Sanchez to a better advantage than Connery did in GF and Lazenby did in OHMSS.

[Bondian]

Tim Dalton's films have grown and grown on me over the last few years. Now, when I look back at his work, he's managed to cram in so much in his two films.

It's a real shame that he was "let go" when he could have made a few more.