184 replies to this topic

[Harmsway]

[quote name='tdalton' date='30 January 2006 - 21:29']The Living Daylights, IMO, is without a doubt the best film in the franchise.

[Publius]

2) The villains - The villains aren't particularly exciting or well-developed, aside from Necros.

3) The finale - A bit of a let-down, honestly, after the riveting fight on the Hercules.

4) The very end - A tad on the sappy side with the Mujahedeen showing up at the performance and Bond hiding in the dressing room (Bond may have a softer side, but not a sappy one).

Even though TLD is second personal favorite, and I believe it to be, alongside FRWL and OHMSS, one of the overall finest Bond entries, it does have its weaknesses. Although I don't much mind Koskov and Necros as is, Whitaker certainly required a lot more work. I would have preferred Gogol to the character of Pushkin, but perhaps with Jonathan Rhys-Davies as the "Whitaker" of the movie. Maybe a North African arms dealer rather than some American mercenary. Too bad Gotell fell ill.

A more sinister, considerably fleshed out "Whitaker" could have made for an exciting final showdown in a Mediterranean oasis paying tribute to the battles of the world, an angle that also needed more work.

And having just Kamran Shah at the very end, if at all, would have been far less cheesy.

And I'm just not the biggest fan of Timothy Dalton's Bond. Yes, he gives a great performance and there's a reason the Fleming-lovers go ga-ga over him. He's just not cool or charismatic enough for my tastes. Even Fleming's Bond, while a darker character, always struck me as really "cool". He also seems to be to be a tad on the sappier, more romantic side of Bond, and that seems more akin to the Gardner novels than Fleming. He doesn't strike me as the SOB that I always believe Bond should be.

Although I would agree Dalton was a bit sappy at times in the movie (the "it was exquisite" line irks me to this day), I also found him to be very "cool" (indeed, THE coolest). The PTS, his first delivery of "Bond, James Bond," his back-and-forth with Saunders, his casual smoking throughout, the "I got the message" scene, the Pushkin interrogation, etc. What he lacked in direct humor he more than made up for in straight-up attitude.

That said, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS was the last great Bond movie. With a little script doctoring, bigger budget, better director, and a more timeless feel, LICENCE TO KILL could have been much superior than it, though.

I agree. LTK had even greater potential than what it lived up to. Darn shame, but I think it's still a great outing as is.

[Harmsway]

Although I would agree Dalton was a bit sappy at times in the movie (the "it was exquisite" line irks me to this day), I also found him to be very "cool" (indeed, THE coolest). The PTS, his first delivery of "Bond, James Bond," his back-and-forth with Saunders, his casual smoking throughout, the "I got the message" scene, the Pushkin interrogation, etc. What he lacked in direct humor he more than made up for in straight-up attitude.

I dunno... Connery's smoking looked cooler, and his delivery of "Bond, James Bond" was unparalleled. Dalton definitely had some cool moments, but overall, he just didn't have that charisma, elegance, and suaveness that makes James Bond who he is. And if the hedonistic, SOB side of James Bond doesn't come through, he just doesn't have that "cool" aura, IMO, and it didn't with Dalton.

[SecretAgentFan]

Dalton seemed nicer than Connery. More sensible. More pissed and melancholic.

But TLD is still one of the series

[Dr. Noah]

It would be a weakness IF Dalton was trying to duplicate Connery or Moore. That wasn't what he set out to do. He wanted to play the very human spy from the books, which I feel he did better than any of the other actors. (We'll have to wait and see how Craig reconciles the film and book Bonds.)

It's all personal preference. Personally I like the different approaches from each actor. That's why the series is still worthwhile over 20 films later. If everybody just tried to do Connery again, what would be the point of making more?