[6]

Timothy Dalton (The Lion in Winter) relieves Roger Moore in the perennial James Bond franchise. In the 15th film in the series, Agent 007 helps smuggle a defecting general (Jeroen Krabbe) out of Russia only to learn the man is in league with a traitorous arms dealer (Joe Don Baker). To stop the Russians from acquiring weapons, Bond travels from Vienna to Tangiers, and finally to a climactic land and air showdown in Afghanistan.

The Living Daylights is decidedly far less campy than many previous Bond films, but mostly delivers the goods — even if it sometimes feels like the franchise is on autopilot. Dalton’s Bond is less of a womanizer and more ‘down to business’. He’s also a little less fun than we’re used to, but there’s no denying Dalton has the potential to be an excellent Bond. What it lacks in cheeky charm, the film makes up in action. The script does a great job leading from one memorable action set piece to the next. There are perhaps a few too many villains fighting for screen time, but Krabbe and Baker make the most of their parts. Andreas Wisniewski plays their henchman and does most of the stunt-fighting with Bond. Maryam d’Abo plays the lone Bond girl this time around, an accomplished cellist loyal to Krabbe until she learns he’s just been using her. Her role bends to the needs of the plot and its male characters, lacking agency or even common sense at times. John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Lord of the Rings) appears in a pleasant supporting role. A-ha provides a decent title tune and John Barry serves up his 11th and final score in the series.

Directed by John Glen (A View to a Kill, Octopussy). Written by Richard Maibaum (Goldfinger) and Michael G. Wilson (For Your Eyes Only). With Art Malik, John Terry as Felix Leiter, Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Robert Brown as M, and Caroline Bliss as the new Miss Moneypenny.