James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 7 nominations
- Linda
- (as Kell Tyler)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTimothy Dalton was originally considered for the role of James Bond in the late 1960s, after Sir Sean Connery left the role, following You Only Live Twice (1967). Dalton was screentested by Albert R. Broccoli for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), but he turned down the part, as he thought he was too young. He was also considered for Diamonds Are Forever (1971), but turned it down again, still feeling he was too young. He was considered again for the role in For Your Eyes Only (1981), when for a while, it was unclear whether Sir Roger Moore would return. However, Dalton declined at that time, as there was no script (or even first draft). Dalton was offered the role again in 1983 for Octopussy (1983), and yet again in 1985 for A View to a Kill (1985), but had to decline the role both times due to previous commitments.
- GoofsUpon leaving the plane they see a sign saying that it's 325 km to Islamabad and 200 km to Karachi. In fact Islamabad and Karachi are almost 2000 km apart.
- Quotes
James Bond: Cheer up, Saunders. The operation's a success. And officially, its still yours.
Saunders: I have no intention of leaving it at that, 007! I'm reporting to M that you deliberately missed. Your orders were to kill that sniper!
James Bond: *Stuff* my orders! I only kill professionals. That girl didn't know one end of her rifle from the other. Go ahead. Tell M what you want. If he fires me, I'll thank him for it. Whoever she was, it must have scared the living daylights out of her.
- Crazy creditsWhen A-HA is credited as the performers of the opening theme song in the opening credits, their band name is given in the actual "A-HA logo font." This is the only time this has been done in the series.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond (1987)
The action scenes in "The Living Daylights" are all great. I can't think of one which I disliked, and the special effects might be the in the series up to this point. The plot here is actually intriguing, and neither too convoluted or too thin, and keeps you interested from start to finish. The screenplay is terrific, the best in a Bond film since "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Maryam d'Abo makes for a wonderful Bond girl in Kara Milovy, one of the smartest and most likable of all of Bond's 'love' interests. I really like Caroline Bliss' Moneypenny as well. How fresh and exciting this is when compared to the previous entry.
I'm honestly hard pressed to find any serious flaws with "The Living Daylights". Some have said that it takes itself too seriously, but I never felt that it did. Sure, it was much more straight-faced than most Bond films, but a film is only taking itself too seriously when it becomes thoroughly ridiculous while maintaining a 'serious' superficial look. I never thought that "The Living Daylights" did this. It, and the follow-up Dalton film "License to Kill" were both relative financial disappointments, mostly because audiences didn't care for Dalton's hard-edged Bond or the fact that the film had actual characters other than Bond, actual real-world stakes, and no silly villains. Then again, "The Living Daylights" did extremely well in comparison to most films that year, and it earned much more than "A View to a Kill" did, so perhaps it is only the lesser "Licence to Kill" that was a disappointment.
How can you go wrong with a movie this well-shot and well-acted, this well-scripted, and so well-scored by John Barry, which would sadly be his last score for the series? A terrific Bond film with a harder edge than most, and one of the few in the series that remains faithful to the spirit of Fleming's novels. A contender for my favorite Bond film and among my favorite action films overall.
9/10
- ametaphysicalshark
- Mar 22, 2008
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- James Bond 007: The Living Daylights
- Filming locations
- Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar(opening sequence)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $40,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $51,185,897
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,051,284
- Aug 2, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $51,220,890
- Runtime2 hours 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1