The Living Daylights
Rent & Buy
After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the KGB to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.
What critics thought
Timothy Dalton's harder, more serious Bond divided critics on release — some found the tonal shift refreshing after the Moore era's self-parody, while others felt the film squeezed out the wit and fun that made the franchise work. Retrospective opinion has shifted markedly in Dalton's favor, with many franchise watchers now ranking this among the stronger entries in the series.
“The best Bond ever. He's as classy as the trademark tuxedo, as sleek as the Aston Martin. Like Bond's notorious martini, women who encounter his carved-granite good looks are shaken, not stirred.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“filmmakers were trying to strike a middle ground between the glamor of the Connery Bond films and the dubious humor of the Moore Bonds. The result is a film that is not so much bad as mechanical and uptight.”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
“not one of the great Bond villains. He's a kooky phony general who plays with toy soldiers and never seems truly diabolical. Without a great Bond girl, a great villain or a hero with a sense of humor, The Living Daylights belongs somewhere on the lower rungs of the Bond ladder. But there are some nice stunts.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“finds some of the lethal charm of Sean Connery, along with a touch of crabby Harrison Ford. This Bond is as fast on his feet as with his wits; an ironic scowl creases his face; he's battle ready yet war-weary.”
Richard Corliss·Time
“Dalton shows a serious side that's been missing from the role since Sean Connery's earliest 007 days. And as a whole, the new picture is less of a special-effects affair than most of Roger Moore's Bond films. There's no shortage of action in The Living Daylights, but the movie adds up to a real adventure.”
Jay Boyar·Orlando Sentinel
Genres
Action, Adventure, Thriller
Cast & Crew
John GlenDirector
Timothy DaltonJames Bond
Maryam D'AboKara Milovy
Joe Don BakerBrad Whitaker
Art MalikKamran Shah
John Rhys-DaviesGeneral Leonid Pushkin
Jeroen KrabbéGeneral Georgi Koskov
Andreas WisniewskiNecros
Thomas WheatleySaunders
Desmond LlewelynQ
Robert BrownM
Geoffrey KeenMinister of Defence
Walter GotellGeneral Anatol Gogol
John BarryComposer
Richard MaibaumWriter
Michael G. WilsonWriter
Ian FlemingWriter
Alec MillsCinematographyThe Living Daylights
After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the KGB to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.
What critics thought
Timothy Dalton's harder, more serious Bond divided critics on release — some found the tonal shift refreshing after the Moore era's self-parody, while others felt the film squeezed out the wit and fun that made the franchise work. Retrospective opinion has shifted markedly in Dalton's favor, with many franchise watchers now ranking this among the stronger entries in the series.
“The best Bond ever. He's as classy as the trademark tuxedo, as sleek as the Aston Martin. Like Bond's notorious martini, women who encounter his carved-granite good looks are shaken, not stirred.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“filmmakers were trying to strike a middle ground between the glamor of the Connery Bond films and the dubious humor of the Moore Bonds. The result is a film that is not so much bad as mechanical and uptight.”
Gene Siskel·Chicago Tribune
“not one of the great Bond villains. He's a kooky phony general who plays with toy soldiers and never seems truly diabolical. Without a great Bond girl, a great villain or a hero with a sense of humor, The Living Daylights belongs somewhere on the lower rungs of the Bond ladder. But there are some nice stunts.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“finds some of the lethal charm of Sean Connery, along with a touch of crabby Harrison Ford. This Bond is as fast on his feet as with his wits; an ironic scowl creases his face; he's battle ready yet war-weary.”
Richard Corliss·Time
“Dalton shows a serious side that's been missing from the role since Sean Connery's earliest 007 days. And as a whole, the new picture is less of a special-effects affair than most of Roger Moore's Bond films. There's no shortage of action in The Living Daylights, but the movie adds up to a real adventure.”
Jay Boyar·Orlando Sentinel
Genres
Action, Adventure, Thriller
Cast & Crew
John GlenDirectorTimothy DaltonJames BondMaryam D'AboKara MilovyJoe Don BakerBrad WhitakerArt MalikKamran ShahJohn Rhys-DaviesGeneral Leonid PushkinJeroen KrabbéGeneral Georgi KoskovAndreas WisniewskiNecrosThomas WheatleySaundersDesmond LlewelynQRobert BrownMGeoffrey KeenMinister of DefenceWalter GotellGeneral Anatol GogolJohn BarryComposerRichard MaibaumWriterMichael G. WilsonWriterIan FlemingWriterAlec MillsCinematographyRent & Buy