James Bond - The Living Daylights (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) [DVD]

 

 

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As with George Lazenby, the brevity of Timothy Dalton's tenure as Bond - due to years of legal problems and lawsuits between EON and MGM/UA - has led to history merrily being rewritten by the press that once hailed him. Dalton, not the lawyers, was lined up as the fall guy with Pierce Brosnan the man who saved the series from disaster (even though Dalton's first Bond saw a massive increase in takings over Moore's last film). Those who are quick to dismiss him would do well to check out The Living Daylights.

Much of the scapegoating of Dalton seemed to come from the confusion of actor and role. At the time Dalton's Bond was the closest to Fleming's creation - more so than Connery, even - and given the right script he proved outstanding in the role. After Roger Moore's 12-year, seven-film tenure as Bond finally came to an ignominious end with A View to a Kill, as with OHMSS, Live and Let Die and Casino Royale, the producers broke in their new Bond with a more low-key, low-gadget approach, resulting in the best Bond since the Sixties, with Dalton initially looking the first Bond to seriously rival Connery. Where Connery had the danger and Moore the class, Dalton managed to combine both, with Bond's self-assurance that verges on the arrogant down pat, reclaiming the character from the increasingly comic-strip approach of too many of the later Moore films.

The film isn't without its faults - Caroline Bliss isn't up to much as Moneypenny, Maryam D'Abo's a bit of a wet leading lady while Jeroen Krabbe lacks the menace he brought to No Mercy - but it looks and feels like a classic Bond film, has little truck with gadgets and is less in thrall to silly jokes. Best of all, it's got a plot (involving a dubious defection, Mujahadin opium smuggling in Afghanistan and a re-activated Stalinist spy assassination programme). The political background may have dated - this was filmed when the Communists still held the USSR together and when the Mujahadin were the good guys - but it still comes up remarkably fresh. This is Bond with all the stops pulled out but without the overkill. The production values are superb and visually it's a treat, especially in widescreen, with John Barry making his final Bond score his best in years. The action scenes are often outstandingly good, with a return to the kind of good old vicious punchups that vanished in the latter Moore years and as well as some amazing stunt work involving a Russian troop plane and it has one of the series' best pre-title sequences, with a security exercise in Gibraltar turning into the real thing. The makers even have the confidence to remove Bond from one of the key setpieces - a superbly staged kidnapping from a safehouse, which runs nearly a full reel. John Glen's direction is so spot-on here it's hard to see why it would go so horribly wrong on Licence To Kill.

The extras package is excellent, including audio commentary, an extended scene and the infamous deleted `magic carpet' sequence, a bad idea that feels like a holdover from the Roger Moore era that was thankfully dropped due to the stunt looking distinctly unimpressive. There are enough new features on the two-disc Ultimate edition to make an upgrade worthwhile for the more ardent Bond fans - several promo featurettes from the original release, a press conference held in Vienna and 47-minute TV special `Happy Anniversary 007.' All the features from the original DVD release have also been included.

Death To Spies are the words to set the tone for this, the first Timothy Dalton James Bond movie. This 007 is darker, grittier and more to the true incarnation of Ian Fleming, and Dalton does a perfect job in becoming the super spy.

After the near-perfect defection of KGB General Koskov (Jerone Krabbe), 007 finds himself in a web of deciet and international arms dealing when all is not what it was thought to be. The beautiful, strong minded but naive Kara Milovy (Maryam D'Abo) proves to be one of the toughest Bond Girls of the 80's and plays just as much a factor in the story as Bond to help unravel the danger.

The selection of villains, like delusioned arms-dealer Brad Whitaker (Joe Don Baker) and the brilliant assassin Necros (Andreas Wisniewski) add more tension and a real life sense of danger to this adventure story, and give the whole movie more espionage qualities like Fleming originally wrote about.

A great number of fantastic action sequences and stunts like the final plane confrontation and airbase assault and the icey lake Aston Martin battle, mixed with stunning locals like Afghanistan, Vienna and the borders of Russia and Czechoslovakia give another thumbs up to the start of the short but sweet Timothy Dalton era and a new style for James Bond!

1987. Roger Moore had finally hung up his Walther PPK and tuxedo after `A View To A Kill', and a replacement Bond was needed for this the fifteenth big screen outing for the superspy. This is Timothy Dalton's first film in role, and he acquits himself well.

I have always enjoyed Dalton's portrayal of Bnd. Not quite as suave and sophisticate as Moore and with less of a predilection for corny one liners, his was a harder character - utterly ruthless in his determination to get the job done but not without his compassionate side. It was a portrayal (and I await the critics to shoot me down for this comment) that strongly echoed Sean Connery's early take on the character. I feel strongly that it was just what the series needed.

In this entertaining romp, Bond helps a Russian General to defect. Pretty soon the defector is snatched by a third party, and Bond is off on a hunt across Eastern Europe and Afghanistan to track him down and foil a plot involving a drugs trade and huge arms deal. It starts off feeling like another cold war drama then slowly morphs into a more sophisticated story about attempts to make huge amounts of money. It's a well constructed script, and pacily directed, jumping from one situation to the next and dishing out the thrills and spills on a regular basis. For sheer entertainment value it has to be one of the best in the series.

This ultimate edition really is the best version of the film I have owned. The picture has been lovingly restored and cleaned up, and looks amazing. Really, I am not just saying that. It looks superb. The sound has been similarly treated and there is an option to listen to it in 5.1 DTS surround, which is truly exceptional.

As well as the superb presentation of the film, there is also a host of extras, original trailers, informative audio commentaries and the such. These are exhaustive and some of them quite interesting. But these really a garnish for the main course, which is the film itself.

This is an excellent release, and does the film justice. This series of `Ultimate editions' really sets the standard for film releases. It really does not get any better.

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4.0 out of 5 stars the living daylights
timothy dalton was underated and a very good bond.after the lightheartedness of the moore era we needed this.the ice cold assasin closer to flemmings books.great cast. Read more

Published 10 months ago by stargatesg1

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised the living daylights out of me!
When I bought this product, I was unsure for a while as to whether or not I had made the right choice - of all the Bond films, this was the only one which I had never before given... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Thomas Devon

4.0 out of 5 stars rare chemistry
i am not sure if there was any real chemistry between dalton and d'abo in real life, but the fact is that in the movie they come off as really lovestruck. Read more

Published 17 months ago by N. Chandran

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile addition to the pantheon of Bond movies
This is a good old fashioned mid-80's spy thriller based around the theme of Soviet defections and dodgy arms deals. Read more

Published on 27 July 2008

4.0 out of 5 stars A new Bond - better than I thought it would be
Timothy Dalton's first outing as Bond is better than I thought it would be. Dalton provides a certain gravitas to the role. Read more

Published on 15 Mar 2008 by Nicholas Casley

2.0 out of 5 stars Bad start for Dalton
"The Living Daylights" is a disappointment for several reasons. The biggest reason is the surprisingly unengaging plot. Read more

Published on 24 Feb 2008 by NoWireHangers

5.0 out of 5 stars The Living Daylights - A Review
One of the best Bonds. Timothy Dalton portrays a brilliant Bond in his first outing with plenty of action and adventure. Certainly worth having a look at.

Published on 30 Nov 2007 by Brooky

4.0 out of 5 stars Breath of fresh air
After Moore had brought Bond almost to a pension, it is a breath of fresh air to have a younger actor playing the role - and one with the acting chops to make the role closer to... Read more

Published on 21 Nov 2007 by Mr. Stephen Kennedy

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Bond!
The Best Bond film ever!
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS is filled with action, good music and romance!
James Bond (Timothy Dalton) is sent to rescue a general when he is... Read more

Published on 16 Aug 2007 by Mrs. L. Studd

3.0 out of 5 stars Alright, hold on tight now. It's down, down to the wire!
The first of Dalton's double-bill as 007 is a merely above-average affair. The one thing that really stops TLD from being a better film is the fact that it's just too tame. Read more

Published on 4 Aug 2007 by Inspector Gadget

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