The Living Daylights (1987) * * *

 

Directed by:  John Glen

Starring:  Timothy Dalton, Maryam D'Abo, Jeroen Krabbe, John Rhys-Davies, Joe Don Baker, Andreas Wisniewski

Timothy Dalton was the Bond the world may not have been ready for.  He was more serious than Roger Moore and Sean Connery, exhibiting a lean, mean toughness that no actor who played James Bond before ever tried.  Daniel Craig hit many of the same notes, but Dalton's Bond still seemed to enjoy showing up to work, while Craig's Bond was a borderline alcoholic and full of angst.

Bond is first seen in Prague scoping out an orchestra performance attended by Soviet General Georgi Koskov (Krabbe), who is looking to defect to the west.  However, before that, Bond witnesses the orchestra's beautiful blonde cellist (D'Abo) attempt to assassinate Koskov, but Bond hesitates before shooting at her (and missing).  Since Bond doesn't miss nor hesitate, we know he has his reasons that originate from above the waistline.  Koskov defects to London with Bond's help, but is soon "kidnapped" from the safe house by the KGB, which further raises Bond's ire and curiosity.  

Bond realizes that the cellist is Koskov's lover and the defection was a ruse designed to trick the British government into killing Koskov's boss General Pushkin (Rhys-Davies) and thus allowing him to conduct nefarious arms deals with a villainous arms dealer (Baker).  Bond, of course, is on to Koskov and his group of goons, all the while romancing the cellist who doesn't understand she is being used as a pawn.  

D'Abo is a looker, but lacks the substance of previous Bond heroines.  The Living Daylights introduces more of the ingenious gadgets the series was famous for, and the action scenes involve Bond and the cellist sliding down the mountainside in a cello case evading the baddies.  The movie itself is fun and gave us a new take on James Bond which worked for two movies until Pierce Brosnan came aboard in 1995's Goldeneye.  Brosnan was more of a return to the suave, sophisticated Bond.  Dalton is just a machine and I have to say it was pretty refreshing.