Screen Vistas: BONDATHON: THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

The idea of the reboot is fairly new. The concept of starting a franchise over to correct irrevocable harm done by a previous incarnation, gained a lot of prominence in the 2000's. Usually there is an all new cast, and an origin story to returns to the "edgy roots" of the franchise. In 1987, The Living Daylights became a rough template for this modern idea. This film is not the origin story it was initially conceived as, but it does shake up the cast somewhat with a new Bond (Timothy Dalton) and a new Moneypenney (Caroline Bliss) and most importantly, it captures the tone of the Ian Fleming stories better than any of the other Bonds until 2006's Casino Royale.

What's impressive about the film is it's momentum. Other Bonds have struggled integrating story and action, usually having to chose between one or the other. Living Daylights manages to have lots of action and 3 times as much story as the average Bond adventure. We meet our new Bond, as he foils Soviet assassins that have invaded a mock combat exercise. Then, before we've had a chance to recover, he's off to Czechoslovakia to help extract a KGB defector who has knowledge about a new program to kill foreign spies. But something about the whole thing seems fishy to Bond, he's dealt with the Russian general who's supposedly behind it all and he doesn't seem the type for unprovoked attacks. There's also the matter of the female cellist/sniper Bond foiled back in Czechoslovakia and the arms dealer (Joe Don Baker) and the Afghan opium ring.

The film is a bit of a coming out party for director John Glen, who directed all of the late period Moore films. But his down to earth style never fully jived with the whimsy of the Moore-era, but it does fit with Dalton. Dalton plays the role with an intensity and tenacity that are more reminiscent of Fleming's Bond than Connery's or Moore's. He's a killer and he enjoys being a killer. Very few things are as satisfying in cinema as people who enjoy being good at their jobs. Credit should also go to veteran Bond scribes Richard Maibaum and Michael Wilson for actually creating a script where Bond is genuinely interested in the mystery and does proper espionage instead of bumbling about until he gets captured by the bad guy.

The strong script keeps the films many action scenes from feeling gratuitous. The scenes are well done even if they still depend more on gimcrackery than craftsmanship. Oh, it's been a while but we also get our first real Bond gadget car since Spy Who Loved Me. I'm really surprised how rarely the series gives 007 a gadget car seeing how I grew up in the Brosnon-era where they were as obligatory as the shaken martini's. This one is an Aston Martin Vantage and it resembles the 90's Bond cars quite well, it's bullet proof, naturally, and has heat-seeking missiles, snow skids and a rocket engine. Or as Bond calls them: "extras."

While we're on the subject of formula elements, lets talk about music. After the success of the Duran Duran single for the previous film, it was decided that this film would have not one but three original songs. The title track is by a-ha (I've never heard of them either) and the other two are by The Pretenders. All of them are pretty terrible as is the score by John Barry (his last for the series). The 80's school of pop just feels so out of place in this darker, more serious Bond. At the very least it dates the film badly.

Despite some bad music, this is one of the better entries of the Bond franchise. The strong script and the darker tone is a welcome break after 7 Moore films. Dalton is a fantastic Bond and it's a pity he'll only get to do one more film.

Grade: B+

The Living Daylights is currently streaming on Netflix Instant.

Enjoy these other Bondathon entries:

Dr. No

From Russia With Love

Goldfinger

Thunderball / Never Say Never Again