The Living Daylights
United Artists | Release Date: July 31, 1987
6.8
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 72 Ratings
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39
Mixed:
30
Negative:
3
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4
BroyaxDec 23, 2017
Qu'on se le dise, Timothy Dalton n'est pas le pire des avatars de James Bond, pas pire que Pierce Brosnan ou Daniel Craig : ils sont tous sérieux comme des papes loin des facéties et bons mots de Roger Moore, ce qui rend du coup le personnageQu'on se le dise, Timothy Dalton n'est pas le pire des avatars de James Bond, pas pire que Pierce Brosnan ou Daniel Craig : ils sont tous sérieux comme des papes loin des facéties et bons mots de Roger Moore, ce qui rend du coup le personnage de l'agent britannique assez falot...

Il reste bien entendu "efficace", tout comme la mise en scène, très sérieuse elle aussi mais on ne va pas s'en plaindre outre-mesure quand même, car l'action et les cascades sont fidèles à la marque de fabrique bondienne, plutôt inventives et spectaculaires. Et au moins Timothy ne roule pas en bavaroise mais en Aston Martin... encore qu'il s'égare dans quelque taudis de temps à autre ! euh je veux dire des Audi.

Le scénario, pour sa part, est presque crédible (presque un compliment pour un 007) mais ne sait pas sur quel pied danser entre les Russes qui sont "gentils" et le clin d'oeil lourdement appuyé sur l'Afghanistan (et ses soldats russes -mais que font-ils là...- et les "gentils" (?) Afghans résistants comme dans le Rambo de la même époque !). Tout cela est très opportuniste et un brin concon.

Un peu concon comme la jolie bécasse blonde, vraiment jolie mais décidément trop "blonde" je crois... Par ailleurs, le film est trop long et se révèle lassant... en plus de rester évidemment très creux comme tous les 007 produits (à de très rares exceptions près. Et encore).

Bref, cela est regardable mais carrément un peu naze sur les bords, même que ça déborde des fois.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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5
Gamepro3093Aug 19, 2020
Meh. Some entertaining parts but passable. Timothy Dalton sucked as James Bond. So ugly and looks like a lizard. Bleh! Ian Fleming would’ve been appalled to know that anyone associates this twit with Fleming’s version. Dalton is a disgrace toMeh. Some entertaining parts but passable. Timothy Dalton sucked as James Bond. So ugly and looks like a lizard. Bleh! Ian Fleming would’ve been appalled to know that anyone associates this twit with Fleming’s version. Dalton is a disgrace to the series.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
kheasApr 25, 2019
Overall, The Living Daylights is a rather bland story with an action packed ending that almost makes up for the less than exciting first two thirds of the film. That being said, it has it’s moments and is a a rather fun attempt to bring in aOverall, The Living Daylights is a rather bland story with an action packed ending that almost makes up for the less than exciting first two thirds of the film. That being said, it has it’s moments and is a a rather fun attempt to bring in a new Bond actor. Making only two Bond Films, Dalton may not be the best in the franchise, but he is certainly not the worst. This one is worth watching at least once. https://latetothegame.blog/2019/04/18/key-movies-of-my-life-james-bond-edition-the-living-daylights-1987/… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
imthenoobNov 15, 2019
The story is tolerable enough until you get to the second half. By the final act, You just want it to be over with because it drags on so terribly slow. Dalton does a good job as Bond but his first outing left a lot more to be desired. It isThe story is tolerable enough until you get to the second half. By the final act, You just want it to be over with because it drags on so terribly slow. Dalton does a good job as Bond but his first outing left a lot more to be desired. It is slightly more tolerable than a few of the previous Moore films.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
gracjanskiSep 23, 2021
A new Bond...Dalton is fortunately younger than Moore and therefore bore believable than Moore, but somehow he doesnt look sympathetic.
The movie has so many ridiculous scenes, especially when it comes to the action scenes. But some scenesA new Bond...Dalton is fortunately younger than Moore and therefore bore believable than Moore, but somehow he doesnt look sympathetic.
The movie has so many ridiculous scenes, especially when it comes to the action scenes. But some scenes were great, especially the stunts on the plane at the end.
The Story is good, because you need to think who is doing what.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
VidyaBumOct 22, 2021
Having watched 25 Bonds from Dr.No to Skyfall, I place this one at 10/25.

I believe Timothy Dalton was a complete blessing on this franchise. Almost 20 years after Connery did the last Bond that he actually wanted to make, and after lots ofHaving watched 25 Bonds from Dr.No to Skyfall, I place this one at 10/25.

I believe Timothy Dalton was a complete blessing on this franchise. Almost 20 years after Connery did the last Bond that he actually wanted to make, and after lots of lead actor problems and a Moore era that completely melted Bond down into a giant joke, Dalton managed to swoop in and rake in exactly what Connery had left: a serious character, in an unrealistic world, that wins through wit, skill, and enjoys life as a womaniser and dangerous games player.

Dalton imprinted so quickly and so well on the role that I believe he's one of the best Bonds, and perhaps the best.

And in his first movie, after the endless string of Moore's half-comedy movies, we finally got something serious. We got a spy movie. We got a GOOD spy movie, with real backstabbing, lying, cheating, plotting, searching and thinking. We got instinct and skill, we got brilliance and great moments, we got a decent romantic interest.

My love for this movie was soaring and I was enjoying it through and through.

Until the last 3rd.

You see, everything I said applies to The Living Daylights, but clearly EON didn't have enough of all that goodness to last a whole two hours. So for the last 3rd of the movie, we get a visit to Afghanistan, to see our friends the Taliban.

And I'm not being sarcastic. We meet Talibans in this movie, and they are of course, highly courageous "freedom fighters" that studied English in Oxford. I'm still not being sarcastic.

Our Friends The Taliban, in the middle of the 1980-1988 Soviet-Afghan war, are our Friends for completely political reasons (1987 movie), and not only is this part of the movie absurd in hindsight, but it's also like everything bad from Moore's time was just reinstated for it.

Picture, if you will, Bond, a girl, and 7 taliban on horseback with old carbines attacking a Soviet army base of 500 or so soldiers armed with AK-74s. Now picture, if you can, that Bond and his 7 Taliban Friends run around on horseback for 5 whole minutes and the entirety of the soviet base also runs around, and doesn't manage to shoot a single one of them down, or even to aim at them at all. Just, 7 Taliban rode in, started shooting, and 500 armed men did nothing but run around for 5 whole minutes of movie, before Bond + girl hitch a ride on a plane, and the Taliban just ride the base down.

That's one example, but the entirety of the latter third of the movie is riddled with that. The Living Daylights had a great lead, a great tone, and some impressive plot, lines, and decisions. It could have been an excellent Bond. But Moore's movies weren't bad just because of Moore, they were so because of EON all the same, and here, the renewal is both brilliant and totally insufficient.

I still love Dalton and the first half of this movie, but I can't recommend it past the halfway mark.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
kyle20ellisMar 27, 2022
Warning: Spoilers
While this is nothing brilliant, this could have been much worse. Out of the two films Timothy Dalton did, this is the better of the two as I personally disliked Licence to Kill. The plot is nothing special, the script isWarning: Spoilers
While this is nothing brilliant, this could have been much worse. Out of the two films Timothy Dalton did, this is the better of the two as I personally disliked Licence to Kill. The plot is nothing special, the script is thin, the pacing is pedestrian and the film is overlong. Conversely, the locations are superb and very picturesque, the music is brilliant, the action is credible, the direction is decent and the acting from Dalton, Jeroen Knabbe(the Soviet general), Maryam D'Abo(as the beautiful Czech cellist) and Joe Don Baker(as the arms dealer) is not bad at all if not superb. Overall, it is decent but not extraordinary. 6/10 Bethany Cox.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
Onlyclassicvg1Aug 28, 2022
The fifteenth James Bond movie and debut of Timothy Dalton. It is rated divisive from favorite Bond movie to one of the worst by fans and critics alike. For me it is one of the best in the franchise and a strong first performance by TimothyThe fifteenth James Bond movie and debut of Timothy Dalton. It is rated divisive from favorite Bond movie to one of the worst by fans and critics alike. For me it is one of the best in the franchise and a strong first performance by Timothy Dalton. After the end of the Roger Moore era they… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
MrPajamasFeb 17, 2021
The Living Daylights quite disappointed me. I tolerated the change of actor even worse here. I'm quite used to Moore, but I don't have to. The plot will work. But the locations are not bad I must say. But it's all so above average, I'd say,The Living Daylights quite disappointed me. I tolerated the change of actor even worse here. I'm quite used to Moore, but I don't have to. The plot will work. But the locations are not bad I must say. But it's all so above average, I'd say, and for me it's more of an above-average Bond, which I honestly don't even know if I can recommend.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
liamexeDec 3, 2022
I watched this movie through its final third, which took place in Afghanistan. The abrupt inclusion of a huge number of new characters and a late plot surprise that doesn't make much sense and receives little explanation detract slightly fromI watched this movie through its final third, which took place in Afghanistan. The abrupt inclusion of a huge number of new characters and a late plot surprise that doesn't make much sense and receives little explanation detract slightly from what is otherwise a strong Bond adventure with a more grounded narrative emphasis and aesthetic vibe. There is still entertaining material there, but everything in and around it detracts from Timothy Dalton's portrayal as Agent 007.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
GDsReviewsJun 7, 2022
This Bond movie is neither bad nor good, and the heroine in Maryam d'Abo's Kara Milovy is neither really powerful nor weak either. Just average in every aspect. A slight bump up is given to Timothy Dalton being a fantastic Bond.
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