This review of The Living Daylights (1987) is part of a wider rewatch of the James Bond series to mark its 60th anniversary. 007 has always been my favourite movie franchise, and I wanted to see where each film ranks within the series. Please check out the main blog post for my rankings of this and the other twenty-four official films and links to the movie reviews for the rest of the franchise.
Short Review
The Living Daylights trades Roger Moore’s suavity for Timothy Dalton’s gritty portrayal, injecting a new intensity into the Bond franchise. I’ve always appreciated when films set the stage in their opening titles, and this movie executes that brilliantly with the assassination of 002 and 004 in Gibraltar by the KGB. Saunders (Bond’s ally) appears to be a stickler for the rules and a bit of a pen pusher, in contrast to James, who just wants to get the job done. Timothy Dalton is seen as the unfunny Bond by some. However, there are some amusing moments from the character in this film. Using the tyre lasers to cut the bottom off the car, and leaving the Police car in the middle of the road is very funny. Probably the most memorable is when they reach the Austrian border, in the cello case, ducking under the barrier, waving Passports and shouting “We have nothing to declare… just a cello”. In the Q branch scene, when 007 gets his Philips-branded keyring finder, a coach eats a man at the end, which is very comical. This movie has cool stunts, comedy moments and interesting locations. I love the Blayden safe house; for example, Max the Parrot from For Your Eyes Only is a nice easter egg. The story in this film is just not that compelling to me, and has no real hook that I care about. Despite its shortcomings in the narrative, The Living Daylights remains an enjoyable watch, making it challenging to rank.
Long Review and Film Summary
Timothy Dalton stars in his first of two James Bond films, The Living Daylights, which I remember watching many years ago and loving the more gritty portrayal of Bond. The action-packed pre-title sequence unfolds in M’s mobile office aboard a military transport plane, setting the stage for a thrilling test mission. 007, 004 and 002 are to penetrate the radar installations of Gibraltar, with the SAS on full alert to intercept as part of the training. The three men are under surveillance as they skydive out of the plane. 002 and 004 are assassinated by a KGB operative who escapes in a Jeep. Bond gives chase and jumps onto the stolen vehicle. The Gibraltar soldiers have no idea what’s happening and continue with the training mission until the Jeep goes through a checkpoint barrier. They shot into the vehicle, which caused a fire near two boxes of explosives. The assassin drives around the island, narrowly missing several tourists as James uses a knife to get inside the vehicle. The vehicle goes over a mountain wall and towards the sea as 007 releases his parachute, and the vehicle explodes. Bond lands on a yacht, encounters Linda and calls into Exercise Control, promising to report in an hour. She offers him a drink, “Make that two hours”.
I love the use of Gibraltar in this pre-title, and there are some brilliant stunts. Moving into the song – it’s not the best, it’s okay, but nothing special. However, getting the name of the song into the lyrics is always good. The opening titles have a nice use of gunshots, video combined with silhouettes, reflections, and projection onto bodies – standard 007 openings which we have come to expect. The film begins in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, at a concert hall where an Orchestra is playing. Bond meets with Saunders (Played by Thomas Wheatley, Head of Section V) in a viewing box. The KGB are in a box opposite, including General Koskov (played by Jeroen Krabbé), a defector to the West. They go to a seemingly abandoned shop across the road and go up to the living quarters. Saunders has masterminded the Koskov defection, and he asked Bond to be his protection as he’s under intense KGB surveillance. General Koskov escapes the concert hall out of a toilet window, giving his minders the slip. The girl with the Cello from the orchestra has a gun at a window nearby, she looks nervous and out of her depth. Bond shoots at her and misses deliberately, knocking the gun out of her hand. They let Koskov into the building as his minders come looking for him.
James and Koskov get into a car and leave Saunders with the gun, saying they will pick him up from the border at 2300 hours. The Police arrive as they drive off to the Trans-Siberian Pipeline, and they meet with Rosika Miklos (played by Julie T. Wallace). She helps them get Koskov into a pipeline pig, which has been designed to carry a man but has never been tested. She distracts her supervisor with her cleavage as Bond completes the firing. Saunders is at the border and hears the pig go by in the pipeline. It comes to rest in Austria and is collected by Q (played by Desmond Llewelyn). Bond picks Saunders up as their vehicle is searched by border control. Koskov is loaded into a fighter jet that flies away as they cross the border. Saunders threatens to report Bond for not killing the sniper, 007 replies that he only kills professionals and she didn’t know one end of a rifle from the other, and must have scared “the living daylights out of her”.
Back in London at the Universal Exports Ltd building, Bond meets with Q, who reales off all known female KGB assassins. They can’t find out who she is and determine that she might be a freelancer. M (played by Robert Brown) wants James to meet him at the Blayden Safe House, asking him to pick up a parcel from Harrods on the way. He asked Miss Moneypenny (played by Caroline Bliss) to monitor Czech publications and news services for mention of the women’s cellist. Necros, Koskov’s henchman (played by Andreas Wisniewski), is hanging around near the safe house, where he strangles a milkman with headphones and steals his uniform. 007 drives into the grounds and has his gun taken by security, he is then shown to the Drawing room by the butler. He is met by M, the MOD (played by Geoffrey Keen), a secretary and General Koskov, who is pleased to see him. The Harrods hamper that James brought with him is full of food, including Foie gras, Caviar, and a Bollinger RD – M doesn’t look happy with the invoice. Necros drives into the grounds in a milk float and is searched as he’s not the usual milkman; he is shown to the kitchen. Koskov explains that he defected because of General Pushkin, who replaced General Gogol, and claims that they used to be like brothers, but the power has gone to Pushkin’s head, and he is hungry for war. Koskov gives M a directive from Pushkin, a list of British and American spy targets for the assassination program – Including 007.
If the killings go ahead, it will be murder for murder and could lead to a nuclear war. Unless Pushkin can be put away, in three days, he leaves for the Tangier North African Trade Convention. Bond, M and MOD leave for London to consult with a higher authority. Necros enters the kitchen and strangles a chef. He’s seen hiding the body by a member of the wait staff who radios security, but only manages to say his call sign. They fight with kitchen objects, boiling water, an electric knife, and a grill stove. The staff member is knocked out with a cast-iron pan. Necros uses the radio to inform security of a gas leak in the main building, and that they should evacuate. He throws an exploding milk bottle and says it’s a gas explosion – Koskov notices him as KGB. Necros takes Koskov hostage and destroys the notes made during the meeting. As more explosions go off, an emergency helicopter lands on the grounds. Necros puts on a Doctor’s stethoscope as Koskov is taken away on a stretcher and loaded into the helicopter, which then flies away.
Back in M’s office, it comes through that two are dead, there are two in the hospital, and Koskov is back in Moscow – if not dead. The MOD says they are the laughingstock of the intelligence community. Bond thinks it’s an unusual story. Bond is sent to Tangiers to terminate Pushkin in two days. James wants to do checks on the snippet first. M proclaims, “Ahh yes, you jeopardise the mission to avoid shooting a beautiful girl”, and tells him 008 can do it as he follows orders, he offers 007 two weeks’ leave. “No, Sir, if it has to be done, I’d rather do it”, James responds. Preparing for his trip to Tangiers, Bond reports to the Q branch where he’s given a Philips-branded keyring finder. The keys open 90% of the world’s locks, and the keyring sets off stun gas when you whistle the first bars of Rule Britannia. It can also explode any safe when you wolf whistle – that should be easy for James to remember. Moonpenny tells Bond that she has found the sniper, a lady by the name of Kara Milovy (played by Maryam d’Abo), a scholarship cellist. She will be back at the academy in Bratislava tomorrow. He asks her to prepare travel documents for Tangier via Bratislava and to keep this between themselves.
Once he reaches Bratislava, James watches her play and follows her onto a tram. The train comes to a sudden stop, as a KGB minder drags her off to meet with General Pushkin. Bond gets off with her Cello at the end of the line, enters a public bathroom with it and finds a rifle inside loaded with blanks. 007 also finds a note with her name, address and phone number. She returns home later that day and finds her apartment trashed by the KGB. James walks in with the Cello case after throwing the rifle in the river using his cover as a friend of General Koskov. She tells him that she is Koskov’s girlfriend and that the defection was fake, hence the blanks. Bond tells her that they only let her go so they could follow her to find out where Koskov is. He tells her Koskov is safe and well, they are keeping him moving as it’s safer, and will meet up in Vienna. Knowing the KGB is watching, Bond goes outside to the Aston as Kara goes outside to the phone box. They use a passing tram to give the KGB minder the slip and drive off. Someway into the journey, they argue about her missing cello, James reluctantly lets her go back to the conservatory for it. As this is happening, the KGB minder goes into the phone box where he thinks Kara is making a call, only to find a Cello case dressed up in her clothing. 007 uses the radio in the Aston to pick up the Police band and find out that they are looking for them. They drive past a Police car, which starts to go after them. Bond uses the tyre lasers to cut the bottom off the car, leaving the Police in the middle of the road. They drive towards a roadblock, where James launches a missile to clear the way. As they pass, the Police shoot at the bulletproof glass of the Aston as the car goes off-road. They are heading through the snow towards a frozen lake, picking up an ice fishing shed on the way, as a Snow groomer and tank join the pursuing vehicles and start shelling around them. The Aston loses a tyre, allowing Bond to use the rims to cut a circle around the Police Car on the ice and watch it sink. 007 deploys the car skis and snow spikes and loads the rocket motors, which fly over a wall, all the vehicles and into the forest – Bond crashes the car. He sets the self-destruct as more agents take to the slopes after them. The Aston blows up as they ride the Cello case down the slopes while being shot at.
They reach the Austrian border, using the stand as a rudder. Kara and James duck under the barrier, waving their Passports and shouting, “We have nothing to declare… just a cello,” which is the scene I remember most when thinking about this film. Over in Tangier, General Pushkin (played by John Rhys-Davies) arrives with a KGB minder as he’s spied on from the roof opposite and a boat in the harbour. Pushkin enters a building full of what the Chief, Brad Whitaker (played by Joe Don Baker), believes to be the great leaders of the world in wax form. He shows Pushkin his models showing the strategies and tactics of the world’s historic battles, strategy, models, and sound effects. The Chief shows Pushkin an equivalent of a modern Maxim, an infantry mini-missile which can penetrate all existing armour. Pushkin tells Whitaker the order’s cancelled, and he is to return the deposit of $50 million in the next 48 hours. They know he has had their money in a Swiss account for eight weeks and has ordered nothing. He knows Whitaker was expelled from West Point for cheating, was a Mercenary in the Belgian Congo, and worked with various criminals to finance his first arms deal. Whitaker says it’s lies. Pushkin thinks that Koskov and Whitaker are up to something (arms deals) and wants his money back in two days, or Whitaker will be out of business permanently.
Now in Vienna, Bond and Kara share a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride to the hotel. The concierge asks if James wants his usual suite, but 007 asks for two bedrooms. He then phones Universal Exports to get two tickets for the Opera. Back in Tangier, Koskov is surrounded by girls at the pool as Sergeant Stagg says the Chief wants him. He and Necros go and find out that Pushkin wants his money back. Koskov informs him that the British will send James Bond as they have convenience them that Pushkin is a danger. Bond hasn’t laid a finger on him yet, maybe it’s time for an inducement, like eliminating another agent. That night in Vienna, Kara and Bond watch the Opera as Saunders watches on. She goes to powder her nose, but Saunders seems to be oblivious to what’s happening. James explains that he is posing as Koskov’s friend to get leads from her, and he asks Saunders to find out where Koskov got the money from to buy the Stradivarius, Lady Rose Cello and the travel documents for tonight. They will meet at the Prater Cafe near the Ferris Wheel at Midnight. Bond and Kara go on some rides at the fun fair, bumper cars, shooting games, and he wins her a big elephant. Saunders arrives and is approached by a seemingly innocent balloon seller, who turns out to be Necros in disguise, trailing him. He goes into the Prater Cafe to wait for Bond. The Ferris Wheel stops, the lights go off, and they make out. The car returns to the station while they are still making out, he makes his excuses and goes to the Cafe, being watched by Necros.
Bond enters the room and learns that the cello was purchased at auction for $150,000, with Whitaker revealed as the buyer. Saunders hands over the travel documents to Tangier, and as he leaves, Necros sets off a Bomb in the sliding door, which takes Saunders out. Bond goes to Saunders, where a balloon bounces towards him with the words “Smiert Spionam” on it (the same words found on the tag near 004’s body in Gibraltar), which is Russian for “Death to Spies”. James is angry, pops the balloon, and goes after who he believes is the balloon seller on the other side of the fence, which turns out to be a mother and child. He informs Kara abruptly that Koskov is with Whitaker in Tangier. They arrive, and Bond tails Pushkin to a hotel where he meets with Rubavitch (played by Virginia Hey). Entering her room, Pushkin is confronted by 007 with a gun drawn on him. Bond pushes him onto the bed and asks about “Smiert Spionom”. Pushkin asserts that the Beria operation was carried out during the Stalin era, stressing that it was disbanded two decades ago and has nothing to do with him. Pushkin states he was going to have Koskov arrested for misusing State funds before he disappeared two weeks ago. He presses the button on his watch, alerting his minder outside that he’s in trouble. James punches him out and grabs Rubavitch, strips her half-naked, and knocks the minder out when he comes through the door. 007 says, “Get down on your knees, put your hands behind your back.” Pushkin asks Bond who he trusts more, him or Koskov. Pushkin concludes that he must die.
That night at a trade conference, a toastmaster introduces the Russian delegation. Necros takes out the spotlight operator and goes to shoot Pushkin, but he is beaten to it by Bond. Necros moves the spotlight to focus on James, prompting a frantic pursuit as Bond is chased by the police. Escaping via the rooftops, being chased and shot at, James runs over the buildings as the body is taken away. Pushkin wakes up to the shock of Rubavitch, but on seeing the vest of blood packets, she realises it was all for show. Pushkin is grateful that James Bond is a good shot! In the street, 007 is asked by two women if he’s “looking for a party” and gets into their car. Ava points a gun at Bond from the backseat as he tries to get dropped off early; he’s taken to the boat outside Witcher’s place. “Are you trying to start World War Three?” asks Felix Leiter (played by John Terry) of the CIA. Having unknowingly been on the same case from opposite ends, they begin exchanging insights over a drink. Whitaker and Koskov believe that Bond killed Pushkin. Whitaker goes to signal Amsterdam to move the diamonds, but there’s a call for Koskov, and he looks nervous. James returns to Kara at the hotel and tells her there’s still no word from Koskov. Bond confesses he’s a secret agent, and that Koskov has betrayed the Russians, the British and her. “He told us a sniper might try to kill him, that sniper with you, he wants you dead,” James tells her. She tells him she phoned and that Koskov has told her the truth, that Bond is a KGB agent sent to kill him. She has poisoned his drink with Chloral hydrate. He shows her the wound on her arm where the rifle was shot out of her hand, proving he was the one who did it. Necros walks in, and Bond tries to aim his gun with his blurred vision, but falls unconscious. They take Bond away by ambulance to the airport, and load the vehicle into a plane, which is also carrying a heart for transplant. Necros goes to the toilet on the plane as James wakes up, and Kara admits she’s been such a fool. They’re carrying an animal heart with $50 million worth of Diamonds hidden in the ice. Koskov tells Bond that he is taking him to the proper Soviet Authorities for killing General Pushkin – he admits he’s been on a mission to disinform British Intelligence.
Upon landing in Afghanistan, everyone is taken off the plane. 007 is handed over to Colonel Feyador (played by John Bowe), while Kara is treated as a defector and taken into custody. Koskov asks Colonel Feyador for men and trucks for his mission. The jailer tells Kara to strip, and as she protests, she drops Bond’s keychain. James leans over to get it, he is hit with a baton as he arms the device, gives it to the jailer and starts to whistle. The stun gas goes off, and Bond attacks all the guards. He fights with the Jailer, pushing the handcuffs into his face. Kara hits a guard down, a fellow inmate takes the baton from the Jailer as Bond pushes him into a cell and locks him inside. James throws the keys to the inmate as he and Kara dress in Russian uniforms.
Outside, they see the diamonds being loaded into a truck, they drive off with a plane staircase towards the perimeter fence as the alarm is raised. They go up the stairs and jump over the fence, running into the inmates’ men on the other side, holding James and Kara at knifepoint. The inmate tells them to stop and “they’re not Russians”. Kara and Bond accompany them into the town, where they go to see Kamran Shah (played by Art Malik), Deputy Commander of the Afghan Mujahideen’s Eastern District. From Rewatch with Love points out, he’s a Cambridge-educated fluent English speaker, which seems unlikely and appears like an attempt to make Kamran more palatable to a Western audience. 007 wants to go back to the airbase, and Kamran wants to take him to his Commander. He won’t spare men or horses. They must rest and leave at sunrise for a mission, then he will see what he can do for James. Kara will go to the Khyber Pass in Pakistan, and Bond will go after Koskov. Not wanting to leave him, she calls James a dumb, stubborn, stupid ‘back end of horse’ and hits him with a pillow – they cuddle.
The next morning, everyone heads off on horseback for the unknown mission. The medical bags strapped to the horses are filled with raw opium, intended to be exchanged for diamonds with Koskov. These drugs are worth half a billion dollars on the streets of New York, all for 50 million dollars worth of diamonds. Koskov thinks he can make a huge profit in a few days and still supply the Russians with their arms. Bond for plastic explosives and a timer. James helps load the Opium into the Russian truck and checks the explosives and timer before he gets trapped inside. Kara grabs Kamran’s gun to help James, and his men follow her. The truck enters a Russian military base, the back is opened, and 007 manages to blend in by handing down the sacks from the truck. Kara distracts a soldier, as Kamran knocks him out. The militants move towards the Russian military base – Bond arms the Bomb for ten minutes. While leaving the plane, he is spotted by Koskov and attacks a soldier, takes his gun and kicks them all down the stairs. He fires the gun at the Russians and uses the plane as cover. Kamran breaks down the perimeter fence with a bulldozer, his men enter, shooting at the Russians, setting off explosives, and destroying structures. James takes charge of the plane and taxis to the runway. Colonel Feyador attempts to start a fuel tanker to pursue the plane, but Kamran swiftly throws a grenade under it, causing an explosion. Kara falls off her horse and takes a vehicle, followed by Koskov and Necros firing at her. Bond lowers the back door for her to drive inside the plane, while Necros also manages to jump into an open door at the side of the plane. Another plane is landing on the runway right in front of them. James manages to fly over the top, but it hits Koskov’s vehicle and explodes – although he’s not dead.
Kara holds the plane level while Bond goes to turn off the timer he set earlier. James is attacked from behind before he can do it. As knives emerge, Necros attempts to strangle Bond. Amidst the chaos, Kara opens the cargo door as 007 and Necros grapple for control. The netting gets cut, and the opium is now hanging out the back of the plane, along with James and Necros. Kara pushes the plane up, dumping them all out the back, then forward as they try to climb back up. Bond punches and kicks Necros with just 1 minute and 40 seconds left on the timer. 007 cuts the ropes, allowing the Opium bags to fly away – 50 seconds left. Necros grabs Bond’s boot. James cuts the laces as Necros loses grip and plummets to his demise. 007 is flung into the cargo bay just before the rope snaps. He closes the door and then hears ticking, realising the explosives are still onboard. Bond frantically looks through the bags, manages to locate it, and turns the timer off with just three seconds left. Kara turns round and asks what is happening, as James notices they are heading straight for a mountain. He grabs the controls, and the plane barely misses it. There are explosions on the ground and gunfire as Kanran’s men flee the Russians. James re-engages the explosives and drops the bag onto a Russian tank, exploding the bridge too. Cheers go up for Bond from Kamran’s men. Back in the cockpit, the fuel warning light illuminates, looking out the window, they see bullet holes in the fuel tank – the engines sputter to a halt. There is nowhere to land the aircraft, so James instructs Kara to get into the Jeep. Bond pulls the cargo bay parachute, and the Jeep gets pulled out onto the ground as the plane glides and eventually hits the floor. They are driving along and see a sign for Karachi – Bond knows a good restaurant there.
Sometime later in Tangier, Felix is on the radio to 007, informing him that Whitaker is on the ground floor and Koskov is upstairs. Whitaker is playing with his military toys as Bond takes out a guard and enters the room, telling Whitaker he wants Koskov. “You can have him as soon as I get my Opium. Where is it?” Whitaker demands. “Up in smoke,” Bond quips. Whitaker presses a button which opens two drawers, one into 007’s leg and the other full of guns and a bulletproof face shield – he starts shooting at James. Whitaker uses a remote control animatronic man to set off a small cannon as Bond sets his keyring on a pillar and does the wolf whistle to set it off, crushing Whitaker. The sergeant comes through the door, gun drawn and is shot in the back by General Pushkin. Koskov enters the room, spinning some nonsense about Whitaker keeping him hostage. Pushkin plays along and tells 007 to “Put [Koskov] on the next plane to Moscow… in a diplomatic bag”. Kara, also a defector, is sent to a concert hall in Vienna to be part of the orchestra. In Vienna, M introduces Kara to General Gogol (played by Walter Gotell), who is now with the Foreign Service, has arranged an immigration visa so she can come and go as she pleases. Kamran Shah and his men arrive late after having some issues at the airport. M informs the guests that Bond is on assignment abroad. Kara goes to her room and sees two drinks on the table. She whistles, hears the keychain, and realises it’s Bond. The camera pans away as they make out on the bed, as the end credits play.