CommanderBond.net

Another look back from Ed Harris:

First Looks Part IV: Living On The Edge

[sub]Timothy Dalton is Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in The Living Daylights[/sub]

Another good analysis from one of my favorite actors about one of my favorite actors.

I wonder if he'll be doing one for Craig before his era is over?

That was a great time to look back on and my personal favorite, so far, era of a new Bond coming in, although the current era with Craig is catching up.

Another terrific article on a terrific Bond film. I agree with many of the points you bring up.

Really nice work, Genrewriter.

Thanks. As for Craig, I'll probably do a First Looks segment for him after the film has been on dvd for a while. Possibly around the release date for Bond 22.

The safe house stuff is equally good with the early intro of Necros (and his Walkman) providing a nice bit of character to a stock henchman for the series (silent blond baddies seem to grow on trees in the world of James Bond). The briefing is a good introduction to Pushkin and the film does a good job of making him out to be the apparent villain of the piece. The World is Not Enough since it let’s Bond be himself throughout as opposed to the rather odd dip into sentimentality the character goes into during that film. Bond is many things but he is certainly not the sentimental type.


Is it just me, or when he talks about TWINE does ther seems to be a sentance missing?

I think your review was on the mark however, I would like to add a few reasons why this movie looks slightly dated.

1.The production design is really bad most of the sets look fake especially Bond's safehouse and Kara's apartment. They don't hold any production values.

2. John Glen has no idea on how to make use of Dalton and it looks like he was operating on auto-pilot. Tony Scott or Micheal Caton Jones would have known what to do with him.Dalton is very good, I still remember the first impression I had when I saw him and it was electric as younger more enrgetic Bond but he seriously lacks the whole action man look which is why people found it hard to believe him as 007.

3.The third act of the film is not only confusing but also very slow moving leaving Bond to fight villians from a plane which seems very lame considering Brosnan,Lazenby,Moore and Connery had more fights and shooting towards the end of the movie. Lazenby hold the best ever fight scene on the beach while the girl escapes. Dalton is left on the screen for only a few moments and alot of attension is given to the other actors.

I thought that too. I think I understand his point though. I vastly prefer the Bond of The Living Daylights to the Bond of The World is not Enough for the reasons he mentions, i.e., Bond doesn't dip into sentimentality by falling in love with girls on computer screens and never suspecting their villainy until halfway through the film. TLD's Bond suspects Koskov much earlier and handles Kara far better than TWINE's Bond handles Elektra.

Nice writeup. When can we expect Mr. Brosnan's "First Looks" Edition of GoldenEye? I am most interested in reading that.

This post has been edited by sharpshooter: 7 January 2007 - 12:49

Should be pretty soon. I sent it in to Mister Asterix a few days ago.

Excellent, music to my ears. I enjoy reading these installments. The first actor's Bond film is usually the best - with all the hype and expectation, wanting to get it right. The GoldenEye edition will be the same high standard no doubt.