The Living Daylights

"The new James Bond...living on the edge."

1987 2h 10m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 2,116

ActionAdventureThriller

Synopsis

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After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the KGB to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.

“The new James Bond...living on the edge.”

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Cast

Timothy Dalton
James Bond
Maryam D'Abo
Kara Milovy
Joe Don Baker
Brad Whitaker
Art Malik
Kamran Shah
John Rhys-Davies
General Leonid Pushkin
Jeroen Krabbé
General Georgi Koskov
Andreas Wisniewski
Necros
Thomas Wheatley
Saunders

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Glen
Writers: Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson
Languages: English, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Czech, Slovak
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 7 languages: English, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Czech, Slovak.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "James Bond Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Glen, shot by Alec Mills. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Barry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Davies shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Glen directs. Alec Mills behind the camera. John Barry scores. Peter Davies cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Czech, Slovak.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.8× over at the box office.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 7 languages: English, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Czech, Slovak.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Part of the "James Bond Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by John Glen, shot by Alec Mills. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by John Barry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Peter Davies shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Timothy Dalton and Maryam D'Abo and Joe Don Baker carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The new James Bond...living on the edge.".
11IMDB entry: tt0093428 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 32 themes, including "prison", "london, england", "assassination", "airplane".
13Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alec Mills
Original score: John Barry
Editing: Peter Davies
Production design: Peter Lamont
Costume design: Emma Porteous
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $191,185,897
Return: 478% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Living Daylights (1987)

Part of

James Bond Collection

The James Bond Collection is a legendary spy film series based on Ian Fleming’s novels, following MI6 agent 007, James Bond, as he takes on global threats with style, gadgets, and charm. Produced by EON Productions, the franchise spans 25 official films (1962–2021) and has featured six actors, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. Known for its thrilling action, iconic villains, Bond girls, and unforgettable theme songs, the series remains a cornerstone of the spy genre. With espionage, luxury cars, and shaken-not-stirred martinis, Bond continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

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John Glen

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-09-05
★ 6/10
Solid Bond film with Timothy Dalton taking over as 007 "The Living Daylights" was the first of two James Bond films featuring Timothy Dalton as 007. It's a solid Bond flick, but rarely cited when the best films of the franchise are discussed. The "problem" isn't Dalton because he makes a fine James Bond and was what the series needed in 1987 (when the film was released). Although the Roger Moore era (1973-1985) is my favorite stretch of the franchise, mainly because they're so all-around entertaining, Roger was just too old in 1987 to continue in the role (he was 60 years-old). Plus I think everyone was craving a more serious Bond by 1987 and Dalton delivers the goods. There’s a lot of good in "The Living Daylights." It features a great opening sequence involving skydiving at the Rock of Gibraltar followed by a Jeep-going-down-the-mountain segment. The events switch to Bratislava, Slovakia (but shot in Vienna, Austria) where everything slows down to dramatic intrigue. A short while later there's a cool winter chase episode with Bond and his romantic interest (Maryam d'Abo) in a car with skis (also shot in Austria). The action-packed last act takes place in Afghanistan (but shot in Morocco and the Mojave Desert). This part of the movie increases in suspense as James and his babe try to get out of the country on a cargo plane, and the film still doesn't end at that point. This climax features three or four excellent suspense scenes and some funny quips as well. Unfortunately, the film is weak in the area of women. D'Abo is decent in a doe-eyed, winsome way, but her presence is never really capitalized on; she looks good in slacks though. Other than her, there are only brief flashes of women with no one particularly standing out, except maybe a blonde in white shorts. The cast also includes Joe Don Baker, Jeroen Krabbé, John Rhys-Davies and Andreas Wisniewski, mostly villains or possible villains. BOTTOM LINE: Although "The Living Daylights" is not a highlight of the series, it's still a worthwhile Bond flick with the usual staples, albeit shaky in the female department. Aside from Timothy Dalton, who makes a refreshing Bond, the opening and ending sequences are the best parts. The film runs 2 hours, 10 minutes. GRADE: B-
JPV8522020-04-19
★ 8/10
Great entry into the series and wonderful debut for Dalton who was charming, and for me far and away better than any of Roger Moore's movies (though found some of his to be entertaining enough). Not all that fond of this theme song but still catchy enough I suppose. Also features some great aerial stuntwork. 3.75/5
CinemaSerf2022-07-29
★ 7/10
So Roger Moore has handed the baton of Ian Fleming's "007" to Timothy Dalton and this first outing is not at all bad. The story is, perhaps, not the best but this is still an action packed adventure with loads of pyrotechnics and daft gadgets that really does move along swiftly for over two hours. "Bond" is assigned to aid would-be defector "Gen. Koskov" (Jeroen Krabbé) from Berlin, along the way encountering the lethal cellist "Kara" (Maryam d'Abo). A bit of fun with the no-nonsense Julie T. Wallace, a Harrier jump jet and and soon-to-be-trashed English stately home set a scene for the ensuing narrative that mixes perilous international espionage with glamour and plenty of entertainment. Blonde baddie Andreas Wisniewski must have done wonders for the sales of 501s, hammily megalomanic arms dealer Joe Don Baker likewise for the sale of toy soldiers and Desmond Llewelyn continues to provide our hero with plenty of imaginatively designed toys to help him escape from certain death! Art Malik is maybe not the most convincing as an Afghan freedom fighter, and I missed Lois Maxwell's few scenes as the love-struck "Moneypenny", but otherwise this is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of good-humoured and pacily directed cold war bravado. It does look better on a big screen - some of the cinematography, especially the aerial photography - lends itself well to a bigger screen and a bit of A-ha at the beginning sets it all off nicely. Not the best of the franchise, but it augers well for this new incarnation.