A return to form for the Bond series. Gone is the silly, camp humour that so ruined the Moore years. While Moore could perform the smooth, suave ladies' man side of Bond, he was never as convincingly hard as Sean Connery. New Bond Timothy dalton studied the original Ian Fleming novels in his preparation for the role, and the result is a return the harder Bond, but also a slightly more human character. Unfortunately, the best Bonds (Connery and Brosnan) can combine ruthless killing with urbanity, and it is in the latter quality that Dalton falls down.
The opening sequence is excellent: Three double-Os parachute onto the Rock of Gibraltar, to take on the SAS in a paintball exercise. This is also quite a good way of introducing us to a new 007. Before the skydive we don't see the features of any of the double-Os, then they are revealed one by one. Unfortunately we don't get to see too much of the world's two most well-trained and hardest forces battling it out, because 004 is killed, apparently as part of a new KGB operation called Smiert Spionem, meaning "death to spies."
Bond is sent to Bratislava, to facilitate the defection of Georgi Koskov. The defection is false, and is in order to get the British to kill Gogol's replacement, General Pushkin. Koskov also has an deal going on with arms dealer Brad Whitaker. Bond must cover Pushkin's escape by shooting any snipers who try to kill him. This sequence is taken directly from Ian Fleming's short story The Living daylights, in which 007 is sent to Berlin, but deliberately misses because the Soviet sniper is a good-looking woman. The part where Bond says he'd thank M if he fired him comes from here too. Though in the novels having a double-O number means that you have killed in cold blood and get sent on assassination missions, and the literary 007 wouldn't object to losing the numberm not the job. The defection is quite cool, with Koskov been sent through the Trans-Siberian gas pipeline in a 'pig' then jetted off in a harrier Jumpjet.
A new (younger) Miss Moneypenny is introduced, played by Caroline Bliss, but she is not as witty or memorable as her predecessor. Dalton plays Bond much better than Moore, but his line about thanking M if he got the sack is a bit disconcerting; what aspect of his lifestyle can he possibly not like?! He says he finds Koskov's story about a plot to kill spies far-fetched. It's not exactly the most far-fetched plot he's ever encountered, though, is it? Q-Branch provide a new Aston Martin Volante, with all the usual refinements, and a cool keyring with stun gas and grenade built-in. |
