The Living Daylights (1987)

So there's a new angle here as a training mission goes wrong and a 00-agent falls to his death, leaving only the mysterious note (that we're not allowed to see until an hour later). There are stunts galore, including burning crates of TNT falling off transit at high speed, making sure there are more than enough explosions to set the mood. Bond's landing is of course perfect. He even dons the grin.

Dalton is rather pissy and brutish from the go here. He had reportedly demanded a less comical Bond, and he does deliver on that note. He never looks as suave as his predecessors in mannerisms nor clothing, but he does wear his arrogance well. With more of a sneer and sometimes exasperation. It makes for a more realistic character, re-introducing the cold,callous Bond. Though with some real affection for his woman. A man of passion indeed, and far from the quipping and smiling Moore.

Tension has improved in this instalment, as sniping tends to set that up brilliantly. The storyline is also better than in recent years, with a defecting Russian general at the centre of events. Furthermore, there is more of a spy feel as someone has taken the job of writing some smart pieces where the different parties elaborately play each other.

After 24 years, Lois Maxwell decided to call it a day and Caroline Bliss takes over as Moneypenny. Her chemistry with Bond lacks the class of the Canadian. John Rhys-Davies as Russian General Pushkin is predictably jovial and solid. Maryam d'Abo is a bit back to the 60's a demure damsel in over her head in need of rescue. She does it decently, though a bit over the top at times. Baker is not quite the villain you want. Just a mad American, not unlike Ed Begley in "The Billion Dollar Brain". And is he really the villain? Or is that the more buffoonish Koskov in the not very apt hands of Jeroen Krabbè. Probably the latter. Even worse.

Barry's score is a times dramatic and nice, but suffers greatly from the synth-sound of the 80's. Not his strong suit, and quite frankly just another example of a tragic decade for music.

So John Glen does manage to create more of a caper than in many years, and at times some realistic spy-themes. But without a real villain, this still fails to qualify as a great film. And fair enough that Dalton didn't want to be a cartoon Bond, but they could have provided him with one single one-liner, couldn't they?

6/10
Best car used: Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Me want)
Most memorable drink served: Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred (but drugged)
Henchmen: Necros in the hands of Andreas Wisniewski. Efficient and brutal.
Villain: Jeroen Krabbe as Koskov
Best one-liner: "He got the boot"
Song: "The Living Daylights" A-Ha. Very 80's, plenty of synth. As Barry hated working with A-ha, his trademarks are not really easy to spot, unfortunately. 
Bond-girl: Maryam d'Abo. A bit too demure for my taste, but she is a cellist.

A View to a Kill (1985)

The Russians are back in spades as 007 finds a dead agent in the snow (retrieving a MacGuffin), and is forced to escape with some quite extreme ski-stunts. Ending it with a submarine disguised as an ice-flake, is a bit much though. Particularly as it obviously is a poor prop, easily deducted from the movements it makes when Bond steps on it. It is a short and quite unmemorable intro.

Casting is highly variable this time around. Apart from Walken making the second best of a half-wit character, there is special mention goes to Patrick MacNee. There is real sadness as Grace Jones kills Sir Godfrey in the Rolls, even for Bond as he discovers him. Willoughby Gray as Dr. Mortner is a travesty and Jean Rougerie would fit better in a Pink Panther-skit. Actually most of the Paris-scenes are cartoonish and stupid, with characters to match.

As for Moore, this was his "one too many" as he's clearly too old for his character. He was 58 at the time, and looking it, failing to deliver the virility we've come to expect.That Grace Jones has so much of it, particularly in bed, adds insult to injury.

Apart from the earliest instalments, this is perhaps John Barry's finest score as there are horns blazing at high intensity. Particularly the action scenes are set alight by his work. Why they would taint an early scenes with "California Girls" is beyond me, however.

The action is decent, and the stunts quite all right, though often blemished by over-acting in a comical sense that doesn't fit with the villains ruthlessness and cold-blooded murders, whether one on one or in huge numbers. Generally, the level of silly is miles above what it should be, and this film never really settles on what it wants to be.

This really isn't a good film. Glen screws up again by introducing too many half-important characters, instead of concentrating on a few. Thus we are once again without a real Bond-girl and a generally messy affair. With a plot that seriously fails to make sense on most levels, the best thing about this is John Barry's score. And that can be bought separately.

4/10


Best car used: 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II
Most memorable drink served: Bollinger '75
Henchmen: Grace Jones as May Day. As unpredictable as they come
Villain: Max Sorin. A megalomaniac of proportions in the hands of Christopher Walken
Best one-liner: "Does anybody else want to drop out?"
Song: "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran. Stylish and dramatic. Well done.
Bond-girl: Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton. Drowned in stronger women

Octopussy (1983)

So Bond is captured, escapes promptly and tricks the Cubans into sending a missile into their own hangar, before landing at a rural gas station to refill gas. Cool start! That the next part has 009 dressed as a clown killed by circus-artists adds a bit more tension and intrigue. And the squeaky sound of his shoes as he lands after a jump is a delightful detail.

I most enjoy the Bond-movies with a good political background. Steven Berkoff's Russian general, looking to invade Eastern Europe, is a most welcome angle. Berkoff does suffer a bit under a well of semi-villains though. Khamal Khan and Octopussy distract from him. From his opening scene, it takes almost 50 minutes until he appears again. In addition, there is no shortage of villains either, leaving all of them with too little screentime to make any real impact.

Only the Brits can make an art-auction entertaining and tense, and Moore is the perfect culprit to raise gasps and shock amongst old aristocrats by the sheer wink of his eye. The follow-up gambling with Khan is also a great treat, adding to a fine first hour. Generally, the dialogues are on the better side of the franchise, and Moore has a wide range of quips for all situations. Smirk-factor sky-high.

As usual, director John Glen makes excellent use of the exotic location, though there are stereotypes galore, bordering on outright racism in today's world. Every thing you ever heard about Indian culture, whether true or not, is here in spades. Glen also dispenses of the fast-forward action, and does a nice job with his fight scenes and vehicle chases.

The title-song however, is so bad it begs belief, and Rita Coolidge hardly carries the tunes. Only the eighties could like this. Barry's score is very good on the other hand.

So there are a bit too many bad-guys here, and a shocking lack of cars and drinks, as well as an untraditional Bond-woman that appears late and has very few scenes with Bond. The plot from the intro utterly loses itself in some diamond smuggling and the story seems to have been muddled up at several points. But it excels at dialogue, action, tension and stunts (driving in particular), and should not be overlooked by the fans

6/10

Best car used: Mercedes Benz 250SE
Most memorable drink served: No named drinks
Henchmen: Gobinda. A huge, mute Indian. Like an exotic and dull Jaws. Also Khamal Khan, who takes many of the scenes usually reserved for the main villain, and two douchy twins from the circus.
Villain: General Orlov. A very good, though underused character.
Best one-liner: "Having trouble keeping it up, Q?"
Song: "All Time High" by Rita Coolidge. Bad, even for this decade
Bond-girl: Octopussy - Maud Adams. Resourceful, but with an undercommunicated role.

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

So could anything get better going from the 70's to the 80's? Oh yes. Definitely yes. Bond goes straight from the grave of his wife to a crashing helicopter, that he in turn uses to kill arch-nemesis Blofeld. And all before the vignette. Most needed interest after the dreary puddle that was "Moonraker".

The first scene after the vignette is rather bleak as a ship full of agents is sunk with ensuing chaos, mass-death (usually reserved for a bigger, less personal scale in the end-scene) and sad destinies, made worse as Bond later swims around in corpses in an attempt to retrieve the ATAC (MacGuffin of the day). The sinking of the ship does feel as if it should have been the opening scene, leaving the very first scene to seem a bit moot. With the next scene being the cold-blooded murder of Melina's parents (ending in a most ill-adviced extreme close-up of Bouquet), it really leaves us longing for some lightness. Thankfully the next scene is Moore and Maxwell.

Casting is also vastly improved from Moonraker. Apart from key players Bouquet and Gothard, Topol and Julian Glover are excellent actors giving good value for money. Add to that a fine turn from Geoffrey Keen, and one of the finest interactions between Bond and Q, FYEO really has a bit extra here. And for an added bonus, spot a young Charles Dance trying to kill our hero. Bouquet isn't at her best when being hateful and cold, and the frequent close-ups from director John Glen does nothing to aid her. She is a more modern turn, and can kill in cold blood. Most delightful.

Barry was canned for this instalment, most likely to make room for a more 80's sound in Bill Conti. Big mistake as there are more annoying bleeps. Thankfully the action has improved, so the music can stay in the background. Particularly the chase with the biathlon-nazi is entertaining, as well as the 2CV-chase. At times, they still fall for the temptation of soft, unfunny, jokes to deteriorate the quality of the action, unfortunately. They could also have reduced the amount of winter olympic sports they try to kill Bond in, to at least single digits, but it is still varied enough to entertain.

Moore is getting a bit older here, and nothing shows it more than when a top athlete works all her charm to get him into bed and he responds with "Get your clothes on, and I'll buy you an icecream". Probably a smart move, as he has enough difficulty looking young enough for Bouquet.

So the action is good, the acting above average, the story very original for a Bond-caper (with Bond caught in the middle of a Greek turf-war), and the music terrible, though the underwater-action towards the end has plenty of late tension. Moore redeems himself from the horror that was "Moonraker".

7/10

Best car used: 1980 Lotus Esprit Turbo
Most memorable drink served: Theotaki Aspo
Henchmen: Michael Gothard as Locque. A cold, calculating bastard that feels most intimidating. Even with those glasses.
Villain: Julian Glover as Kristatos. A most conniving liar. Fresh trait for a villain.
Best one-liner: "He had no head for heights"
Song: "For Your Eyes only". Sheena Easton. A poor man's Bassey. Not the best ballade either.
Bond-girl: Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock. Now here's strong and feisty (though her car is shit).

Moonraker (1979)

So another big and important MacGuffin is stolen (in a few seconds this time around and Bond is thrown off a plane without a parachute by the only henchman ever to return to the franchise. Not very memorable, but at least Barry is back (with one of his less impressive scores).

Lois Chiles is not as believable as Bach as a strong woman, her role much less intriguing than that off Bach. That leaves her lingering between the old and the new kind of Bond-girl. Michael Lonsdale is very suave and a nice addition to the megalomaniacs that threaten Bond every two years or so. And he is equipped with the most fascinating line: "Look after mr. Bond. See that some harm comes to him". He works best when he thinks he's winning though, as his arrogance is more interesting than his annoyance. Richard Kiel has one absolutely outstanding scene in the carnival, but he doesn't really bring anything to the table this time that wasn't there last time, and when they angle him towards a petite, freckled and tiny girlfriend with pigtails, he, nor the film, has credibility left.

It does have it's moments, and Bond's insolence towards Drax is very amusing. The pheasant-scene most brilliant. The action is decent, though Gilbert still has a tendency to just increase the speed of his camera instead of trying to make it look real. As people got a shorter attention span towards the eighties, the action-scenes occur at a higher frequency. And a small homage to other sci-fi flicks is most amusing and welcome. Moore as Eastwood, really not.

But this seems to be a lazy story (with a rather stupid plot, even for this franchise) to throw Bond into the space-market created by Star Wars and others. It's got a ditto lazy score by Barry, more mediocre action from Lewis Gilbert and a re-used villain that turns into a cartoon. Probably the worst in the franchise, and certainly up until this point

4/10


Best car used: Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 1973 (Bond is only a passenger in all cars)
Most memorable drink served: Bollinger '69
Henchmen: Richard Kiel again. Not as threatening this time.
Villain: Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax.
Best one-liner: "I discovered he had a crush on me"
Song: "Moonraker". One last chance for Shirley Bassey. Nice, but not dramatic enough.
Bond-girl: Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead (Oh yes).

The Spy who Loved me (1977)

There's nothing quite like kidnapping a huge vessel (submarine here) with nuclear weapons to set up some grandeur to the plot. And when both the British and Russians lose one, big politics with big consequences set a most intriguing scenario. Top that with a ski chase (done better in OHMSS), ending with a huge parachute with the British flag, and the vignette can roll proudly.

The casting deserves special mention this time. In addition to Richard Kiel and Barbara Bach, Walter Gotell is an exquisite Russian general. Add that to the regulars, Llewelyn and Lee, and quite a few scenes are better than you've come to expect from a franchise that keeps all focus on 2-3 characters. Bach's banter with Moore is most amusing, and brings out the very best of Bond's infantile teasing. A flirt where Bond has to work for it, adds a more modern touch. Curd Jürgens also has a most threatening face, particularly when he smiles whilst leaving his eyes very intense, cold and evil.

Again, they do well in the tension department. Director Gilbert takes full usage of Kiel's slow methodical movements and hulking frame to create the illusion of an immovable object that kills for fun. Bond really must stop travelling by train. It always ends in a brawl with someone very large.

They picked Marvin Hamlisch to compose the score here, and that was a big mistake. Apart from the titlesong, it's mostly bad synth and other unwanted bleeps, apart from variations on the main theme done on a dozen different instruments. There is some excellent usage of classical music early on though, particularly Bach's "Air" set to the background of a terrified young woman being thrown to the shark.

So there is tension, brilliant flirting and mediocre action. Though Gilbert keeps his action-sequences blissfully short, so they still have merit. Apart from where he increases speed of film. That looks stupid in any film age. The end set-piece aboard the tanker is excellent, but with horrid music, and mediocrity in action, the general casting and the fine chemistry of the leads doesn't quite make this film quite stand out

6/10


Best car used: Lotus Esprit S1 - Wet Nellie
Most memorable drink served: Vodka martini, shaken not stirred (ordered by Bach)
Henchmen: Richard Kiel as Jaws. The only henchman cool enough to appear twice.
Villain: Karl Stromberg played by Curd Jürgens. He has a most wicked smile.
Best one-liner: "All those feathers and he still can't fly"
Song: "Nobody does it better". A lovely ballad by Carly Simon
Bond-girl: Barbara Bach as Russian Agent XXX. Feisty and a perfect match to Roger Moore's youthful swagger and charm.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

John Barry sets up a wonderfully sneaky tune for the intro, and the exoticness of the location and beauty of the woman, gives hope that this will be an improvement of the former instalment. A most agile Christopher Lee brings further hope. The intro is filled with suspense and ends on a great one-liner. Fine start!

Bond's first scene with M is also a treat. As usual, 80% of the conversation is implied. As it should be. Generally, Moore seems more comfortable this time around, making full use of his wit and looks, slipping seamlessly between brutality and charm at the wink of an eye, rounding it off with sheer callousness. Yup, all in the same scene.

The film works best at the smaller, suspenseful details. The eyes of Lee over a gun in the dark, with a sly, slow jazz-tune. Fantastic. Another fine detail is the HQ in Hong Kong. Not to mention Scaramanga's island. Even as Bond goes, it doesn't get more exotic than that. And Lee really is a stroke of genius. So many scenes are better due to the sheer quality of his acting.

Unfortunately, after setting up what seemed interesting, director Guy Hamilton, falls for the temptation to increase silliness. He even, for reasons unknown to every living creature on every planet chartered, decides to re-introduce us to Clifton James' insufferable Sheriff Pepper (leaving him yammering and wailing throughout what would otherwise be a decent car-hunt). And then went on to ruin one of the finest car-stunts in film history, with a stupid cork-screw sound.

Furthermore, there are some script-glitches concerning miss Anders. Why would she want Bond to save her, and then not cooperate?

So in conclusion, it's better than "Live and let Die" but strains to find the level of realism vs humour it wants to display, and is therefore uneven throughout. Suspense brilliant, action decent, humour just god-awful. Perhaps they just rushed it. Pity.

6/10


Best car used: 1974 AMC Hornet ... This film's a travesty car-wise
Most memorable drink served: Dom Perignon '64
Henchmen: Hervè Villechaize as Nick Nack. Something for the kids.
Villain: Scaramanga. You can't really go wrong with Christopher Lee, though an assassin with a third nipple is hardly the most spectacular backstory.
Best one-liner: "You have no idea what it went through to get here"
Song: "The Man with the Golden Gun" by Lulu. Most jazzy and cool.
Bond-girl: Brit Ekland as Mary Goodnight. Very hippie and fit for her times. The second Bond-girl in 3 films to put something useful in her bikini-bottom.