For me, Timothy Dalton is the forgotten Bond. His movies came out when I was very young, and then a legal battle over the rights to the franchise cut short his tenure as Bond. By the time they started making movies again, Pierce Brosnan had been cast. So I was very interested to get to the Dalton movies.
Something I’ve realized with each Bond is that while all of them dabble with silly bullshit from time to time, the overall tone for each actor is different. Dalton has been considered a precursor to Daniel Craig’s serious Bond that the world wasn’t ready for yet. While I did find Dalton to be one of the angriest Bonds, I found him more similar to Brosnan in the end. I’ll obviously get into this more in next week’s ranking, but I consider Brosnan to be in the same category of Dalton as a slightly more serious Bond before the series went darker than ever with Craig.
Others may consider Brosnan to be more light-hearted than Dalton because Brosnan’s last film was so goofy. But Dalton just didn’t have the chance to make his goofy movie. Hell, even Craig made a silly Bond movie with Spectre. No Bond actor is safe from nonsense. There are shades of this in Dalton’s two movies, mainly with everything involving Q. I really think Dalton would have ended up making the same type of movies Brosnan made.
As for his skills as Bond, I definitely dig the darker tone, especially after Moore. Dalton’s casting was an injection of energy into the franchise. The action is typically great, and he can be imposing and likable at the same time. Once again, it just sucks to try to judge him as Bond after only two films. Those two films were promising, though, and only made me want to see more of Dalton as Bond. And after spending three movies wishing Moore had called it quits sooner, that was refreshing.
1. The Living Daylights
I was so sick of Roger Moore after seven movies that I really dug this just for the difference in Bond actors and the difference in tone. While still goofy at times, this is a much more serious take on the character, and it turns out this is the sweet spot for me. I can acknowledge that I find other, more serious Bond movies to be better overall, but this intersection of seriousness but with goofy gadgets and shit is what I want from the series in general.
It’s already a bit silly to rank just two films, but here it’s even more pointless as I really like each of these films equally. I guess I give this one an edge because Bond is with MI6 throughout the film (he’s gone rogue in Licence), and it’s slightly more fun, in general. But it’s really just a coin toss. I like both of these films.
Random Thoughts
Everything I read about Dalton's Bond was how his films were as serious as the Daniel Craig movies. But then Q showed him the "ghetto blaster," his car sprouted skis, he rode a cello case as a sled, and he rode a bumper car while wearing a tuxedo. Yeah, this is more serious than Moore’s shit, but there’s still plenty of goofy to go around.
A few goofy elements aside, there is a welcome darkness and rage in Dalton that has been lacking in the character.
During the screenwriting phase:
"How do we make it clear that Joe Don Baker is the bad guy?"
"I don't know. Give him a bunch of mannequins dressed up like history's most brutal conquerors and dictators, including Hitler?"
"Hmm…would that be enough?
"Maybe he praises them as surgeons who cut out the worst elements of society?"
"That'll do it."
"I might never see you again.” You’re a Bond girl, lady, that’s the idea.
Joe Don Baker playing war by himself with his little action figures is fucking hilarious. What a silly thing to be doing right before you die. This, coming from the guy who’s probably going to die in a chair while rewatching every Vin Diesel movie or something else equally stupid for an article ten people might skim through. What can I say? I live a very different life than Joe Don Baker’s character in The Living Daylights.
2. Licence to Kill
This is a slightly infamous entry as it has been described as the most violent and arguably most serious Bond film. Because of that, it's also seen as the least fun, but I have to disagree with that one. Yes, Bond is in full revenge mode, but this is also the movie in which Q shows up and actively takes part in the mission so how seriously can we really take this?
As for the violence, it did take me out of it a couple times due to its uncharacteristic gruesomeness. I mean, a guy's head fucking explodes in this one, and another dude gets slowly fed into one of those grinders you see in TikTok videos that can mulch up metal. It's kind of fucked up…and also kind of awesome.
More than anything, this one is a bummer because a legal battle made it Dalton's last appearance as Bond. It would have been great to see him in a couple more traditional Bond stories, especially since he wasn't even technically working for MI6 in this one. Oh well, Dalton's two darker entries at least made for a good palate cleanser after Moore overstayed his welcome. Now onto the Bond I grew up watching: Brosnan.
Random Thoughts
That opening helicopter/plane sequence was some straight up Nolan shit. Watching all of these I finally understand why the Bond series gets brought up so much when discussing Nolan's more action-oriented movies.
“He was married once. A long time ago… In fact, he looked completely different back then. Right after his wife died, his looks changed completely again, and he acted like nothing happened. Then his looks changed again, and he remembered he was married, and then he dropped his wife’s murderer down a smokestack, it was fucking awesome. Then he got old…real old. Then his looks changed again, and here we are. It’s all very confusing I know, but just go with it.”
Of course Benicio Del Toro shows up and mumbles something unintelligible to the villain. When you need someone to mumble some nonsense, you get Del Toro!
“He disagreed with something that ate him!” What, was there a jokester around who just couldn’t pass on the opportunity to leave that note? Who was that for?
Wow, Leiter is unlucky. You get your leg bitten off by a shark, and one of your best friends is named Sharkey. How do you hang out with someone named Sharkey after that? Their friendship is over.
Update: Felix won't have to worry about hanging out with Sharkey anymore.
You know Bond means business if he’s willing to drink a Bud with lime. Who drinks that, period, by the way?
Bond gives Bouvier the fake name Kennedy. Get it?
“How do we make Robert Davi more of a classic Bond villain?”
“I don’t know. Maybe put a giant lizard or something on his shoulder?”
What the fuck is Wayne Newton doing in this?
Bond does order his martini, and it’s the angriest he’s ever said, “Shaken, not stirred.”
Was not expecting ninjas in this one.
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