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{{short description|1987 James Bond film}}
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{{about|the film|the idiom|The living daylights|other uses}}
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{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
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{{Infobox film
| name           = The Living Daylights
| image          = The Living Daylights - UK cinema poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by Brian Bysouth
| director       = [[John Glen (director)|John Glen]]
| screenplay     = [[Richard Maibaum]]<br />[[Michael G. Wilson]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|"[[Octopussy and The Living Daylights|The Living Daylights]]"|[[Ian Fleming]]}}
| producer       = [[Albert R. Broccoli]]<br />Michael G. Wilson
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Timothy Dalton]]
* [[Maryam d'Abo]]
* [[Joe Don Baker]]
* [[Art Malik]]
* [[Jeroen Krabbé]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Alec Mills (cinematographer)|Alec Mills]]
| editing        = John Grover<br />Peter Davies
| music          = [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]
| studio         = [[Eon Productions]]<br />[[United Artists]]
| distributor    = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM/UA Communications Co.]] (United States)<br />[[United International Pictures]] (International)
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1987|6|29|London, premiere|1987|6|30|UK|1987|7|31|US}}
| runtime        = 130 minutes
| country        = {{ubl|
* United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web |title=The Living Daylights |website=[[Lumiere (database)|Lumiere]] |publisher=[[European Audiovisual Observatory]] |url=http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=13618 |access-date=9 October 2020 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927101302/http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=13618 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bfi">{{Cite web |title=The Living Daylights (1987) |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/error?aspxerrorpath=/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150214812 |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=[[BFI National Archive|BFI Collections]]}}</ref>
* United States<ref name="bfi"/><ref>{{cite web |title=The Living Daylights |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/57711 |publisher=AFI Catalog |access-date=29 November 2022 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129062511/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/57711 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $40 million
| gross          = $191.2 million
}}

'''''The Living Daylights''''' is a 1987 [[spy film]], the fifteenth entry in the [[List of James Bond films|''James Bond'' series]] produced by [[Eon Productions]], and the first of two to star [[Timothy Dalton]] as the fictional [[MI6]] agent [[James Bond filmography|James Bond]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The best Bond themes that never made it |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200218-the-best-james-bond-themes-that-never-made-it-to-the-screen |access-date=2023-11-25 |website=www.bbc.com |date=18 February 2020 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512115634/https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200218-the-best-james-bond-themes-that-never-made-it-to-the-screen |url-status=live }}</ref>

The fourth film in the series to be directed by [[John Glen (director)|John Glen]], the film's title is taken from [[Ian Fleming]]'s short story "[[Octopussy and The Living Daylights|The Living Daylights]]", the plot of which also forms the basis of the first act of the film. It was the last film to use the title of an Ian Fleming story until the 2006 instal<!-- Please do not add another L: British English spells "instalment" with one L and this article carries a BrEng tag -->ment ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]''. It is also the first film to have [[Caroline Bliss]] as [[Miss Moneypenny]], replacing [[Lois Maxwell]].

''The Living Daylights'' was produced by [[Albert R. Broccoli]], his stepson [[Michael G. Wilson]], and co-produced by his daughter, [[Barbara Broccoli]]. It grossed $191.2 million worldwide and was followed by ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' in 1989.

==Plot==
[[James Bond]], alongside fellow MI6 agents 004 and 002, participates in a training exercise in [[Gibraltar]]. During the exercise, an assassin kills 004 and several British military personnel. Bond manages to chase down the assassin, who dies after a vehicle chase.

Some time later, Bond is assigned to help [[KGB]] General Georgi Koskov defect to the [[Western Bloc|West]], acting as a counter-sniper covering his escape from a concert hall in [[Bratislava]], [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]]. During the mission, Bond notices that the KGB sniper assigned to "protect" Koskov is a female cellist from the orchestra. Disobeying his orders to kill the sniper, he shoots the rifle from the cellist, then uses the [[Trans-Siberian Pipeline]] to smuggle Koskov across the border to the West.

In his post-defection debriefing, Koskov informs [[Secret Intelligence Service|MI6]] that the KGB's old policy of "[[SMERSH#Name|Smert Shpionam]]", meaning "Death to Spies", has been reactivated by General Leonid Pushkin, the new head of the KGB. Koskov is later abducted from the Blayden estate safe-house and is assumed to have been taken back to [[Moscow]]. Bond is ordered to track down Pushkin in [[Tangier]] and kill him, to stop further killings of agents and escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West. Bond agrees to carry out the mission when he learns that the assassin who killed 004 left a note reading "Smiert Spionam".

Bond returns to Bratislava to track down the cellist, Kara Milovy. He finds out that Koskov's defection was faked, and that Kara is actually Koskov's girlfriend. Bond convinces Kara that he is a friend of Koskov's and persuades her to accompany him to [[Vienna]], supposedly to be reunited with him. They escape Bratislava while being pursued by the KGB and Slovak police, crossing over the border into [[Austria]]. Meanwhile, Pushkin meets with arms dealer [[Brad Whitaker]] in Tangier, informing him that the KGB is cancelling an arms deal previously arranged between Koskov and Whitaker.

During his brief journey with Kara in Vienna, Bond visits the [[Prater]] to meet his MI6 ally, Saunders, who discovers a history of financial dealings between Koskov and Whitaker. As he leaves their meeting, Saunders is killed by Koskov's henchman Necros, who again leaves the message "Smert' Shpionam". Bond and Kara promptly leave for Tangier. There, Bond confronts Pushkin, who denies any knowledge of "Smert' Shpionam" and reveals that Koskov is evading arrest for [[embezzlement]] of government funds. Bond and Pushkin then join forces, and Bond fakes Pushkin's assassination, causing Whitaker and Koskov to progress with their scheme. Meanwhile, Kara contacts Koskov, who tells her that Bond is actually a KGB agent and convinces her to drug him so that he can be captured.

Koskov, Necros, Kara, and the drugged Bond fly to a Soviet air base in [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]], where Koskov betrays Kara and imprisons her, alongside Bond. The pair escape, and in doing so, free a condemned prisoner, Kamran Shah, leader of the local [[Afghan mujahideen|Mujahideen]]. Bond and Kara discover that Koskov is using Soviet funds to buy a massive shipment of [[opium]] from the Mujahideen, intending to keep the profits with enough left over to supply the Soviets with their arms and buy Western arms from Whitaker.

With the Mujahideen's help, Bond plants a bomb aboard the cargo plane carrying the opium but is discovered and has no choice but to barricade himself in the plane. Meanwhile, the Mujahideen attack the air base on horseback and engage the Soviets in a gun battle. During the battle, Kara drives a jeep into the cargo hold of the plane as Bond takes off, and Necros also jumps on board at the last second from a jeep driven by Koskov. After a fight, Bond sends Necros falling to his death and deactivates the bomb. Bond then notices Shah and his men being pursued by Soviet forces. He re-activates the bomb and drops it out of the plane and onto a bridge, blowing it up and helping Shah and his men escape the Soviets. The plane subsequently crashes, destroying the drugs, while Bond and Kara escape.

Bond returns to Tangier to kill Whitaker, infiltrating his estate with the help of [[Felix Leiter]]. Pushkin arrests Koskov, ordering him to be sent back to Moscow "in the [[diplomatic bag]]".

Sometime later, Kara is the solo cellist in a Vienna performance. Kamran Shah and his men jostle in during the intermission and are introduced to now-diplomat [[General Gogol]] (Pushkin's predecessor at the KGB), and the Soviets. After her performance, Bond surprises Kara in her dressing room, and they embrace.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
* [[Timothy Dalton]] as [[James Bond filmography|James Bond 007]], an MI6 agent assigned to look into the deaths of several [[KGB]] defectors and conspiracies against several of his allies
<!-- opening title cards -->
* [[Maryam d'Abo]] as Kara Milovy, Koskov's girlfriend and later Bond's love interest
* [[Joe Don Baker]] as [[Brad Whitaker]], an American arms dealer and self-styled general, who serves as Koskov's primary ally. Baker called his character "a nut" who "thought he was [[Napoleon]]"<ref>{{cite video |people = Joe Don Baker |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD |publisher = MGM Home Entertainment}}</ref>
* [[Art Malik]] as Kamran Shah, a leader in the Afghan [[Afghan mujahideen|mujahideen]]
* [[John Rhys-Davies]] as General Leonid Pushkin, the new head of the [[KGB]], replacing General Gogol
* [[Jeroen Krabbé]] as General Georgi Koskov, a renegade Soviet general who attempts to manipulate the British government into assassinating his rival, General Pushkin
<!-- end opening star billing, others are still in opening title cards -->
* [[Andreas Wisniewski]] as [[Necros (James Bond)|Necros]], Koskov's [[henchman]], who poses repeated threats to Bond. His voice was dubbed by an uncredited [[Kerry Shale]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-15 |title=Necros - Henchmen - Bond Scenes |url=https://bondscenes.com/characters/henchmen/necros/ |access-date=2025-09-14 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Thomas Wheatley as [[List of James Bond allies in The Living Daylights#Saunders|Saunders]], head of MI6 Section V ([[Vienna]]), Bond's ally
* [[Julie T. Wallace]] as [[List of James Bond allies in The Living Daylights#Rosika Miklos|Rosika Miklos]], Bond's contact in [[Bratislava]], [[Czechoslovakia]], who works at the TransSiberian Pipeline.
* [[Desmond Llewelyn]] as [[Q (James Bond)|Q]], MI6's "quartermaster", who supplies Bond with multi-purpose vehicles and gadgets useful in the latter's mission
* [[Robert Brown (British actor)|Robert Brown]] as [[M (James Bond)|M]], the head of MI6 and Bond's superior
* [[Walter Gotell]] as [[List of James Bond allies#General Gogol|Anatol Gogol]], the retired head of the KGB, now a diplomat shown in a cameo at the end of the film
* [[Caroline Bliss]] as [[Miss Moneypenny]], M's secretary
* [[Geoffrey Keen]] as [[Sir Frederick Gray|Frederick Gray]] (credited as Minister of Defence), the British [[Minister of Defence]]
* [[Virginia Hey]] as Rubavitch, General Leonid Pushkin's mistress in Morocco
* [[John Terry (actor)|John Terry]] as [[Felix Leiter]], a [[CIA]] agent and ally to Bond
* [[Nadim Sawalha]] as the [[Tangier]] police chief Sawalha also appeared in a previous Bond film, ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977), as Aziz Fekkesh.
* [[John Bowe (actor)|John Bowe]] as Colonel Feyador, the leader of the Soviet air base in Afghanistan.
<!-- end opening title cards -->
* Belle Avery as Linda, a woman Bond meets in the pre-credits sequence. Her voice was dubbed by an uncredited [[Nikki van der Zyl]].
* [[Catherine Rabett]] as Liz, a CIA agent
* [[Dulice Liecier]] as Ava, a CIA agent
* Alan Talbot as Koskovs KGB minder
}}
Composer [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] makes an uncredited [[cameo appearance]] as an orchestra conductor.

==Production==
Originally the film was proposed to be a [[prequel]] in the series, an idea that eventually resurfaced with the [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] of the series in 2006, ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]''. SMERSH, the fictionalised Soviet counterintelligence agency that featured in Fleming's ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|Casino Royale]]'' and several other early James Bond novels, was an acronym for 'Smiert Shpionam' —'Death to Spies'.<ref name=mg>{{cite video |people = Michael G. Wilson |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD }}</ref>

===Casting===
{{Quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|style=padding:10px;|align=right|"I felt it would be wrong to pluck the character out of thin air, or to base him on any of my predecessors' interpretations. Instead, I went to the man who created him, and I was astonished. I'd read a couple of the books years ago, and I thought I'd find them trivial now, but I thoroughly enjoyed every one. It's not just that they've a terrific sense of adventure and you get very involved. On those pages I discovered a Bond I'd never seen on the screen, a quite extraordinary man, a man I really wanted to play, a man of contradictions and opposites."<ref name=thenewyorktimes>{{Cite news |last=Nightingale |first=Benedict |title=007: A New Bond Meets the New Woman |work=[[The New York Times]] |at=Section 2, p. 21 |date=26 July 1987 |access-date=13 August 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/26/movies/007-a-new-bond-meets-the-new-woman-timothy-dalton-finds-a-hamlet-in-the-hero.html/ |archive-date=6 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106094620/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/26/movies/007-a-new-bond-meets-the-new-woman-timothy-dalton-finds-a-hamlet-in-the-hero.html |url-status=live }}</ref>|source=—[[Timothy Dalton]]}}

In autumn 1985, following the mixed reception of ''[[A View to a Kill]]'', work began on scripts for the next Bond film, with the intention that [[Roger Moore]] would not reprise the role of James Bond.{{sfn|Broccoli|Zec|1998|p=276}} Moore, who by the time of the release of ''The Living Daylights'' would have been 59 years old, chose to retire from the role after 12 years and seven films. Albert Broccoli, however, claimed that he let Moore go from the role.{{sfn|Broccoli|Zec|1998|p=276}}

During an extensive search for a new actor to play Bond, a number of actors, including New Zealander [[Sam Neill]],<ref name=mg/> Irish-born [[Pierce Brosnan]], and Welsh-born stage actor [[Timothy Dalton]], auditioned for the role in 1986. Bond co-producer Michael G. Wilson, director John Glen, [[Dana Broccoli|Dana]] and [[Barbara Broccoli]] "were impressed with Sam Neill and very much wanted to use him." However, Albert Broccoli was not sold on the actor.{{sfn|Broccoli|Zec|1998|p=281}} In 2022, Neill stated that he had never wanted the role.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kaye |first=Don |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/sam-neill-james-bond-i-wouldnt-have-taken-role/ |title=Sam Neill on James Bond: 'I Wouldn't Have Taken the Role' |date=14 June 2022 |website=Den of Geek}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Jerry Weintraub]], the chairman of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM/UA Communications]], suggested hiring [[Mel Gibson]] for a two-picture deal valued at $10 million, but Broccoli was not interested.{{sfn|Broccoli|Zec|1998|p=279}}{{sfn|McKay|2008|p=265}} Other actors touted in the press included [[Bryan Brown]], [[Michael Nader]], [[Andrew Clarke (actor)|Andrew Clarke]], and [[Finlay Light]].{{sfn|Cork|Scivally|2002|pp=216}}

[[File:Aston Martin V8 Saloon.jpg|thumb|right|The official car, the [[Aston Martin V8]], at a James Bond convention.]]

The producers eventually offered the role to Brosnan after a three-day screen-test.<ref>{{cite video |people = John Glen |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD}}</ref> At the time, he was contracted to the television series ''[[Remington Steele]]'', which had been cancelled by the [[NBC]] network due to falling ratings. The announcement that he would be chosen to play James Bond caused a surge in interest in the series, which led to NBC exercising (less than three days prior to expiry) a 60-day option in Brosnan's contract to make a further season of the series.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20094272,00.html |title=The Spy Who's Loved Too Much |last1=Sanderson Healy |first1=Laura |last2=Norbom |first2=Mary Ann |date=11 August 1986 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=4 November 2015 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930123420/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20094272,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> NBC's action caused drastic repercussions,{{efn|name=drastic|group=note|Not only did Brosnan lose out on the role of James Bond, but his ''Remington Steele'' co-star, [[Stephanie Zimbalist]], was also forced to withdraw from her lead role in the science-fiction film ''[[RoboCop]]''.<ref>{{cite interview |interviewer=Alexandra Jacobs |subject=Stephanie Zimbalist |title=Actress Roles Over 40? 'It's a Big Fat Zero' |work=The New York Observer|date=24 November 2003 |url=http://observer.com/2003/11/actress-roles-over-40-its-a-big-fat-zero/ |access-date=29 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429183347/http://observer.com/2003/11/actress-roles-over-40-its-a-big-fat-zero/ |archive-date=2014-04-29 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} as a result of which Broccoli withdrew the offer given to Brosnan, saying that he did not want the character associated with a contemporary television series. This led to a drop in interest in ''Remington Steele'', and only five new episodes were filmed before the series was finally cancelled.<ref name="klast">{{cite web |url=http://www.klast.net/bond/pb_road.html |title=Pierce Brosnan's Long and Winding Road To Bond |access-date=22 February 2007 |last=Last |first=Kimberly |year=1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009210203/http://www.klast.net/bond/pb_road.html |archive-date=9 October 2006}}</ref> The edict from Broccoli was that "''Remington Steele'' would not be James Bond."<ref>{{cite video |people= Peter Lamont |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD}}</ref>

Dana Broccoli suggested Timothy Dalton. Albert Broccoli was initially reluctant given Dalton's public lack of interest in the role, but at his wife's urging agreed to meet the actor.{{sfn|Broccoli|Zec|1998|p=281}} However, Dalton was due to begin filming ''[[Brenda Starr (1989 film)|Brenda Starr]]'' and so was unavailable.<ref name=pm>{{cite video |people = Patrick Macnee |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD}}</ref> In the intervening period, having completed ''Brenda Starr'',{{sfn|Cork|Scivally|2002|pp=217–219}} Dalton was offered the role once again, which he accepted.<ref>{{cite video |people = Maryam d'Abo |title=Inside The Living Daylights |medium=DVD}}</ref> For a period, the filmmakers had Dalton, but he had not signed a contract. A casting director persuaded [[Robert Bathurst]]—an English actor who would become known for his roles in ''[[Joking Apart]]'', ''[[Cold Feet]]'', and ''[[Downton Abbey]]''—to audition for Bond.<ref name="McCaffrey, Julie">{{Cite news|author=McCaffrey, Julie|title=Bathurst's cure for cold feet|url=http://living.scotsman.com/features/Bathursts-cure-for-cold-feet.2404641.jp|work= Edinburgh Evening News|date=22 February 2003|access-date=8 February 2009|archive-date=5 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705124849/http://living.scotsman.com/features/Bathursts-cure-for-cold-feet.2404641.jp|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bathurst believes that his "ludicrous audition" was only "an arm-twisting exercise" because the producers wanted to persuade Dalton to take the role by telling him they were still auditioning other actors.<ref name="McCaffrey, Julie"/> Dalton agreed to the film while travelling between airports: "Without anything to do, I decided to start thinking about whether I really, really should or should not do James Bond. Although obviously we'd moved some way along in that process, I just wasn't set on whether I should do it or shan't I do it. But the moment of truth was fast approaching as to whether I'd say yes or no. And that's where I said yes. I picked up the phone from the hotel room in the Miami airport and called them and said, "Yep, you're on: I'll do it."<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Will|url=https://www.avclub.com/timothy-dalton-on-penny-dreadful-serenading-mae-west-1798269770|title=Timothy Dalton on Penny Dreadful, serenading Mae West, and being James Bond|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=9 May 2014|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=1 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701041408/https://tv.avclub.com/timothy-dalton-on-penny-dreadful-serenading-mae-west-1798269770|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dalton's take was very different from that of Moore, regarded as more in line of Ian Fleming's character: a reluctant hero who is often uncomfortable in his job.<ref>{{cite web|last=Coate|first=Michael|title=The Most Dangerous Bond. Ever.: Remembering ''The Living Daylights'' on its 30th Anniversary|url=https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy-showmanship/living-daylights-30th|work=The Digital Bits|date=31 July 2017|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=17 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517131131/https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy-showmanship/living-daylights-30th|url-status=live}}</ref> Dalton wished to create a Bond different from Moore's, feeling he would have declined the project if he were asked to imitate Moore.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Riley, Stevan (Director) |title=Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 |medium=Documentary film |year=2012 |publisher=Eon Productions}}</ref> In contrast to Moore's more jocular approach, Dalton found his creative muse from the original books: "I definitely wanted to recapture the essence and flavour of the books, and play it less flippantly. After all, Bond's essential quality is that he's a man who lives on the edge. He could get killed at any moment, and that stress and danger factor is reflected in the way he lives, chain-smoking, drinking, fast cars and fast women."<ref>{{cite interview |last=Blair |first=Iain |title=People: Timothy Dalton |magazine=[[Playgirl]] |date=July 1987 |pages=26–30 |issn=0273-6918}}</ref>

Moore declined to watch ''The Living Daylights'' in cinema as he did not wish to demonstrate any negative opinions about the project.<ref>{{Cite news|author-link=Roger Moore |first=Roger |last=Moore |title=Bye bye to Ian Fleming's James Bond? |work=[[The Times]] |date=4 October 2008 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article4866756.ece |access-date=5 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615113213/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/london_film_festival/article4866756.ece |archive-date=15 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Broccoli enjoyed the change of tone, feeling that Brosnan would have been too similar to Moore.{{sfn|Duncan|2015|page=}} Neill thought Dalton performed well in the role,<ref>{{cite interview |last=Harris |first=Will |url=https://www.avclub.com/sam-neill-1798230294 |title=Random Roles: Sam Neill |website=The A.V. Club |date=March 2, 2012 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510171206/https://www.avclub.com/sam-neill-1798230294 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Brosnan called Dalton a good choice in 1987, but felt it too near the bone to watch the finished film.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Billson |first=Anne |url=https://multiglom.com/2014/03/18/pierce-brosnan-the-1987-interview/ |title=The Pierce Brosnan 1987 Interview |work=The Observer |via=Multiglom.com |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510171204/https://multiglom.com/2014/03/18/pierce-brosnan-the-1987-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Brosnan won the role in 1994, based on his filmed audition from 1986.<ref>{{cite podcast |url=https://jamesbondradio.com/john-glen-interview-podcast-125/ |title=John Glen Interview |website=James Bond Radio |date=September 1, 2017 |time=1:18:20 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510171205/https://jamesbondradio.com/john-glen-interview-podcast-125/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Sean Connery]] endorsed Dalton in an interview with the ''[[Daily Mail]]'',{{sfn|McKay|2008|p=266}} and [[Desmond Llewelyn]] enjoyed working with a fellow stage actor.<ref>{{cite interview |url=https://bondfanevents.com/interview-desmond-llewelyn-q-part-i/ |title=Interview: Desmond Llewelyn: "Q: Part I" |date=October 10, 2017 |website=BondFanEvents.com |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926020413/https://bondfanevents.com/interview-desmond-llewelyn-q-part-i/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The English actress [[Maryam d'Abo]], a former model, was cast as the Czechoslovak cellist [[Kara Milovy]]. In 1984, d'Abo had attended auditions for the role of Pola Ivanova in ''A View to a Kill''. Barbara Broccoli included d'Abo in the audition for playing Kara, which she later passed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/tld_production.php3?t=tld&s=tld | title=The Living Daylights | work=[[MI6-HQ.com]] | access-date=11 October 2007 | archive-date=29 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329004145/http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/tld_production.php3?t=tld&s=tld | url-status=live }}</ref> D'abo presented a longer account in recent years. While she was chosen for Pola Ivanova, John Glen, the director did notice she had potential. After filming another movie in Germany the director there recommended D'abo to the Broccoli family. She was in a health club with a different hairstyle from her previous screen test and encountered Barbara Broccoli who praised her new looks and after hearing Glen wanted to see her again, she was chosen.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=14 October 2021 |title=Maryam d’Abo On The Living Daylights Looking back at Kara Milovy, chases and cellos |url=https://www.007.com/maryam-dabo-on-the-living-daylights/ |website=007.com |location= |publisher=007.com |access-date=14 October 2025}}</ref>

Originally, the KGB general set up by Koskov was to be [[General Gogol]]; however, [[Walter Gotell]] was too sick to handle the major role, and the character of Leonid Pushkin replaced Gogol, who appears briefly at the end of the film, having transferred to the [[Soviet]] diplomatic service.{{sfn|Field|Chowdhury|2015|p=428}} This was Gogol's final appearance in a James Bond film. [[Morten Harket]], the lead vocalist of the Norwegian rock group [[a-ha]] (who performed the film's title song), was offered a minor role as a henchman but declined, because of lack of time and because he believed they wanted to cast him for his popularity rather than his acting.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} [[Joe Don Baker]] was hired based on his performance in ''[[Edge of Darkness]]'', which was helmed by future Bond director [[Martin Campbell]].{{sfn|Field|Chowdhury|2015|p=426}}

Director [[John Glen (director)|John Glen]] decided to include the [[macaw]] from ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]''.{{sfn|Helfenstein|2012|page=}} It can be seen squawking in the kitchen of Blayden House when Necros attacks MI6's officers.

===Filming===
[[File:Stonor House, Oxfordshire - geograph.org.uk - 3231684.jpg|thumb|[[Stonor Park|Stonor House]]]]

The film was shot at [[Pinewood Studios]] at its [[Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage|007 Stage]] in the United Kingdom, as well as [[Weissensee, Austria|Weissensee]] in Austria. The pre-title sequence was filmed on the [[Rock of Gibraltar]] and although the sequence shows a hijacked [[Land Rover]] careening down various sections of road for several minutes before bursting through a wall towards the sea, the location mostly used the same short stretch of road at the very top of the Rock, shot from numerous different angles. The beach defences seen at the foot of the Rock in the initial shot were also added solely for the film, to an otherwise non-military area. The action involving the Land Rover switched from Gibraltar to [[Beachy Head]] in the UK for the shot showing the vehicle actually getting airborne.<ref name="Inside The Living Daylights">{{cite video |people = John Richardson |title = Inside The Living Daylights}}</ref>

[[File:Wien - Volksoper (2).JPG|thumb|Vienna's Volksoper]]

Trial runs of the stunt with the Land Rover, during which Bond escapes by parachute from the tumbling vehicle, were filmed in the [[Mojave Desert]] in the southwestern [[United States]],<ref name="Inside The Living Daylights"/> although the final cut of the film uses a shot achieved using a dummy. Bratislava sequences were filmed in Vienna. The outside shots of the Bratislava concert hall show the [[Vienna Volksoper|Volksoper]], while the interiors were shot in the [[Sofiensaal|Sofiensäle]]. The tram scene was filmed in Währing, Vienna and the border chase was filmed in [[Carinthia]], including the town of [[Nassfeld]], on the Austrian/Italian border.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visitingvienna.com/songsfilms/jamesbondlivingdaylights/ |title=The Living Daylights locations in Vienna |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324200215/http://www.visitingvienna.com/songsfilms/jamesbondlivingdaylights/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The location used for the home of villain Whitaker was the [[Mendoub's Residence|Forbes Museum]] in Tangier, Morocco,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://movie-locations.com/movies/l/Living-Daylights.php | title=Filming Locations for 1987 Bond movie the Living Daylights, in Morocco, Austria and the UK }}</ref> while desert scenes were shot in [[Ouarzazate]], Morocco. The conclusion of the film was shot at the [[Schönbrunn Palace]], Vienna and [[Elveden Hall]], Suffolk.

[[Principal photography]] commenced at Gibraltar on 17 September 1986. Aerial stuntmen B. J. Worth and Jake Lombard performed the pre-credits parachute jump.<ref>{{cite video |people = Jake Lombard |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD}}</ref> Both the terrain and wind were unfavourable. Consideration was given to the stunt being done using cranes but aerial stunts arranger B. J. Worth stuck to skydiving and completed the scenes in a day.<ref>{{cite video |people = B.J. Worth, Jake Lombard, Arthur Wooster |title = Inside The Living Daylights}}</ref> The aircraft used for the jump was a [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]], which in the film had M's office installed in the aircraft cabin. The initial point of view for the scene shows M in what appears to be his usual London office, but the camera then zooms out to reveal that it is, in fact, inside an aircraft.<ref name="Double-O Stuntmen">{{cite video|section=Double-O Stuntmen|title=The Man with the Golden Gun Ultimate Edition |at=Disk 2|publisher=MGM Home Entertainment}}</ref>

Although marked as a [[Royal Air Force]] aircraft, the one in shot belonged to the [[Spanish Air Force]] and was used again later in the film for the Afghanistan sequences, this time in Soviet markings. During this later chapter, a fight breaks out on the open ramp of the aircraft in flight between Bond and Necros, before Necros falls to his death. Although the plot and preceding shots suggest the aircraft is a C-130, the shot of Necros falling away from the aircraft show a twin engine cargo plane, a [[Fairchild C-123 Provider]]. Worth and Lombard also doubled for Bond and Necros in the scenes where they are hanging and fighting on a bag in a plane's open cargo door,<ref name="Double-O Stuntmen"/> with the exterior shots filmed over the Mojave Desert in the United States.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

The press would not meet Dalton and d'Abo until 5 October 1986, when the main unit travelled to Vienna.<ref name="prod">{{cite web | url=http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/tld_production.php3?t=tld&s=tld | title=Production Notes (The Living Daylights) | access-date=16 October 2007 | work=[[MI6-HQ.com]] | archive-date=29 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329004145/http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movies/tld_production.php3?t=tld&s=tld | url-status=live }}</ref> Almost two weeks after the second unit filming on Gibraltar, the first unit started shooting with Andreas Wisniewski and stunt man Bill Weston.<ref name=pm/> During the course of the three days it took to film this fight, Weston fractured a finger and Wisniewski knocked him out once.<ref>{{cite video |people = Andreas Wisniewski |title = Inside The Living Daylights |medium = DVD}}</ref> The next day found the crew on location at [[Stonor Park|Stonor House]], Oxfordshire, doubling for Blayden's Safe House, the first scene Jeroen Krabbé filmed.<ref>{{cite video |people=Jeroen Krabbé |title=Inside The Living Daylights}}</ref>

d'Abo recalled we were "[o]ne big and happy family traveling and filming together for five months."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://georgianjournal.ge/society/35202-maryam-dabo-james-bond-girl-with-georgian-roots.html |title=Maryam d'Abo - James Bond Girl with Georgian roots |work=Georgian Journal |date=31 October 2018 |access-date=24 May 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524110946/https://georgianjournal.ge/society/35202-maryam-dabo-james-bond-girl-with-georgian-roots.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====The return of Aston Martin====
[[File:Aston Martin V8 (The Living Daylights) front-left-2 National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.jpg|thumb|Customised V8 from ''The Living Daylights'' at the [[National Motor Museum, Beaulieu]], one of two versions used in the film.]]
The film reunites Bond with the car maker [[Aston Martin]]. Following Bond's use of the [[Aston Martin DBS]] in ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'', the filmmakers then turned to the brand new [[Lotus Esprit]] in 1977's ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'', which reappeared four years later in ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]''. Aston Martin then returned with their [[Aston Martin V8]].

Two different Aston Martin models were used in filming—a V8 Volante convertible, and later for the [[Czechoslovakia]] scenes, a hard-top V8 saloon rebadged to look like the Volante.  The Volante was a production model owned by then [[Aston Martin Lagonda]] chairman, [[Victor Gauntlett]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://astonmartins.com/car/007-v8-from-the-living-daylights/|title=007 V8 Vantage/Volante|website=Astonmartins.com|access-date=18 December 2014|archive-date=18 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918123552/http://astonmartins.com/car/007-v8-from-the-living-daylights/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Music===
{{Main|The Living Daylights (soundtrack)}}
''The Living Daylights'' was the final Bond film to be scored by composer [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]. The soundtrack is notable for its introduction of sequenced electronic rhythm tracks overdubbed with the orchestra—at the time, a relatively new innovation.

The title song of the film, "[[The Living Daylights (song)|The Living Daylights]]", was co-written with [[Paul Waaktaar-Savoy|Pål Waaktaar]] of the Norwegian pop-music group [[a-ha]] and recorded by the band. The group and Barry did not collaborate well, resulting in two versions of the theme song.<ref name="UKC4TV">{{cite video |year=2006 | title =James Bond's Greatest Hits | medium =Television | location =UK | publisher =North One Television}}</ref> Barry's film mix is heard on the soundtrack (and on a-ha's later compilation album ''Headlines and Deadlines''). The version preferred by the band can be heard on the a-ha album ''[[Stay on These Roads]]'', released in 1988. However, in 2006, Waaktaar complimented Barry's contributions: "I loved the stuff he added to the track, I mean it gave it this really cool string arrangement. That's when for me it started to sound like a Bond thing".<ref name="UKC4TV"/> The title song is one of the few 007 title songs not performed or written by a British or American performer.

In a departure from previous Bond films, ''The Living Daylights'' was the first to use different songs over the opening and end credits. The song heard over the end credits, "If There Was A Man" (which also acts as the "love theme" of the film), was one of two songs performed for the film by [[The Pretenders]], with [[Chrissie Hynde]] on lead vocals.  The other song, "[[Where Has Everybody Gone?]]", is heard from Necros's [[Walkman]] in the film—the melody of the song is subsequently used in the score to announce Necros whenever he attacks. The Pretenders were originally considered to perform the title song. However, the producers had been pleased with the commercial success of [[Duran Duran]]'s "[[A View to a Kill (song)|A View to a Kill]]", and felt that a-ha would be more likely to make an impact on the charts.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thegoldengun.co.uk/tld/tldsound.html | title=The Living Daylights | publisher=Fastrac Publications | access-date=11 October 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023133932/http://www.thegoldengun.co.uk/tld/tldsound.html | archive-date=23 October 2007}}</ref>

The original soundtrack was released on LP and CD by Warner Bros. and featured only 12 tracks. Later re-releases by [[Rykodisc]] and [[EMI]] added nine additional tracks, including alternate instrumental end credits music. Rykodisc's version included the [[gun barrel sequence|gun barrel]] and opening sequence of the film as well as the jailbreak sequence, and the bombing of the bridge.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=1429 | title=The Living Daylights | work=SoundtrackNet | access-date=7 October 2007 | archive-date=15 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015125918/http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=1429 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Additionally, the film featured a number of pieces of classical music, as the main [[Bond girl]], Kara Milovy, is a cellist. [[Mozart]]'s [[Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)|40th Symphony in G minor]] (1st movement) is performed by the orchestra at the Conservatoire in Bratislava when Koskov flees.<ref>''Mozart: Popular Music from Film'' Disc: 2</ref> As Moneypenny tells Bond, Kara is next to perform [[Alexander Borodin]]'s String Quartet in D major,<ref>''Classics at the Movies II'' CD 2 Catalogue Number: 4765940</ref> and the finale to Act II of Mozart's ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (in Vienna) also features.<ref>Campbell, Margaret, ''The Great Cellists'' (North Pomfret, Vermont: Trafalgar Square Publishing, 1988).</ref> When arriving in Vienna, an orchestra outside the hotel in playing a movement from the [[Wein, Weib und Gesang]] waltz by [[Johann Strauss]]. Before Bond is drugged by Kara, she is practicing the Cello solo from the first movement of [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák's]] [[Cello Concerto (Dvořák)|cello concerto in B minor]].,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093428/soundtrack |title=The Living Daylights (1987) – Soundtracks |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=30 June 2018 |archive-date=17 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317020714/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093428/soundtrack |url-status=live }}</ref> Kara and an orchestra (conducted onscreen by John Barry) perform [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s ''[[Variations on a Rococo Theme]]'' to rapturous applause.

==Release==
The [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]] attended the film's premiere on 29 June 1987 at the [[Odeon Leicester Square]] in London.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burlingame|first1=Jon|title=The Music of James Bond|year=2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-998676-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQE2RmHrErcC&q=%22the%20living%20daylights%22%2029%20june&pg=PT200|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505023736/https://books.google.com/books?id=wQE2RmHrErcC&q=%22the+living+daylights%22+29+june&pg=PT200|url-status=live}}</ref> In the three days following the premiere, the film grossed £52,656 in Leicester Square and £13,049 at the [[Odeon Marble Arch]] before expanding to 18 screens where it grossed £136,503 for the weekend, finishing third at the UK box office for the weekend and second for the week behind ''[[The Secret of My Success (1987 film)|The Secret of My Success]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=UK Leaders Nationwide|page=21|date=11 July 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=Audiences hot for Living Daylights|last=Miller|first=Helen|page=|date=18 July 1987}}</ref><ref name=18jul>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=UK Leaders Nationwide|page=21|date=18 July 1987}}</ref> The following week it expanded to 60 screens and grossed £252,940 for the weekend, finishing second to ''[[Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol]]''.<ref name=18jul/> A week later it expanded to 116 screens but remained in second place for the weekend with a gross of £523,264 however finally reached [[List of 1987 box office number-one films in the United Kingdom|number one]] for the week with a gross of £1,072,420 from 131 screens.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=UK Leaders Nationwide|page=33|date=25 July 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|title=UK Leaders Nationwide|page=32|date=1 August 1987}}</ref>  It went on to gross £8.2 million ($19 million) in the UK.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Strong Bond|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=19 December 1997|page=31}}</ref><ref name=international>{{cite magazine|title=Estimated gross of the last five Bond films in 15 selected international territories|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=5 December 1997|page=22}}</ref> On the film's opening weekend in the US, it grossed $11 million, surpassing the $5.2 million grossed by ''[[The Lost Boys]]'' that was released on the same day,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/06/movies/the-living-daylights-first-in-ticket-sales.html |title='The Living Daylights' First in Ticket Sales |work=The New York Times |page=C22 |date=6 August 1987 |access-date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=10 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110080441/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/06/movies/the-living-daylights-first-in-ticket-sales.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and setting a record 3-day opening for a Bond film, beating ''[[Octopussy]]''{{'s}} (1983) $8.9 million. However, it did not beat the 4-day record of $13.3 million set by ''[[A View to a Kill]]'' (1985).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=5 August 1987|page=3|first=James|last=Greenberg|title='Daylight' Beats All Bond Openers To Lead Natl. B.O.}}</ref> It went on to gross $51.2 million in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=livingdaylights.htm | title=The Living Daylights | work=Box Office Mojo | access-date=6 October 2007 | archive-date=1 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001045555/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=livingdaylights.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Living Daylights'' grossed the equivalent of $191.2 million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/series/JamesBond.php | title=Box Office History for James Bond Movies | work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] | access-date=6 October 2007 | archive-date=30 September 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930152222/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/series/JamesBond.php | url-status=live }}</ref> Other large international grosses include $19.5 million in Germany, $12.6 million in Japan and $11.4 million in France.<ref name=international/>

In the film, Koskov and Whitaker repeatedly use vehicles and drug packets marked with the [[Red Cross]]. This action angered a number of Red Cross Societies, which sent letters of protest regarding the film. In addition, the [[British Red Cross]] attempted to prosecute the filmmakers and distributors. However, no legal action was taken.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/57JMBB | title=Protecting the Emblems in peacetime: the experiences of the British Red Cross Society | access-date=7 October 2007 | archive-date=15 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015124215/http://icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/57JMBB }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/57JMB9 |title=Protection of the red cross and red crescent emblems and the repression of misuse |publisher=Icrc.org |date=31 October 1989 |access-date=1 May 2010 |archive-date=28 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828015225/http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/57JMB9 }}</ref> As a result, the producers included a disclaimer regarding the use of the Red Cross in the opening.<ref>{{cite book |title=The James Bond Movie Encyclopaedia |chapter=D |isbn=9781641600859 |first=Stephen Jay |last=Rubin |publisher=Chicago Review Press |year=2020}}</ref>

==Reception==
Rita Kempley, reviewing for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', praised Dalton's performance, naming him:{{cquote|The best Bond ever. He's as classy as the trademark tuxedo, as sleek as the Aston Martin. Like Bond's notorious martini, women who encounter his carved-granite good looks are shaken, not stirred.}} Furthermore, she praised the film as "graciously paced, though overplotted, so some seat-shifting sets in about 30 minutes before the end."<ref>{{cite news|last=Kempley|first=Rita|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thelivingdaylightspgkempley_a09f96.htm|title='The Living Daylights' (PG)|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=31 July 1987|access-date=1 May 2010|archive-date=7 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107073223/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thelivingdaylightspgkempley_a09f96.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' complimented Dalton's performance, feeling that he had "enough presence, the right debonair looks and the kind of energy that the Bond series has lately been lacking." While praising the supporting characters, she criticised the long runtime and noted Glen's direction "has the colorful but perfunctory style that goes with the territory, and it's adequate if uninspired."<ref>{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|authorlink=Janet Maslin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/31/movies/film-living-daylights-with-the-new-bond.html|title=Film: 'Living Daylights,' With the New Bond|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=C3|date=31 July 1987|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924225832/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/31/movies/film-living-daylights-with-the-new-bond.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave ''The Living Daylights'' two stars out of four, criticising the lack of humour in the protagonist and feeling General Whitaker was "not one of the great Bond villains. He's a kooky phony general who plays with toy soldiers and never seems truly diabolical. Without a great [[Bond girl]], a great villain or a hero with a sense of humor, ''The Living Daylights'' belongs somewhere on the lower rungs of the Bond ladder. But there are some nice stunts."<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|authorlink=Roger Ebert|title=The Living Daylights Movie Review|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-living-daylights-1987|date=31 July 1987|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|via=[[RogerEbert.com]]|access-date=9 January 2014|archive-date=9 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109235257/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-living-daylights-1987|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' also gave the film two stars out of four, commending Dalton as superior to Roger Moore but feeling he "simply doesn't have the manliness or the charm of Sean Connery." He criticised the film for its perceived tentativeness, writing that the "filmmakers were trying to strike a middle ground between the glamor of the Connery Bond films and the dubious humor of the Moore Bonds. The result is a film that is not so much bad as mechanical and uptight."<ref>{{cite news|last=Siskel|first=Gene|authorlink=Gene Siskel|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-07-31-8702250990-story.html|title=Flick of the Week: Poor Casting Dims 'Daylights'|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=31 July 1987|access-date=25 April 2020|archive-date=8 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808055341/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-07-31-8702250990-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Carrie Rickey]] of ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' felt Dalton "makes for an appealing Bond, and with his distinctive bow-shaped mouth and the cleft in his chin, no one is likely to confuse [him] with the blandness that was George Lazenby or the corseted stiffness that was Roger Moore, two prior Bonds. And unlike Sean Connery's cooly sadistic agent, Dalton's 007 has exquisite manners — both of the bedside and roadside variety."<ref>{{cite news |last=Rickey |first=Carrie |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-carrie-rickey/124373127/ |title=The new Bond investigates arms trafficking |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |pages=4–5 |date=31 July 1987 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510194844/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-carrie-rickey/124373127/ |archive-date=10 May 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> [[Jay Scott]] of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' wrote of Dalton's Bond that "you get the feeling that on his off nights, he might curl up with the ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' and catch an episode of ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]''".<ref name="Scott (1987)">{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Jay|author-link=Jay Scott|title=The Living Daylights: Dalton serves up lethargic James Bond. A licence to bore?|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=3 August 1987|page=C.7}}</ref> [[Derek Malcolm]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote Dalton "hasn't the natural authority of Connery nor the facile charm of Moore, but George Lazenby he is not. He is, in fact, four-square on the Balham Line — decent, daring, not above unorthodoxy but unlikely to ask Q for a fool-proof condom for the Aids era." Overall, he felt the film was "a slightly more sensible Bond than before, allowing for glasnost — the Ruskies aren't all bad — and suggesting 007 has at least grown less like a predatory little boy."<ref>{{cite news |last=Malcolm |first=Derek |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-derek-malcolms-review-of/124367619/ |title=Kiss-kiss, no bang-bang |work=The Guardian |page=13 |date=2 July 1987 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510180823/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-derek-malcolms-review-of/124367619/ |archive-date=10 May 2023 |url-status=live |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref>

Jay Boyar of the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'' noted: "Dalton shows a serious side that's been missing from the role since Sean Connery's earliest 007 days. And as a whole, the new picture is less of a special-effects affair than most of Roger Moore's Bond films. There's no shortage of action in ''The Living Daylights'', but the movie adds up to a real adventure."<ref>{{cite news |last=Boyar |first=Jay |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1987/08/03/this-new-bond-knows-the-tricks-of-the-007-trade/ |title=This New Bond Knows the Tricks of the 007 Trade |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=3 August 1987 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510182226/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1987/08/03/this-new-bond-knows-the-tricks-of-the-007-trade/ |archive-date=10 May 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}</ref> [[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine gave the film a positive review, stating Dalton "finds some of the lethal charm of Sean Connery, along with a touch of crabby [[Harrison Ford]]. This Bond is as fast on his feet as with his wits; an ironic scowl creases his face; he's battle ready yet war-weary."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,965173-1,00.html |title=Cinema: Bond Keeps Up His Silver Streak |magazine=Time |date=10 August 1987 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510192657/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,965173-1,00.html |archive-date=10 May 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Retrospective reviews===
Retrospective reviews of the film have been considerably more positive. ''[[The Independent]]'' placed the film as the fourth best Bond movie, praising the tough, nervy edge Dalton brought to the franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Every James Bond film ranked from worst to best |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/james-bond-best-movies-ranked-b2058691.html |date=15 April 2022 |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=[[The Independent]] |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530102527/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/james-bond-best-movies-ranked-b2058691.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Dalton himself has said he preferred ''The Living Daylights'' over ''[[Licence to Kill]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Desowitz|first=Bill|title=James Bond Unmasked|year=2012|publisher=Spies Publishing|isbn=978-0-9844-1261-7}}</ref> Dalton's predecessor, Roger Moore, discussing the Bond series in 2012, called the film a "bloody good movie".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-special-sir-roger-moore-podcast/ |title=Empire's Special Sir Roger Moore Podcast |work=Empire |date=2 November 2012 |access-date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505023712/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-special-sir-roger-moore-podcast/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' lauded the film for bringing back realism and espionage to the film series, and showing James Bond's dark side.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/17/james-bonds-top-20 |title=James Bond's Top 20 |work=[[IGN]] |date=17 November 2006 |access-date=1 May 2010 |archive-date=26 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826014526/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/17/james-bonds-top-20 |url-status=live }}</ref> Les Roopanarine, in a retrospective review for ''[[The Guardian]]'', called the film his favourite Bond film, praising Dalton for "bringing a more nuanced interpretation to the role, with his relationships evolving in a way never seen before in previous Bond films."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Les |last=Roopanarine |title=My favourite Bond film: The Living Daylights |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/05/living-daylights-favourite-bond-film |date=5 October 2012 |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |archive-date=1 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701121121/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/05/living-daylights-favourite-bond-film |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a poll involving Bond experts and fans of the franchise, ''The Living Daylights'' was ranked the sixth-best Bond film.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Mark|last=O'Connell|title=The best James Bond movies according to the experts and its biggest fans|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/biggest-007-fans-choose-best-james-bond-movie-104936385.html|date=27 September 2021|access-date=30 May 2022|website=[[Yahoo! News]]|language=en-SG|archive-date=30 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530102527/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/biggest-007-fans-choose-best-james-bond-movie-104936385.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[review aggregation]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film an approval rating of 73% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Newcomer Timothy Dalton plays James Bond with more seriousness than preceding installments, and the result is exciting and colorful but occasionally humorless."<ref name="rt">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/living_daylights/ |title=The Living Daylights (1987) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510195344/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/living_daylights |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a score of 59 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Living Daylights |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-living-daylights |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=24 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224111912/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-living-daylights |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web |title=LIVING DAYLIGHTS, THE (1987) A |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |work=[[CinemaScore]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=20 December 2018 }}</ref>

Retrospective reviews have been critical of the portrayal of the mujahideen in the film, with ''[[The Atlantic]]'' writing that the film failed to capture "the complexities of their historical moment".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phipps |first1=Keith |title=Hollywood and the Holy Land: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Isn't the 1st to Play Politics |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/hollywood-and-the-holy-land-zero-dark-thirty-isnt-the-1st-to-play-politics/267150/ |work=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=1 August 2023 |archive-date=1 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801145759/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/hollywood-and-the-holy-land-zero-dark-thirty-isnt-the-1st-to-play-politics/267150/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sims |first1=Robbie |title=Quantum of Silliness The Peculiar World of Bond, James Bond |date=2020 |publisher=[[History Press]]}}</ref> Others have said that the film "sidesteps more problematic aspects of mujahideen activities"<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Daniel |title=Muslim Heroes on Screen |date=2021 |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |page=15}}</ref> and that "any critical reading of the film in light of modern Afghanistan, and the post-Soviet incarnations/evolution of the Mujahedeen, I lock securely in the box marked 'Let's Not Go There.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Max |title=The Living Daylights: How Timothy Dalton Made James Bond Serious Again |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-living-daylights-how-timothy-dalton-made-james-bond-serious-again/ |work=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=1 August 2023 |archive-date=1 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801145758/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-living-daylights-how-timothy-dalton-made-james-bond-serious-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Film|1980s|United Kingdom}}
* [[Outline of James Bond]]

==Explanatory notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Broccoli|first1=Albert R|last2=Zec|first2=Donald|author-link1=Albert R. Broccoli|author-link2=Donald Zec|title=When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli|year=1998|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-7522-1162-6}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Cork |first1=John |last2=Scivally |first2=Bruce |title=James Bond: The Legacy |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8109-3296-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Duncan |first=Paul |title=The James Bond Archives |publisher=[[Taschen]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-3-836-55186-1}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Field|first1=Matthew|last2=Chowdhury|first2=Ajay|title=Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films|year=2015|isbn=978-0-7509-6421-0|publisher=[[The History Press]]|oclc=930556527}}
* {{cite book |last=Helfenstein |first=Charles |title=The Making of The Living Daylights |publisher=Spies LLC |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-984-41262-4}}
* {{cite book |last=McKay |first=Sinclair |title=The Man with the Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered the World |year=2008 |location=London |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-1-59020-298-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|The Living Daylights (film)}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{official website|https://www.007.com/the-films/the-living-daylights/}}
* {{IMDb title|0093428}}
* {{mojo title|id=livingdaylights}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070518175603/http://www.007magazine.co.uk/articles_archive.htm ''The Living Daylights'' review in 007 Magazine]
* [http://www.pelicanpromotions.com.au/dalton/livingd.html Inside ''The Living Daylights'' Documentary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304063942/http://www.pelicanpromotions.com.au/dalton/livingd.html |date=4 March 2021 }}

{{James Bond films}}
{{John Glen}}
{{The Living Daylights}}
{{Authority control}}

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