This scene from The Living Daylights (1987) is how I like my Timothy Dalton James Bond: rough around the edges and disgruntled with superiors – has his own disagreeable opinions and agendas but in the end always wants to get the job done, and does.
This scene takes place in M’s office with M, Bond and Frederick Gray, the Minister of Defense assessing the catastrophic event that just occurred, where a defected Georgi Koskov was re-captured by the KGB and MI6 made a “laughingstock” in the intelligence community as a results, as relayed by Gray.
I like this scene so much because everyone expresses their own frustrations in unique ways. M grumpily cleaning out his pipe, Gray begrudgingly leaving to meet the Prime Minister evoking his disdain, and Bond defiantly bending to M’s orders to take out Pushkin. This is a relatively rare direct “termination order” issued by M to Bond in his office, and although Bond has a license to kill, in this case Bond is skeptical that Pushkin could be behind the plot. M senses his defiance instantly (you can sense this isn’t the first time this has happened between the two) and his “What? Do you think I don’t?” is expertly delivered as a “STFU, obey my orders” declaration to Bond.
M, Bond and Frederick Gray meeting in M’s office in The Living Daylights (1987)
Despite Bond’s pleas, M demurs and tells him to either do the job or leave for a fortnight and 008 will do it – since 008 will follow “orders, not instincts.” I always love when other double-oh agents are mentioned in Bond movies. 🙂 And it happens doubly so here, since 004 was killed in the Gibraltar training exercise at the start of the movie, as a result of the Smernt Spionom (Death to Spies) agenda that has commenced. So even though M attempts to allay Bond’s hesitations, Bond still relents and says he would like to delay the operation to obtain more information. M’s job transfer threat is all Bond needs to hear, and he takes the mission.
Knowing this James Bond, however, we know that his agenda will come before MI6’s, for better or worse.
The opening sequence for The Living Daylights (1987) is pretty underrated and has it all: a thrilling MI6 training exercise gone wrong and a daring 007 parachute escape from a falling/exploding munitions vehicle. It ends in true James Bond fashion, on a luxury yacht with a damsel (not in distress, mind you) yearning for a “real man.” Lucky for her Bond drops in (literally) and Timothy Dalton’s James Bond delivers his coolest moment, easily a contender for coolest James Bond moment of all time as well.
It’s a shame Dalton only had a chance to portray 007 twice on-screen. Surely one or two more films and he would be more widely considered the best James Bond actor (he is in the upper echelon for me!). That look alongside the champagne glass where you can literally see him decide between work or play and choosing at least a little more play is a perfect intro to a new James Bond and cemented Dalton’s portrayal from the start!
I’ve always loved Bond’s great cello case escape trick from The Living Daylights (1987). Although it would’ve been neat to hear Bond (Timothy Dalton) explain the game plan to Kara Milovy (Maryam d’Abo) in this scene (how did they time it so perfectly with the passing tram?), I overall enjoyed how it was filmed and how we the audience are let in on the ruse.
I particularly enjoy the surveyor’s satisfied face and gentle head nod when he witnesses Bond get into his car, only to have his day ruined when he realizes the “person” in the phone booth is an empty cello case clothed with a hat and coat.
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