Plot
James Bond and his CIA best friend Felix Leiter have recently been successful in capturing drug lord Franz Sanchez. Not long after this Sanchez escapes with the help of a dirty DEA agent.
Days later, after Leiter marries his new bride Della, with Bond as best man – Sanchez has his crew kidnap the newlyweds, murdering Della and leaving Felix near death.
Told to stay away, Bond renounces his 00 status, and goes rogue – vowing vengeance for his friend
Direction
Having worked on Bond films since 1969, this was John Glen’s fourth and final film he directed in the franchise.
It really feels like he moved with the times in progressing the character, and this feels like a real late 80’s action romp. Not ‘as grand’ as the last film, but still stellar work!
Cast
Returning for his second (and last) performance as 007 is Timothy Dalton. I really liked what he brought to Bond, he had an intensity – and darkness that we hadn’t really had before. There were ‘snippets’ of Bond being ruthless in the past, but I really found Dalton’s to be the most ruthless.
Carey Lowell plays Pam Bouvier, who is an experienced Federal Agent and pilot herself. She is fine, and is a solid bond girl, but she may have just been a little young (28) to be overly believable as that experienced.
Robert Davi is a great Bond bad guy, and he gets plenty to do, and has plenty of ‘too and fro’ with Bond. He has plenty of brutal moments, not just against Bond, but against his own people too (like Krest – a solid secondary villain played by Anthony Zerbe).
Some secondary cast who are solid within the film include, Frank McRae as Sharkey – Bond’s ally who becomes the standard cannon fodder, Talisa Soto as Lupe, Sanchez’s girlfriend, and another Bond Girl, Benicio Del Toro in an early role as Dario, Sanchez’ main henchman, Wayne Newton as Prof Joe, David Hedison as Felix, Desmond Llewellyn as Q, Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny and Robert Brown as M.
Breakdown
The sixteenth Bond film overall, with Dalton providing his second, and final performance – this has all the hallmarks of a late 80s film.
Starting with the arrest of the big bad Sanchez, played by 80s regular bad guy Robert Davi. He is ‘just a drug baron’ – who does nasty things to people (even his own once trusted allies at one point). They did add a plan later in the film which involved bombs of some sort, but this felt like a throwaway line quickly added, and wasn’t established well enough.
While Sanchez hasn’t lived in the zeitgeist of “good bad guys” according to certain “best to worst” Bond bad guys – I really quite liked him. Davi was of course typecast a little during this time period, and he played them perfectly.
I quite liked the “Bond gone rogue” aspect to the story, as it gave it an even darker and more edgy undertone that we’ve been used to seeing. Bond has had moments of darkness in the past, but once again I loved the intensity that Dalton brought to the film
The middle part of the film has the standard ‘Bond with the bad guy, planting the seeds of disloyalty within his group – as well as romancing the two Bond girls. I actually don’t remember too many films in the past where both Bond Girls spend so much time together, and even are witness to Bond’s closeness to another (and being heartbroken about it). The ‘love triangle’ aspect was new and fun.
Both girls were ‘okay’ but with their youth against them (and some questionable acting) – this does feel like it was leaning towards the territory of previous Bonds and their Bond girls with the
The final act, with Bond v Sanchez, has some incredible stunt driving involving a tanker truck is incredible. It’s not ‘quite’ as impressive as the previous film, but still manages to stand on its own two feet. Also, Bond’s eventual take down of Sanchez is as brutal as he deserves.
Overall
Due to a behind the scenes legal dispute the series would go on hiatus for six years following this entry, and it is a shame that Dalton wasn’t able to carry on with the franchise as he has been my favourite Bond so far.
A solid entry, on par with the previous film, with some great action sequences.
A strong recommend from me.
4/5
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