Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- serious
- stylish
- action movie night
- spy film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found Timothy Dalton an appealing and more serious Bond, while considering the film mechanically plotted, overlong, and short of a memorable villain or the series' customary humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bond investigates a staged defection, a recaptured Soviet general, and an apparent assassination plot involving multiple intelligence factions.
The film emphasizes aerial action, airplane escapes, a Harrier jump jet, and large-scale physical set pieces.
Timothy Dalton presents James Bond as a more intense and less jokey 007 than the immediately preceding interpretation.
Bond must determine why an ally was targeted while navigating General Koskov's defection and the arms dealer Brad Whitaker.
Films like The Living Daylights, and why
For Your Eyes Only
shares globe-trotting espionage, high-stakes assassination plots, practical stunts, and a more serious secret-agent tone
The Spy Who Loved Me
shares cold war spy intrigue, international arms dealing, stylish action set pieces, and a grounded Bond-like thriller register
Mission: Impossible
shares espionage missions, covert defections, international conspiracies, and propulsive action-adventure spectacle
Movie Details
- Director
- John Glen
- Release Date
- 1987-06-29
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (2107)
Cast
- Timothy Dalton
- Maryam D'Abo
- Joe Don Baker
- Art Malik
- John Rhys-Davies
- Jeroen Krabbé
- Andreas Wisniewski
- Thomas Wheatley
- Desmond Llewelyn
- Robert Brown
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Living Daylights about?
- A newly appointed James Bond pursues a deceptive Soviet defection plot through assassination attempts, arms smuggling, and a dangerous alliance in Afghanistan.
- What is The Living Daylights like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Living Daylights as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Living Daylights violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Living Daylights as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Living Daylights?
- Critics broadly found Timothy Dalton an appealing and more serious Bond, while considering the film mechanically plotted, overlong, and short of a memorable villain or the series' customary humor.
- Which films are like The Living Daylights?
- Films with a similar feel include For Your Eyes Only, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Mission: Impossible.
- How long is The Living Daylights?
- The Living Daylights runs 130 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Living Daylights?
- In United States, The Living Daylights is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex.
