James Bond - Part 6.6: The Timothy Dalton Phase

[fanofheadroom1]

real shame dalton never made another bond movie

[beefdog]

one of the best. excuse me

[beefdog]

Dalton was one the best and the closest to the novels.

[WebVManReturns]

The fish statue was keeping an eye on Bond.

[DutchBudokaiFan]

Great review man! I've seen all of the bond films countless times and I would put Licence to kill in my personal top 3. It's always a shame that this brilliant Bond film gets so underrated. While it's actually one of the best films of all time, also starring one of the coolest villians of all the bond movies. Well putt together!

[sitonmyfacedarling]

Dalton was the best.

[anadryantontine]

Holy SHIT I KNEW that the villain in Hot Fuzz looked really familiar.

[anadryantontine]

Is it possible the winking fish is a reference to Connery's wink at the end of Never Say Never Again?

[ytmisc2]

I agree ... Dalton was my favorite actor in the James Bond role.  The most believable as a ruthless assassin.

[krisj827]

I loved License to Kill. Good review.

[Rislundman]

Great work man! Thank you!

[mrbain123]

I always enjoyed LTK but watching it again straight after OHMSS I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. Service was Fleming in every sense. It was imaginative, exotic and VERY English. Kill feels very...generic by comparison.

[vanillaorchid]

Dalton's Bond was a double hard bastard, just as was supposed to be. No stupid flippancy or silly gadgets, he didn't need them. Dalton's two films are my favourites and terribly under rated.

[MySerpentine]

dalton is a dream come true. the best bond.

[sigfurt]

You gave Dalten the amount of time he deserved in your series, unlike the Bond series did.

[MDMCPresident]

we gave her a nice honeyyyyymoooooon lol :D

[CoolBoysBackYard]

I think if Prosnan did LTK it would have been a success, as he had both the serious & humour required in Bond. Like I've said before Dalton stuck too much to serious.

[CoolBoysBackYard]

I found dalton too boring & serious, personally I don't think Dalton enjoyed doing Bond as since he was a Shakespearean actor he didn't like the modern day atmosphere the only reason that Dalton did Hot Fuzz was just for fun & Looney Tunes for the kids. However I liked Moore's bond I liked his humour what Dalton lacked. The problem of Moore was his age, he was given the bond role too late 46 maybe young for some but more looks old for his age. Moore was much better than Dalton, he tried a darker

[rjmdrum]

Couldn't agree more with all of this... This is the most underrated f the series. Dalton would be successful today and was ahead of his time. Post Cold War era hurt bond in 89 and this film was really poorly marketed. Moviegoers were not ready for his style of Bond that summer.

[asorls1]

I always liked the Dalton films. I thought they were VERY underated. I never cared for the scripts in many Moore films. Too much yucking it up. I think though audiences were used to more humour in Bond, so they didn't play as well. Even going back to other series, the 40s Charlie Chan and Sherlock holmes had comic relief characters, but the pre Dalton Bond formula was what the public expected. I think the Jeremy Britt Holmes series was a influence in Book purity.

[TheRichardNixonShow]

Just watched this and I can't wait to find out who the next Bond is after Dalton. :)

[FlipmindMusic]

Dalton really was a good Bond. Have any of you seen him in Chuck? Just plain awesome.

[TheFeet1974]

Great Bond Film...I went to see it twice in its opening week when it came out in the summer of 1989.Its a real shame that Tim Dalton Didnt do anymore Bond Films In 91/93 etc....Legal Ranglings Etc...The Same Thing Is Happening Today With The Daniel Craig Films...By The Daniel Is Very Good Bond,But God Quantom Of Solace Is The Worst Bond Film Ever

[pryt86]

this is one of the best james bond movies out of the series its such a great movie

[Reborn8303]

I have to say your presentation and narration in these Videos Is Just Excellent !

[kewlbreez]

I'd agree with you wholeheartedly, this flick is one of the best of the whole series; I think both of Dalton's films are head & shoulders above all of Moore's Bond flicks. I'd have to see the Brosnan

[kewlbreez]

Dalton, even tho he was regrettably only in 2 Bond flicks, blows away Moore's Bond, and Moore's Bond flicks, by a mile. No comparison at all!

[IamConnorMacLeod]

Pierce Brosnan would've been great for TLD, and ALMOST as good in LTK . IMO.

Moore... Not really.

[Analogue3]

Dalton was a great Bond; a real character, not a cardboard superhero. And LTC is overall a terrific film. What The Punisher should've been.

[xedvux]

Timothy Dalton was in Toy Story 3 too :D

[paulandrew79]

Easily the best Bond & 2nd best film

[kewlbreez]

@paulandrew79 ...um, nope - easily the 2nd best Bond - NOBODY beats Connery ! - ... and an excellent Bond flick.

[sidoghosh]

I Loved Dalton's Bond Persona ..TBH look at Daniel Craig's Bond Persona its Just a Rip off of Dalton's Bond personality .. Edgy,No Humour at all ,Cold Hearted and in your face personality...

[kevnev007]

Dalton is my least favourite Bond actor, maybe if he had done at least one more, he might have been more popular. All the Bond actors in my opinion, have been more popular in their third Bond Films.

[knight7se7en]

One of the most underrated Bond films.....

[JudasAngel666]

The "Problem" with dalton was we never got to actually see him become bond if you think about it. the two movies he did(although he acted bond simular) where still different. Sure he acted bond hard edged but License to Kill was like the Terminator hard edge(meaning REVENGE and Kill etc) when and The Living Daylights was more Lighter. I think if he had been given a chance to do at least one more he would've been one of the BEST bonds(Having said this i still rank him as a top descision)

[RomanticRF]

great work , although i loved Brosnan as James Bond in golden eye I wish Dalton could have done more than two bond movies because to me he is the perfect bond of em all .

[catinthelap]

The winking fish thing at the end of LTK:

My opinion-- it's a Bond innuendo thing, like the Star Trek boot scenes.

Compare it to:

--Austrian shade that comes down and screens Moore and girl at the end of you-know which movie. (not quite a 'wink,' admittedly, but in the same vein. )

--blinking red light on the stuffed animal when Bond takes Kara down on the ferris wheel in TLD (how long was the wheel stopped for??)

--probably lots more of these, but more avid Bond fans will have to recall them.

[catinthelap]

Thanks for your thoughtful review!

I agree completely with your appraisal of Dalton as Bond. I had the same response to him coming through the windshield onto the hood of the truck, grasping to get Sanchez in LTK. No rational second thoughts (as in the first Bond-Pushkin encounter in TLD!)

LTK is certainly dark, but then double-oh is a license to kill, not a license to crack jokes.

[pjdr]

i was surprised to see LTK ranked low on many Bond lists as well since it's one of my favorites, i'm guess the problem was Bond wasn't going after someone trying to take over the world but instead a more realistic drug lord, but for me that just made it better since it was a good change of pace.

[th4397]

Dalton was a superb Bond and should have done more.

Thanks for posting, your vids are terrific, intelligent stuff!

[TheNightrunner666]

i just wanna add...the whole winking fish prolly is to say james finally takes that girl for a ride on the beef bus to tuna town

[001989]

where's part 7?

[mrbain123]

Watched LTK again last nights. Certainly one of the better ones. The screenplay suits Dalton's gritty persona and Robert Davi, Benico Del Toro and Anthony Zeobe are excellent villains. It may lack the traditional eligance of other Bond films but its ironically one of the most exciting of the series. Certainly much better than QoS.

My Top 5

1.Goldeneye

2.The Spy Who Loved Me

3.From Russia With Love

4.Goldfinger

5.Licence to Kill

[plutao]

I pefere connery

[kc86er]

The scene where Krest's head explodes in the depressurization chamber was a pretty graphic death scene, even for a Bond film. But it was pretty cool :P

[Shrimpkin74]

Dalton was the BEST 007.

[mixxmexx]

You are RIGHT!!

[Shrimpkin74]

Brosnan was a waiter with a gun, not his fault but invisible cars etc and crap cgi, it done for him! Moore was funny, Craig is good but Dalton made Bond, pity about MGM naffing things up...Then I find Timothy Dalton excellent in everything he does ie: Hawks, Doctor and the Devils etc.

[masonTganes]

@Shrimpkin74 Dalton was a damn good Bond. sad to see he got short changed our of a 3rd movie.

Seems that history just might repet itself with Daniel Craig.

Brosnan is still my favrit

[41dhos]

Any part 7 or 8?

[mixxmexx]

finally someone who understand that TD was the greatest

[msmoviemadness]

Can u plz continue wif Brosnan & Craig???

[davidkeffen]

Completely with you on all counts regarding License to Kill. Certainly the most underated of all the films in my opinion and deserves the coverage you have given it.

Terrific plot, action sequences and how can I resist Carey Lowell (who looks just like my wife). Timothy Dalton is superb as Bond and it's a shame he didn't get to continue in the role.

What we are seeing here is a film that is equally to the 'new style' plots that Daniel Craig has been able to front.

Excellent documentary.

[ltflak]

amazing how the actor who played only 2 movies got the most of the reviews.  Are you done with the review or is Pierce Brosnan next?

[kmexperience]

One of my favorite Bond films.

Dalton's first movie didn't fit his take on Bond. It felt like a Roger Moore adventure. Dalton's more sullen take on the character might have come off as lifeless.

This movie fits his sullen take on Bond.

[Damecos]

Holy crap that's a lot of blockbusters for one summer!

- The Abyss

- Honey I Shrunk The Kids

- Ghostbusters 2

- Star Trek V

- Lethal Weapon 2

- Batman

- Indiana Jones 3

Makes me wonder what the hell happened to cinema in the last 20 years.

[Rico8458]

here are the 3 kings:

sean connery

pierce brosnan

daniel craig

[Rico8458]

This is an excellent Ph.D. thesis.

[rainbowghostsplinter]

If only Flemming were to be alive during the Dalton era. I'm sure he would have been very pleased.

[SavagePersonified90]

Why didn't you continue with the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig eras? I favorited this whole series and was really looking forward to your take on the modern Bond movies. Especially Brosnan, who many in my generation (I was born in 1990) consider to be the greatest Bond ever, however, being a traditionalist I believe he is tied with Sean Connery as the best Bond ever. Thank you for posting this series and please upload Part 7. =)

[PurushaDesa]

We all have our frustrations H.S. - I have no idea why everyone likes Thunderball; I think it's bloody awful from start to finish.

[32newspaper]

Are you going to do the Brosnan movies

[broombrum]

Im looking forward to seeing ur next bond review, i enjoy ur videos!

[geetarman21]

Actually, I enjoy the length of your reviews; they're not too long film by film. I don't think one can do justice in reviewing the Dalton Era with short reviews. Not only did he put out two strong Bond films, but his era was also plagued with also kinds of studio drama behind the scenes, both pre-TLD and, especially, post-LTK. I would argue it's easily the most chaotic era, but it also foreshadows all the drama that will show up after Brosnan's tenure.

[geetarman21]

"...plagued with all** kinds of studio drama"

Apologies for the typo.

[19torento]

Each Bond actor added something different to the character and had their own era. Sean Connery was classical (we'll always associate Sean Connery with Bond and vice versa) George Lazenby was more human and sensitive, Roger Moore was humorous, Timothy Dalton was dark, Pierce Brosnan was lighthearted, and Daniel Craig was macho. They were all different, and to compare one to the others is difficult to do. They were all good in their own way, and all had their own group of fans.

[19torento]

Holy cow! You did a lot for Timothy Dalton! Great series, and I hope you continue with Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. I hope I wasn't too overopinionated, but I used to be a huge James Bond fan, back in sixth grade, and I remember a lot about it. Peace out everyone and cheers! : )

[mephitidae]

I liked t Timothy Dalton Bond films. They were different, and I think Dalton had the look that Ian Fleming had in mind for Bond.

Still, Bond has been going for generations, and tastes change. All the Bond films, and actors, are representative of their times.

[dafmurray]

I still have very mixed feelings about Licence to Kill. The production doesn't look as impressive as Bond films normally do. The budget cuts and Mexico studio filming to blame I guess. The violence level is too high for a Bond film. The story and pacing aren't quite strong enough for a more realistic Bond and I felt the film was basically one unchanging mood. Dalton and Carey Lowell are great., but Dalton did tend to underplay. I liked Robert Davi as a very human film.

[dafmurray]

Can't really see Dalton in Goldeneye . I know the film-makers would have altered the script a bit to fit Brosnan better, but Dalton just doesn't fit the story and style of Goldeneye in my mind, because the movie seemed better suited to introducing a new actor than being the 3rd Bond for Dalton and there would have been no real consistency in the style of the three movies Dalton would have appeared in.

[kalsolarUK]

I gotta agree with everything you said about the Dalton Movies, License to Kill is greatly underated.

[jasonofaolain]

As an Irishman, when are you doing Brosnan?

[HaphazardStuff]

Best answer I can give without committing myself to anything....eventually. :o)

There's another entry I plan on covering before I get to him.

[zufgh]

I always thought of Q as a father figure for Bond.............meh don't listen to me

[dafmurray]

I think the winking fish and Felix's attitude at the end are attempts to reassure the audience, despite the darker tone of the film, that it's still Bond and it's just family entertainment and everything will be reset back in place for the start of the next film. There's only so much darkness a Bond film can have.

[lestliness]

I've come to the conlusion that there are 2 types of Bond Fans.. One one hand there's the Gadget Bond fans and on the other the Action Hero... I think Dalton & Craig fall in line with the Action Hero.... Which I personally love. I'm glad I saw this series, because I thought I was alone in this world in regards to liking the Dalton years.

[spartan83]

except you forget that connery was both. He could do bad ass fistcuffs and gunplay but also could convincingly use gadgets.

[loadedtomcat]

Dalton was underrated. Technically speaking he was the first Bond I've seen but I was too young to get what was going on. My first real Bond experience was Goldeneye. Can't wait to see what you have to say about Brosnan and Craig

[thegreatactor]

Goldeneye was written for Dalton

[RobertCrostonFilm]

This series goes great with beer and Pizza. haha

[snoobachoobful]

Can't wait for Goldeneye/Brosnan!!!

[JBRAVOS]

I dont get why so many think Daulton was good??? I thought he was too stiff for the role. It seemed he was always pissed off.  I think i was one of many who were upset that Brosnon didnt get the role right away.

[dafmurray]

I wonder how dark Dalton's 3rd Bond film would have been if it had been made by 1991. I don't think Licence to Kill was that big a success financially. I liked Davi's acting and it's almost a Shakespearian tragedy how his distrust destroys him, but I couldn't believe that he would accept and trust Bond so quickly. Carey Lowell was one of the best female leads. I still think the movie lacks a bit of flair, although it's made with a great deal of care and hard work.

[drumm09]

Oh Timothy... You could have been the BEST Bond ever had you not left the role. Still, quality is better than quantity-and the 2 movies he did are among the very best in the series. License is one awesome movie... Ha Ha.. you're right-Felix does seem a little too chipper at the end.

[immagonnarockayoua]

Thank you so much for these Bond reviews. I absolutely agree that "Licence to Kill" is the most underappreciated in the series, and that Dalton was the right Bond for the movies he did. In fact, I personally rank him as my favorite. Probably because I prefer the more serious Bonds to the more lighthearted ones.

Can't wait for your review of the Brosnan and Craig films! Please keep up the good work!

[promontorium]

I'm loving these, but I sure hope the GoldenEye commentary isn't 45 minutes long. By the time you get to the latest Bond film it might be longer than the actual movie!

[HaphazardStuff]

LOL! Yeah, I was thinking that these vids were turning out to be longer than the actual films! Kind of funny that the original idea was to have been just a quick one minute review on each film.

I'm going to try to curtail the time on the next ones.

[lloydee1983]

if the reviews are longer than the films, then it wouldn't be selling the films, it would be actually showing the films lol

[RobertCrostonFilm]

Great work!

Sale this series on Amazon please, So I can buy the dvd boxset already! haha

[HaphazardStuff]

If you can work out the negotiations with Eon Films, then I'll give you a boxset for free!

:o)

[Dkad]

I'm surprised you didn't talk about the... "Die Hard" tone in "Licence to Kill".

As for me, they tried to do a "Die Hard" Bond with this one, by using some of the cast, the composer Michael Kamen, the using of slow motion in some action scenes (which is quite rare in a Bond movie), the fact that the vilain is not a guy who aims world domination but a kinda realistic gangster and finally the fact that Bond finishes the movie bloody and in really bad shape like McLane.. =)

[HaphazardStuff]

When rewatching it and seeing Dalton in the elevator shaft I did think 'he's doing a McClane move!'. I didn't think of the Kamen connection. Thinking back during that time it does seem like showing off the damage to the hero by the end of the film gained popularity. Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Predator. Maybe it was just in vogue and still seemed like a fresh element to include.

[Dkad]

Yes of course that's what I think too =) but it's funny to notice how some Bond movies are trying to surf on the popular wave of the moment. The very early Bonds are very Hitchcock-like (mostly From Russia with Love), The man with the golden guy has some Kung fu movies elements which was popular at the time, Moonraker of course which was made after the phenomenal success of Star Wars and the last two ones with Craig (specially Quantum of Solace) which are very like Jason Bourne movies. =)

[Dkad]

All that to say (sorry for the length of my posts and my english is maybe not always that good =) that the James Bond series is a major influence for a lot of people and movies but it is also very influenced itself by the movies released at the time. Like the "Dalton phase", it's kinda like cycles. After a very goofy bond, there gonna be a very serious one and vice and versa. As for me, I hope the Craig cycle will soon end. They are cool movies but I prefer a little more humour and fantasy...

[puckf17]

Except I think the Craig casting itself is cast more realistic, and more akin to the recent HBO hard-edged protagonists than say Damon as Bourne, altho the action in Bourne is certainly good. To me Craig's Bond might very well do that job, Damon's Bourne is a bigger stretch for me. For that reason Dalton/Craig are my favorite Bonds.

I wish the Dalton entries had been better styled and written with more consistency and pop, but TLD is one of my favorites. Thanks HaphazardStuff, that was great!

[TheUnderdwellers]

Great look at the Dalton era, your videos are always enjoyable to watch

[SupportingMyself]

I kind of see why it did bad. The story had potential. But I think it may of been the other many classic being released such as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, and Ghostbusters. These could have stolen a good amount of profit, and fans.