Release Date - July 29, 1987
Plot - A Russian general defects to the British and then is captured by the KGB, or was he? James Bond must find out the real truth behind the missing general and his connections with a middle east arms dealer. And the only lead he has is the girlfriend of the general who was also the assassin to eliminate him.
Villains - General Georgi Koskov is a conniving Russian who plans to make millions of dollars by selling opium on the streets of New York, take over the KGB by having the British assassinate the leader, and claim victory over the Afghan rebels all at the same time.
Brad Whitaker, an illegal arms dealer who fancies himself as a dictator in the same vain as Napoleon or Hitler. He plays war games with toys soldiers and lives in a small palace in Tangiers.
Bond-Girls - Kara Milovy, a beautiful blond cellist. She is the assassin who is sent to kill Koskov as he tries to defect to the West. Or is she?
Linda, a beautiful brunette who is tired of playboys and tennis pros. All she wants is a real man. Of course that is the cue for Bond to parachute onto the yacht she is traveling on.
Liz and Ava, two of Felix Leiter's gorgeous assistants.
Henchmen - Necros, blond, strong and deadly with his Walkman as he uses it to strangle his intended victims..
Bond's Friend - Kamran Shah, an Afghan prince who is saved by Bond in a Russian jail. The two join forces to attack the Russian airbase and defeat Koskov.
Felix Leiter offers Bond help, since he is secretly spying on Whitaker's home.
General Leonid Pushkin, is the head of the KGB and the intended target of OO7. The two reluctantly join forces to uncover the truth behind the abduction of Koskov.
Minor Characters - M, Major 'Q' Boothroyd, Miss Moneypenny, Frederick Gray, General Gogol, Saunders, Rubavitch
Highlights - The pre-credit sequence with Bond fighting the Russian assassin. The return of the Aston Martin. The assassination of General Pushkin, and the fight against Necros while hanging onto a cargo net outside a plane over Afghanistan.
Most Memorable Dialogue
- After cutting free Bond's boot from his foot and allowing a disarming
Necros to fall to his death, Kara replies,
Kara: "What happened?"
Bond: "He got the boot."
Trivia - The Reisenaad Big Wheel which Bond and Kara enjoy a private moment on was immortalized in Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN in 1949. A film which a young John Glen worked on as a junior editor. He later became an editor on the Bond films and then the director.
Cast -
Personal Comment About This Film - This is the best Bond film of the 1980s. It is directed well, it has some beautiful cinematography, and the script is fresh and original. It also uses a good amount of Fleming's short story which the title is based on. Timothy Dalton makes an impressive start as OO7 and for the first time in cinema history, Dalton actually looks like Fleming's character. Kudos go to John Richardson who gives us an outstanding model effect with his version of an Afghan bridge and the Russian army rolling their tanks over it. John Barry gives us the last of his musical efforts in the series and Caroline Bliss takes over for the retiring Lois Maxwell as the new Miss Moneypenny. A wonderful entry and a great celebration for 25 years of James Bond.
On A Scale From 1 to 10 - I give this film an OO9
U. S. Style A Poster
The End Of The Living Daylights
But James Bond Will Return In