Timothy Dalton

JimmyBond0129

What do you think of the Timothy Dalton era? I think there's nothing wrong with his performance but the writers and the director were horrible.

stumac7

Really enjoyed TLD
Really disliked LTK

Mailfist

I really liked Dalton. I think he really nailed the character, and to my mind he is the closest to the Bond of the books.

After watching Rog on his zimmerframe in AVTAk it was a breath of fresh air to have an actor who you believed could be a 00. Dalton brought back the hardness that Bond needs. The scene with Pushkin in the hotel room was pure Fleming.

I think Dalton was well served by TLD but not LTK. It was an experiment which didn't work. Possibly to much ahead of its time for audiences then. It would work now with Craig. To me LTK has always been a movie of two parts. The first half up to Bond goes to Isthmus is great. Fast moving with some good set pieces. Maybe because most of this segment is lifted from Fleming. Once Bond gets to Isthmus it flaggs badly.

I agree that Dalton was let down by the writing and directing on LTK.

The scene with M was badly written and executed. You can never imagine M only not wanting the guards to shoot Bond because there was too many people about.

And why was Bond in such a hurry to get away from Sanchez's house. After all he had gone to Isthmus to infiltrate his organisation. Totally illogical.

A bar room brawl was totally out of place in a Bond movie, particuliarly when Amy Bouvier was better at brawling than Bond.

Also he shouldn't have been beaten so easily by the ninja's. Bond got his ass kicked big style. If there is any ass kicking to be done in a Bond movie, Bond should be doing it. Plus wasn't he trained as a ninja by Tanaka.

In addition the whole tone was too somber. I know there are not many laughts when your best friend has just been half eaten by a shark and his wife killed, but it could have done with a bit of lightening up as it went on.

Thunderpussy

Dalton Is My Favorite Bond, It's Strange The Public Never Seemed To Take To Him.Maybe If He Had Of Done Goldeneye He Might Of Had A Little More Praise.

Tilly Masterson 007

Dalton was and has always remained my favourite Bond. I just prefered his "style" that he took his Bond in, the no-nonsense and serious type did nicely for me.

The Living Daylights is also a firm favourite film too.

LazyBee

Loved TLD.
Liked LTK. Thought his gritty portayal of Bond was a welcome change after 12 years of Moore, who isn't bad, he just makes it look a little too easy.
Im sick of Dalton receiving such bad press. He was great. Whatever that total moron Roger Ebert says (I really dislike Ebert for a number of reasons besides his views on Dalton).

Mister White

Dalton was a great Bond, and is in my opinion still the one closest to the Bond from the books.

Higgins

Sorry to come with a different opinion.

To my taste TD is the weakest of all Bonds.
He tried to interprete the role much more edgy, I never bought it from him.

I cringe when seeing him interacting with Karla Milovy. These sweet puppy inlove eyes, terrible. Has never been like this with all the other actors.

Compare TD's compassion with GLs behaviour to Tracy or DCs relation to Vesper. The connection to the leading lady comes over with grace and not with dog's eyes.

I recall TDs face when destroying the balloon. I mean he really tries to look angry, but it does not work for me. Same with his scenes revenging Felix and when getting closer to Lupe.

To break all this down: The scriptwriters tried to get 007 more serious, closer to the books but unfortunately TD could not deliver.

To me, he always had a bookkeeper's look and attitude.

Thus, I prefer almost any RM (sans AVTAK) over the TD area.
Roger was a clown and a heartbreaker but some of his edgier scenes and movies (FYEO) outdo TDs by far

The Sly Fox

I actually very much liked Dalton's rather brief reign as Bond. His portrayal of Bond was more edgy and dark, akin to Miami Vice. The romance between Bond and Kara in The Living Daylights seemed very real (and we can't forget the lovely Maryam d'Abo). I remember Dalton's action sequences being superb. His Bond was inventive, gritty; less focused on sly comebacks and more on getting the job done. I agree about him being refreshing after Moore's final outing. Dalton was a very big change from Moore's style--not that I dislike Moore's sense of humor. Moore had a trademark style that left a unique twist on Bond that has not been matched since.

I, for one, wish that Dalton's era had not been cut short as it was. He had at least two more films in him. Licence to Kill was certainly no reason to let his Bond die. Unfortunately I seem to have forgotten what exactly happened to cut his career as Bond short. Could someone please refresh my memory as to why there was so much of a gap between Licence to Kill and GoldenEye? I remember Brosnan bringing the franchise back to life, but I don't remember what happened before that.

8420

Loved TLD!!! LTK Was alright.:) -{


~8420~

Mister White

Bondtoys wrote:

Sorry to come with a different opinion.

Why sorry?

You're entitled to your opinion.

Even though it's wrong...

Tobias

I liked the living daylights but did not enjoy LTK it seemed out of place for a bond film.The action scenes were good like the ending but tim dalton did not look comforable being james bond

heartbroken_mr_drax

I love both of his films, but never found him that great. I enjoyed Dalton in LTK better than TLD maybe because he seemed more comfortable, but otherwise scenes sometimes are not easy to watch.

I hold his films in high regard, but I dont think he fits into the series as well as all the other actors (including Lazenby). He gets all the dramatic and action acting brilliantly, but he cant do girls and humour as comfortably as Bond should.

And BTW Ebert has always believed that Bond is pure entertainment. He does not like gritty, or hero Bonds, Ebert is a good film reviewer.

Jamesbondjr

I really like both Timothy Dalton films but prefer TLD over LTK, i'm not sure why. In my opinion Timothy Dalton is the best actor to have played Bond and it shows, particularly in the more dramatic scenes. One scene that stands out is when he is in Sanchez's office in Isthmus.

I think if Timothy Dalton had done Goldeneye he would be held in higher regard than he is now.

heartbroken_mr_drax wrote:

And BTW Ebert has always believed that Bond is pure entertainment. He does not like gritty, or hero Bonds, Ebert is a good film reviewer.

It sounds like you're trying to infer that we all should believe what Ebert believes. Personally I never put stock in what reviewers say, no matter how good they are

heartbroken_mr_drax

Jamesbondjr wrote:

heartbroken_mr_drax wrote:

And BTW Ebert has always believed that Bond is pure entertainment. He does not like gritty, or hero Bonds, Ebert is a good film reviewer.

It sounds like you're trying to infer that we all should believe what Ebert believes. Personally I never put stock in what reviewers say, no matter how good they are

Lol nah, Im just saying hes one of those guys. Yea his film reviews of Bond **** me off, although he did like CR.

sambwoy

The Dalton era can be praised for steering Bond back in the right direction of serious thrillers. With the later Roger Moore's, they did up to a point get a better balance between seriousness and tongue-in-cheek humour, but it was only with AVTAK that it inexplicably returned to some Moonraker-style humour- although in the long scheme of things it's not that bad.

Although I think Dalton should have gotten the role for FYEO- that was like a Dalton film with Roger Moore in it.

Number24

A breath of fresh air after RM stayed on too long. Per haps He was before his time? I also think the budgets were too small. LTK would have been better if the harbour club scene had been axed in favour of a scene on another continent where Bond could save Pam.

Loeffelholz

sambwoy wrote:

Although I think Dalton should have gotten the role for FYEO- that was like a Dalton film with Roger Moore in it.

That would have been the perfect point for Dalton to jump in, in my own opinion. That one, plus OP and AVTAK, would have benefitted by such an infusion of youthful blood...so to speak

Dan Same

sambwoy wrote:

Although I think Dalton should have gotten the role for FYEO- that was like a Dalton film with Roger Moore in it.

I don't like Dalton at all. If anyone were to have replaced Moore, I think it should have been Brosnan in AVTAK.

chrisno1

I like TD's performance in TLD. I think he's excellent. He has the brusqueness that Bond missed 1971-1985 and he is much more emotive than Sir Rog or Sir Sean. I particularly like the scenes in Bratislava and Vienna where TD is being both deceitful and possibly falling in love. The latter isn't clear, either through script or performance, and that is what makes those scenes so good, Bond is doing his job to perfection. He gets roughed up a bit in TLD too. Where the film falls down is in the comPosite nature of the story. The writers didn't know who would be Bond, so the dialouge and some of the situations have a patchwork feel to them. While the early scenes remind me of the Cold War 007 of Connery, the second half is much more Moore.

LTK doesn't have these problems, but here the film is dragged down by some very cardboard cutout characters. It isn't really TD's fault, but I sense him sinking under the desperation of it all. His performance in the early scenes is awkward, he looks so uncomfortable in morning dress, and he doesn't handle the by-play between Felix-Della-Bond well at all. His romances in the film are very obvious (indecently so) and the bar fight is a 007 low point for me, TD looks uncomfortable in this scene (and his clothes) also. Later on I think his performance improves, especially in Isthmus, where TD seems much more at home playing the rouge agent. But the stupifyingly longwinded climax lets the whole affair down and there isn't a lot of time to get involved in 007s motives.

Generally I'm not a fan of TLD or LTK, but I certainly take on board the argument the latter film was ahead of it's time; Bond doesn't go AWOL again until DAD and Craig revises much of TD's disdain for authority. The problem with both film's is they set out with high promises, but they are confused attempts, clinging onto the fun and frivolity prevelant in the 80s Bonds, while attempting to make him a bit more Lethal Weapon. As said, Dalton isn't bad, he's often very good, but his material just doesn't come up to scratch. I think the best words I can use to describe both his films are "disappointing" and "unfulfilled"

JimmyBond0129

Dan Same wrote:

sambwoy wrote:

Although I think Dalton should have gotten the role for FYEO- that was like a Dalton film with Roger Moore in it.

I don't like Dalton at all. If anyone were to have replaced Moore, I think it should have been Brosnan in AVTAK.

And I don't like Roger Moore at all because he's pretty much an oldster from Live and Let Die: the book. Dalton may not be able to charm the ladies as well as Moore but in a fight I know who would kick whose tuxedo draped ass.

Dan Same

JimmyBond0129 wrote:

And I don't like Roger Moore at all because he's pretty much an oldster from Live and Let Die: the book. Dalton may not be able to charm the ladies as well as Moore but in a fight I know who would kick whose tuxedo draped ass.

Fighting ability is not the only qualification a Bond needs. If it were, then Bruce Lee would have been cast as Bond. But also, don't underestimate Moore's fighting ability. He may or may not be as good a fighter as Dalton, but the difference between the two is not so great that I doubt that either would have kicked the other's ass.

JimmyBond0129

Dan Same wrote:

Fighting ability is not the only qualification a Bond needs.

I know but a Bond needs to be able to do his own stunts to a degree, only young men can do that and Moore was too old to do his own stunts back in the eighties.

Dan Same

JimmyBond0129 wrote:

Dan Same wrote:

Fighting ability is not the only qualification a Bond needs.

I know but a Bond needs to be able to do his own stunts to a degree, only young men can do that and Moore was too old to do his own stunts back in the eighties.

He was indeed. Although it only became a problem for me with AVTAK. I love FYEO and OP, and in those two films, Roger's age isn't IMO a problem. AVTAK however was an entirely different matter.

Alex

To answer the original question. TD was terrific.

LTK - Once Bond enters rogue/revenge mode, it's tops in my book. There is much to like with a great villain, nice action pieces, a likable, beautiful ally in Pam. (good chemistry with TD)

Unfortunately there's that whole wedding business with a giggling Teri from Three's Company to contend with. DAF gets a lot of flak for the pink tie but Bond's wedding tux is hideous.

The opposite goes through with TLD, the first hour is top notch. With a great dressed Bond and espionage galore. The picture suffers a little once the Afghan rebels enter the picture, IMO. But still well deserving of it's classic status.

Gothic ZM

I love the Timothy Dalton era. I am a fan of 80s style filmmaking, and that's exactly what his films felt like to me. I wish he would have done one more....

Mister White

I think most of us wish he could have done more.

thesecretagent

I liked TD. He was a much needed change after old man Moore in AVTAK. TLD was patchy in places and had the worst henchman of all in Nikros (hope I spelled it right - too tired to check) his fighting was a joke and a walkman's headphone cable is best not used as a garotte when the volume is up high! Lucky he was taking out a milkman and not an SAS bodyguard...
LTK was very different and I remember liking it at the time, but find it disjointed and a bit sombre throughout now. If it's on I'll watch it, but I haven't unwrapped the cellephane on the DVD in my collection yet.
I guess what I'm getting at is that he was so much better than the sum of the films' parts. He deserved better direction and production. I do wish he did more, despite liking Brosnan and GE.

PPK 7.65mm

Timothy Dalton I have always felt was one the best actors ever to James Bond.

I can understand why many don't like him after having watched Roger Moore for so many years and getting used to the lighter stories of his Bond. Thought for me I liked having a Bond who was closer to what Ian Fleming wrote about, a dangerous man who would only briefly allow himself some joy as his job demands a lot of nasty and violent actions on his part.

TLD Is one of my favorite films in the series, while it has its flaws, when compared to LTK it feels like a James Bond film, and not a patchwork film with some elements throwen in for good measure. If only Dalton had come to the series sooner perhaps he would be held in a higher place of praise by fans and movie goers alike.

dr. evan-gelist

JimmyBond0129 wrote:

What do you think of the Timothy Dalton era? I think there's nothing wrong with his performance but the writers and the director were horrible.

ur a dalton fan like me!

JimmyBond0129

dr. evan-gelist wrote:

JimmyBond0129 wrote:

What do you think of the Timothy Dalton era? I think there's nothing wrong with his performance but the writers and the director were horrible.

ur a dalton fan like me!

Dalton did a good job but I think his Bond girls were kind of ugly except for Sanchez's girlfriend, if I were Bond I would've chose Lupe instead of Pam.