Brad Whitaker and General Georgi Koskov in The Living Daylights?

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Comments

  • ManxmanManxman Posts: 125MI6 Agent
    I disagree with the prevailing sentiment here: I think Koskov and Whittaker are two of the best villains in the series, partly because they're different and partly because they're believable.

    I've never met anybody like the icy, masterful psychopaths that make up most Bond villains, but I have certainly met people like Koskov and Whittaker. Koskov is a real slimeball: an insincere, sybaritic manipulator and compulsive liar whose outward friendliness masks a deeply treacherous personality. Jeroen Krabbé plays him perfectly, making him appear particularly repulsive through his habit of invading people's personal space and touching them without invitation.

    Whittaker is genuinely dangerous in a different way: an insecure, overgrown child trapped in the body of a grown man. He's also come to believe his own bullshit, making the moment when Pushkin verbally takes him down brutally effective. Both Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump are of this personality type, which is why international tensions are riding so high at the moment.

    Both inadequate, both opportunistic and both hugely self-satisfied, they make a very effective team that would double-cross anybody without a second chance in order to line their pockets.
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    Manxman wrote:
    I disagree with the prevailing sentiment here: I think Koskov and Whittaker are two of the best villains in the series, partly because they're different and partly because they're believable.

    I've never met anybody like the icy, masterful psychopaths that make up most Bond villains, but I have certainly met people like Koskov and Whittaker. Koskov is a real slimeball: an insincere, sybaritic manipulator and compulsive liar whose outward friendliness masks a deeply treacherous personality. Jeroen Krabbé plays him perfectly, making him appear particularly repulsive through his habit of invading people's personal space and touching them without invitation.

    Whittaker is genuinely dangerous in a different way: an insecure, overgrown child trapped in the body of a grown man. He's also come to believe his own bullshit, making the moment when Pushkin verbally takes him down brutally effective. Both Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump are of this personality type, which is why international tensions are riding so high at the moment.

    Both inadequate, both opportunistic and both hugely self-satisfied, they make a very effective team that would double-cross anybody without a second chance in order to line their pockets.

    My sentiments above.
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Manxman wrote:
    I disagree with the prevailing sentiment here: I think Koskov and Whittaker are two of the best villains in the series, partly because they're different and partly because they're believable.

    I've never met anybody like the icy, masterful psychopaths that make up most Bond villains, but I have certainly met people like Koskov and Whittaker. Koskov is a real slimeball: an insincere, sybaritic manipulator and compulsive liar whose outward friendliness masks a deeply treacherous personality. Jeroen Krabbé plays him perfectly, making him appear particularly repulsive through his habit of invading people's personal space and touching them without invitation.

    Whittaker is genuinely dangerous in a different way: an insecure, overgrown child trapped in the body of a grown man. He's also come to believe his own bullshit, making the moment when Pushkin verbally takes him down brutally effective. Both Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump are of this personality type, which is why international tensions are riding so high at the moment.

    Both inadequate, both opportunistic and both hugely self-satisfied, they make a very effective team that would double-cross anybody without a second chance in order to line their pockets.
    Koskov and Whittaker are pretty weak sauce to me, but your point is very well-argued. I like Kamal Khan for many of the same reasons.
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • DB6DB6 EnglandPosts: 1,196MI6 Agent
    Manxman wrote:
    I disagree with the prevailing sentiment here: I think Koskov and Whittaker are two of the best villains in the series, partly because they're different and partly because they're believable.

    I've never met anybody like the icy, masterful psychopaths that make up most Bond villains, but I have certainly met people like Koskov and Whittaker. Koskov is a real slimeball: an insincere, sybaritic manipulator and compulsive liar whose outward friendliness masks a deeply treacherous personality. Jeroen Krabbé plays him perfectly, making him appear particularly repulsive through his habit of invading people's personal space and touching them without invitation.

    Whittaker is genuinely dangerous in a different way: an insecure, overgrown child trapped in the body of a grown man. He's also come to believe his own bullshit, making the moment when Pushkin verbally takes him down brutally effective. Both Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump are of this personality type, which is why international tensions are riding so high at the moment.

    Both inadequate, both opportunistic and both hugely self-satisfied, they make a very effective team that would double-cross anybody without a second chance in order to line their pockets.

    Well put but I still find them both a bit like pantomime villains. I will re- watch with your take on it in mind.....
    My name has changed! I’m no longer dufus......now I’m DB6
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    "pantomime villains" ...... oh, No they're Not ! :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 37,861Chief of Staff
    Well, there was a back end of a horse mentioned....
    AA_OLD_MAN.jpg
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    https://youtu.be/iHLqce9rBXY
    The pantomime cow scene from Top Secret :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • ironponyironpony Posts: 57MI6 Agent
    Personally I didn't like Koskov or Whitaker and I find them to be two of the blandest villains of the series. Whitaker also has the lamest base of operations of all the Bond villains, hiding out in a very average war museum, playing with models and war toys.

    I think Khan and Orlov were much better and had a better movie to work with. I also feel that out of all the tall blond henchman the series has had, that Necros is by far the least interesting of them.
  • caractacus pottscaractacus potts Orbital communicator, level 10Posts: 4,108MI6 Agent
    ironpony wrote:
    ...Whitaker also has the lamest base of operations of all the Bond villains, hiding out in a very average war museum, playing with models and war toys...
    I believe Whitaker's evil HQ is one of the elements unofficially inspired from one of the Gardner continuation novels (cant remember which one)... not that that bit of trivia makes it inherently better
  • hehadlotsofgutshehadlotsofguts Durham England Posts: 2,112MI6 Agent
    Whittaker isn't one of the strongest villains, but i liked how he has figures of dictators and rulers (Ghenghis Khan etc), but facially they resemble Whittaker himself. He sees himself as a leader, but he's far from it.

    We never found out why he got thrown out of the army. Pushkin said it was for cheating. Whàt do you think this means? It was just a throwaway line and it could've been expanded on.
    Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?"

    " I don't listen to hip hop!"
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    We never found out why he got thrown out of the army. Pushkin said it was for cheating. Whàt do you think this means? It was just a throwaway line and it could've been expanded on.

    Cheating at West Point?
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • hehadlotsofgutshehadlotsofguts Durham England Posts: 2,112MI6 Agent
    We never found out why he got thrown out of the army. Pushkin said it was for cheating. Whàt do you think this means? It was just a throwaway line and it could've been expanded on.

    Cheating at West Point?

    Yes. Presumably it means he did dodgy things to climb the ranks and was caught.
    Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?"

    " I don't listen to hip hop!"
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    "Pickett's charge was up Cemetary Ridge, not Little Round Top."

    "I'm reenacting the battle as I would have fought it. Meade was tenacious, but he was cautious. He missed his chances to crush Lee at Gettsyburg."
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I think another West Point drop out was Damien, from the Omen 2. :#
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    "Pickett's charge was up Cemetary Ridge, not Little Round Top."

    "I'm reenacting the battle as I would have fought it. Meade was tenacious, but he was cautious. He missed his chances to crush Lee at Gettsyburg."

    Sadly I don't know enough about the American Civil War to get all the references but it is fascinating all the same. It also features in a Columbo episode I quite like.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
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