Just seen TLD for the first time in years. I used to think it was dull, but I really liked it this time. The plot is not the most straight forward and i used to be confused by it, but I get it now (having googled it!).
An interesting thing about the film is how there are several set ups (Kara thinking Koskov is good; he believing she is dead - and, later, that Pushkin is too; Saunders' initial dislike of Bond, Bond's skeptism upon hearing Koskov's claims) and every one of them are resolved. It's one of those tricky stories were you have to keep in mind what each character knows and doesn't know. Cool, also, that the ticking bomb was started by Bond himself after years in which the bad guy did it. As such, the plane sequence shows Bond abandoning his plan to blow up the opium and deciding to fly away with it instead, thereby using his witx and rolling with the punches.
Koskov, I think, was a very different villian. He's a weasel: manipulative, duplicitious, shallow, calculating, greedy and deadly. I can't help but like the rascal, particularly when he meets Pushkin at the end and has to think on his feet.
Last edited by DavidJones (5th Feb 2019 15:51)