Living Daylights (1987)

Rating: ***
Director: John Glen
Cast: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, John Rhys-Davies, Joe Don Baker

Timothy Dalton's first film as James Bond tries to move away from the silly campiness that seemed to plague the franchise throughout the Roger Moore era. It's still there, though. Agent 007 is assigned to help a phony KGB defector get out of Russia and suspects something strange is going on when he finds that the guy set up his own girlfriend (deliciously pretty Maryam d'Abo) to be his would-be assassin. The film features some great action set pieces and some nifty gadgets, but it's difficult to accept Dalton's serious and more human portrayal of the role, and the film has trouble coming together. It's still a hell of a ride, though, and quite enjoyable.