Overview
The Living Daylights is the title of a 1987 spy thriller film starring Daniel Craig as the fictional British secret agent James Bond. The film was produced by Eon Productions and directed by John Glen. It is the fifteenth installment in the official James Bond film series and the first to feature Timothy Dalton in the role of Bond.
Source Material
The movie is based on the 1966 novel The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond character. Fleming’s novel, published posthumously, is a collection of short stories; the title story introduces the phrase “the living daylights” as an idiom meaning “the full extent of one’s senses” or “the greatest possible amount of something.”
Plot Summary
The film follows Bond as he is tasked with protecting a Soviet defector, Kara Milovy, and thwarting a covert arms deal involving a Soviet General Georgi Koskov and a wealthy Afghan arms broker, Brad Whitaker. The narrative intertwines Cold War tensions, a personal revenge subplot involving the death of Bond’s love interest, and a climactic confrontation at a Soviet airfield.
Production Details
| Element | Information |
|---|---|
| Director | John Glen |
| Producer | Albert R. Broccoli (executive), Michael G. Wilson |
| Screenplay | Jeffrey Caine (screenplay), Robert Walls (screen story) |
| Music | John Barry (score), with the theme song performed by a‑songwriter A‑H (“The Living Daylights”) |
| Release Date | 21 June 1987 (UK); 30 June 1987 (US) |
| Runtime | 125 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Approximately $30 million (USD) |
| Box Office | Over $191 million worldwide |
Reception
The film received generally favorable reviews for its action sequences, musical score, and Dalton’s performance, though some critics noted a darker tone compared to earlier Bond entries. It achieved commercial success, ranking among the top‑grossing films of 1987.
Cultural Impact
The title phrase “the living daylights” predates the novel and is an idiomatic expression in British English meaning “the slightest amount of sense or feeling” or, in a colloquial sense, “the full force of something.” The novel and subsequent film popularized the phrase internationally, often associating it with the James Bond franchise.
Related Works
- The Living Daylights (novel, 1966) – Ian Fleming’s posthumously published short‑story collection.
- The Living Daylights (soundtrack, 1987) – Musical score composed by John Barry; includes the eponymous theme song performed by a‑songwriter A‑H.
- The Living Daylights (video game, 1987) – An arcade-style action game released for various home computer platforms, loosely based on the film’s plot.
References
- British Film Institute (BFI) database entry for The Living Daylights (1987).
- Ian Fleming Publications, The Living Daylights (First edition, 1966).
- Box Office Mojo, “The Living Daylights” box office performance data.
All information presented is derived from verifiable public records and published sources.
