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“Oh, don’t be an idiot, 007. I know exactly what you’re up to, and quite frankly, you’re going to need my help. Remember, if it hadn’t been for Q Branch, you’d have been dead long ago.” – Q
Number of Times Seen – Between 5-10 times (Theater in ’89, cable, video, 16 Dec 2014 and 14 Nov 2019)
Link to original review – Here
Brief Synopsis – James Bond tries to track down a Central American drug dealer after his best friend is attacked on his Wedding Day.
My Take on it – This is among my favorite James Bond films and upon this rewatch, I got an even higher appreciation for what they try to do here with this iconic character.
This film stands out among most of its predecessors since it allows the viewer to see the emotional side of the character as he does things from the heart instead of solely on orders from his superiors.
The fact that this film has Bond take on a personal vendetta works really well because we get to see a side of him that we’ve never seen before since it adds a deeper layer to the character.
Timothy Dalton once again proves how great a choice he was for this role and it’s really a shame that he only ended up playing this character twice since he brings such a serious tone to the role that none of his predecessors managed.
Loved the way that some of the familiar characters from the franchise are also given more prominent roles in this film and they show us how close the connection has become between these characters over the many years of them working together.
Robert Davi is a great choice as the villain and I really liked the way that they decided to make the goals of the villain something other than world domination.
He plays this role with lots of cunning and intelligence and is developed quite well that it helps make this story feel much more plausible and realistic in all that it tries to do.
Bottom Line – Great Bond film that is among the very best because we finally get to see the emotional side of the character. His personal vendetta in this film takes the character to places that we’ve never seen before and add a new layer to the way that we can perceive this iconic character. Dalton once again does a great job playing this character and it’s a shame that this was his second and final time playing the role. The way that some of the familiar characters in the series show their personal side also helps the story as we get to see how camaraderie among these characters is quite tight knit after so many years working together. Davi is a great and cunning villain and I really liked the fact that they chose to say far away from world domination villains and made this one seem much more plausible and realistic in his quest for power. Highly Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In an interview during filming in September 1988, Timothy Dalton denied media claims that his Bond was not allowed to have as much sex, due to the A.I.D.S. epidemic at the time. However, in a 2007 interview, he admitted that this was true. (From IMDB)
Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (upgrade from original review)
