Time Out London

Confused plot and digressive globe trotting notwithstanding, the best Bond in years.

The Guardian

Timothy Dalton's monogamous, deadpan 007 brings a more nuanced interpretation to the central character, whose relationships evolve in ways rarely seen in the earlier films.

IGN by Staff (Not Credited)

You may not like Timothy Dalton as Bond, but the fact is they could put a trained seal in the role and the movies would be basically the same. And by those standards, this one is pretty good.

Washington Post by Rita Kempley

007's latest, The Living Daylights, a snazzy spy thriller, is all the more alluring for its new conservatism. It's right up there with the early Bonds, though not in the league with Goldfinger. But oh, what a difference.

Time Out London by Staff (Not Credited)

Confused plot and digressive globe trotting notwithstanding, the best Bond in years.

The Guardian by Les Roopanarine

Timothy Dalton's monogamous, deadpan 007 brings a more nuanced interpretation to the central character, whose relationships evolve in ways rarely seen in the earlier films.

TV Guide Magazine

Director John Glen is an old hand at James Bond films, having worked on three other 007 movies. He knows this popular spy well and does him great service in this well-paced film.

Chicago Tribune by Dave Kehr

In The Living Daylights, Dalton establishes his claim to the role; in the films that will follow, he'll have the chance to dig deeper.

TV Guide Magazine by Staff (Not Credited)

Director John Glen is an old hand at James Bond films, having worked on three other 007 movies. He knows this popular spy well and does him great service in this well-paced film.

Variety by Peter Debruge

With a hint of that my-way problem-solving approach, The Living Daylights freshens the Bond series’ cornball formula elements while reprising details that had made director John Glen’s debut, For Your Eyes Only, such a superior outing.

The New York Times by Janet Maslin

Mr. Dalton, the latest successor to the role of James Bond, is well equipped for his new responsibilities.

Newsweek by Cathleen McGuigan

The name's Dalton, Timothy Dalton, and in the film The Living Daylights he abandons the winks, the arched eyebrow and laid-back smile to get down to the dirty business of espionage. [27 July 1987, p.56]

Orlando Sentinel by Jay Boyar

Dalton shows a serious side that's been missing from the role since Sean Connery's earliest 007 days.

Empire by Kim Newman

After the fizzle of the later Roger Moore Bonds, The Living Daylights brings in a new 007 in Timothy Dalton, who manages the Connery trick of seeming suave and tough at the same time, and tried to get away from the weak comedy in favour of proper international intrigue.

Chicago Reader by Pat Graham

Timothy Dalton stars as the 1987 model James Bond in this 15th entry in the series, with the usual assortment of dope smugglers, KGB operatives, and criminal psychos providing a few anxious moments at the welcoming party. Expect the expected.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

I'll be among the first to admit that Timothy Dalton is a fine actor. But giving a solid performance has little to do with being a good James Bond, and, as accomplished as Dalton is, he's a failure as 007 in The Living Daylights.

Rolling Stone by Peter Travers

Dalton has training in classical theater; he has pedigree, looks, class. But as Bond he is – face it – dull as dirt. Too much spoofing is bad (see Moore), none is deadly (see Dalton).

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Without a great Bond girl, a great villain or a hero with a sense of humor, The Living Daylights belongs somewhere on the lower rungs of the Bond ladder. But there are some nice stunts.