Showing posts with label caroline bliss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label caroline bliss. Show all posts

Saturday, September 01, 2012

007 James Bond Marathon: Licence to Kill



Based on the short stories by Ian Fleming, Licence to Kill is the story of James Bond going rogue following an attack on his friend Felix Leiter by a drug lord. Directed by John Glen and screenplay by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum, the film marks a departure of sorts for the Bond franchise by delving into darker territory as Bond aims for vengeance. With Timothy Dalton playing Bond for the second and final time, the film also stars Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, Carey Lowell, David Hedison, Desmond Llewelyn, Caroline Bliss, Wayne Newton, Benicio del Toro, Priscilla Barnes, and Robert Brown as M. Licence to Kill is thrilling and intense film from John Glen.

It’s the wedding day of Felix Leiter (David Hedison) as James Bond is the best man where the two decide to help out the DEA capture a drug lord named Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi). The mission turns out to be a success just in time for Leiter to be married to Della (Priscilla Barnes) as things seem to go well. Instead, Sanchez manages to escape with the help of DEA agent Ed Killifer (Everett McGill) who was bribed $2 million as Sanchez sends his henchman Dario (Benicio del Toro) to kidnap Leiter. When Bond learns of Sanchez’s escape, he goes to Leiter’s home to find Della dead and Leiter barely alive from a shark attack. He and Leiter’s friend Sharkey (Frank McRae) investigate a secret marine lab run by Milton Krest (Anthony Zerbe) where Bond confronts Killifer and kills him.

Bond’s activities gets the attention of the DEA and M who wants Bond to stop going after Sanchez only for Bond to resign and go rogue. With Sharkey’s help, Bond boards Krest’s boat to learn of a drug deal that is happening where Bond causes problems by foiling the deal and stealing five million dollars. After reading Leiter’s secret report, Bond meets a former CIA agent-pilot Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) as they team up to take Sanchez down by traveling to Isthmus with Bouvier pretending to be Bond’s secretary. The two investigate Sanchez’s banks and casino where they learn that Sanchez is making a deal after Bond hears about his from Sanchez’s girlfriend Lupe (Talisa Soto). Bond later gets help from Q (Desmond Llewelyn), who is on holiday, as they plan to do more investigating where Bond attempts to assassinate Sanchez.

Instead, the assassination is foiled by a couple of Hong Kong narcotics agents (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Diana Lee Hsu) and British agent Fallon (Christopher Neame) who wants to send Bond back to Britain. Yet, it is foiled by Sanchez’s men as Bond is taken to Sanchez’s home where he gains Sanchez’s trust by telling him what happened to the Krest deal. After getting help from Q and Bouvier to help frame Krest, Bond is able to infiltrate Sanchez’s secret base to find out how Sanchez is exporting the drugs to his rich customers. Realizing what Sanchez is going to do and profit from the drug sale, Bond has to stop him from causing trouble as he hopes to get his revenge.

The film is just simply about James Bond seeking vengeance for what happened to his longtime friend Felix Leiter by going after a drug lord as he’s forced to go rogue with very few resources. It’s a different take on the Bond formula where it’s all driven by vengeance as Bond forgoes all of his duties to his government in favor of seeking justice for his friend. Even as he has to break some rules in order to go after this ambitious drug lord that simply just wants to have a lot of money and create a powerful drug trade among international dealers. Bond would realize that things are more complicated than his vendetta when various other authorities are trying to go after Sanchez.

The screenplay’s approach to creating something different with the usual schematics of a Bond film allows the story to be more engaging but also reach into dark territory. Notably with its theme on vengeance and loyalty where the latter is often spouted upon by Sanchez. Sanchez is a very interesting villain who is willing to buy his way out of anything while wanting to profit from the drug trade. Yet, he is also ruthless if he feels betrayed and has no qualms about killing anyone. Other characters such as Pam Bouvier and Lupe Lamora are just as interesting for the way they each help Bond take down Sanchez. Notably Bouvier who is first seen talking with Leiter about Sanchez’s capture as she later meets Bond where they help each other out. While Lamora is just this abused girlfriend of Sanchez, she does manage to help Bond out by giving him information and lying for him against Krest and other Sanchez associates.

John Glen’s direction is definitely big in terms of presentation as it begins with this very expansive sequence where Bond and Leiter help the DEA capture Sanchez in the Florida Keys. Even as it would involve helicopters and Bond hooking a small plane onto that helicopter before he and Leiter jump off the helicopter to arrive to the wedding in style. With a lot of the film set in Florida and Mexico, Glen’s direction is also more aggressive in terms of the action as there’s more fights and gun battles that happen where it’s driven by Bond’s vendetta. Glen also balances it with suspense as he allows the audience to take its time to uncover Sanchez’s ideas as well as realize how complicated Bond’s plans for vengeance are. Overall, Glen crafts a very mesmerizing yet exhilarating suspense-action film.

Cinematographer Alec Mills does excellent work with the photography from the colorful shots of the Florida and Mexican exteriors to the dark interiors in Krest marine lab where Bond confronts Killifer. Editor John Grover does terrific work with the editing by creating a straightforward approach to the editing in terms of building up its suspense and flesh out the action sequences. Production designer Peter Lamont, with set decorator Michael Ford and art directors Dennis Bosher and Michael Lamont, does spectacular work with the set pieces ranging from Sanchez’s lavish home to the home base where he runs his drug lab.

Costume designer Jodie Lynn Tillen does superb work with the costumes such as the lavish dresses that Lamora and Bouvier wears to the suits the men wear. Special effects supervisor John Richardson does nice work with the special effects for the film‘s action sequences including the climatic one at Sanchez‘s home base. Sound recorder Edward Tise does wonderful work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of some of the film‘s intimate yet tense moments such as Leiter‘s torture scene. The film’s score by Michael Kamen is very good for its orchestral flourishes to play up the suspense and action as it incorporates many variations of the Bond theme. The soundtrack includes a powerful title track sung by Gladys Knight while Patti LaBelle sings the lush, closing ballad If You Ask Me To.

The casting by Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Pedro Armendariz Jr. as the President of Isthmus, Wayne Newton as Sanchez’s middle man Professor Joe Butcher, Don Stroud as Sanchez’s henchman Colonel Heller, Anthony Starke as Sanchez’s financial advisor Truman-Lodge, Grand L. Bush as the DEA agent Hawkins, Frank McRae as Leiter’s friend Sharkey, Christopher Neame as British agent Fallon, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Diana Lee Hsu as undercover Hong Kong narcotic agents, and Priscilla Barnes as Leiter’s bride Della. In their last appearances as Bond regulars, Robert Brown is excellent as M while Caroline Bliss is good as Miss Moneypenny.

Anthony Zerbe is terrific as the slimy Milton Krest while Everett McGill is quite good as the DEA agent Killifer who sold Leiter out for money. In one of his early film roles, Benicio del Toro is great as the very devious Dario who is ruthless in his duties for Sanchez. David Hedison is wonderful as Bond’s longtime friend Felix Leiter while Desmond Llewelyn is superb in his role as the gadgets inventor Q who helps Bond out. Talisa Soto gives a very fine performance as Lupe Lamora who helps Bond out in giving him information while hoping that Sanchez will be stopped. Carey Lowell is brilliant as the ex-CIA agent Pam Bouvier who helps Bond out as she deals with her feelings for Bond as well as trying to ensure that things get done.

Robert Davi is fantastic as the villainous Franz Sanchez by bringing a dark sense of charm to his character as well as a brutality to the way he gets rid of his enemies and those who betrayed him. Finally, there’s Timothy Dalton in a marvelous performance as James Bond. Dalton brings a real sense of brooding intensity to a man seeking vengeance for his friend as he’s willing to be more visceral in his pursuits while trying to maintain his professionalism as a secret agent. It’s a very complex performance from Dalton as he gives Bond a dark edge that is very captivating to watch as it’s really one of the best portrayals of James Bond.

Licence to Kill is a phenomenal film from John Glen that features an outstanding performance from Timothy Dalton as James Bond. While it’s different film of sorts in terms of what is expected from Bond as it doesn’t feature a lot of humor. It is still very compelling for the way Bond is portrayed in a revenge angle to show a side of him that isn’t seen very much. Even as he has to go on his own with very little help. In the end, Licence to Kill is a mesmerizing yet fun film from John Glen.




© thevoid99 2012
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

007 James Bond Marathon: The Living Daylights



Based on Ian Fleming’s short story, The Living Daylights is the story of James Bond traveling all over the world to retrieve a defected Soviet general where Bond finds himself being conned in the process. Directed by John Glen and screenplay by Richard Maimbaum and Michael G. Wilson, the film marks a new shift in the Bond story as it returns to more grittier territory as it is also the first film to star Timothy Dalton as James Bond. Also starring Maryam d’Abo, Joe Don Baker, Art Malik, John Rhys-Davies, Jeroen Krabbe, Geoffrey Keen, Desmond Llewelyn, Caroline Bliss, and Robert Brown as M. The Living Daylights is a fantastic action-adventure film from John Glen.

In Bratislava, Bond aids fellow agent Saunders (Thomas Wheatley) to handle the defection of Soviet general Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbe) by helping him escape to Austria. After Bond targets the assassin who is revealed the cellist Kara Miloy (Maryam d’Abo), Bond only shoots the gun as he successfully gets Koskov to Austria. Returning to London, Bond and his superiors hear Koskov’s claims about new KGB leader General Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies) reviving an old policy that targets spies including Bond. Yet, a break-in into Koskov’s secret hideout has Koskov captured as Bond is assigned to track down Pushkin and retrieve Koskov though Bond remains suspicious as he and M know Pushkin.

Bond returns to Bratislava to track down Miloy as he notices that she’s being followed by the KGB where he finds her gun in her cello trunk where he makes a discovery. After helping Miloy escape to Austria to avoid the KGB, Bond asks Saunders to figure out where Koskov bought Miloy’s cello as Bond learns that it was paid for by an arms dealer named Whitaker (Joe Don Baker). This adds more suspicions as Bond finally confronts General Pushkin in Tangiers as he would make moves to figure out what is really going on. After confessing to Miloy about what he’s really doing, Bond and Miloy are captured where they learn the truth about really happened to Koskov. With the help of a local Mujahideen leader in Kamran Shah (Art Malik), Bond would stop an illegal transaction from happening and uncover the truth about Koskov.

The film is essentially the story of James Bond trying to uncover a mysterious plot in the re-capturing of a defected Soviet general as he learns that the defection plan was really a ruse for something far more troubling. This would have Bond track down a Czech cello player, who is the girlfriend of the defected general, as she’s revealed to be a pawn in this defection plan where she would aid Bond in uncovering the truth. This plot would also involve illegal arms deals, extortion, and drug trades where Bond would eventually help the Mujahideen in defeating a group of Russians.

The screenplay succeeds in balancing both action and suspense as the screenwriters definitely wanted to do something that is a bit different as James Bond is a bit more ruthless in his pursuits. Even as he maintains an air of professionalism in his role while he’s also willing to take some risks in uncovering the truth. Helping his is Kara Miloy who is essentially this woman that’s been kept in the dark about what is happening as she would eventually become a more resourceful woman who can fight back and get things done. Then there’s General Koskov who is this ambiguous figure that makes all of these claims but there’s something about him that has Bond wondering if he’s really telling the truth. Even as Bond learns what he’s really up to as it would involve this arms dealer profiting from the Soviet-Afghan conflict.

John Glen’s direction is definitely superb for the way the film opens as it involves this training exercise that goes wrong where it would introduce Bond to do what is necessary. With the film largely shot in Vienna and Morocco, Glen does maintain a lot of straightforward shots of the locations while creating some spectacular action sequences in the Alps where it is about the stakes as Glen takes his time to capture its intensity. While there isn’t much humor in this film as it’s mostly restrained, the film’s suspense makes up for it in the way Glen builds it up and create some silent moments where Bond would play investigator to make his discoveries. Overall, Glen creates a marvelous and engaging action-suspense film that does more than what is expected in a Bond film.

Cinematographer Alec Mills does excellent work with the photography from the wonderful look of many of the film‘s locations including the nighttime scenes in Vienna to the array of lights in Bond‘s climatic confrontation with Whitaker. Editors John Grover and Peter Davies do nice work with the editing by creating lots of rhythmic cuts for the film‘s action scenes as well as more methodical ones for the film‘s suspenseful scenes. Production designer Peter Lamont, along with set decorator Michael Ford and art director Terry Ackland-Snow, does superb work with the set pieces from the home base of Whitaker to Q’s gadget room in the secret MI6 base.

Costume designer Emma Porteus does terrific work with the costumes from the dresses that Kara wears to the uniforms that Whitaker wears. Special effects supervisor John Richardson does splendid work with the visual effects in some of the film‘s action scenes. Sound recorder Derek Ball does wonderful work with the sound to capture the intensity of the action scenes as well as the atmosphere of the orchestra concert scenes. The film’s score by John Barry is brilliant for its mixture of orchestral flourishes and electronic rhythms to give the Bond themes a new sense of flair as they add to the film’s action and suspenseful moments. The soundtrack includes some classical pieces by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Alexander Borodin as well as a couple of songs by the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde as well as the wonderful mid-tempo title song by A-ha.

The casting by Debbie McWilliams is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Virginia Hey as General Pushkin’s mistress, Julie T. Wallace as Bond’s Bratislava contact, John Terry as Bond’s CIA friend Felix Leiter, Thomas Wheatley as Bond’s aide Saunders, and Andreas Wisniewski as the henchman Necros. There’s also some terrific performances from such Bond regulars like Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Robert Brown as M, Caroline Bliss in her first appearance as Miss Moneypenny, and in their final appearances, Geoffrey Keen as defense minister Frederick Gray and Walter Gotell as former KGB head-turned diplomat General Gogol. Art Malik is excellent as local Mujahideen leader Kamran Shah who helps Bond in Afghanistan while John Rhys-Davies is superb as new KGB head Leonid Pushkin.

Joe Don Baker is wonderful as the scheming arms dealer Whitaker who loves guns and war as he tries to engineer a plot to profit from conflict. Jeroen Krabbe is great as General Georgy Koskov who tries to create things where he makes Bond suspicious and also leave Kara in the dark over his ideas. Maryam d’Abo is very good as Kara Miloy as a woman who has been kept in the dark by her boyfriend as she aspires to play cello all over the world as she would aid Bond in his plans to stop these schemes. Finally, there’s Timothy Dalton in a marvelous performance as James Bond. Dalton brings a real sense of cool to his character as well as restrained aggression in the way he handles his situations as there’s a bit of a dark edge to Bond as Dalton really brings a fresh take on Bond.

The Living Daylights is an incredible film from John Glen that features Timothy Dalton in a top-notch performance as James Bond. The film is definitely a return of sorts to simpler, suspenseful Bond as it strays away from the silly humor of the Roger Moore period. The film is also different for giving Bond more grit as he is more fearless in his pursuits as well as giving some of the sexual interplay a bit of break in the wake of AIDS. In the end, The Living Daylights is an extraordinary film from John Glen.




© thevoid99 2012
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