James Bond in review - The Living Daylights (John Glen, 1987)

"I take it this is not a social call 007?"
"Correct, you should have brought lillies"

Perhaps there is no better quotation to describe Dalton's no-nonsense approach to Fleming's world famous secret agent. Moving sharply away from the humour that became almost a character itself in the later Moore Bond era, it is clear to see that Dalton's careful research of Fleming's Bond of the early novels was time well spent. From the moment you see Dalton on screen in an upper body shot inquisitively and solemnly watching the body of 004 plummet to ground from the rock of Gibraltar, we are instantly aware that this is a very different Bond - a 007 not to be messed with.

Dalton's Bond waiting for Koskov's sniper

The Living Daylights provides Dalton the chance to take Bond in a realistic, thriller-like direction. The dialogue is some of the sharpest in the series, the supporting cast are, on the whole, great, and Dalton's Bond if only for a brief tenure, becomes a one woman man. The film doesn't take itself too seriously. Jeroen Krabbe hams up his role as Georgi Koskov, becoming a theatrical villain who gets his comeuppance in a genuinely amusing scene at the end of the film. Dalton is also on hand to provide some carefully timed one liners that are more zone out and you'll miss them than Moore's unavoidable, extroverted clangers.

Maryam D'Abo in a publicity shot for The Living Daylights as Kara

Bond is characteristically a private man who keeps his emotions to himself and gets the job done efficiently and successfully. Dalton further develops Fleming's Bond by making him fallible. As Dalton himself expressed in a press interview whilst filming The Living Daylights, Bond is "not a super hero", he is a tainted man with a harsh outlook on life. He is relatable in that sense and easy to root for. As characters in the film go, Caroline Bliss' Miss Moneypenny probably provides the biggest disappointment. The younger secretary to flirt with Dalton's younger Bond was a sensible idea but Bliss seems so inappropriate on screen in the short scenes she is in that Bond afficionados can't help wishing Lois Maxwell was still in the role. Maryam D'Abo's portrayal of the cellist Kara Milovy is a better female character in the film, obviously, but still hit and miss. At moments she provides some good comedy, remarking to Bond that they are free for Bond to retort that they are still stranded in a Russian airbase in Afghanistan, and she is the only Bond girl to be able to call Bond a 'horse's arse!' Other times she looks a little uncomfortable and very timid opposite Dalton's hard edged protagonist. She becomes a worthy leading lady when she leads the pursuit after 007 with Kamran's men in the desert, informing them bluntly and powerfully "You owe him your life!" Kara obviously respects Bond and is therefore respected by the audience as a credible love interest for Dalton's 007.

The note attached to 009's body - Smiert Spionam (Russian for 'death to spies')

Essentially this is back to basics Bond. It takes a lot for a director to come into a leviathan of a series like Bond and some gumption to introduce a new actor playing 007 and John Glen succeeds well, giving audiences perhaps the most intriguing Bond film of the five that he helmed as director. There are no hollowed out volcanoes or super tankers, just believable characterisation and an intelligent screenplay. A promising debut for Dalton... Timothy Dalton.

James Bond in review - Licence To Kill (John Glen, 1989)

"I want you to know this is nothing personal. It's purely... business"

Sanchez's chilling words to an ill-fated Leiter couldn't be further from how you would describe the 16th Bond adventure. Daring, provocative and the highest certified film by the BBFC in the series, Licence To Kill harkens back to the roots of the 007 character created 37 years previously by Fleming as Dalton injects a brilliant sense of humanity and a no-nonsense attitude to the British secret agent we've come to love.

Timothy Dalton is the new James Bond

Licence To Kill works on many levels not least of all as an intriguing, intricately detailed and engrossing thriller, but almost as a stand alone film - a rogue agent on a personal revenge mission against the man who murdered and mutilated his friends. In his second and unfortunately final appearance as 007, Dalton shines. He will never be like his predecessors just as Moore never consciously tried to emulate Connery but it is fair to say that our current noughties Bond, Daniel Craig, owes a great deal to Timothy Dalton. Both give very human portrayals of Fleming's character; characters who show emotion, pain, anger, frustration and loss through their detailed, meticulously crafted personifications of James Bond. You can imagine Dalton having to ruthlessly kill if the situation demanded it, which you would never believe of Roger Moore's Bond.

Carey Lowell is beautiful and determined as Pam Bouvier

Not only is this film a chance for Dalton to shine but Desmond Llewellyn's Q gets his longest screen appearance in the series, injecting some well timed and not too blatant comic interludes into the serious proceedings. The stand out character of the film is clearly Robert Davi's sadistic villain Sanchez, a man who rewards loyalty- at a price. Just don't double cross him or you'll end up like Krest. Much like Moonraker I have never given much time to Dalton's second Bond outing perhaps largely because of its critical responses and insistence from ardent Bond aficionados that the film strays too far from the established Bond formula and is too real in its depictions of violence. On closer inspection, this is ironically the finest move made by the Bond producers since they decided to bring Bond back down to Earth in For Your Eyes Only. This and Eyes Only present John Glen at his directing best and whilst The Living Daylights introduces Dalton's Bond to the screen with style, it is not until Licence To Kill that he really does prove his worth.

Robert Davi is one of the series' best villains since Robert Shaw

Had the box office not been populated by Batman, Lethal Weapon and Indiana Jones - incidentally all focussing on heroic protagonists - Bond 16 would have achieved bigger business on general release in the summer of 1989. Regardless of this, the film is one of the best of the later Bond films and arguably the best Bond of the 1980s. It holds up brilliantly after more than 20 years. "How many times can one man leave you breathless?" Well, in answer to the demanding teaser trailer voiceover, lots! Relive one of the grittiest and all out entertaining Bonds of the lot - "bless your hearts!"