James Bond in review - For Your Eyes Only (John Glen, 1981)

"The Chinese have a saying. Before setting out on revenge, you first dig two graves."
"I wouldn't expect you to understand, you're English. But I'm half Greek, and Greek women, like Elektra, always avenge their loved ones."

After the mildly entertaining but hardly engrossing Moonraker, Cubby delivered to fans that which he had promised at the close of The Spy Who Loved Me; that James Bond would return in For Your Eyes Only. Thankfully the wish of so many Bond fans craving a harder edged, more realistic Bond was fulfilled and audiences could hardly be disappointed. Lifting moments from Fleming's Live And Let Die (the thrilling shark keel hauling sequence) and elements of short story Risico, Moore is launched into action as Bond in the 12th adventure, and his 5th. Notably beginning to show his age, Moore gives ironically his best performance as Bond. John Glen, a trusted second unit director and editor most notable for his work for On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Spy Who Loved Me is given his chance to display his directing skills and what a brilliant job he manages. The principal cast are all terrific and the story is sped along at a sensible pace, ensuring that audiences can enjoy the film as well as be thrilled at the same time.

One of the most famous Moore Bond poses as he pursues Locque's car to the top of the cliff face

That For Your Eyes Only was the highest grossing Bond movie of the 1980s is no surprise - this is a tight story with beautiful touches to Bond's past adventures (see the pre-credits graveyard visit to Diana Rigg's Tracy Bond - We have all the time in the world) and the somewhat less successful dispatching of a bald villain stroking a cat who fans can only assume is Blofeld, though this is never explicitly stated. This scene aside, the humour is less obvious which is a great thing considering the implausibility and double-entendre-heavy previous Moore Bond outings and there are no gigantic set pieces: everything is simple yet startlingly effective.

One of the most beautiful actresses to be a Bond girl and later a model, Carole Bouquet

Alongside The Spy Who Loved Me, this is Roger Moore's best Bond because firstly it is very watchable and secondly because the characters are well rounded, particularly the vengeful Melina. It is a brilliant directorial debut for Bond veteran John Glen and safe assurance for the fans that the 1980s would be another exciting decade for 007, even if it would later feature a 58 year old Moore trying to bed Grace Jones and dressing up in a clown outfit! The only thing that is still puzzling is why For Your Eyes Only is so under regarded by critics and glossed over by many a Bond fan. You want Moore's closest depiction of Fleming's Bond, then look no further people. Forget Octopussy, For Your Eyes Only is Moore's 'All Time High.'

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!"