The Living Daylights
After a defecting Russian general reveals a plot to assassinate foreign spies, James Bond is assigned a secret mission to dispatch the new head of the KGB to prevent an escalation of tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.
Directed by John Glen · Action · Adventure · Thriller · 2h 10m · 1987
Trailer
Director
John Glen
Writer
Michael G. Wilson, Richard Maibaum, Ian Fleming
Studio
EON Productions, United Artists
Release
1987-06-29
Runtime
2h 10m
Genres
Action, Adventure, Thriller
Full Plot
James Bond 007's mission is to firstly, organise the defection of a top Soviet general. When the general is re-captured, Bond heads off to find why an ally of General Koskov was sent to murder him. Bond's mission continues to take him to Afghanistan, where he must confront an arms dealer known as Brad Whitaker. Everything eventually reveals its self to Bond.
Cast & Characters
James Bond
Timothy Dalton
Kara Milovy
Maryam D'Abo
Brad Whitaker
Joe Don Baker
Kamran Shah
Art Malik
General Leonid Pushkin
John Rhys-Davies
General Georgi Koskov
Jeroen Krabbé
Necros
Andreas Wisniewski
Saunders
Thomas Wheatley
Rosika Miklos, Bond's contact in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, who works at the TransSiberian Pipeline.
Julie T. Wallace
Q, MI6's "quartermaster", who supplies Bond with multi-purpose vehicles and gadgets useful in the latter's mission
Desmond LlewelynAnatol Gogol, the retired head of the KGB, now a diplomat shown in a cameo at the end of the film
Walter GotellMiss Moneypenny, M's secretary
Caroline Bliss
Rubavitch, General Leonid Pushkin's mistress in Morocco
Virginia Hey
Felix Leiter, a CIA agent and ally to Bond
John Terry
Did You Know?
The Living Daylights
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that the film was initially proposed as a prequel in the James Bond series?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that SMERSH, the fictional Soviet counterintelligence agency, stood for 'Smiert Shpionam' —'Death to Spies'?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
The Living Daylights holds 6.7/10 on IMDb (115K votes), 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 66% audience score.
Critics and audiences are broadly aligned on this one.
Ratings as of August 3, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedThe Living Daylights's 6.7 IMDb average and 73% Rotten Tomatoes score place it solidly mid-pack in the 60-plus-year Bond franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Living Daylights's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Living Daylights holds a 73% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66% audience score.
What is The Living Daylights's IMDb rating?+
The Living Daylights has a 6.7/10 rating on IMDb from 115K votes.
Is The Living Daylights good? What are critics saying?+
The Living Daylights holds 6.7/10 on IMDb (115K votes), 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 66% audience score.
How long is The Living Daylights?+
The Living Daylights has a runtime of 2h 10m.
Who directed The Living Daylights?+
The Living Daylights was directed by John Glen.
Where can I watch The Living Daylights?+
The Living Daylights is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "The Living Daylights" is mixed. Reviewers praised Dalton's performance as 007, calling it solid and enjoyable, but found the story lacking in terms of quality. The movie also received praise for its action-packed adventure and memorable theme song. Some critics expressed disappointment with Dalton's portrayal, particularly regarding his character's motivations.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
_**Solid Bond film with Timothy Dalton taking over as 007**_ "The Living Daylights" was the first of two James Bond films featuring Timothy Dalton as 007. It's a solid Bond flick, but rarely cited when the best films of the franchise are discussed. The "problem" isn't Dalton beca…
Wuchak · 6/10Great entry into the series and wonderful debut for Dalton who was charming, and for me far and away better than any of Roger Moore's movies (though found some of his to be entertaining enough). Not all that fond of this theme song but still catchy enough I suppose. Also features…
JPV852 · 8/10So Roger Moore has handed the baton of Ian Fleming's "007" to Timothy Dalton and this first outing is not at all bad. The story is, perhaps, not the best but this is still an action packed adventure with loads of pyrotechnics and daft gadgets that really does move along swiftly f…
CinemaSerf · 7/10I don't understand all the hate on Dalton as 007, I actually thought he was a decent Bond, I thought he brought back some of the cold blooded assassin that personified the first of the Connery Era films. And I think he was a much needed change of pace away from Moore's silliness.…
GenerationofSwine · 10/10The last of the very good 007 films. The last of the fun 007 films for sure. Here, Bond is supposed to stop an assassination of a Russian VIP defecting to the West, but Bond senses something, and instead of killing the assassin (a shapely female violinist), he shoots the weapon f…
drystyx · 8/10I also use to not like this that much and again I like it now but I do prefer Licence to Kill.
tmdb93836550 · 8/10
From the trailer's comments
This is my personal favorite James Bond film and one that lives on the edge
@jackhime5628 · 15 likesThe Living Daylights makes No Time to Die look like a student film
@chimpyboi3540 · 14 likesOne of the best.
@lukeharrison2507 · 7 likesTerrible American voice-over
@martin-co · 0 likes
