Book #148: He Disagreed With Something That Ate Him by Cary Edwards

  

He Disagreed With Something That Ate Him

by Cary Edwards

 Released: June 22nd, 2018

My 14th book for 2026 was Cary Edward’s "He Disagreed With Something That Ate Him".  

This book takes a look back at Timothy Dalton's short-lived tenure as British Secret Service Agent, James Bond 007.  The author discusses his two films, The Living Daylights and License To Kill.

The film goes into an in-depth review of the two films.  We start off talking about Dalton's debut in The Living Daylights.  It is discussed in depth how his debut landed, how it compares to other Bonds, the difference in tenure from Roger Moore's more lighthearted take to Dalton's more serious and darker Bond.  We next dive into License to Kill.  Dalton's more serious entry to the Bond series.  The author then discusses the legacy of the Dalton Era of Bond, how it influenced the series, the challenges and struggles the films faced, and why they remain important today.

Timothy Dalton is my favorite James Bond.  I agree, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Daniel Craig have had more lengthy and profound stamps on the series by large, but Dalton did something special and unique.  He went back to the original Fleming source material.  Here we saw the Fleming James Bond.  Human, Calculated, Deadly, and Dangerous.  Bond is a brooding killer in these films, puffing away on cigarettes and punishing his liver with hard alcohol.  He is an assassin by-and-by.

The Living Daylights was written for Roger Moore.  Dalton made sure to make his mark on it and turn it into his own.  After beating out Pierce Brosnan for the role of Bond, (thank you Remington Steele) he proceeds to put on a classic 1980's action blockbuster.  Dalton's formal actor training is on full display for the world to see, and he crushes it.  Bond was back, and in a dark way.

This leads into License to Kill.  If The Living Daylights was Timothy Dalton starring in a James Bond movie, then License to Kill is Dalton's portrayal of James Bond in standalone entry.  There is no mission here, only vendetta.  Bond is out for revenge after a South American drug lord brutalized Felix Leiter and murders his wife on the night of their wedding.  Dalton is brutal and dangerous in the first Bond film to receive the PG-13 rating.  It was nearly Rated R.  While the film itself was good, competition against 1989's summer blockbuster Batman sparked Batmania at the cinema, leave all others behind at the box office.

Dalton resigned the role in 1994 in the midst of a legal battle MGM carried on for nearly 6 years.  Despite being offered the role for Goldeneye, he turned it down upon realizing the film would be and hit and he would be "stuck" in the role for years to come.  Dalton always enjoyed portraying characters but never wanted to be typecast into only one role.

His darker approach in these two films, predated the Daniel Craig era, which resorted back to the dark gritty realism of the Dalton Era.  Films like Moonraker and Die Another Day inspired more realism in the Bond films.

Here is what I learned:

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• Acknowledgement: Much of the research for this work was completed while I was studying the MA Film Studies at The University of East Anglia under the supervision of Professor Yvonne Tasker.
• The author grew up on Roger Moore Bond films and Batman.
• The Timothy Dalton films were initially considered a failure.
• License to Kill underperformed due to the “Batmania” around the world for Batman in the summer of 1989.
• Dalton left the series when he was expected to do more than one after a six year gap.
• By 1989, James Bond had only had 5 directors across 16 films.
• Pierce Brosnan was set to replace Roger Moore in 1986 as James Bond, but was denied last minute when his Remington Steele contract was renewed.
• Dalton was introduced as Bond on October 5th, 1986.
• M is often seen as less of a boss and more of an authoritative father-figure to a rebellious Bond.
• Bond once carried a Beretta 418.
• Pam Bouvier uses a Beretta 950 Jetfire.
• There is less sex and more subdued romance in the Dalton films.
• License to Kill features complexity not seen in previous Bond films.
• Bond’s wardrobe is not as stylish in License to Kill because in this mission, he was caught off guard without time to fly home and prepare.  
• Similar to Bind’s arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Franz Sanchez’s iguana wears a diamond collar.
• “History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing places.”
• Bond films were less profitable in the 1989’s due to the rise of other action films.
• Bond films of the 70’s and 80’s tended to follow film trends.
• The Living Daylights shared parallels of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan with Rambo 3.
• Rambo 3 lost box office revenue when the Russians left Afghanistan the week it released.
• The 1927 film “The Gaucho” was considered the earliest film described as “action-adventure”.
• Albert “Cubby” Broccoli was American.
• Harry Saltzman was Canadian.
• License to Kill had the lowest returns since 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun.
• License to Kill was up against Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon 2, Ghostbusters II, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Batman (1989).
• License to Kill was originally titled “License Revoked”.
• This was changed when market research suggested American audiences did not know what “Revoked” meant.
• In the summer of Batmania, License to Kill got lost.

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Overall, not a bad read.  I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure anyone outside the Bond fanbase would pick it up.

Only recommended for Dalton fans, and diehard fans of the James Bond series.

On to Book #149: Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood

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Need to catch up?  See previous blog post: Sackhead: The Definitive Retrospective on Friday the 13th Part 2.