The Living Daylights reference guide

After Bond helps Russian officer Georgi Koskov make a daring defection to the West, the intelligence community is shocked when Koskov is abducted from his remote hiding place. Bond leaps into action, following a trail that leads to the gorgeous Kara, who plays Bond as easily as she plays her Stradivari cello. As they unravel a complex weapons scheme with global implications, they are forced into hair-raising chases, a riveting jailbreak and an epic battle in the Afghanistan desert with tanks, airplanes and a legion of freedom fighters on horseback. (Written by Robert Lynch)

Quick facts

Produced by Albert R. Broccoli & Michael G Wilson

Directed by John Glen

Screenplay by Richard Maibaum & Michael G Wilson

World Premiere 29th June 1987 (London, England)

US Release Date 31st July 1987

Worldwide Box Office $191,200,000 US

Budget $30,000,000 US

Running Time 130 Minutes

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Locations

Gibraltar; Bratislava; Czech-Austria border; London and rural locales; Vienna; Tangier; Afghanistan.

Bond, James Bond

After dropping in on Linda aboard her boat, she asks 007 who he is, to which Bond replies in his usual way.

Behind the scenes

Composer John Barry appears as Kara's orchestra leader in the final scene.

Arms Dealer Brad Whitaker would later play Bond's ally Jack Wade in Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies.

During filming of the pre-credits sequence in Gibraltar, Timothy Dalton met a Royal Artillery Captain called James Bond.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana got a sneak preview private demonstration of the Aston Martin's features.

Producer Michael G. Wilson features in a cameo - he is seen at the opera, sitting near Saunders.

During the rooftop chase in Tangier, quite a long scene was never shown in the actual film. It featured Dalton riding a 'magic carpet' that went down some telephone wires. Bond then dismounts the carpet and jumps on the back of a motorbike and speeds into the distance. §

Selected behind the scenes information courtesy IMDb.