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Timothy Dalton as James Bond - The Good the Bad and Unique

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Release Date: 04/08/2025

SPY - the movie - A Fresh Look! show art SPY - the movie - A Fresh Look!

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan Tom as they decode SPY – the movie from 2015. Find out if this spy comedy movie holds up.  It has a great cast. But does it work as a comedy? This movie is written and directed by Paul Feig.  It stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Allison Janney, Miranda Hart, and others.  But it is a comedy spy movie and there is a hit-or-miss track record for these movies. Can this writer, director, actors and crew pull this off?  Listen to find out! Some of the things we cover in our look at SPY include: ...

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OPERATION CROSSBOW Decoded! A reality-based spy/war movie show art OPERATION CROSSBOW Decoded! A reality-based spy/war movie

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 1965 spy movie, OPERATION CROSSBOW. Find out if this spy movie, based on a real World War II operation, is worth watching. This movie, which stars George Peppard, Sophia Loren, Trevor Howard, and more tells us the story of the real-life Operation Crossbow operation from World War II.  This operation was created to try to stall or eliminate Germany’s efforts to create the V-1 and V-2 missiles. So, this movie is part a war movie and part a spy movie.  Does that work?  Some of the things we cover in our look at OPERATION CROSSBOW include: ...

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AVALANCHE EXPRESS Decoded! show art AVALANCHE EXPRESS Decoded!

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan and Tom as they decode the 1979 spy movie, AVALANCHE EXPRESS. This was Robert Shaw’s last movie.  Is it worth watching? Listen to find out!  AVALANCHE EXPRESS is a Cold War spy thriller that was a recommendation from some of our listeners.  Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw, Linda Evans, Maximilian Schell, Mike Connors, and Joe Namath lead the talented list of actors in this one. This movie has a Soviet general defect, a NOC-list of sorts, and, of course, an avalanche. And since this is a spy movie, of course there is a train. Some of the things we cover in our look at...

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20 Things you missed in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE show art 20 Things you missed in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan and Tom as they decode 20 Things You Missed in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE! How many will you miss?  Listen to find out!  Every movie has questionable sequences and stuff that you miss, especially on your first time viewing the movie.  Well, in this episode, we’re going to Russia (and a few other places) to find out what we’ve been missing. Some of the things we cover include: ·         A picture on the wall of an embassy ·         A famous chess move ...

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Steve Begg, Visual Effects Master, CASINO ROYALE, SKYFALL, SPECTRE and more! show art Steve Begg, Visual Effects Master, CASINO ROYALE, SKYFALL, SPECTRE and more!

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Dan and Tom interview Steve Begg, who led the visual effects for CASINO ROYALE, SKYFALL, SPECTRE, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, & more! Listen to how his magic transformed these movies! For those who don’t know the name Steve Begg, you have seen his work, usually without knowing that visual effects were used in a scene.  When his work is done well, it becomes invisible.  You have heard our interview with Special Effects wizard Chris Corbould ( or ) on his work with the James Bond series.  Special Effects and Visual Effects combine to give us true movie magic. ...

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GOLDFINGER - Novel vs Movie and Impact show art GOLDFINGER - Novel vs Movie and Impact

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Dan and Tom compare the GOLDFINGER – novel vs movie.  How close is the movie to the novel, and how did the novel impact the franchise? Listen to find out! Many of the early Eon Productions James Bond movies were based on the novels written by Ian Fleming. Ian Fleming’s seventh novel, “Goldfinger,” was used as the basis for the third Eon Productions James Bond movie of the same name.  In this episode, we decode the major differences between the novel and the movie.  We also look at some other James Bond movies that were influenced by the “Goldfinger” novel. Some...

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20 Things You Missed in GOLDFINGER show art 20 Things You Missed in GOLDFINGER

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan and Tom as they decode 20 things you missed in GOLDFINGER! How many of these did you miss?  You will be surprised. Listen to find out!  Every movie has questionable sequences and stuff that you miss, especially on your first time viewing the movie.  Well, in this episode, we’re going to put a golden hue on this topic and give you 20 things you missed in GOLDFINGER.  We’re sure there are more, but these are our favorites. Some of the things we discuss have to do with: ·         The golf outing ...

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James Bond Influences from History and Literature show art James Bond Influences from History and Literature

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan and Tom as they decode some James Bond influences from History and Literature.  Hint: Proust, Dostoevsky, and others may have played a part. Christopher Booker’s “Seven Basic Plots” identifies the seven main plots that literature tends to stick to.  So, we look at some classic literature and its effect on the James Bond movies.  Consequently, there aren’t very many different plots to contend with, and Eon Productions has retold the same plot multiple times in their movies.  What we will decode in this episode: ...

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James Bond Easter Egg Hunt show art James Bond Easter Egg Hunt

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Join Dan and Tom for a James Bond Easter Egg Hunt.  Throughout the 25 Eon Productions James Bond movies, what are the key Easter eggs? Can you find them? We know that movies today have Easter eggs in them with callbacks to either the real world or other movies.  For James Bond, many of the Easter eggs are for other James Bond items.  However, not always. What we will decode in this episode: ·         What's an Easter egg. ·         What is the Easter egg on the shelf in DIE ANOTHER DAY that Tom...

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DIE ANOTHER DAY - Can this James Bond movie be defended? show art DIE ANOTHER DAY - Can this James Bond movie be defended?

Cracking the Code of Spy Movies!

Dan and Tom are joined by Vicky as they try to answer the question: DIE ANOTHER DAY - Can this James Bond movie be defended?  Listen to find out! DIE ANOTHER DAY is one of the most divisive movies in the James Bond catalogue.  Why is that? What about it make some people like it while many others despise it? We brought Pierce Brosnan fan, Vicky back to help us with this decoding.  Vicky is a huge James Bond fan and has a , Facebook, and Instagram called THE BOND ROOM UNLOCKED. What we will decode in this episode We look at the following to answer the question: DIE ANOTHER DAY -...

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More Episodes

Dan and Tom decode the Timothy Dalton as James Bond.  What was the Good, the Bad, and Unique of his performance?  What worked and didn’t work well?Listen to find out.

Timothy Dalton only played James Bond movies in two movies, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and LICENCE TO KILL.  He brought a much different James Bond to the screen than his predecessor. Reactions were mixed as some people didn’t want this change.  

We break down Timothy Dalton’s James Bond movies by looking at:

·         How did Timothy Dalton change the role?

·         How did Dalton taking the role change the writers?

·         What the writers originally wanted to do with Dalton’s first Bond movie?

·         How did the villains in Timothy Dalton’s movies pan out?

·         How did the Bond women change in Dalton’s movies?

·         What is the tie-in to Kara Milovy and Ian Fleming?

·         What was unique about Dario?

·         What was unique about the plot of LICENCE TO KILL?

·         Where does Timothy Dalton rank as James Bond by different types of James Bond movie fans?

·         We rank Moore’s James Bond movies and tell you why each is ranked where it is.

·         And More …

We found some facts you may not have known before.  Please listen to find out.

Tell us what you think about Timothy Dalton as James Bond

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. How do you rank the actors who played James Bond?  Where do you have Timothy Dalton’s Bond movies ranked?

Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at [email protected].  The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be!  We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!  

You can check out all of our CRACKING THE CODE OF SPY MOVIES podcast episodes on your favorite podcast app or our website. In addition, you can check out our YouTube channel as well.  

Episode Webpage: https://bit.ly/4j0XfLh