The “Smert Spionam” (“Death to Spies”) campaign in The Living Daylights was one aspect of its complicated plot that I thought had more traction than some of the other storylines. Although it was ultimately a ruse orchestrated by Georgi Koskov, Timothy Dalton’s ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve makes the threat of a KGB assassination campaign feel like a real existential threat. The deaths of 004 in Gibraltar and Saunders at the amusement park clearly rock Bond, leaving him increasingly suspicious and questioning who he can actually trust. The urgency is amplified even more by Dalton’s emotional portrayal, especially with his uncanny ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve like no other.

I’d argue that “Death to Spies” would have made a terrific title for the movie, although then we might have missed out on the truly irreplaceable banger of an 1980s theme from a-ha. I’d also miss the irreverent way Bond turns the title into a punchline when he mutters that he must have scared “the living daylights” out of the sniper.

“Smert Spionam” could also make a great future Bond movie title, aligning with my preference for titles that contain code names or espionage jargon rather than superlatives, although it’d run the risk of pronunciation fatigue.