Timothy Dalton’s Bond allows himself a rare moment of dry wit in The Living Daylights, and the line lands precisely because of its restraint. As Bond methodically deploys the Vantage’s full arsenal of gadgets, the moment in which he uses the onboard laser to shear a pursuing police car’s top off its frame stands out as both audacious and impeccably staged. From a purely tactical standpoint, of course, Bond could have disabled the vehicle far more efficiently by targeting a tire, but instead, the filmmakers opted for a spectacle, and delivered!

Dalton’s deadpan response, dismissing the destruction as “salt corrosion,” enhances the moment, and showcases Kara Milovy’s naivete. But overall, this line contributes to one of the most satisfying Bond movie car chases ever.