Probably the best Bond film! (Spoilers)
Here are my reasons:
1. Dalton as Bond. It had Dalton in the title role! He was the body and soul of Fleming's Bond. Tall, dark, and handsome, chiseled features, with those piercing blue eyes. And he played Bond with that gritty, tough, hard edge many years before Craig did in Casino Royale. Although Craig is fantastic in the role, he lacks Dalton's gentlemanly class and sophistication. Craig delivers Bond's lines convincingly, Dalton on the other hand lived and breathed as Bond. Dalton IS Bond.
2. The Villain. Robert Davi was exceptional as Sanchez - an extremely ruthless and cold-blooded killer. What set Sanchez apart from other Bond villains was his sense of loyalty. He was kind and generous to those who didn't cross his will and remained loyal to him. This gave the villain a slice of humanity - which made his character more like-able and in turn relate-able. Davi's scenes where he murdered his enemies were unforgettably chilling (especially the safe scene with Milton Krest). Hands down one of the best Bond villains!
3. Great leading ladies! Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto are two of the most beautiful Bond girls! Carey Lowell played Pam Bouvier - the tom-boy CIA agent that gave James a run for his money! She is intelligent, down to earth, extremely instinctive, deceptively sexy, and lethal with a pump-action shotgun! The perfect girl of independence for Bond!
Talisa Soto was striking as Lupe - Sanchez's restless girlfriend. A decent girl at heart - perhaps a little dull witted - although she contains an incredibly mysterious and seductive demeanour worth exploring. Which is probably why Sanchez had so much trouble keeping her on a leash. She proved irresistible to many men - even Bond!
4. The Era! The late 1980s - early 1990s kicked arse! The fashion, the cars, the music - just the whole feel of that time period was something of a spectacle! I just love the whole 80s vibe throughout the film! Especially the kick-arse theme song; the vocal range is fantastic!
5. Plot! I loved the plot to this film with Bond going rogue! It really put him to the test. He was truly relying on his own resolve (until Q showed up anyway)! I loved how deeply we were able to engage with Bond's character! With the brutal maiming of his close friend Felix Leiter and murder of Della; we really saw an emotional side to Bond that had not been shown before (the death of Bond's wife in OHMSS doesn't count). And Dalton expressed his hurt perfectly! It made Sanchez's eventual death so much more satisfying!
6. Classic Bond elements. We had the fist fights (bar-brawl), exhilarating chases (kenworth truck sequence), stunts (casino abseil and spear-gun water skiing), gadgets (sniper camera, plastic explosive toothpaste), tux, casino, and ofcourse the vodka martini shaken not stirred!
I know not many fans will agree with me. But I think the above states quite convincingly why it is such a good Bond film. The best in my opinion! Dalton was my favourite Bond. If only he had done more. I guess the fact that he only did two makes his films that much more exclusive and special!