Licence to Kill (1989)

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"Licence to Kill" is an effectively hard edged entry in this ongoing, legendary James Bond franchise. It's a mean, yet dazzling adventure that gave Bond the chance to do something different. He's not on any authorized mission here; in fact, he's out for revenge. Bond (Timothy Dalton, in his second and unfortunately last performance in the role) goes rogue when his very good friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter (David Hedison), is set up to be maimed by a shark. The villain is a filthy rich drug kingpin, Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), who has tons of goons to protect him. But Bond will have one consistent ally at his side: informant / pilot Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell).Dalton is an appealing, and very human Bond here. He finds that things won't always go so smoothly when he strikes out on his own. In time, he will find that he can get by with a little help from his friends, such as gadget inventor Q (Desmond Llewelyn), who gets to show off some more of his goodies. Lowell and Talisa Soto are strikingly sexy Bond girls in the classic tradition, and Lowell proves to be capable in a scrap. (Bond is actually part of a bar room brawl in this one!) As always, Llewelyn is a delight as Q, and he even gets to go "into the field", as they say.The whole cast is great, and full of familiar faces. Davi is a very smooth criminal, and an appropriate nemesis for Bond. Anthony Zerbe plays a great slime ball, Everett McGill is effectively odious as a corrupt DEA agent, Frank McRae is engaging as Sharkey (who also helps Bond out in the early going), lovely Priscilla Barnes is fine as Leiters' sweet bride Della, and Benicio Del Toro is wonderfully creepy in one of his earliest film roles.As all fans of this franchise come to expect, the action set pieces and stunts are first rate; there is lots of violence, and there are lots of explosions. The climactic chase is somewhat reminiscent of the famous vehicle chase from "Raiders of the Lost Ark". And Peter Lamonts' sets are simply incredible. Composer / conductor Michael Kamen gives us a grandiose, rousing score."Licence to Kill" is an absolute thrill, satisfying its audience for a well paced 134 minute run time.Eight out of 10.

Divisive Bond Movie, not the least is Timothy Dalton's Dark, Personal Vendetta Portrayal, and a Focused, Intentional Return to Serious James Bond with very Little Whimsy, Jokes, and Sex.Initially Dismissed by Fans and Critics as "Anomaly" with Mediocre Box-Office, it has Gained Reputation over the Years and is now usually Ranked in the Top Ten.Brutal, Bloody, and with Considerable Concern for Realism (except perhaps for the thrilling chase climax), it is a Bond for those that had Their Fill of Fluff from the Roger Moore Movies. It's about as Far Removed from those Entries as one could get.Some Casting Highlights include Carey Lowell as a Bond Girl who's as Lethal and well trained as She is Gorgeous. Robert Savi as the Pocked Marked Psycho Drug Lord, and Wayne Newton who is Typecast as a Smooth Talking, Fake Evangelist.Anthony Zerbe is Memorable with some Excellent Scenes in the First Half. Q's Role is more Involved this time and adds some Flesh to the Gadget Guru.Overall, depending on Taste, Dalton's Two Films as Bond Stand Up and are Considered by Bond Aficionados as more than Worthy of the Fictional God of the Genre and is Highly Recommended.

This movie,well loved by many fans,seems to be forgotten by the public,and I don't see why,if they praise Daniel Craig for being dark,why not Dalton?First,the good,the action,it is well choreographed and has great stunt work.The score and the cinematography are,like always,fantastic.The story,it is simple,but very suspenseful and personal,Bond isn't off fighting some businessman in a volcano lair,he's fighting a drug dealer who killed his best friend.The characters,they are well written and feel real.The Bond girl,she is tough and has good chemistry with Timothy Dalton.The villain,he is very serious and realistic.Plus the movie was never boring.Now,the bad,I thought the Bond Girl was a bit annoying at times,there was some bad acting,and it doesn't have the Bond "feel",if you understand.License to Kill is a great Bond movie,that doesn't feel like one.

I am taking my son through the bond movies by decade. It is fascinating to note, not just the differences in how the different actors portrayed 007, but the movies all reflecting the social values of the decades which produced them. That said, Dalton's bond portrays a need for vengeance that is almost stoic emotionally; he is chaste, but abruptly makes sexual connections later in the movie that seem forced and contrived. He is dedicated to his American friends, yet seemed inexplicably detached from Q and M, his British colleagues. I found these unique personality "quirks" to lack the refined depth and dimensionality of the Connery bond. On a side note, this bond movie had a very strange production value feel to it, an almost campy soap opera or TV A-Team feel to it, with interlude music and film stock that made it appear more like a TV show, and the bond, as portrayed, felt more like a TV show protagonist than a feature film.