License To Kill Movie Reviews

If I had to go into outer space and could only take one tough Bond film with me, I

would choose the 1989 film Licence To Kill starring Timothy Dalton as Bond.

Before Casino Royale, this was the most brutal Bond film

available.

With a believable villain(a strong Robert Davi) and a story that goes

deeper into the character and personality of James Bond, than previous Bond

films, License To Kill works on dramatic levels, yet it doesn't disappoint

on the action/adventure aspects you expect from a Bond film either.

When Welsh born actor Timothy Dalton took over playing James Bond in 1987,

it was a bleak time for Bond. At fifty-eight, Roger Moore was clearly too

old to play Bond anymore. Plus, the cinematic field of action heroes was

getting crowded with upstarts like Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and

Sylvester Stallone.

Whether it was fair or not, it became Timothy Dalton's job to revive the

Bond series and Dalton was determined to take Bond to more dramatic levels

and make him a character with recognizable human flaws and weaknesses.

License To Kill(originally titled License Revoked) tells how James Bond

gets his notorious license to kill revoked when he disobeys M in order to go

after Franz Sanchez, a rich South American drug lord(think an apolitical

Noriega). It is a story of betrayal, revenge, loyalty and the laundering of

vast amounts of drug money; not the usual Bond plot of a megalomaniac bent

on world domination.

The film begins with Sanchez being captured by Bond's CIA colleague Felix

Leiter(David Hedison) and when Sanchez escapes(after giving a two million

dollar bribe), Sanchez takes revenge on Felix and has him mutilated by

sharks. This makes Bond see red and he can only think about how he can

avenge his friend.

But, Bond's forays against Sanchez cause diplomatic trouble for the British

government so M orders Bond to drop this personal vendetta. Bond refuses and

offers his resignation from the Secret Service. "We're not a country club,

007!" says M testily, "As of now your licence to kill is revoked!" But

before the other British agents can disarm him, Bond breaks away and becomes

a rogue agent.

Now operating alone, Bond works his way into Sanchez's criminal organization

and along with CIA operative Pam Bouvier(Carrey Lowell), who was working

with Leiter and with Q(Desmond Llewellyn) who has come out into the field

to help Bond on this quest, Bond manages to befriend Sanchez and slowly

begins to sow the seeds of distrust in him.

However, in doing this, Bond ruins the careful groundwork laid by other

narcotics authorities that also want to bring Sanchez to justice. It seems

Bond's private vendetta is causing more problems than it solves.

Of course this all leads to a grand confrontation between Bond and Sanchez

as well as an exciting finale. At the end of Licence To Kill, Sanchez is

trying to move four large tanker trucks filled with a mixture of gasoline

and cocaine out of his country.

This is a real method used by drug smugglers as the cocaine can be dissolved

in the fuel where it is difficult to detect. Later, it can be chemically

reconstituted from the gas leaving you with millions of dollars in salable

coke and a tanker of gasoline to sell as a bonus. Once again, as with using

signature guns, personal computers, space shuttles and portable nuclear

weapons, the Bond films are way ahead of everyone else on the science curve.

The tanker truck chase finale that ends Licence To Kill is one of the most

complex and thrilling chase sequences in the entire Bond series, which is

really saying something. The tanker trucks were built by the Kenworth Truck

Company of Seattle and cost between$65, 000 and$125, 000 each.

Some were regular trucks, but some were modified to do specific stunts like

rear wheelies, side wheelies and rollovers. One truck was rigged so it could

be driven by remote control; another had its steering mechanism hidden in

the sleeping compartment behind the cab so a stunt driver could operate the

vehicle during the close shots where it had to look like the actors were

driving. And since this is a Bond film, several trucks were built

specifically to be blown up.

In Licence To Kill, the parallels between Bond and Sanchez are unusually

close. Both men are intelligent, commanding and fiercely loyal to their

friends. In other circumstances, these guys could be friends. But here, Bond

actively builds up Sanchez's trust, only to break it. It is not an

attractive thing to do, but it is dramatic and interesting to see Bond

manipulate the drug baron's paranoia.

All the production elements in Licence To Kill contribute to the film's

harder edge. For example, the music score by the late Michael Kamen is less

melodic and sweeping than previous Bond scores. Licence To Kill uses more

real locations, less fanciful sets; even the cinematography by Bond regular

Alec Mills is harsher with more contrast and less fill light than other Bond

films.

All of these differences make Licence To Kill stand out as the hardest Bond

film of the entire series(until Casino Royale). It was a brave choice by

Cubby Broccoli to change the successful formula, but I give him lots of

credit for taking that chance.

And I remain truly mystified at the dislike so many Bond fans have for

Timothy Dalton's portrayal of Bond. Dalton was believable in the action

sequences and the romantic ones as well. As a woman I know claimed after

seeing Licence To Kill as her first Bond film, all Bond actors should look

that good in a tight wet suit.

James Bond was number 3 on 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains, he was also

number 21 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, and he was number 21 on The 100

Greatest Pop Culture Icons, and the film was number 15 on James Bond's

Greatest Hits for Gladys Knight's title song(they did not mention Patti La

Belle's "If You Asked Me"). Worth watching!

• 
  • Flag This Review
  • Irrelevant
  • Fake
  • Junk
• Thank You! We appreciate your effort.