Well, wasn't this a pleasant surprise.
A Bond that is short on all the nonsense, high on action - and a forerunner to the Craig years (which owed a lot to the Bourne series, which possibly took some direction from this harder Bond outing).
I liked the plot, the villains, the harshness, the pacing... And Wayne Newton doesn't stink!
I do not think Timothy Dalton is rough enough. He's pretty smooth but he doesn't have a toughness about him. Every time he draws his gun in a really convoluted manner, it gets me mad... He would definitely be shot in the time it takes.
The soundtrack gave me a few issues as it sounds like Die Hard was used and augmented with the Bond theme.
All in all though, this is a Top 5 Bond film. And it's a shame that the harsher, blunter Bond was seemingly ahead of its time. It would take Daniel Craig to return to this style of Bond. It would have been great for Brosnan to get this harshness rather than surfing on a car door.
8/10
Poor James Bond actor, weak beginning, but good second half, with the fun dynamic between the 2 actresses.
Timothy Dalton shows up and doubles George Lazenby's 007 outings! So he's got that going for him, which is nice. He also manages to put in two excellent additions to the franchise. This one is a nice change up from what we get used to. Instead of some overarching villain plan to take over the world, this one is a simple revenge story.
Also, it is really nice seeing some big cool stunts that are also fairly realistic. The opening sequence before the credits is really well done, with a nice addition of our heroes wearing wedding tuxedos. I really like Timothy Dalton. He is a great Bond, and I wish he'd have made more films to up how great the franchise is.
The Bond series returns to formula in License to Kill. Things get personal for James Bond when his longtime friend Felix Leiter is nearly killed by a drug lord, forcing Bond to go rogue in order to seek revenge. The story is needlessly convoluted and doesn’t have much originality to it. Additionally, the script seems at odds with Dalton’s Bond. The villain is one-dimensional and the Bond girls are flighty and uninteresting. License to Kill is an uneven film that lacks vision, and is only mildly entertaining.
I can understand some of the gripes about this movie as the lower budget was evident towards the end of the movie and the overlighting of the sets cases some color run.
But I will say that this movie delivered where it matters most and that is the best plot since Live and Let Die. Ironically enough, this movie uses Live and Let Die's source material for inspiration with a drug dealer and David Hedison reprises his role of Felix Leiter. Also, the action scenes are some of the best and probably the best since For Your Eyes Only.
Starts out interesting with Bond going on a personal vendetta but it hits a wall the moment he meets the woman pilot. It becomes increasingly boring after that with bland and boring characters througout and that includes the women. The character of Sanchez seems to be written with Davi in mind but he is unfortunately as dull as the rest. The finale is explosive (literally) but it can't save the movie as a whole. Pretty generic and you could easily replace Bond with a Joe Smith. Giving "Q" a bit more to do than usual and a very young Benicio del Toro are some saving grace but that's ultimately not why I watch the movie.
One of the better Bond movies. Certainly in the Top 5 (maybe even Top 3!) in my opinion. Dalton was just getting into his stride and his Bond, having gone rogue, feels more personal (similar to Lazenby's version in that regard).
The weakest James Bond actor of course, awful opening and closing songs (what were they thinking?), but great stunts and action, and villains who were truly hate-worthy. Carey Lowell did a great job with a female sidekick in love, though I felt she was too easily pacified each time James returned to her. I wanted to dock more points for the unmemorable songs and Dalton, but the action & villains made this too much fun for a 6.
Yeah this venture has a more American feel compared to all the other Bonds, yes this is overly gritty but I love it. Excellent action and stunts. Characters aren't as outlandish but yet they feel a lot more developed. I hear a lot of crap being flung at this flick and I just can't agree with that consensus. Licence to Kill got me thrilled and excited from the beginning to end.
The James Bond Films
1 Eon films
1.1 Dr. No (1962) https://trakt.tv/movies/dr-no-1962
1.2 From Russia with Love (1963) https://trakt.tv/movies/from-russia-with-love-1963
1.3 Goldfinger (1964) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldfinger-1964
1.4 Thunderball (1965) https://trakt.tv/movies/thunderball-1965
1.5 You Only Live Twice (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/you-only-live-twice-1967
1.6 On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) https://trakt.tv/movies/on-her-majesty-s-secret-service-1969
1.7 Diamonds Are Forever (1971) https://trakt.tv/movies/diamonds-are-forever-1971
1.8 Live and Let Die (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/live-and-let-die-1973
1.9 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1974
1.10 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-spy-who-loved-me-1977
1.11 Moonraker (1979) https://trakt.tv/movies/moonraker-1979
1.12 For Your Eyes Only (1981) https://trakt.tv/movies/for-your-eyes-only-1981
1.13 Octopussy (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/octopussy-1983
1.14 A View to a Kill (1985) https://trakt.tv/movies/a-view-to-a-kill-1985
1.15 The Living Daylights (1987) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-living-daylights-1987
1.16 Licence to Kill (1989) https://trakt.tv/movies/licence-to-kill-1989
1.17 GoldenEye (1995) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldeneye-1995
1.18 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) https://trakt.tv/movies/tomorrow-never-dies-1997
1.19 The World Is Not Enough (1999) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-world-is-not-enough-1999
1.20 Die Another Day (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/die-another-day-2002
1.21 Casino Royale (2006) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-2006
1.22 Quantum of Solace (2008) https://trakt.tv/movies/quantum-of-solace-2008
1.23 Skyfall (2012) https://trakt.tv/movies/skyfall-2012
1.24 Spectre (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/spectre-2015
1.25 No Time to Die (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/no-time-to-die-2021
2 Non-Eon films
2.1 Casino Royale (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-1967
2.2 Never Say Never Again (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/never-say-never-again-1983
Last of Timothy Dalton, here in revenge against a drug lord. They do something different, but I like it less than the previous one, although it is still fine
his one feels like a really unique entry in the James Bond franchise. I really like how they tried something different here, in it being more a tale of James Bond seeking vengeance for his best friend Felix's shark ordeal than your typical Bond spy adventure. I mean, in this one he resigns from MI6 AND his resignation sticks. Even when Connery's Bond tried to resign, it was reversed mere moments later.
By setting Bond as a loner away from MI6, it really gives this movie its own unique identity, and allows it to stand out from the rest.
I'm not a fan of the Bond girl Pam Bouvier though. She's a bit bland, doesn't really do much and at times comes across as pretty annoying. At one point she even asks Bond if he's alright when he's about to be shredded to death and James Bond literally has to tell her to turn off the machine before it kills him!
I mean, what the hell is wrong with that woman? Is she stupid?
When personal loyalties conflict with his MI6 limitations, Bond turns in his credentials and goes rogue to smoke out a fugitive drug lord. Continuing the darker trend established in Timothy Dalton's first turn, 1987's The Living Daylights, this entry borrows several recurring themes from the then-tapering 1980s action boom. Our cocaine kingpin is lifted straight from the set of Scarface, reckless and bloodthirsty but insulated behind a wall of cash, and the revenge fantasy that motivates all the fireworks is, typically, pretty shallow. Not nearly as shallow as the pool of actors, mind you; a good sixty-percent of the cast must've been chosen for their pin-up potential alone.
The action scenes fare well, especially the climactic eighteen-wheeler chase along winding, mountainous roads, but those often feel like easy distractions while more substantial pots boil unwatched in another room. The premise of an outlaw 007, dodging cronies and his own jilted former handlers alike, seems ripe with fresh potential. Shame it's never exploited for more than an odd sniper scene at the Hemingway House, then mindlessly hand-waved off after the bad guy's dealt with.
Licence to Kill has moments, but too often it feels like it's straining to be something it's not. Are those growing pains, as the franchise storms into its fourth decade, or desperate attempts to keep up with the times?
It's nice to see a different type of story but its still not that good. I do like Timothy Dalton and I wish I could of seen more of him.
It was a short run for Timothy Dalton, this is only his second film and he’s already done with the Bond role.
Licence to Kill actually marks the end of a lot of people’s involvement with the franchise. It’s the last time we see Robert Brown as M, Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny, Maurice Binder’s title design, Richard Maibaum’s writing, John Grover’s editing and Alec Mills’ cinematography. It’s also the final film to be directed by John Glen, who ends his run of five in a row. This doesn’t sound like much but we have now sat through sixteen films; these names have become a familiar sight in the credits (Binder in particular, who designed almost every title sequence).
In this episode, Bond’s CIA ally Felix Leiter is maimed by drug lord Franz Sanchez, who also murders Leiter’s wife shortly after their wedding. This angers Bond who sets out to seek revenge. MI6 instead send him on a mission to Turkey but he refuses the job and gets fired by M.
Adventures ensue and Bond uncovers a dastardly plot to smuggle cocaine.
Following the success of The Living Daylights it’s easy to understand why the producers were keen to continue with the new-found gritty realism here in Licence to Kill. This time things go to an extreme, as Bond goes on a personal vendetta to avenge his friend.
He abandons MI6 (although Q lends an unauthorised hand from time to time) to pursue his personal mission and the result is a fantastic first 60 minutes to a film. It’s gloomy and has an odd tone for the franchise but it’s eye-opening and exciting.
Then things get incredibly boring as we soon realise that this film is going to go the way of all the others. Bond uncovers a ludicrous plan where a villain tries to smuggle cocaine by dissolving it in fuel and shipping it in petrol tankers. Cue a huge shoot-out, a fire in a laboratory etc etc.
All that drama and suspense is replaced by tired old action and a predictable outcome. It’s a shame, and is yet another Bond film that wastes a great set-up.
Dalton seems to be having a harder time trying to make an impression. Initially we buy into his raw anger at Felix’s woes, but as the film wears on it seems to go by the wayside. The script doesn’t give him much room to breathe and he comes over as sullen, perhaps even slightly wooden. Another shame, since he’s proven himself more than capable in the last film.
He’s not the only one to lose out. Carey Lowell plays Pam Bouvier, an ex-army pilot who teams up with Bond to assist him in his quest. She gets given very little to do, although arguably makes more out of it that Dalton. Robert Davi plays the drug baron and makes the part interesting enough before things spin out of control.
Licence to Kill is another great idea turned into an unremarkable motion picture. Yet again we have an entry into the Bond catalogue doomed to be forgotten.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/08/09/licencetokill/
So much better than the 1st Dalton movie. It features a good story, although a rather special one: Bond is a rogue agent and there are 2 Bond Girls.
Pretty good movie. I don't care for Timothy Dalton as Bond (did anyone? He just lacks the style) and the physics were laughable, but a mostly enjoyable '80s action flick.
Shout by FrodeBlockedParent2021-05-15T20:28:40Z
One of my favorite Bond movies: Great stunts, good no nonsense story, cool Bond and the most beautiful women. SO underrated.