Movie Notes: License To Kill
January 28th, 2007
= 3 stars
Starring Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell
Directed by John Glen
Timothy Dalton (James Bond)
Carey Lowell (Pam Bouvier)
Talisa Soto (Lupe Lamora)
Note: There a slight discrepancy of the spelling between of the word License and Licence – I guess from the American and British usage of the word.
This Bond movie is more than a bit off; I don’t know how else to put it. While I appreciate the attempt at a more realistic, serious Bond, there’s a fair amount slightly too unique about it, the result being that I didn’t really “get” it, or enjoy it all that much. Gosh, I’m hard to please, but I suppose it’s understandable after watching about twelve James Bond movies in succession.
First off, Timothy Dalton creates a more serious, actorly Bond, resembling a sinister Sean Connery, one quite opposite the Roger Moore take. Some odd trivia: Dalton was asked to play Bond as early as Her Majesty’s Secret Service in the sixties, and also again for Octopussy. He didn’t take the role until The Living Daylights in 1987. So License To Kill would be the second time Dalton played bond, and unfortunately the last, as Pierce Brosnan took over in Goldeneye. He strove to create a flawed Bond, more similar to the Ian Fleming novels, and largely succeeds – but sadly, the plot isn’t there to support him.
Bond’s good American friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison) (a character from Live and Let Die and even the earlier Sean Connery films), just married, is bitten in half by a shark at the hands of some evil drug smugglers led by Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) who murder Leiter’s new wife. An angry Bond vows to avenge his old friend, refusing to take a mission to Turkey, which angers M.
Bond submits his resignation from the spy game, hence becoming a lone vigilante hunting down Sanchez. He’s even referred to as a “loose cannon” at one point by some disgruntled British agents. Eventually Bond teams up with Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), an American CIA pilot, and Q secretly lends a hand. From here, things play out in typical Bond fashion with infiltration into Sanchez’s luxurious compound, a seduction of his mistress Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto), and an explosive climax of gasoline trucks and a road chase.
I did take a liking to the rather daffy female agent sidekick Pam Bouvier, who tries stumblingly to emulate Bond, providing some needed comic relief.
The opening scene of Felix’s wedding and Bond’s resignation are reminiscent of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, while the mostly silent, skinny nemesis and an awkward female agent reminded me of The Man With The Golden Gun.
But most of this film is about differences. The motivation of revenge leads to an angrier, more determined Bond. The use of Felix is a noble attempt to provide a continuity to the Bond films where often it’s sorely lacking.
However, other alterations to stock Bond aren’t as welcome. The lack of a world dominating mastermind or a nefarious, somewhat looney plot to repopulate the globe – just drug smuggling and a lot of money flitting about – is sorely missed. Also noticeably absent is humor. While in some Roger Moore films like The Man With The Golden Gun it got over the top, in License to Kill it’s all gruesome kills. I don’t think I can recall a single one-liner, which leaves me at a loss for words.
So while this feels like an improved Bond in some places, the differences outweigh its good points, and unfortunately this film ends up more like an average thriller or action film. It left me feeling shaken, not stirred.
IMDB: License To Kill
Wikipedia: License To Kill
Next Bond Movie: Goldeneye
Previous Bond Movie: The Living Daylights
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Posted In: 3 Star Movies, James Bond, Movies 3 stars, Carey Lowell, John Glen, Robert Davi, Timothy Dalton
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[...] the word License and Licence – I guess from the American and British useage of the word source: Movie Notes: License To Kill, Webomatica – tech, movies, music [...]
In which the Bond franchise plays ‘Miami Vice’ and loses almost everything. Timothy Dalton sorely lacked the charm, sophistication and campy comic edge needed for the James Bond character, and saddled with a patchy script and indifferent direction, ‘Licence To Kill’ emerges as one of the worst movies in the canon. The villains walk away with all the credit. Robert Davi and Benicio Del Toro really are sinister (gangling, psycho Del Toro could easily have been another Red Grant figure), but utterly wasted in a ‘Bond movie’ which sought to emulate a TV show (unfortunately not to the point of utilising ‘Miami Vice’s revolutionary music video-influenced direction). Even Wayne Newton’s well-realised serio-comic ‘evangelist’ could have used more screen time, if only to inject much-needed comic relief. James Bond may be working as a loose cannon for the sake of his own revenge, and Sanchez may be mixed up in Central American politics, but ultimately it’s a sordid little cops-and-robbers story. James Bond as a vice cop? Frankly, as a premise that’s a little underwhelming. The incompetently staged nightclub fight scene was straight out of the 1967 ‘Casino Royale’ and, along with the poor story-flow and lack of suspense, represents five-time Bond director John Glen’s franchise nadir. Hard to believe the same guy had once directed a taut thriller like ‘For Your Eyes Only’. The two Bond Girls were unengaging (except when Carey Lowell is all dolled up for the nightclub scenes, when she suddenly becomes a convincing character), and the final ‘big rigs’ truck stunt sequence is fine, but worked better in its original setting of ‘Mad Max 2′. Last Bond movie for six years, and not hard to see why. Nice opening theme, though.
“Licence to kill” from 1989 is a combination of “Miami Vice” and James Bond (in the series of “Miami Vice”, the episodes “Freefall” and “French Twist” also combined elements of both these franchises as well) also with some “Indiana Jones” elements. Gone are the nuclear war and world domination threats and in place is a plot of revenge on the drug baron who has maimed Bond’s best friend for life (quite a similar plot to the 1984 “Miami Vice” pilot). Sanchez was straight out of “Miami Vice” as a bad guy (and not Bond). Although a sideline, the Jimmy Swaggart-type preacher scene in this film was also dealt with in an episode of “Miami Vice” (“Send money .. Amen”).
Dalton portrayed Bond (Sonny Crockett?) very well (I guess if this had been a Roger Moore Bond, the “Miami Vice” theme music would be included!). Overall, a good film but think “Miami Vice” and not Bond (Colin Farrell ended up doing the big screen version of “Miami Vice” officially but this can be seen as a dry run). This is not the first Bond to “borrow” from popular series or films, though. “Live and let die” was pure “Shaft” and “Moonraker” was more or less “Star wars”. Dalton’s previous Bond was more or less “Rambo” while “The world is not enough” even was influenced by “Titanic”!!
Please help! I’m trying to find the name of the female movie start who played in a James Bond movie, but she was actually a man. Do you know who this was? Please send back an answer to my email addy. Thank you very much, Jeanette
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thanks for the post
That was 1981's For Your Eyes Only and it featured transgendered model Tula AKA Caroline Cossey in the pool scene where Bond first meets Melina Havelock pursuing the Dove Killer Loque. Tula had no speaking lines or real interaction with Bond, like most speculate in rumors.
personally me, I do not like Bond-style movies… the main personage is too much a hero… it's unbelievable, just like a fairy tale… You know sometimes movies must be more realistic not for kids…
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[...] to say, with Casino Royale, these trends have been obliterated. This was attempted before with Licence to Kill, which now in retrospect, didn’t go far [...]
[...] Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which took place in like – minutes, and in Licence To Kill he avenged the death of his longtime American CIA friend Felix Leiter which unfortunately resulted [...]
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