License to Kill (1989)

Directed by: John Glen | 133 minutes | action, adventure, crime, thriller | Actors: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, Anthony Zerbe, Frank McRae, David Hedison, Wayne Newton, Benicio del Toro, Anthony Starke, Everett McGill, Desmond Llewellyn, Robert Brown, Priscilla Brown, Caroline Bliss

For a long time, the films starring James Bond were one of a kind. However, by 1989, by the time of the release of ‘Licence to Kill’, there was quite a bit of competition in the action genre. Other movie heroes such as ‘Batman’ caused an unprecedented decline in the popularity of 007. The public was not in the mood to see the latest adventures of the 25 years on the silver screen Bond. They preferred to watch the latest movies from ‘tougher’ action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. As a result, the film did not bring in much money and that was partly the reason why the next Bond film took no less than six years.

James Bond and his friend Felix Leiter interrupt their journey to Felix’s wedding to arrest drug lord Franz Sanchez. The next day, however, James hears at the airport that Sanchez has escaped. When he arrives at his friend Felix’s house, the young bride is found to have been murdered and Felix is ​​critically injured. Bond resigns from British Secret Service to go after Sanchez personally. He is aided in this by one of Leiter’s undercover agents, the beautiful Pam Bouvier, and by Q, who has taken special leave. James also finds an ally in Sanchez’s girlfriend Lupe Lamora. Bond cleverly casts doubt in Sanchez’s mind about the loyalty of his own people. When it turns out that Sanchez is using a church and television pastor as a cover for his drug network, the battle between Bond and Sanchez is settled with a spectacular chase with several tankers.

‘Licence to Kill’, the final film in which Timothy Dalton takes on the role of James Bond and the sixteenth film in the series, bears little resemblance to its predecessors. Since ‘Dr. No’ 007 hasn’t been so cool and ruthless, and never has the plot been so realistic. For example, the villain doesn’t really suffer from megalomania (which the other villains from the Bond movies usually do); he is ‘just’ an ordinary drug lord. Bond’s mission also has little to do with Her Majesty’s Secret Service. In fact, he is acting in a personal capacity and the British government is trying to prevent him from taking revenge.

The die-hard Bond fans will find ‘Licence to Kill’ too grim. This is partly due to Timothy Dalton who, especially in comparison with his immediate predecessor Roger Moore, approached the role seriously; his 007 is furious and determined to avenge his friend and his wife. There is little time for jokes. In ‘Licence to Kill’, for example, there is little dry humor, which really belongs to James Bond. Dalton’s approach isn’t bad, but he really lacks the charisma of illustrious predecessors like Connery and Moore.

The traditional supporting roles should of course not be missing in a Bond film. Nice is that the role of Desmond Llewellyn, the gadget man Q, is bigger than ever. Alone in MI6, he understands Bond’s revenge and even comes to his aid during his vacation. Robert Davi has the thankless job of playing the villain Sanchez; a drug lord who bears little resemblance to the other – often deranged – bad guys from other films in the Bond series. He is certainly not wrong, but the role offers little challenge. He is assisted in his criminal acts by a very young Benicio del Toro, for whom his role as Dario was a nice stepping stone to a career in Hollywood. Of course, the beautiful ladies are not lacking either; Talisa Soto and Carey Lowell play the Bond girls this time.

Although ‘Licence to Kill’ is filmed tightly and the story is very strong (that’s how James Bond creator Ian Fleming originally intended it), but the film is different compared to its predecessors and therefore not a traditional Bond film. That’s probably why the film captivates you, but doesn’t completely capture it. Now it looks too much like an episode of ‘Miami Vice’. ‘Licence to Kill’ just lacks that ingredient that makes the Bond films different from other action films; the subtle touch of British humor that gives his invincibility just that little bit of extra cachet.