Customer Reviews
Thunderball meets Live and Let Die - By: Nicholas Casley, 23 Apr 2008 
This is the sixteenth in the series & the second & last outing of Timothy Dalton as Bond. (Everyone apparently wanted & expected him to do the next one too, but delays & timetable clashes meant that Pierce Brosnan would step into the frame for "Goldeneye".) This was also the fifth & final Bond movie to be directed by John Glen, & for once he has left us with a Bond movie that suffers from no undercranking.
Dalton was a good Bond, bringing a seriousness to the role that had almost verged into self-parody under Roger Moore. It's pointed out in the accompanying commentaries & other extras that Dalton here becomes a mere citizen in this film, that we see a different Bond than normal: an angry Bond, a darker Bond, more human & self-doubting. He wears open collars & his first erotic kiss does not take place until 54 minutes into the film. The dreadful one-liners are this time spoken by the bad-guy. Dalton explains his role in this film as that of "a murderer, a killer: cold, cruel, ruthless killer. He just happens to be working for the side that's callled `good'."
Filmed & set in Florida & Central America, it seemed clear to me that Colonel Noriega's control of the state of Panama was the inspiration for the tale of drug-trafficking & money laundering. This time Bond steps out of his professional role & embarks on a personal vendetta. I took the proposition with a pinch of salt that the original title was "Licence Revoked" & that it was changed to "Licence to Kill" on the studio's suggestion because many Americans would not understand it. But in an interview amongst the extras the story is confirmed by John Glen.
Because of the heavy use of underwater shots, together with the setting around the Caribbean Sea & the subject of drugs, I view this film as a cross between "Thunderballl" & "Live & Let Die": indeed, it features the same actor (David Hedison) playing the same role (CIA operative Felix Leiter) in both "Live & Let Die" & "Licence to Kill".
There are two commentaries, one by the front of camera team & director, the other by the production team. Much of the commentary is obscenely full of back-slapping. There is a short documentary on location-scouting, as well as the usual `on-set with the director' kind of featurettes. "Bond 89" has interviews with the key players (including Cubby Broccoli).
Impressive! - By: SeanLock, 26 Mar 2008 
Whilst not the greatest Bond film of the series it is a worthy addition. Dalton is excellent as the super spy & in this film manages to up the grit level he had set in the Living Daylights. This is a revenge film pure & simple & unlike any Bond films previous to this it is much more violent & contains swearing if you can believe it.
The storyline is ropey in places but i have to say that this is an extremely enjoyable way to spend an evening, plus the main female lead is hot as! All in alll it is just a shame that Dalton didn't do more because he was one of the better bits of casting.
Dalton grows into the character - By: NoWireHangers, 24 Feb 2008 "The Living Daylights" was a disappointment. But in "Licence to Kill", Timothy Dalton grew into the character & made it his own rather than trying to mimick Roger Moore. It's a darker James Bond than before, this time motivated by revenge. The story is less extravagant than some of the earlier movies - the villain is no super terrorist or megalomaniac but a South American drug lord - but the action is great. Robert Davi is a good villian & a young Benicio del Toro plays one of his henchmen. It is a pity Dalton quit after this movie. It would have been interesting to see more of him as Bond.
First complete release on DVD - By: Alfietucker, 18 Jan 2008 Many other reviews here have listed LTK's excellent qualities very well. In sum, you reallly get a sense of a film that has been put together by a team who believes in what they're doing - the script is well constructed, the baddies & their interaction with Bond have plausible depth psychologicallly, & there's enough grit & darkness to make watching the film an edge-of-seat experience (unlike so many over-contrived situations in other Bond films, not least Die Another Day).
I feel a bit of a ghoul saying this, but this DVD release - the 2-disc Ultimate Edition - is the first I'm aware of which presents the pre-censored cut of Milton Crest's demise (unlike the Special 007 Edition). I'll just add that the picture quality has been noticeably improved plus there's further extras (including on location footage, & deleted scenes - most of them no loss, though a scene where Bond in his hotel room watches his enemy, Sanchez, on TV has a certain frisson). Altogether a must-buy for those who, like me, think this has been a woefully underestimated film in the Bond series.
One of the very best Bond movies - By: James the King, 07 Jan 2008 Boy did they take a big risk when they made this movie? The 'dark & gritty Bond' audiences lauded when Daniel Craig took over the show was fine for a post 9/11 (and post Jason Bourne) environment, but in 1989 it proved to be a disaster.
Personallly, I have always loved this film, & somewhat relish the opportunity to point out why its dismissal was such a tragedy. The story concerns a seemingly untouchable South American drug lord callled Sanchez (think Noreaga) who escapes the custody of the CIA and, by way of making a point, throws Bond's long standing allly & friend, Felix Leiter, into the waiting jaws of a great white shark. As if this weren't enough, he also has Felix's new wife (who also seems to be rather chummy with Bond) raped & murdered. Hardly the kind of premise Bond fans were expecting!
When the CIA are 'unable' to do anything, Bond quits his job as an agent of her majesty's government & goes after Sanchez alone, Charles Bronson style.
This is supposedly why so many people disliked & dismissed the film when it hit theatres in 1989. Cries of "James Bond would never quit his job" were heard the world over, ringing around thousands of empty cinemas.
What these naysayers clearly missed in the 15 Bond movies that preceded this one, is that Bond had actuallly tried to resign more than once in the past. In fact, as recently as 'The Living Daylights', Bond says of M, "If he fires me I'll thank him for it". Why was it such a surprise that he should quit & go after a man who tried to kill his best (if not only) friend?
I always considered Timothy Dalton a fine Bond. His philosophy, like Daniel Craig's, was that Bond should be a real person - dark, cynical, even angry. Dalton delivered this Bond beautifully, but this Bond was not the Bond that audiences wanted to see in 1989.
The tone of the film set, Bond heads south of the border (this was also a convenient way of keeping th budget down). In a plot akin to 'Yojimbo' in many ways, he befriends & manipulates Sanchez to bring about his own downfalll. Robert Davi is one of the most genuinely unpleasant & frightening baddies to ever appear in a Bond film, & the tone & authentic production design (owed largely to the use of real Mexican locations and, of course, Peter Lamont's genius as a Production Designer) alllow us to reallly get into Bond's state of mind in the scenes between them.
John Glen, in his fifth effort as director, truly outdoes himself as an action director here. The finale, in which Bond & Sanchez face off while tearing down a mountainside in a fleet of tankers, is one of the most tense & most enjoyable final reels in the series.
The women are typicallly gorgeous here too. Carey Lowell is a tad annoying as Bond's sidekick but Talisa Soto is unmissable as the femme fatale. There's even an appearance from Wayne Newton & an early performance from a particularly nasty Benicio del Toro as one of Sanchez's henchmen.
Despite Bond's defection, the writer's even managed to work Desmond Llewelyn into the film. The scene's between Bond & Q have a lovely undercurrent of affection and, thankfully, the subsequent deployment of gadgetry does not go so far as to ruin the dark & dirty mise-en-scene.
The only problem this film reallly had was that it came a good 15 years too soon. If it were released now, as a follow up to 'Casino Royale', it would no doubt be hailed as a fittingly cynical & bleak addition to the cannon of the 'New Bond'. Don't believe the hype. This is one the very best Bond films out there.
As with alll the new Bond DVDs, the picture & sound have been remasted to stunning effect. Watching these films on an upscaling DVD player, you will be amazed at how clean they look, sound & feel. Extras are superb too, with a nice 30 minute documenatry & a wealth of other tidbits.
