License To Kill Review

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Released: 1989

License To Kill was the second – and final - James Bond film to star Timothy Dalton as the British super-spy. It is also one of the most underrated entries in the long-running series, most likely because it portrayed a much darker James Bond than fans were accustomed to.

Ironically, while many Bond film fans criticized Dalton as not being "Bond enough," his portrayal was actually the closest to original creator Ian Fleming's vision than any previous Bond actor before him. Find out what happens when a determined Bond sets out to kill one of the world's most ruthless drug kingpins in our Feature Attraction.

As License To Kill opens we witness James Bond (Timothy Dalton) assisting his longtime American friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison) in capturing a notorious Columbian druglord: Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi). Technically James is to hold an observatory role during the operation since he's only visiting America to attend his friend's soon-to-be wedding, but as with most such situations the British spy finds himself diving right into the action.

Although Sanchez is captured, he escapes while on-route to a federal prison. None cross Sanchez and live to tell about it, so he sends his henchmen to brutally torture Felix and murder his new wife. After allowing a shark to appease his appetite with some of Felix's limbs, Sanchez returns Felix to his home and leaves him for dead.

Bond stumbles across the horrific scene and instantly vows to get revenge for his old friend by hunting down and killing Sanchez. It won't be an easy feat though, because Sanchez is an immensely powerful man with a private army of henchmen protecting him. In addition he left the U.S. after taking care of Felix to return to his home country of Columbia.

As if the odds were not already bad enough, Bond must also get through two of Sanchez's elite bosses, Milton Krest (Anthony Zerbe), a shifty American businessman, and Dario (Benicio Del Toro), an ex-Contra hitman that now works for Sanchez.

Luckily Bond isn't without help entirely, for he does cross paths with the beautiful Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), a feisty American agent that is also on Sanchez's trail. Together the two of them fly to Colombia, infiltrate Sanchez's organization and put a stop to him once and for all.

As mentioned in the introduction, this isn't the same Bond as was played by Roger Moore. While Bond does have some technological gadgets at his disposal, this film lays out a more authentic depiction of Fleming's original works. The action isn't quite as ludicrous as some of the previous and future Bond films, and there's no camp in Dalton's performance. He still has a roguish charm and enjoys the ladies, but here he also possesses a ruthless intensity that viewers were not used to with previous films.

Davi was a perfect choice for Bond's nemesis, and is also much more down-to-earth than most of Bond's other past villains. Davi isn't trying to conquer the world… he's not trying to rule countries… he doesn't hold nuclear weapon ambitions… he's just an evil drug tycoon that happened to make the mistake of killing Bond's best friend. The believability of his role prevents the movie from becoming campy and makes for a more intense viewing experience.

It's too bad that this film bombed so badly at the box office, because Dalton was a fantastic James Bond that really deserved more than just two times in the saddle. I think all Bond fans should check out License To Kill, particularly if they prefer Fleming's original vision of the role. But don't think you need to be a Bond fanatic to get into this film, because at its core it's an action-packed revenge flick that any film fan can enjoy.

Movie rating: 8 stars

If you enjoyed License to Kill you may also find the following films to be of interest:

• The Living Daylights
• Tango and Cash
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Enjoy the License to Kill experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD

Poster License to Kill Buy this Mini Poster at AllPosters.com

Other Resources:

• License to Kill IMDb Page

Movie Sitemap

• Action/Adventure
• Animation
• Comedy
• Drama
• Fantasy
• Horror
• Sci-Fi