007: Con licencia para matar

The worst-performing movie in the Bond movie in terms of grosses, it probably failed because it wasn't really a Bond at all. True, it is the character Fleming created, and Q is in there, but this extremely violent thriller with its strong female characterisation (Carey Lowell, perhaps the only Bond girl with `balls') is not a neat fit with the others.

The only one of the franchise created especially with star Timothy Dalton in mind (perhaps the sexiest Bond of them all?) it is a tale of loyalty, drug cartels, sharks, and 007 losing his licence and setting off as a vigilante. Lowell plays agent Pam Bouvier, who shines in a bar fight and gives 007 as good as he gets. And boy, do these two have chemistry together!

The only problem with this movie is that it gets so truncated on its TV showings that it loses a lot of its point (and in the worst edit I saw, its sense). There is perhaps too much going on - the abused Latino bimbo, the crooked evangelist, the Japanese businessmen touring the factory, the casino …

Not at all as bad as many commentators at the time and since have suggested. What a pity the series stagnated after this before its big budget Pierce Bronson revival. Dalton should have had the chance to show us more of the character he portrays in `Licence to Kill'. And what a great theme tune from Gladys Knight.

The Bond film series has been with us since the early sixties and for a character to stand the test of time, there requires a certain reinvention and reinvigoration for it to maintain longevity. Opinions are subjective as we all know, so make of this what you will.

'Licence to Kill' is one of the top five best Bond movies of all time along with it's powerhouse theme song. Up until this particular picture, we were introduced to Sean Connery's unique suave, set against an array of exotic backdrops and a strong supporting cast. George Lazenby, although criticised for being boring, offered us some great action sequences in his short time as the British spy. A sophisticated edge that was overpowered by it's comical tone throughout his run, Roger Moore took the reins during the 70's and early 80's. Then in 1987, Welsh actor Timothy Dalton donned the role of 007.

With 'The Living Daylights' establishing Dalton as James Bond, we were given fair warning on the tonal shift. Given this was the 80's, where a number of films were heavily inclusive of hard 'R' violence - 'Licence to Kill' adapted and not only brought us a visceral Bond film, but as many film historians have cited, one of the, if not the closest portrayals of Ian's Flemming's character.

For those giving current Bond actor, Daniel Craig the credit (or hate in some cases) for a cold and stoic interpretation of the character, I suggest you watch the Timothy Dalton Bond films, because this is where it started.

In 'Licence to Kill', Bond is essentially a one many army taking on a South American cocaine czar. This is a James Bond that up until this point was never seen like this on screen before. His best friends are maimed, he's stripped of his rank, his government and as it relates to the title - his licence to kill is revoked. He is left with almost nothing aside from his skills and weapons expert, Q.

Dalton plays Bond as a wounded wolf with a sensitivity and vulnerability visible in his eyes and the way he emotes. As opposed to his predecessors, Dalton plays the character with an introspective approach, where you can feel the torment and tension bubbling inside. Even when he smiles, there is pain, reminding us of what he has endured as a human being.

Bond's antagonist is played by Robert Davi - another underrated performer known mostly for his roles as a villain. He plays a drug king with a code, where loyalty seems to matter more than the money. We are immediately set with these two huge characters on a road to collision; the dark angel's raid on the reaper that claimed the lives and elements that held Bond together.

The whole film is non-stop and that also reflects the carnage and violence. The climactic chase is one of the best with the inclusion of trucks, jeeps and a plane against a beautiful Mexican mountain view.

As a huge proponent for Timothy Dalton's Bond, I advise any fans of the series to watch or re- watch his incarnations. Hopefully an appreciation will come about for how truly great and underrated he was.

Timothy Dalton only played Bond twice, but he tried to base his interpretation of the character on the descriptions provided by Ian Fleming in the original novels. Therefore, his Bond is quite ruthless and embittered, and always ready to stick two fingers up at the establishment if he feels they've got it wrong.

Bond is vacationing in Florida, acting as best-man at his friend Felix Leiter's wedding, when the unthinkable happens. Leiter and his wife are assaulted by some Central American thugs; the wife is murdered and Leiter is crippled by sharks. Bond is obviously deeply unhappy about this, but his bosses instruct him to let the matter drop and get on with another assignment. 007 knows who is responsible for the injuries to his friend, so he revokes his licence to kill and becomes a rogue agent, tracking down the villainous drug lord Sanchez (Robert Davi) to his Latin America headquarters. Here, aided by Sanchez's unfaithful mistress Lupe (Talisa Soto) and CIA agent Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), Bond attempts to wipe out their enormous clandestine drug operation single-handedly.

There's definitely an uneasy, hard edge to the film which makes it unique among the Bond series. Whether or not this improves the film depends on your personal taste: if you like safe, humorous Roger Moore escapades, you'll probably find this too jarring, whereas if you prefer espionage stories with a bit of grit and sweat, this may be just what you're after. The action sequences are still outrageous in the tried-and-trusted Bond style, with memorable episodes featuring a daring helicopter .vs. airplane pursuit; a barefoot water-skiing sequence; and a truck chase down the side of a mountain. Some of the language, though not out-and-out "foul", is a bit stronger and more believable than in other Bond entries. The theme tune from Gladys Knight and the Pips is one of the better 007-tracks.

Licence to Kill is a new twist on the Bond theme. It isn't the best, and some of its new ideas don't fit with the usual routine (which may or may not be a good thing), but it is certainly interesting.

Sure, it's not the best 007 film, and Dalton is not the best Bond (that would be Brosnan or Connery, leaning toward Connery for the better films), but the idea that anyone would be appalled by the violence in this movie is, err, appalling. Did people forget that in DR. NO Connery plugs six bullets into Prof. Dent? Or breaks the neck of No's security guard on the island? Or that Quarrel is graphically roasted alive by the dragon? In FRWL, people are strangled and stabbed and beaten and shot throughout the entire movie! Had no one actually read Fleming's LIVE AND LET DIE novel? Bond is a Secret Agent with a Licence To Kill, hence the title of this movie! At the time, I was very impressed with this movie, and still find it enjoyable to watch though it hasn't aged well. The dialog is rough at times and so is some of the acting, though it had the best cast in a 007 film in dog's years! The costuming is a joke, the drug story shop-worn, and 007's 'resignation' scene, what should have been the first truly dramatic moment of the entire movie, is treated as though the movie starred Steven Segal! Also, in a series where music plays an integral part, this movie just didn't come through. Knight's title theme has a rousing under-rhythm, but overall it's just a modern 'Thunderball', and Kamen's non-score makes me feel like I'm watching a 'Lethal Weapon' movie. When it ends and the most memorable music in the film is the Mex-mariachi music from the trucks' speakers, you know the music director f'd up big time! How come that wasn't on the soundtrack? Heh-he.

Still there are plenty high points thanks to the EON team: David Hedison as the best Felix Lieter ever, Carey Lowell as the best Bond Girl since Melina Havelock, Q's extended presence, the camera-gun, the Hong Kong narcotics plot twist, and the credible action stunts (007 overtaking the drug money plane is breathless from the moment he harpoon's one of Sanchez' men, pun intended)! Seeing James Bond actually get hurt at the end of the movie was a real stunner though! In the end, it's not great Bondage, but it's an overlooked cut above much of it's competition.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently.

(Frank McRae - who played 'Sharkey' in this movie died on 29th April, few days before i revisited this film. May his soul rest in peace).

This is the sixteenth in the Bond series and the second (and last) to star Timothy Dalton as James Bond.

This time Bond gets suspended from MI6 for pursuing drugs lord Franz Sanchez for personal vendetta.

A furious Bond immediately sets out to hunt and kill those involved in his friends' torture and mutilation.

Apart from Sanchez, Bond has to deal with a ruthless and psychotic killer n rapist, Dario (Benicio del Toro's second movie role).

Bond also deals with Ed Killifer, a double agent n lots of Sanchez's henchmen.

This time Bond gets to cool off with Talisa Soto and Carey Lowell. (Even i wud have left Talisa Soto for the short hair Carey Lowell).

This movie has lots of action towards the end n it is violent n a bit dark.

For the first time there is a rape scene implied n thankfully its an offscreen one.

A man gets maimed by a tiger shark, a man is trapped in a decompression chamber and his oxygen cord is cut off resulting in an explosion of his face (comedic one), a man gets chopped in a giant shredder and a man is set on fire alive.

Some info about Dario : he was kicked out of the Nicaraguan Contras for his brutality and found his way into Sanchez's drug cartel as his youngest chief enforcer.