Licence to Kill (1989)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

John Glen

Writers (WGA):

Michael G. Wilson (written by) and
Richard Maibaum (written by) ...

Release Date:

14 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Out for revenge. Glimpse behind the cool facade of 007. And see how sweet revenge can really be. [USA poster]

Plot:

James Bond leaves Her Majesty's Secret Service to stop an evil drug lord and avenge his best friend, Felix Leiter.

Plot Keywords:

Drug | Agent | Drug Lord | CIA | Personal Vendetta

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Timothy Dalton	...	James Bond
Carey Lowell	...	Pam Bouvier
Robert Davi	...	Franz Sanchez
Talisa Soto	...	Lupe Lamora
Anthony Zerbe	...	Milton Krest
Frank McRae	...	Sharkey
David Hedison	...	Felix Leiter
Wayne Newton	...	Professor Joe Butcher
Benicio Del Toro	...	Dario
Anthony Starke	...	Truman-Lodge
Everett McGill	...	Ed Killifer
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	President Hector Lopez (as Pedro Armendariz)
Robert Brown	...	M
Priscilla Barnes	...	Della Churchill

Also Known As:

Bond 16 (UK) (original script title)
Bond XVI (UK) (original script title)
Licence Revoked (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and drug content. (2006 video version)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:16 (re-release) (uncut) | West Germany:16 (video rating) (cut) | Ireland:15 | USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

707 South Street, Key West, Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

The set for the Fox TV show "Paradise Island" (1977) is the same location used for Sanchez' (Robert Davi) house.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Bond's Lincoln Mark VII has a front Florida license plate; that state only has rear plates.

Quotes:

[first lines]
AWACS radar operator: We have a mid-course deviation. Target heading 036, 126 miles, bearing 062, Havana VOR.
Voice of DEA agent: He's landing at Crab Key. Advise Key West Drug Enforcement.
AWACS radar operator: Roger, sir. AWACS to Key West. Key West Drug Enforcement, please come in.
Voice of DEA agent: If they hurry, they just might be able to grab the bastard.

Movie Connections:

Spin off 007: Licence to Kill (1989) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Wedding Party

Dalton's best run in the role

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.