License to Kill (1989)
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License to Kill (1989)
BOND#16: a Personal Vendetta for 007
TIMOTHY DALTON as James Bond 007 in LICENSE TO KILL
starring CAREY LOWELL * ROBERT DAVI as Sanchez * TALISA SOTO as Lupe
ANTHONY ZERBE * BENICIO DEL TORO * FRANK McRAE * WAYNE NEWTON as Joe Butcher
DON STROUD * EVERETT McGILL * DAVID HEDISON as Leiter * PRISCILLA BARNES
DESMOND LLEWELYN as Q * ROBERT BROWN as M * CAROLINE BLISS as Moneypenny
Directed by JOHN GLEN
Leiter is getting married at the start of this one and Bond is his best man; the wedding is delayed briefly when the two agents make it their business to arrest drug lord Sanchez, who had slipped into Florida for some R&R, such as cutting out human hearts. This teaser and then the wedding lend a humanistic tone to the Bond saga, something we'd noted in Dalton's previous effort The Living Daylights, and which we'd only seen briefly back in On Her Majesty's Secret Service a full 20 years earlier.
So, it's not as if we've had time to become accustomed to such a tone - Bond is better known as the invulnerable super-agent, perhaps not laughing in the face of death but at least shrugging it off. But, the kicker is, if we had to pick the one Bond actor to go renegade on us - to have his license revoked and go off on a personal mission of vengeance - it would have to be Dalton (note: the original title of this one was 'License Revoked' - but the fear was that much of the American audience would not understand it or think it had to do with a driver's license). I certainly can't picture Roger Moore in this role; Connery - maybe, and possibly Lazenby. But, Moore? He'd find some way to retain his license to kill and sneak away while 'on leave' or some such thing. Of course, the newest Bond, Daniel Craig, has the same rebellious qualities which we see here, but he didn't show up until almost 20 years after this one and he played a younger, untried version.
This one also marked Dalton's last stab at James Bond after only a duo of films and also features the last versions of M and Moneypenny that we see here. Q would show up in a few more of the Brosnan films; his role is again expanded here (as in Octopussy), having him take an active part in the unauthorized mission, confirming what we'd always suspected - he's the uncle figure to Bond, where-as M is the stern father figure. The scene of Q showing up with his latest bag of gadgets reminds me of an old relative arriving in time for Christmas with a bag of goodies for the kids. This Bonder has a few such nice touches, suggesting family and friendship; there's even mention of Bond's deceased wife. But, the strongest element is friendship - Bond probably doesn't have too many true friends (they tend to die prematurely, for one thing), so when a couple of them are dealt with brutally, he takes personal offense.
This passion Dalton displays, subverted into relentless revenge, works within the confines of this off kilter Bonder; it seemed like a "Die Hard"-type thriller when it was released, Americanized and certainly not Bondish, upsetting many fans at the time of release. The times were a-changing back then, reflecting in the Die Hard-type films and a concentration on ruthless drug-dealing characters, going back to Scarface (1983). However, time has been kind to this one, much like to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and it can be looked upon now as just a different, darker approach among the 20+ Bonders to date - the one where Bond dishes out payback for himself and a friend, not for Queen and Country. There's an escalation of the usual violence - some of the deaths are particularly grisly for a Bonder - including a return to the use of sharks, which seem to pop up in every few Bonders.
You also gotta hand it to actor Davi, who creates a memorable villain as the ruthless, VERY sadistic and, ultimately paranoid Sanchez. In a nod to previous Bond villains, the filmmakers even have a lizard perched on Sanchez' shoulder in one scene, to make sure we understand who we're dealing with. But, Davi manages, by the end, to convey that his killer is not just about the money (in fact, he cares less and less about the bucks as the story proceeds) - he enjoys the thrill of the kill, the passion, if you will, of evil, to counterpoint Bond's drive for cold justice. Therefore, his demise is particularly satisfying and marked the end of the eighties preoccupation with wealth, to boot. The two femme fatales are uneven in their performances; both end up on Bond's side and neither is a good fit for him. Bond would return only six years later in Goldeneye - Dalton would not.
BoG's Bond Scores: Bond:7 Villain:8 Femme Fatales:6 Henchmen:7 Leiter:8 Fights:7 Stunts/Chases:8 Gadgets:5 Auto:5 Locations:5 Pace:8 >>>>>overall: 7
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Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: Semi-Science Fiction Films :: Super Agents - James Bond and his ilk
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