Licence to Kill

Starring: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, David Hedison, Wayne Newton, Benicio Del Toro, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown
Directed by: John Glen
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
1989

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a close friend (David Hedison) is brutally attacked by a drug lord (Robert Davi), James Bond (Timothy Dalton) resigns from the service and begins a frantic hunt for revenge.

Review:

Tim: I am not one of those people who dislike Timothy Dalton as James Bond. I don't believe Dalton is as good as Sean Connery or Roger Moore (early films, anyway), but I think he brings quite a bit to the character. Dalton's Bond is a darker, harder type. Gone are the lighthearted quips (mostly), as Dalton simmers and frowns as he searches for revenge. I like that Dalton brings this character closer to the Bond of the novels, even if many others do not.

While I like Dalton and the work he does here, this is still not my favorite Bond movie. I think this is on par with The Living Daylights, although it certainly could have been better. There are some very good things in this film. The script is interesting and a bit different- Bond isn't working for the Queen or England, but simply out to revenge the attack and murder of his friends. This is interesting and certainly makes for a different film. We also have some very spectacular action sequences. The underwater scuba fight scenes are pretty terrific. I love Bond waterskiing after the plane as well. The truck scenes are exciting as well (minus the absurd truck maneuvers, which are basically impossible and detract from the film).

However, there are some downsides as well. While different, the movie occasionally doesn't feel like a James Bond movie. I'm not complaining too much about this, but there were a few moments when I longed for a bit more conventional story. I also have to mention that at 133 minutes, this film felt a bit too long. There were a number of points when the movie dragged a bit. I would have liked to see this movie clock in at less than 2 hours. It was a bit of work to get through this film.

The cast is pretty good. I like Timothy Dalton as Bond, although I don't love him, either. I think he does a good job, and I'll keep my complaints to a minimum. He works in these films, and I occasionally wonder how much better he could have gotten had he been given 5 or 6 films to develop his performance like Connery or Moore. With only two films, we can appreciate his effort, but wonder "What if?"

Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto make pretty good Bond girls. They added different things to the film, and I liked them both. I thought Robert Davi made an excellent villain. He isn't as instantly memorable as some Bond villains, but he is a very realistic villain, which has not always been the case in these films. I appreciated the realism and Davi playing him like a real human being, not a caricature. It was also good to see Benicio Del Toro in an early role. I wasn't a big fan of Wayne Newton's presence in the film, but I don't have too many complaints about him.

I believe many of the elements to make a terrific Bond film were present here. I thought that this was an enjoyable, action filled adventure that managed to entertain me pretty well. I do wish the film had been cut down a little bit and streamlined a bit more. Still, Dalton's second and last turn as Bond is a solid film, and I enjoyed it. The Bond franchise is capable of much more, but this film got the job done.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Living Daylights, Goldeneye, A View to a Kill