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 A darker take on the James Bond character was first touched upon in The Living Daylights, and it's been amplified tenfold in 1989's Licence to Kill. There are no colorful villains or grandiose plots for world domination in this film's world. Starring Timothy Dalton as Bond, and also Robert Davi and Talisa Soto, Licence to Kill is as dark and gritty as it gets, presenting fans of 007 with a more hard-nosed depiction of the character than they'd ever experienced before -- and after seeing the goofy direction the Roger Moore films took, this approach is just what the doctor ordered.
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Robert Davi
After aiding in the daring capture of ruthless drug lord Franz Sanchez (Davi), Bond is all set for a long-awaited breather from being a man of action. He even serves as best man at the wedding of best friend/CIA colleague Felix Leiter (David Hedison), although the celebration is unfortunately short-lived. Sanchez is soon freed from police custody and, in no time at all, seeks out revenge against Leiter, leaving him near death and doing in his beloved bride.
Left shaken and enraged by Sanchez's actions, Bond ventures out on a one-man mission. His license to kill having been revoked by his superiors, he still plans to take the kingpin down and extract his own pound of flesh. Assisted in his quest by an attractive informant (Carey Lowell) and Sanchez's own gal pal (Soto), Bond sets
Carey Lowell
about infiltrating the fiend's inner circle. To avoid being found out and also to elude those in Her Majesty's employ assigned to bring the rogue agent in from the cold, he stays one step ahead of them.
It's easy to see why Licence to Kill wasn't a terribly successful film. After years of villains with such gonzo schemes as using diamond-fueled lasers and irradiating all of Fort Knox's gold deposits, it wasn't as fun to see Bond take on some random drug lord. This time the focus is more on developing Bond as a character, instead of just setting him loose on his umpteenth adventure. It's all about exploring Bond's dark side here, moving away from 007 fighting for queen and country and seeing what happens when he's on a mission of personal importance.
The results are stirring, as Licence to Kill gets as rough as a PG-13 rating will allow, coming across as the most violent chapter of Bond's saga yet. Such a choice in style likely came as a result of the success of the more cynical action films of the day, which clashes with those sections of the film that try remaining true to Bond's stylish roots. But with Bond feeding villains to sharks and flesh-eating maggots, long-time franchise director John Glen does an effective job of executing the character's transition from a man of dashing derring-do to a Dirty Harry-style anti-hero, sidestepping ethics and red tape to do what he knows is right (not to mention making the whole process interesting).
Still, Licence to Kill is an all-around well-done action flick. I'll admit that after the horribly-dated opening credits sequence and even more forgettable title song. I was wary at first. But the film quickly assuaged my fears with some of the most hard-hitting action sequences of the franchise. After teasing viewers with bits like Sanchez's capture and Bond's escape from a baddie's boat, the flick goes all-out for the climactic sequence, in which Bond's attempts to stop a convoy of trucks loaded with drugs come across with explosive results.
Few people dug Timothy Dalton's turn at the James Bond wheel, but you can't deny that the man brought a certain edginess to the character. Though it was only the second, and last, time he filled 007's shoes,
Timothy Dalton
Dalton (The Lion in Winter) still did an admirable job of handling both the character's newfound maturity and duties as an action hero. Even the Bond Girls are given a boost beyond serving as mere sex symbols; Lowell (Sleepless in Seattle) was a little flat, but her character gets to save Bond's skin on many an occasion, and the gorgeous Soto gets to grace the screen with both her looks and a not-bad performance to boot.
Davi (Predator 2) is also rather impressive as the primary villain. Not so concerned with gnashing on the scenery like it was filet mignon, he brings both subtle and sinister qualities to this role, creating an intriguing bad guy who's as likely to take you out for burgers as he is to break your neck.
Licence to Kill did first what 2006's Casino Royale has since done: forced Bond to get with the times and sort of grow up in the face of a new wave of action cinema. The abandoning of the series' more cheesy but endearing elements might rub fans the wrong way, but if you're in the mood for an action flick with bite, then you can bet on Licence to Kill to give you just what you want.
Director: John Glen
Writers: Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum
Cast: Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, Carey Lowell, Anthony Zerbe, Benicio Del Toro, David Hedison, Wayne Newton
Rating: PG-13 (violence)
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Run Time: 133 minutes
Studio: United Artists
Format: Color, widescreen
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