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Licence to Kill (1989). Things Are About To Get Nasty
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2022
- #jamesbond #jamesbond007
Stam Fine Reviews looks at the 1989 Bond adventure, Licence to Kill, Timothy Dalton's second and final outing as James Bond 007. Bond chases down a drug lord, Sanchez. Grittier and less escapist than usual, Licence to Kill is a controversial film. Some like it, Some don't. Some Like It Hot, like Sanchez. Licence is a lesson in revenge, market trends for action films, and transatlantic differences in spelling between the forces of 'Licence' and 'License.'
Also stars Robert Davi, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto, Anthony Zerbe, and Desmond Llewellyn as Q.
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Licence to Kill is still one of my favorite Bond films; I thought Dalton was excellent & wish he could have made at least a couple more entries into the franchise. Pierce Brosnan was an excellent successor, I just wish we could have had a bit more of Dalton...
I’m with you-it would have been marvelous to get a few more Bond movies with Dalton.
I would say Dalton was underrated, but I've seen nothing but glowing praise for him online.
Never liked his Bond, just like Craig he felt more like a dark generic action character
@@pr-tj5byyeah but unlike Craig he wasn’t dark JUST BECAUSE and nothing else. His bond knew how to relax and enjoy himself but not too much like Roger did (exactly how the novel bond was like)
@@mohammedashian8094 He was certainly dark in LTK, I much prefer the Connery Moore Brosnan type fun loving cool womanising Classic Bond, I prefer to separate the screen and novel Bonds, as I said Dalton and Craig turned Bond into a generic action character like everyone else and once that happens you're no longer the cool iconic Bond that every guy wanted to be.
@@pr-tj5by that’s kinda the point of bond though. You DON’T want to be him. It’s fun and thrilling to read or watch him but you would never want to be him. It’s like you just said you separate the novel character from the movie character because they’re two completely different characters but one thing’s for sure when bond was first created he was never EVER meant to be cool or suave or a gentleman (he does have a some tender and vulnerable moments but for the most part he’s very closed off) he was a cold snobbish Son of a bitch. You’re free to be excited and love him and think he’s the coolest thing ever there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that but do remember one thing, just because you think of him as all that that I just said he’s not necessarily a good guy he does things that your moral compass would never let you do it
Now you’re also free to love and enjoy Connery, Moore and brosnan for their shenanigans but don’t hold them as a standard that any future bond actor has to live up to (I know that you’re probably gonna say that you’re not trying to do that but still don’t) because they’re not BETTER they’re just different. Now I watched dalton’s movies less as an movie goer and more of a novel purist so I got more of a kick of out him than the others. Does that mean they’re bad? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Again They’re just different than what Tim was trying to do.
Again back to dalton, I read every single one of them and I can say that he had moments where he was relaxing and having fun with Felix and not being dark and serious all the time but that was kept to a balance dalton did that while still having SOME fun moments but never too much or else it would’ve been a Roger Moore romp (not that he can’t do one he can he just didn’t want to) not unlike Craig who went too far with it.
That’ll be all thank you for coming to my ted talk 😊
"we're not a country club, 007" my favorite line of all time.
"Bond mainly relies on gas-lighting Sanchez....Until of course, he literally lights the gas on Sanchez"
THE.
BEST!!!
(better line than anything *in* the movie!)
Love LTK! The land-air-sea action is second to none in this one. Hot babes and Dalton plays a pissed off Bond like nobody else! You have my resignation, sir!
We’re NOT a country club! You can’t just hand in your resignation! You must learn to tolerate opinions unlike your own and be a good chap. 😉
a haaaa good to see you here man :) yeah so, tims accent from England in Derbyshire is very recognisable when he says ' nasty' or should i say ' nastyer' :) its slightly how people from the north of England say certain words. some people in that area can call themselves northerners or Midlander's. I went to school in Mansfield so i heard lots of people sounding like Tim.
also he's classically trained as you know so certain R words really go in his pronunciation of words.
Carey Lowell is one of the best Bond girls, tough female character and she’s gorgeous. It’s a great 80’s film, Dalton is stoic and suits the tone of the movie. Better than most Moore, Brosnan and Craig Bond films. The cinematography is first class and the helicopter capturing the plane is clearly the inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Night Rises first scene
I felt that Bond had jumped the shark when Roger Moore dressed up in full clown costume; something that Fleming’s character on the page would never have done. Dalton’s Bond was at least more authentic and the idea at the heart of the movie was, I thought, really clever. It’s called Licence To Kill and we see from the outset that his licence has been revoked, which leaves us examining whether Bond is a moral crusader or just some vengeful vigilante serial killer like the Riddler in the latest The Batman movie? It’s a genuine moral dilemma which the character of Bond faces head on throughout the plot and resolves very nicely. So you have to give props to the writers for attempting to address the ethics and central issues of what Bond stands for if nothing else, right?
Totally Agree. LTK is still my favourite Bond Movie. Well ahead of its time in my opinion.
Have thought, for a long time now, that Carey Lowell could have been the first Bong Grrl to carry her own spin-off movie...
Top drawer review once again with the customary smattering of hilarious analogies.
It's a real shame Timothy Dalton didn't have the chance of doing a third Bond film as this is usually when the franchise is able to fully exploit the strengths of the incumbent actor along with the technical aspect of production. That said, Dalton himself was always very credible and watchable.
It was Dalton who refused to return as Bond, rather than not being given the chance. A writer’s strike and a legal dispute over some of the Bond material were what caused the six year delay. By the time all of that was resolved Dalton said he simply felt like he’d done that, got the T shirt and everything and had moved on, so he wanted someone else to have a chance and turned it down. But yes, he was a great Bond, regardless of what you think of the writing (though I personally preferred the new, grittier direction he was going in) and I too would have liked to have seen at least one more with him in the lead role.
tell that to the fans who never let Dalton forget they wanted Brosnan in the first place.
i agreei thought Dalton was one of the best Bond ,
This is the film which highlighted to me just how Bond relies as much on instinct and luck as anything else. The sequence where he's underwater, destroying the drugs in the mini-sub: He gets attacked, during the scuffle he spots the sea-plane about to take off and fires a harpoon at its floats, which pulls him to the surface, where he barefoot waterskis until he manages to board the plane, scuffle with the pilot, throw him out the plane and fly off with huge bundles of Sanchez's cash. No way of planning or predicting such an outcome, its pure luck and instinct and one of my fave Bond moments.
I've always loved how that scene ends with Dalton's Bond looking over the moon that he pulled off a heist of sorts, completely by happenstance, while Krest watches the plane fly away in befuddlement.
Excellent Movie. Excellent Bond, Dalton is still my favourite. The Legal Issues robbed us of a potentially Grand line of Dalton Films. I still find it funny that the song is "I got a Licence to Kilt..."
Agreed! Dalton is my favorite as well!!
Yep - Dalton is my favourite too.
Dalton is my second favorite Bond actor. It's really a shame he diden't get to do a thirds Bond movie.
I liked Timothy Dalton as James Bond. Wish he had appeared in more movies.
Probably my favourite Bond film of the 80s and one of the best in the series. Can't get enough of it.
So true.
I love this film and Dalton nails it as bond. I always find it ironic how people hate on Dalton and Licence to Kill but cream over all modern Bond and it's darker/violent tone? Modern Bond had stories worse than Licence to Kill lol.
I think Licence to Kill and it's dark violent tone is perfect and I got fed up of Roger Moore's comedy Bond. Shane he never got a third film - wasn't Goldeneye ment to be a Dalton Bond film?
IIRC Dalton's third Bond film was scheduled for 1991 and would've been a different film to Goldeneye. By the time the legal issues were resolved and Goldeneye was in the works, Dalton was asked if he'd come back and play Bond. He said he would, but only for one more film. However, the producers said that he could only come back if he agreed to do several more Bond films, so he declined.
I like it, although I do remember seeing at the movies when it came out aged 11 and thinking "that's a bit intense". The Living Daylights was better, but Licence to Kill was 15 years too early. If it had been released in the post-Bourne Identity world it would have done very well. And Carey Lowell was pretty much the only Bond girl to that point to go out and say "my character is different, she's not a damsel in distress" and actually mean it. She kicked butt and looked amazing,
I've always loved this, Dalton's accent not-with-standing. Absolutely adored Benicio del Toro...a star is born !
Love how you repeatedly roast Sanchez over his fiery demise.
Of the Dalton duo, The Living Daylights is the one I rewatch the most. It has that late 80s Euro-pop fun whilst being classic Bond. Licence to Kill is The Dark Knight Returns of Bond films. It is very pulpy. It has some truly brilliant and character-defining moments, but at other times the supporting cast line delivery is poor and it does appear “on a budget”. The same thing happens in For Your Eyes Only. This is an almost stand alone film and you need to be in the mood for it.
I wish Dalton had done all of the 80s Bond films & Goldeneye as a swan song. He’s my favorite Bond.
Dalton definitely should have started with For Your Eyes Only. The tone of the film was not unlike The Living Daylights and we probably would have been spared the weaker parts of picture such as Bibi Dahl, the unceremonious dumping of Blofeld, and the dumb Margaret Thatcher bit.
@@ricardocantoral7672 yes, definitely. Octopussy would have been better too.
@@NH1973 I must say it's difficult to picture him in the other two Moore adventures of that decade. Still, it's a damn shame that Dalton only did two. I would have loved to have seen at least four from him.
@@ricardocantoral7672 A View to a Kill would definitely have needed a lot of rewriting to make it work. But I think Octopussy wouldn't be so difficult. If you take away the silliness and the clown suit, there's actually a decent plot underneath.
I loved this film! Wish Dalton could have done a few more Bonds.
Sorry, but I'm on the other side of the spectrum. This is by far my favourite Bond, a massive improvement on the live-action cartoon it had become with Roger Moore playing the role.
"... we have giant maggots, with UNIT nowhere to be seen." LMFAO, that's a deep Dr Who reference, love it!
This was always one of my favourites growing up. I think the harder edge suits Bond the character better than Bond the formula, but over the years it’s the intrusion of the formula that’s brought it down in my estimation.
The gadgets, the denouement, Q, they hamper an otherwise ballsy film. I love the idea of Bond confronting threats that aren’t always of the world ending kind. Thing is, Bond as a series will ever grow and change. You can always be assured they’ll experiment a little after things grow stale, then run back to the staleness in panic.
Ah well. I do think Dalton has one great comedic bit in this though. After Del Toro gets turned to mince, his response of “Switch the bloody machine off!” when asked if he’s okay is priceless
You only have to see Dalton in Hot Fuzz to know that his comedic abilities are laugh out loud top notch and woefully underused throughout his illustrious career. I too would have loved to have seen a third outing for Dalton’s Bond, as he did make the character interesting again, and helped us to forget the shark jumping moments of Moore’s Bond dressing up in full clown costume, or persuading his arch nemesis, Jaws, that we could all just get along. I think your commentary was thoughtful and underrated, for what it’s worth . . .
@@ashroskell Dalton is sort of creepy when he smiles.
I'm OK with them tweaking the Bond formula, but if you get rid of everything formulaic to Bond, why even call it a Bond movie?
The choice for Dalton to play Bond very grim is an interesting one given that Dalton is a hilarious comic actor. He could have been an excellent camp (or merely arch and lighthearted) Bond if he wanted to be.
A smart observation, if you don’t mind my saying so? I hadn’t much thought of that while watching this video, but yes, he is incredibly deft at comedy and his turn as the villain, in Hot Fuzz for example, is laugh out loud hilarious. His ability was never a question I feel, and he certainly put his own mark on the Bond franchise, deserving of equal respect with all the others, regardless of personal taste.
With 'A View To A Kill' being one of the '80's Bond films, I'm finding it hard to believe 'L.T.K.' would be anyone's least favorite entry of that decade. 'A.V.T.A.K.' just felt jaded and uninspired and signaled the need for a re-think (much as 'The Man With The Golden Gun' had). For all this film's inconsistency and tonal issues, it does have a forward moving plot, some bravura set pieces and a good villain performance. And it would have helped if everything didn't have to be rapidly put back in place in the last couple of minutes. Bond dealing with the consequences of these decisions and regaining his double O licence in the next film would have been interesting. A real shame that Dalton didn't see out his three film contract. I don't think he would have signed another contract with EON though, as much as Broccoli always wanted to keep an established Bond actor in the role.
As dumb as it was, I'd argue that Die Another Day had a much better reason for Bond going rogue because it sets up his return to the service. Licence To Kill on other had has a petty revenge motive which simply had to be forgotten by his superiors in order for the franchise to go on.
@@ricardocantoral7672 I agree with your point about 'D.A.D.'. I guess Dalton's film was trying to justify his motivations, but didn't really do a good enough job. It might have helped if Dalton's Bond was also under some kind of direct threat from Sanchez that forced him to go rogue. It's not that caring about Felix and Della wasn't understandable, it's that 'M' does make a good case when he meets Bond.
@@ricardocantoral7672 : Isn’t that the whole point of the story? The writers are asking us what the difference is between Bond’s seeking revenge and the officially sanctioned murders he commits when he has his licence to kill. It was meant to examine something behind the Bond mask and take a closer look at the morality and dilemmas of his character, which it doesn’t shy away from and resolves rather neatly. The character of Bond always seems to need to, “make it personal,” in order to be able to glibly kill people, rather than just carrying out instructions from a cold distance down a sniper’s scope. This story makes us examine that from the other side of the equation, and some of its conclusions are morally grey and challengingly bold. There is a slight jarring between the adult themes and the sheer entertainment set pieces of the Bond franchise, I grant you. But it was a most worthy experiment and I’ll take Dalton’s morally compromised Bond over Roger Moore in a clown costume making Ben Elton style knob gags any day.
@@CaminoAir : I agree with your first comment. It was smart writing that did more than simply try to move the style of Bond toward the tropes that we’re finding such success in Hollywood at the time, challenging the audience and asking questions about the rights and wrongs of killing as a, “decision,” whether with a license (“licence”?) or without one. The effort was laudable, whether you love the movie or merely like it.
@@ashroskell
First off, The writers aren't asking too much here. They are simply saying that this is a personal motive as opposed to the kills he made at the request of his government. That's pretty cut and dry. Secondly, there isn't a single time that we really get "behind the Bond mask". There is no dilemma or moral complexity, the bad guy hurt Bond's friend so that's the motive for Bond to go after him. Again, this is really cut and dry. Third, Bond was never really compelled to make it personal unless it was personal. He has had friends killed in the past and he has avenged then over the course of a mission and the gimmick here is, he resigns because his job got in the way of a personal motive. This was a new angle in a Bond movie but we don't get anything beyond "this time, it's personal". Also, despite the claims of the producers, this hardly reflected Fleming. Bond would not have resigned, he would simply have gotten on that plane to Istanbul and would eventually realize that this was all the nature of the business they entered in and thought it unfortunate that Della was caught in the middle of it. Would he have been pissed ? Of course but he would have accepted the reality of the situation. Also Fleming's Bond, unlike this one, was actually internally conflicted about the whole nature of his career. In Goldfinger, Bond got wasted over the guilt of killing a thug that tried to kill him. He hated what he had to do yet he did it anyway because the service gave him is identity so to resign over something as petty as revenge is unimaginable. A truly adult script would have showed the internal conflict of the character but Licence To Kill, at the end of the day, really is just meant to be an entertainment that is no more challenging than the other frivolous entertainment of the franchise. With all that said, is Licence To Kill a bad film ? No, it's a good entertainment but it was pretty flat compared to what it was imitating at the time.
Fantastic Bond film. Timothy Dalton is the best actor to portray Bond too. Gritty and serious, but has a tad of humour and a bunch of charm, unlike Craig who was just a one note Bond. Sanchez is the best Bond villain too. Very realistic and sadistic, but also an honourable guy. Top 5 Bond movie.
I really like this movie it was my 1st Dalton movie I ever watched 2nd being the Rocketeer & 3rd being Flash Gordon . I really like Tim Dalton in the DC show / adaptation of Doom Patrol as to Niles / the Cheif.
I found him hilarious in Hot Fuzz 😂 Lol
Oh yeah and Benico DeTorro was pretty entertaining in this my movie
Giant maggots and UNIT was nowhere to be found, nice Doctor Who reference. Licence to Kill is one of my favorite Bond movies. Always prefer Bond movies where it's not just a straightforward mission. From Russia with Love is my favorite mainly because of the whole trap scenario. I do enjoy this film and I really like Dalton.
Good review, Timothy Dalton got a raw deal he's still a great actor and he deserved better.
I dont hate or love this film, it's ok, just a bit flat. T D can deliver comedy, he was perfect in Hot Fuzz, but as you say, wasn't given much to work with here. Your video, on the other hand was perfect, many thanks
Random reference to "The Green Death", but I like it :D
I also like Dalton's drier-than-a-Brummie-in-a-desert delivery of humour. A few people have said that usually it takes a classic bond actor 3 movies to find their feet with the character. I think Dalton was building up to being an excellent Bond with a lasting impact, however as he was robbed of the all important third movie at a time when it was needed, we're left with what could have been. Still, whenever I binge the Bond movies I don't feel cheated by his era. I prefer 'The Living Daylights', but 'Licence to Kill' is still pretty decent
All I have to say is, "Carey Lowell, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God...."
It's my favorite of the bunch. Because it's so different. Always wondered what would happen if this capable spy became a loose cannon with a private vendetta. The villains are more believable. The locations are great. The film has no mercy. And Dalton is the best Bond of all time.
Dalton was Bond, right out of the books. My only problem with this movie was that Lighter had apparently been driven insane by the rape and murder of his bride, and his shark mutilation. The movie ends with him laughing and joking with Bond over the phone.
Dalton was a great Bond. After Moore's tired last film he was a real revelation. Bond was back and he was dangerous to know and to be around. That Connery vibe was back again. Pity he didn't get more outings. Bit before his time I think. Craig picked up his baton and ran with it imho.
I preferred the fun loving Connery Moore Brosnan type to the ultra serious Dalton and Craig Bond
@@pr-tj5by Nothing wrong with that :)
@@Keefymonoped It would be interesting to understand your insight behind the Dalton and Craig Bond, I'll give you mine for the 3 cinematic Bonds
If I watch a Jason Bourne movie for example I want to see an ultra driven serious character doing all he can to put all the pieces together from his past, I DON'T want to see women, 1 liners, cool, suave, sophistication, Armani, charisma just NON of that
If I watch a Cinematic Bond movie (the ultra cool Iconic gentleman spy) I want to see everything that MADE him Iconic, lots of women, outrageous villains, charisma, charm, suave sophistication, 1 liners, fun and ESCAPISM, getting the girls and saving the world
Connery Moore and Brosnan portrayed that character and it's the only reason why Bond lasted for over 40 years ( despite the 2 Dalton movies squeezed in the middle)
If you want the serious more realistic Bond of the novels then watch Dalton and Craig, the problem is that their generic action movies would never have gotten past Dr No like all the other generic action movies, all the fun and escapism was gone, now Bond has retired TWICE in the space of 4 movies because he's fallen in love (I can't understand how people still view this character as Bond)
Everyone wanted to be Bond (who would want to be Dalton or Craig's dark troubled version) Imo he should be just be left alone to be Bond, just like characters like Bourne are left to be their character, we can all watch and enjoy serious dark action movies to our hearts content because there's 100s of great movies like that, why take away Bond... The last Bastion of Cinematic male masculinity
It just shows how Woke this world has become imo
@@pr-tj5by I am not saying that Roger Moore's Bond or Brosnans Bond was any less than Craig's or Dalton's, they were a product of their time. In DrNo Connery was a ruthless killer, he got the job done, he was the same in From Russia with love, he was dangerous, ruthless, manipulative, a killer. What today would be called a no nonsense bad ass! A template if you will perhaps for the generic character's you mentioned that followed. Then the over the top fantasy elements arrived and took Bond in a different direction. I was a young boy at this time and I thought it was brilliant, Bond was a superman, he had gadgets for everything and always won and got the girl. It was fantastic just what the young boy I was wanted to see. Lazenby came and went in a film I disliked at the time but have come to appreciate more today, then one more Connery outing before Moore took over. Moores style was very different but I grew to like him, he just seemed very laid back and far more comedic which was fine, he never seemed as threatening or forceful as Connery in his earlier ones but things had moved on and it was fine for a while until he overstayed his welcome by a couple of films. Then Dalton arrived. To me he was a breath of fresh air in a style of film that had run its course. I would be in my late 20's by then and when I went to see him in the cinema it had everything a blockbuster needed, the action, the set pieces the thrills, but more importantly he had recaptured some of that early Connery magic for me, that seriousness that made his Bond seem more deadly and more ruthless, his films were for me a great blend of what started it all but with all of the spectacle of what came after. Brosnan did his thing, I enjoyed Goldeneye but it faded fast and became too silly by the end of his stint, then Craig came along and smashed it with Casino Royale. I enjoyed Craigs Bond, I enjoyed that they gave him an ongoing personality and storyline through his films, some better than others, and I have to say I dont think they ended it well, but thats a personal opinion of course, as is everything I have written. Thats just my take on how I have literally grown up with Bond in the background of my whole life. (now in my 60's) I hope that explains my thoughts and opinions adequately for you to understand why I felt how I did when Dalton took over and how disappointed I was that we didn't get to see more of him at the time. Phew! If you are still awake thanks for asking, I have enjoyed my trip down memory lane.
Timothy Dalton is the best James Bond in my opinion.
Licence to Kill is one of my favorite Bond movies . There's no supervillains or silly giants with metal teeth. It's raw, brutal and feels very real world. Timotbhy Dalton is also a great Bond, at least in my opinion.
This is an awesome film.
That is the post.
Actually, this movie borrowed heavily from the novel version of "Live and Let Die" and some of the Bond short stories. Note how Sharkey is essentially an American Quarrel and whole incident with Leiter and the shark.
It also borrows a bit from The Hildebrand Rarity. Which was featured in For Your Eyes Only. The character of Krest, and the stingray tail which he used to punish his wife, which Sanchez uses to punish Talisa Soto in Licence To Kill.
The same year producers said Americans wouldn't understand the term "Revoked" the movie Lethal Weapon 2 came out which had the iconic line "IT'S JUST BEEN REVOKED!"
My main memory of this film was that it was the first Bond to have an age rating that meant I couldn't go watch it with my school mates as it used the then new PG-13 rating. One of the kids in class had wanted to go see it for his birthday but most of the class weren't old enough. Still, once we eventually got to see it, it was a breath of fresh air after the decade of that tired Roger Moore formula!
FYI: PG-13 does not bar 12- and 11- and 10-year-olds from going by themselves; it is an advisory rather than exclusionary rating.
In the UK it was a 15, to my knowledge the only Bond film to have that high a rating.
First ever Bond i saw in a theatre and at first i had mixed feelings but i love this movie and it is a shame Dalton did not do a third entry. For those who say Dalton is not a comedic actor watch him in Hot Fuzz he is hilarious in that one,the line:¨Lock me up i´m a slasher¨always makes me laugh.
My memory when I first saw this is that I thought they were "refining" James Bond. It's basically what you'd expect from a serious spy movie.
I liked the Timothy Dalton era more than I thought I would after being disappointed that Pierce couldn't take the role because of Remington Steele
Yes, I thought the whole idea of examining the morality of Bond, by taking away his official government sanction to kill in the name of justice, was a bold attempt at inserting adult themes into the franchise. There are moments when the, “John Le Carre meats John Woo action entertainment,” sort of jar but it was a most worthy endeavour regardless. But I guess the audiences weren’t yet ready to answer questions about the rights and wrongs of revenge in an 80’s actioner? I very much preferred the Dalton Bond to the latter couple of Moore in full clown costume, making knob gags in every reel. But, tastes are personal, so . . . ✌️
One of my favorite Bond movies. I don't understand why people think Americans don't know the word Revoked. Just look at Lethal Weapon 2. Danny Glover shoots the main bad guy and says "Just been revoked".
A View to a Kill and Octopussy are far-far worse than License To Kill. it's a shame Dalton's Bond never made it to a trilogy.
Totally agree 👍 but A View to a Kill is a guilty pleasure lol
I remember those ninjas when i first saw this flick and thinking how utterly useless they were. In 1989 ninjas were meant to be the baddest bad asses ever
I'm with Mr Stam Fine on this. I've noticed that LTK's popularity has steadily increased with fans over the years but it leaves me cold, which is a shame as I really like The Living Daylights and Dalton as Bond.
Great video and love the UNIT reference. What a crossover between franchises that would be!
Amazing. Thanks as always for another great review!
10:03 Damn, look at young Benicio del Toro rocking that young-Sinatra look.
As I think I wrote before, the producers missed the chance to update Bond to the 80's with John Gardner's books. When I read those I always see Timothy Dalton in my mind.
This may be my favorite Bond film, with my second favorite Bond actor. (Connery is my top Bond actor, with Daniel Craig my third favorite).
Great review of a cool movie! The end of the movie is great with the at the base and the tanker chase. LOLs it is probably easier to make a list of the bad guys in the film that are not killed in a gruesome way.
My second favourite Bond after Connery. Would love to have seen TD in Goldeneye
I'm not a Bond fan but liked this movie. I liked that it was more serious without all the Roger Moore silliness and arrogance of Connery.
I love this movie so much more than any other Bond movie that came after it. I'm not even going to start talking about what I think of the last films in the franchise (that look like soap operas).
LTK definitely one of my favourite of the Bond series.
For me Licence to Kill is the best bond film of the 80s and Timothy Dalton gives his best performance as bond, some say he's too angry in the film but if you take into consideration bond's own past with him losing his wife, which is touched upon in this film it kinda makes sense. It's bond at the end of his rope, the professionalism is almost out the window and his recklessness and rebelliousness (which we would see again in casino Royale 2006) returns.
The Living Daylights has a glossier presentation and it's an ok film, but the villains were flat, the plot gets lost in the 2nd half and Dalton is given Roger Moores leftovers in the one liner department. Licence to Kill is far more straightforward with its story and does a mostly solid job at telling it, apart from a couple of subplots involving narcotics agents, stinger missiles and an all too happy ending for such a dark film. Licence to Kill mostly succeeds, in fact if one was to edit the ending and just have bond and pam drive off into the distance in the truck, the film would improve significantly as it improves the consistency of the dark tone. It definitely isn't the most pleasant of the bond series, but its not a bad film as many labeled it in the past it's the most polarising that's for sure.
Most under rated Bond, One of the top five Bond movies this one.
This film perfectly captured a darker, conflicted Bond who was also still likeable.
I found Daniel Craig great in Casino Royale, but in all his subsequent films both Bond and the villains seem to spend most of the time just sulking and complaining, as if this depressing angle somehow captivates audiences.
The next Bond movies need to bring back the excitement and adventure that the series has been severely lacking.
02:32 Take a look at the tube running up Bond's sleeve, obviously fuelling the lighter.
Timothy Dalton not a bad Actor for James Bond 007 At All ! The Living Daylights & Licence To Kill Are My 2 Favourite Bond Films of all times
Excellent, as always. Thanks, Stam!
I saw this movie in the theater and I loved it
Dalton was brilliant as Bond. Pity he couldn't get to do a few more movies than the "have to rely on my looks and charm coz I can't act" Brosnan. Although Goldeneye is one of my favourite Bond films 😉😉
This is still my favorite one. Dark and gritty.
Never understood the Revoked excuse because there's plenty of US tv shows using that word in episode titles 🤔
License to Kill is the opposite of The Living Daylights - it gets better with each act.
Man, we have different tastes. This is a top-five Bond film, easy. Oh, and Pam Bouvier is the best Bond girl ever.
The best Bond 🎰 movie 🎲
I agree, Dalton could have been a truly great Bond with better material.
You forgot to mention the bungled marketing the film had in the US. Licence to Kill was a great film, it was just too ahead of it's time.
Franz Sanchez: Blofeld he ain't.
PS I love this movie!
Worried about Americans not knowing the word "revoked" in the same year lethal weapon 2 put it in their most quoted line😆😆
"Diplomatic Immunity."
Hot Fuzz showed Timothy Dalton could do comedy and deliver fantastically timed one-liners with the best of them, so either he got better with age, or his rather flat performances os Bond were directorial issues.
Thanks to this movie, I usually spell license wrong here in the US.
Was it originally going to be called ‘License Revoked’ , still? it’s still one of my favorites for it’s good cast if nothing else!
It's not a great film, but it has its moments. I particularly enjoy the scene where M spare's Bond's life by calling off the snipers.
Robert Brown really shined as M in this movie. In his first two movies, he merely felt like a stand-in for the late Benard Lee. In the Dalton era, he defined his M as a strict boss that expected orders to be followed.
The guy on here is Spot On, no fun whatsoever and completely different to the movies that made Bond Iconic from Connery to Brosnan
Craig is just the same (Bourne in a tux) but it seems that some don't want the fun loving charismatic suave sophisticated charming 1 liner gentleman spy that MADE the franchise in the first place
Much rather watch this than say View to a Kill.
I’m mixed…I love Dalton, but this became too much Miami Vice, and not in a good way. I once talked to Robert Davi about it and praised his performance, but not the film…he seemed personally insulted…🤣!
Pissed Pissedofferson 😂😂
I'm in the minority as any Dalton Bond film is one of my favorites.
To be fair to Americans, the problem with the title Licence (or License) Revoked is that that specific phrase is often used in the USA to refer to losing one’s driving licence (or license).
The Bond IP is primarily a British one. EON ought to have stood its ground and stuck with LICENCE (or gone with "Hildabrand Rarity"...) 😐
Sorry mate; but, one of the problems with the film is Robert Davi. He comes across like a second string villain on Miami Vice, not a Bond film. That is the biggest problem; Bond taking on a drug lord should take 5 minutes, between martinis. It's just not a threat. Del Toro is the only thing holding up the villain side. Everyone else is a tv actor of variable quality. Dalton is fine, Heddison, Carey Lowell was good. It just felt like Broccoli and his committee of scriptwriters fell asleep during a 24 hour Miami Vice Marathon and woke up for the crappy later seasons, instead of the good first two. Dalton was screwed by poor villains and scripts by committee, pure and simple.
The darker, grittier tone fits Dalton, but the film itself doesnt work as well as it should, because dark and gritty really isn't in John Glen's wheelhouse.
I caught some of this film on tv 3 days ago , for the first time since well the early 90's. To be fair I thought it held up pretty damn good ! (they cut some of the Sanchez-burn sequence grrrr } This is Craig-era many years before Craig. Some things are a question of "timing" ....
One of my favorites.
Can’t understand why you didn’t like this film - I thought Dalton was great & brought back steel to bond - after all he is a cold blooded killer sent to do a job! The Bond girls were good too - sexy & sassy
I have no complaints & to me the year it came out was a purple patch of films at the cinema
Lol. They didn't change the title from Licence Revoked because US audiences didn't know what "revoked" meant; anybody with a driver's license (or a junior-high education) would know the word. And that's precisely why they changed the name: American test audiences associated the title with drivers' licenses. It is rather a weak and unintentionally humorous title.
They should've called it "loicense to null & void".
Robert Davi could be the official face of a drug cartel.
I'm about to re-watch this movie. The Dalton movies are the only Bond movies that I've only seen once - that could be a Bond title. Should be easy enough to work that one into the dialog.
Like Robocop I watched this film before the premiere at Pinewood Studios with a group of computer game journalists (I worked for Crash magazine at the time) as a tie in game was planned. It's not the best Bond film (in my opinion), but it's ok. I prefer the lighter tone of the Pierce Brosnan movies, Timothy Dalton's Bond is a bit too serious for me.
Best Bond and the best and wildest Bond film in the series. Why? Cause it is so gritty and out of kilter with the traditional Bond tropes.
I agree Dalton could have been a great Bond given better material
Don't agree. There are others I personally prefer less. As it happens, it could be why it reminds one of Goldfinger that I also find the theme to License to Kill one of my very favorite Bond intros.
Worse was to come, when John Glen took nearly everyone from this film (except Timothy Dalton) and squeaked out the box office turd “Christopher Columbus: a Voyage of Discovery”. God that was awful.
I'm in the Intensely Dislike camp. I somehow missed this when it came out. Saw the Pierce Brosnan ones, then saw this on VHS. It is simply a brutal revenge movie, devoid of any fun. I never bothered with Daniel Craig. The magic had been killed too.
If Stam were a Bond he'd be Roger Moore like a fine old wine with caviar on top of a pineapple pizza with relish and pudding.
The first half that occurs in Florida looks really chintzy. Once the location shifts to Mexico, that's when it gets a lot more stylish and the finale with those tankers is an absolutely phenomenal chase sequence. Generally speaking, I like the idea of an attempt at creating a gritty Bond like in the books but this film hardly reflects what Fleming wrote. The character in those books would never have quit the service over such a petty reason like revenge. He also was also consistently written. The Bond in this movie seems to fluctuate in nature, he is sometimes that charismatic quip dropper and other times he is just grouchy and constantly biting the head off of the people that are trying to help him. This was really just a poor attempt at playing catch up with the working class, cop heroes such as McClane or Martin or Riggs. Yet the irony here is those films displayed more Bondian flare than the genuine article in this drab movie.
A long time ago, I read a retrospective on this film, which described it as feeling like a TV movie in almost every respect. It does feel a bit like that, somehow.
The best Bond films are exorbitantly ambitious, but tempered by someone cooling down the more bonkers flights of fancy. Unfortunatelely this one is neither fish nor fowl. It is the antithesis of the worst Bonds - in my opinion those are Die Another Day and Diamonds Are Forever - and is unfortunately a bit beige. Here’s a microcosm: the theme song is really exciting when it starts, and then whimpers its way into nothing.
It’s Friday so it’s Stam Fine review day. “The film feels underdone” 😝all you see the antagonist bursting in flame 😁
Well I'm sorry it wasn't moonraker.
There's a flatness to it's execution although most of the action sequences are done really well. That said, it's grown on me a lot over the years, the villain is amongst the best and I do rate the film in my top 10 of Bond movies.