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Licence To Kill (Special Edition)

Licence To Kill (Special Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Bond Film!
Review: Of the Bond films, Licence to Kill has the strongest storyline, the best Bond, the best action sequences, smart and strong Bond girls, unbelievably evil villains, fantastic gadgets, the best quotes and one-liners, a strong supporting cast, and the strongest dramatic tone.

Bond and his pal, Felix Leiter CIA, catch the infamous Columbian druglord, Sanchez, right before Felix's wedding to Della, his fiance. However, a crooked cop takes a two million dollar bribe to puppeteer Sanchez's maniacal escape plan during an escort to a maximum security federal prison. Sanchez and his team go out and kill Della and severely wound Felix.

He [Bond] goes out on a personal vendetta after no support is given from MI6 to catch Sanchez to avenge the horrible crime. When MI6 refuses to let Bond continue, he quits MI6.

THAT'S RIGHT. BOND QUITS THE BRITISH SECRET SERVICE.

[...] This film is tremendous and absolutely must not be missed. Be sure to keep an eye out for Traffic's Benicio Del Toro as Sanchez's right hand man.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Come In Bond for the Nineties!
Review: Timothy Dalton's second outing as Bond is probably the most realistic and exciting of the Bond films prior to this 1989 release. Gone is the sometime over the top humour of the Roger Moore era and in comes a much more contemporary character that stands up now (2001).The story is simple - no assignment just revenge for a friend, Felix Leiter, (good form David Hedison)Bond's good ol' CIA buddy, who falls foul of evil drug baron Franz Sanchez (played with a very realistic menace by Robert Davi. This DVD is a great companion to the other Bond DVDs as it offers good extras also the documentaries, music videos and the general professional package that MGM/UA has put forth to even the most cynical of film fans. Go on grab your pop corn, grab a soda and enjoy this film which offers non stop thrills and spills for its entire duration... ENJOY!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The second best Bond film.
Review: To me, 'Goldfinger' will always be the perfect Bond film. This comes a close second.

It is definately the most realistic Bond film. Rather than a crazy billionaire holding the world to ransom, the villain here is a billionaire Central American drug baron, and Bond is very angry with him! So angry, that he is obsessed with getting him. Dalton is perfect here as Bond, giving a gutsy, gritty, violent performance, with only one thing on his mind - death to Sanchez.

Anyone who doesn't like either Dalton's performance in this movie, or the movie itself, obviously doesn't understand it. The story is great and powerful, the stunts are there for a purpose for once, and the reasons for Bond doing all this is believable.

One last word for people who think this is the worst Bond of all - have you ever seen 'Moonraker'? If so, what is your opionion of that?

For anyone wanting to see a serious, thinking person's Bond, this is it. For anyone wanting to see an army of girls in bikinis, idiotic one-liners that aren't even funny, a plot that's there as an excuse for stunts and chases, and Roger Moore 'acting' by lifting one eyebrow, this isn't for you.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dalton makes it his own
Review: Licence to Kill is one of the best Bond films. The key to liking it is Dalton. If you really don`t like Dalton you`re not likely to like this so much. "Licence" is virtually the most realistic Bond film and only Dalton could pull off such a performance which is truly remarkable. I won`t bother mentioning the storyline as there are so many reviews. Before I mention the film I`m going to point out why I think Dalton`s the best Bond. He`s very under-rated by people who dislike him. Dalton is the real James Bond. The only thing that Dalton lacks is a natural delivery of puns. His Bond has a great deal of professionalism and sophistication about him. He`s a real man. People who criticise him for being too serious are missing the point. He doesn`t go round with his book of puns like Moore and Brosnan and lets face it, how many of them are funny! Dalton is a real agent/spy. Connery and Dalton are by far the best Bonds. Most people chose Connery because he did more films and he was the first, but I think Dalton edges it for making such an impact in just 2 films. He is also more realistic than Connery. One of Dalton`s best assets is actually his voice. He has a perfect deep voice which can charm women and give him an edge over villains who try to intimidate him. Moore`s voice was too posh and irritating. Brosnan`s isn`t as deep as Dalton`s. Dalton has a good physical presence in fight scenes and is by far the most dangerous Bond. He`s unpredictable. People who criticise him normally say he`s too serious and boring, but when Dalton`s Bond isn`t on duty as it were, he is relaxed and humorous, although you won`t see much of that in this film as it is a much more serious storyline. "Licence" has a strong cast. Cary Lowell is one of the best Bond girls but Lupi is too soppy and irritating. Robert Davi is a great villain as Sanchez. Other good performances go to Felix (David Hedison), Ed Kilifer, Milton Krest and Dario (Benecio del Toro. The film has good action scenes and Dalton`s performance makes it a success. It is different to other films because Bond isn`t on an assignment but his own mission. The story is quite grim but is livened up by Q`s longest spell in a Bond film midway through. Like some other people say, I think its a great shame Dalton didn`t do any more films. He would have won more fans and really could have been known as the best Bond. His future films wouldn`t have been as serious as "Licence" and people would like his Bond more. The Brosnan films are poor compared to the old ones. A lot of fans who dislike Dalton are more casual Bond fans. A lot of die-hard fans would certainly rate Dalton highly. Dalton`s always tagged as the Bond of the books and the one closest to Ian Fleming`s character. I rate Dalton the highest and have never read the books...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The Bond Era Has Come To An End
Review: I started watching this movie on TNT one night and just about got sick! I love Bond movies (especially with Sean Connery) but now that they got this new guy Timothy Dalton the Bond movies are taking a downfall. This movie is just a bunch stunts and gun battles. Dalton is no where near as charming as the other Bonds were portrayed. It reminds me of MI2 which just came out. Gruesome and badly made. I'm sick of these new movies and wish they would just stop making them. They're an insult to well-made older movies. I can't believe I'm saying this but the movies made in the '60's and '70's are better!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Worst Bond Movie Ever
Review: This has to be the worst Bond movie I've ever seen. On paper, you'd think it be the best; a realistic plot for a change and original ending. However, this is the worst Bond movie ever. First off, it is very poorly executed. Second, it drags out for what seems like forever. Finally, I don't think this movie was put out with any effort. It was kind of like the director rolled out of bed two years from the last Bond movie and said 'Okay, time for another Bond movie'. It just doesn't work. I don't recommend it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A lesser favorite
Review: While I like all Bond films quite a lot, this has to be my least favorite, mostly because Bond is one a personal vendetta rather than on assignment as in all the other films. While the quality is otherwise up to the usual Bond standards, somehow this fact taints this movie for me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A film that just gets better over time.
Review: It's sad that Timothy Dalton decided to leave James Bond when he did. Although he managed not to succumb Lazenby Syndrome (not do one, but two), he still left to early a time and probably had a lot more great performances to give. I'm sure that his leaving was in agreement with the him as well as the producers, the studio and probably and lot of fans as well, but for those of us who found his performance brilliant, we will look at the series of films to follow this one as a "could've been but wasn't." Although since hindsight is 20/20 I can't image him following this film with the bad succession of films that followed.

What is so great about this film? Well where can one start. It dumps all the over the top plots that seemed to weigh down the earlier films and goes for a real world adventure. Of course the drug story may seem a bit outdated by today's topics of discussion, but that whole plot point is a backdrop for the "mano y mano" face off between Bond and Sanchez. Robert Davi gives a terriffic performance as Sanchez, Bond's drug dealer nemesis and he even brings out a better performance from Dalton as well.

There is also a nice little Yojimbo/Fistfull of Dollars story integration. A masterless samurai (Bond) comes into town controlled by criminals (Sanchez and his minions) and begins to undermine their organizations by planting seeds of distrust. And although he is exposed and punished, he manages to take them all down with him. No Space stations, stolen nuclear weapons, captured Submarines, or radioactive gold. Not that those things aren't plausible or uneeded, it's just nice sometimes to be brought back down to earth as it were and given a good story.

And revenge stories are always the best. Here Sanchez has mutilated Bond's best friend and often times sidekick Felix Leiter (although I think he actually should have died, but then that would have really caused a stir among fans, just my two cents there). This sends Bond on a crazed voyage to bring down the man who did. Supporting cast helps out immensly with Q given a lot more stuff to do, Carey Lowell's tough pilot providing some much needed feminism, and even Benecio Del Toro coming out strong in a very early performance. The only anchors here are Moneypenny, who thankfully doesn't have that much screentime and Talisa Soto, who just doesn't come off as a convincing Bond girl.

A lot of fans dislike this outing due to the grittiness, violence, or just because they hate Timothy Dalton. But know this Timothy was the closest to Ian Fleming's James Bond. Flawed, dark, and brooding. Sean will always be great, Roger will always be the oppositte, and Pierce will always try to be the combination of both but come out looking like Roger's long lost son. Timothy will be the one who really made it his own.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gritty and Personal James Bond Film
Review: This film ranks with "Dr. No," "From Russia With Love" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Not since those films has James Bond on screen come as close to Ian Fleming's character. What makes this film stand out is that it combines the best elements of the three films sited. Both "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love" contained images to the grittiest side of James Bond. In "Dr. No" the execution style death of Professor Dent and the gruesome knife killing of the guard in the swamp were both disturbing demonstrating a cruel edge to our hero. In "From Russia With Love" the struggle between Bond and Grant aboard the Orient Express was filmed in a more realistic style, not so much for cinematic flair but for realism. Beginning to explore the personal side of James Bond "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" really gives us an in-depth study of an agent who is starting to take account of his life and what future that profession offers him. "Licence to Kill" resurrects and combines the best elements of these three previous films.

Timothy Dalton totally revamps his first interpretation of James Bond for this film. In "The Living Daylights" we got a 1960's Bond but slightly more serious. In "Licence to Kill" Dalton closes out the decade of the 90's with a more up to date Bond. Notions of fair play and "Queen and Country" were given up long ago and all that one is left with is a sense of loyalty only to those close to him. What we are left with is an agent "on the edge" who is willing to take the battle to the enemy with "an eye for an eye" and to hell with anybody who gets in his way. The script lets us down in this respect but through the brilliant subdued performance by Dalton the idea still comes across. Also, a great piece of casting of Benicio Del Toro as devoted henchman Dario gives the audience the push it needed to see that this bunch of despicable villains really get their comeuppance from Bond. Michael Kamen's downbeat score also adds to the grimness of this film and the dirty business that our hero deals in on a daily basis and the toll it has taken on his psyche. This is a very different kind of Bond movie, bold in many respects and somewhat disturbing. There have been many strong reactions to this film. You either like it or you don't. If you examine the three Brosnan films, they contain many elements, which explore and owe inspiration from "Licence to Kill." "Licence to Kill" demands your attention.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Here it is! The WORST Bond movie
Review: The Bond series hits an all-time low with this mess. Barely recognizable as a Bond movie. Only an iguana wearing a diamond necklace (clever touch) and Desmond Llewelyn's Q (a larger role than usual) keep me from giving LTK no stars at all. Remarkably ordinary, bloody, foul-mouthed, appallingly cliche ridden and poorly acted typical action flick. If I want an action flick, I'll watch "Sly" or "Anuld" do their thing in Cliffhanger and Predator, respectively. Bond films are supposed to have style, substance, humor and class. LTK is stunts, explosions and gunfights. Timothy Dalton is about as suave as a drill instructor, which is doubly strange considering how well I thought he handled the role in The Living Daylights. After that movie came out, most people, including myself, seemed to feel he was too serious and needed to lighten up a little. Instead, Dalton goes in exactly the opposite direction. He's charmless. Truly odd considering Dalton had ample warning. He's so grim, I have trouble rooting for him. LTK added nothing to the series and contributed greatly to its 6 year hiatus (a law suit over series ownership rights didn't help). Even Roger Moore's and Sean Connery's weakest entries are, at least, genuine Bond films that bring something to the table. LTK stops at the buffet long enough to stuff its face, then splits.


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