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Licence To Kill (Special Edition)

Licence To Kill (Special Edition)

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Friend maimed, wife killed, happy smiles.
Review: Too much Cubby? As far as Bond's go, Timothy Dalton had a great dark portrayl. Originally titled "License Revoked," Producer Cubby Brocolli-Cauliflower didn't EVER want James Bond to be kicked off the service. This from the same guy who didn't want his macho hero to cry when his wife died in "On her Majesty's Secret Service." (Poor George Lazenby!)

Anyway...good concept, but needed a second rewrite. Opening "action" sequence just wasn't thrilling. Motive for revenge--best friend is mutilated by sharks, his partner and Bond cohort murdered, newlywedded ex-Three's Company chick killed on wedding night (and was she sexually assualted?)--all this was building up to a poignant and touching ending.

What do we get for a payoff? A healthy-looking Felix (who seems to have no missing digits from being the main course at a shark buffet) laughing with James Bond with that "Oh, you rascal, thanks for risking your life and career and I'll see you at the next poker night" attitude.

Smile! You're on Candid Bond Camera!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Licence Revoked
Review: Licence Revoked

When I first saw this film on its initial release I thought it was not as good "The Living Daylights," but still okay. I went back to see it a few days latter after mulling it over. I did not enjoy it. I did not like it. Something was wrong with it, several things. James Bond resigns in this film, but it had nowhere near the impact as when he offered his resignation in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."

The story is supposed to be about Bond's revenge for the mutilation of his friend, Felix Leiter and the death of Leiter's wife. Revenge is usually meant to inflict punishment for a wrong received. The wrong received was the emotional pain that Bond was supposed to have experienced at Leiter's misfortunes. Cinematically, there was no visual basis for Bond's emotional pain. We never see the camaraderie or friendship between Leiter and Bond that was supposed to have existed. Why should Bond loose his objectivity and his professionalism over this incident, especially with Timothy Dalton portraying him? Dalton's Bond certainly possessed the drive that Connery had and was present in Brosnan's last two outings. Dalton's Bond however, had little time for levity or diversion from the mission at hand. He was the dedicated civil servant. It is not that Dalton could have resigned and gone off on some personal revenge, but the film never lays the foundation for this happening and given Dalton's interpretation of the character, Bond's actions make no sense.

For the viewer, revenge would suggest that some degree of emotional anger be felt while watching the film. As a viewer I felt very little anger for the pain and suffering dispensed by Sanchez and his henchmen. Certainly many of their acts were heinous and brutal, but as filmed and edited they did not have the dramatic impact that they should have.

I feel that the direction, the editing and screenplay lacked a cohesive vision. Once Bond breaks into Milton Krest's warehouse in Key West and proceeds to get pulled in by M at the Hemmingway House, the film starts losing what little momentum it had. We see Killifer's body being towed to Krest's boat, another victim of Sanchez. We never learn how he was killed nor are we asked to care. Bond meets up with Pam Bouvier at the Barrelhead Saloon. Following a poorly staged barroom brawl they join forces and peruse Sanchez to Isthmus City. Several superficial and perfunctory side plots divert the central story line. Banal dialogue, poor casting and a lackluster score permeate the entire film. It plods along to what should have been a face-to-face and no-holds-bared confrontation between Bond and Sanchez. This type of confrontation never materializes. Bond informs Leiter over the phone about his retribution to Sanchez in a very brief and throwaway scene. This should have been a key scene in the film, bringing the revenge to an end.

The best element of the story line was the idea of having Bond place doubt in the mind of Sanchez that henchmen his organization were plotting against him and he didn't know who to trust. However, this plot device was not exploited till nearly the last third of the film. The film's greatest asset is Benicio Del Toro's performance as Dario, a Sanchez henchman.

From a sentimental point of view, it was good to see David Hedison reprise his role as Felix Leiter and it was nice to see Desmond Llewelyn as Q in "the field" in a bit meatier role.

As far as the DVD is concerned, the supplemental material was good, but I thought the print of the film should have been more sharp and crisper looking.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome
Review: After Living daylights comes an amazing oo7 film with allota action and fun. Love Tim Dalton!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Bond grows up.... kind of
Review: The only James Bond movie I had not seen until fairly recently, "Licence to Kill" certainly does count as one of the better entries in the series. With Timothy Dalton in his second go-round as the erstwhile British superspy, I did not find this Bond movie as "dark" or as much of a departure from "formula" as others have perceived it. The Bond wit is still there, though it may be a bit drier and less hokey than usual. Also, any resemblance to "Miami Vice" seems purely incidental and superficial. However, I will concede that the initial setting in Florida, the drug theme, and the time period seem rather coincidental, and that there are still some interesting variations on conventional Bond formula.

In all his various guises, Bond's C.I.A. pal Felix Leiter (David Hedison) never received so much as a scratch. This time, however, drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) does the dubious honor of wreaking terrible vengeance against the recently-married Leiter for interfering with his operations. This precipitates Bond's own scheme of revenge against Sanchez and his motley army of minions.

Bond receives little support for his vendetta, which prompts the revocation of his licence to kill. He does receive some help from Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), a contact of Leiter's. Although not one who comes immediately to mind on a short list of the best-known "Bond women," Bouvier really deserves to be on it. Except when pining for Bond, she is certainly no victim, and as a nice change of pace ends up having to bail Bond's tuckus out of danger. Initially sent to fetch Bond from his officially unsanctioned vendetta, Q (Desmond Llewellyn) ends up playing a more active role than usual to help him. He and Bouvier develop an interesting chemistry, mutually flustered by Bond's actions.

"Licence to Kill" also draws some parallels between Bond and Sanchez. Both value loyalty above all else and view money as little more than a disposable tool, rather than an end in itself. Could this be the most subversive of the Bond movies, and maybe even the most satirical? Released at the end of the 1980s, it parodies all that the decade represents. The obnoxious Yuppie jabbering about the financial solvency of Sanchez's operations pokes fun at the money-grabbing obsession associated with that time period. (In the end, though, Sanchez finally concedes to his advice and decides to "get rid of the overhead.") Wayne Newton's portrayal of a flamboyant "spiritual" leader also satirizes the televangelists who were being exposed for their hypocrisy en masse during that time.

"Licence to Kill" may not appeal to some Bond purists, hoping for comedy Germans or Belgians plotting world domination in their elaborate lairs (which is actually an exaggeration if one looks at the Bond films as a whole). A drug dealer may seem rather mundane for a Bond villain, but one imagines that Bond is not always chasing down villains of the same stature as Blofeld or Goldfinger. Although many Bond movies have that certain camp appeal, "Licence to Kill" provides an alternative perspective that some 007 fans may wish to examine.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: So rough it was filmed on sandpaper
Review: LICENSE TO KILL is the roughest, toughest and most humorless of any of the James Bond films. Scenes of unpleasant violence are added and most of the humor is gone-not that Timothy Dalton was good at saying those fun lines anyway. James Bond (Dalton-I think he's okay) is burning for revenge against Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) a huge Columbian drug kingpin who had Bond's best friend Felix Lieter fed to the sharks and Felix's wife Della killed on the eve of their wedding. With the U.S. unable to help in the crime and England just uninterested in the case, Bond goes AWOL and with some help from an ex army pilot Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell-to join the ranks of the tough Bond girls, not to mention the Gillian Anderson look alike club in the first half of the film.) Bond makes his way to Sanchez's home base down in Mexico to avenge his maimed friend and discovers a huge drug deal that is about to take place.

There are a few good touches to the film such as the way our favorite hero is put upon as a nuisance to the legitimate law enforcers of the world who also are on Sanchez's tail. My personal favorite is Bond's camera that transforms into a sniper's rifle. This movie also contains one of the best closing fight sequences to a Bond film, where our hero battles Sanchez's drug convoys in the Mexico desert. The movie might have been a little more fun or better if they had chosen to keep the humor and lose some of the more hard-edged scenes (yes there are more.) Many fans like this movie because it's much closer to the way Ian Fleming had pictured Bond in the books. If that's the case, I'll stick with the movies, for now anyway.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Dalton hit the road
Review: Timothy Dalton is not worth it : don't see this film.. it's the second worst film after " the man with the golden gun".

good day

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good action, but Dalton is wrong choice as Bond
Review: Dalton's second time as Bond is different than many other Bond films; unfortunately, that doesn't mean that it's better. This is a leaner, meaner Bond film, devoid of humor, and with a truly nasty drug lord as a villain, well played by Robert Davi. There's also a tough Bond girl (Carey Lowell) who has to compete for attention with the villain's girl (Talisa Soto). One thing I couldn't understand: Lowell's character is portrayed as tough and independent, yet at times, she's whining that she doesn't get enough attention from ol' James.

The biggest problem is Dalton. Like The Living Daylights (which is the worst Bond film ever), Dalton is dry, and displays none of the class, style, or sly humor which Connery, Moore, or even Brosnan have displayed. This isn't a bad thriller, and the action sequences are terrific, but I can't say I was sorry that this was Dalton's last turn as Bond.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dalton defines Fleming's Bond
Review: After Moore's poor last outing and Dalton's good debut comes one of the best Bond films ever. Although LTK is often criticized for being too violent, the violence makes it all the more realistic. Dalton gives one of the best performances of any Bond film, and Cary Lowell ranks up there with the top girls. Davi is smooth and cool, yet also menacing and cruel. Love the Latin American settings, yet a John Barry score is sorely needed. Action is really good, especially the climax, pre-title, and boat chase. Gladys Knight's song is too boring and slow-moving. Plot is kinda weak, but is made up for with Q going to visit Bond in the field and giving him several imaginative gadgets including a laser camera, dentonite toothpaste, and an explosive alarm clock. Cool idea to use that goofy meditation school as a cover for the drug plant. Overall, 8th best Bond film and one to see.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Licence to Kill
Review: I thought that this was one of the worst bond films I have seen in a long time. I loved the movies Moonraker and Dr, No and I like every bond but i haven't seen any bonds with Timothy Dalton. So i Thought i would rent this one to see how he would be as bond. He is not bad at all. I even like him better than Perce Brosnan. I just thought the movie was bad. I dont know why i just do. I will just have to see if the living daylights is the same.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally!
Review: After years of sophmoric humor comes Bond the way Ian Fleming ment it to be. Tough, mean, gritty, and human. Timothy Dalton gives his best performance as OO7, and Cary Lowell is the ideal Bond girl. Tough, smart, and attractive. Davi makes a good adversary for OO7, and though this film is very violent, it is the most realistic one of the Bond series, with The Living Daylights following closely behind. The action and stunts are first rate, and the sets are good-looking. Overall, the third best Bond adventure, edged out by Thunderball and From Russia With Love.


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