Licence to Kill (1989)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

John Glen

Writers (WGA):

Michael G. Wilson (written by) and
Richard Maibaum (written by) ...

Release Date:

14 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Out for revenge. Glimpse behind the cool facade of 007. And see how sweet revenge can really be. [USA poster]

Plot:

James Bond leaves Her Majesty's Secret Service to stop an evil drug lord and avenge his best friend, Felix Leiter.

Plot Keywords:

Drug | Agent | Drug Lord | CIA | Personal Vendetta

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Timothy Dalton	...	James Bond
Carey Lowell	...	Pam Bouvier
Robert Davi	...	Franz Sanchez
Talisa Soto	...	Lupe Lamora
Anthony Zerbe	...	Milton Krest
Frank McRae	...	Sharkey
David Hedison	...	Felix Leiter
Wayne Newton	...	Professor Joe Butcher
Benicio Del Toro	...	Dario
Anthony Starke	...	Truman-Lodge
Everett McGill	...	Ed Killifer
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	President Hector Lopez (as Pedro Armendariz)
Robert Brown	...	M
Priscilla Barnes	...	Della Churchill

Also Known As:

Bond 16 (UK) (original script title)
Bond XVI (UK) (original script title)
Licence Revoked (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and drug content. (2006 video version)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | West Germany:16 (video rating) (cut) | Germany:16 (re-release) (uncut) | Ireland:15 | USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

707 South Street, Key West, Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

Whilst on the set of "Scarlett" (1994), Timothy Dalton officially announced his resignation from the role of James Bond on 11 April 1994.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The maggots in Krest's laboratory do not move independently. You can tell there is some type of vibrating object underneath the maggots that is causing movement, as it looks very unnatural and it quite obvious.

Quotes:

[first lines]
AWACS radar operator: We have a mid-course deviation. Target heading 036, 126 miles, bearing 062, Havana VOR.
Voice of DEA agent: He's landing at Crab Key. Advise Key West Drug Enforcement.
AWACS radar operator: Roger, sir. AWACS to Key West. Key West Drug Enforcement, please come in.
Voice of DEA agent: If they hurry, they just might be able to grab the bastard.

Movie Connections:

Spin off 007: Licence to Kill (1989) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Dirty Love

Best Bond Film Of The 80s

I've never been much of a fan of the Bond series but I did like the way Timothy Dalton played Bond as completely straight . Out went the bizarre plots of world domination , the ridiculous set pieces and the groan inducing double entrandes that had dominated the franchise since the late 60s . LICENCE TO KILL is tailor made for Dalton's Bond , it's a gritty humourless tale of revenge against a latino drug lord very well played by Robert Davi . Also good to see future Oscar winning actor Benicio Del Toro as a villain who has the temerity to spit on Bond , not even Blofeld would have done something as disgusting as that. I liked LICENCE TO KILL a lot. The fact that it's an atypical Bond film has much to do with it