Review 153: Licence to Kill

Licence to Kill is a grim, joyless experience and a Bond film were the violence reaches overkill

James Bond (Timothy Dalton) is attending the wedding of his friend, Felix Leiter (David Hedison), formerly of the CIA now DEA. When they're on their way to the wedding, Felix's associates tell him that Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), a sadistic drug lord, whom they've been trying to apprehend, is in the country. They decide to go get him. With Bond's help they do. While in custody, Sanchez offers two million dollars to anyone who helps him. While being transported, one of the men does that. Later Sanchez goes to Felix's, he kills his wife, then literally throws Felix to the sharks. When Bond learns of this, he decides not to carry out his next mission and goes after Sanchez. But when M (Robert Brown) learns of this, he has Bond's License to Kill revoked. Bond then bolts and meets Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), one of Felix's assets, and he hires her to get him to Sanchez's country. He meets Sanchez under the guise of looking for work. Will Bond be able to keep his identity secret, or will Sanchez see Bond's true intentions?

The plot is simple and straightforward but grim, joyless, bleak and strays too far from the formula to be excting or fun to the point that it just feels too much like a straight up, generic revenge film where any 80s action hero could be the protagonist.
 

I hated this James Bond movie as much as any James Bond movie since The Man with the Golden Gun.
I hated it because of the plot which I found to be amazingly cold hearted, grim, joyless and tried WAY too hard to be tough, dark and gritty and as a result ended up depressing, gloomy and mean-spirited and just lacking a sense of joy from pervious Bond films.

 

There are certain things thay I have come to expect from a James Bond film: fast cars, cool gadgets, breathtaking locations, hot girls, humor exciting action sequences and awesome villains. NONE of these elements are to be found in Licence to Kill.
Well, there are some gadgets present in the film that Q provides Bond when he "pops round" that Bond uses during his first botched attempt on Sanchez but for the most part the use of Gadgets is minimal.

Bond winding up as a loose cannon, going rogue and M revoking his Licence to Kill was more of a means to and end - "a good peice of drama" as Dalton eloquently put it. Veteran Bond director Joh Glen has described Bond as being "traditionally his own man." Ultimately Bond kills mooks ruthlessly despite not have the usual legal clearence doesn't amount to much. Not that anyone cares considering what awful people Sanchez and his cronies are.

 

An underlying theme of loyalty is present throughout Licence to Kill as it's Bond's loyalty to Felix that sets him on a path of Revenge against Sanchez. At the same time, Sanchez proclaims that loyalty is more important to him than anything else. Ultimately, it's Sanchez's importance that he places on loyalty that is how Bond ultimately defeats him.

In a lot of ways, the script for Licence to Kill (written by Bond veterans Richard Maibaum and Michael Wilson) resembles Kurosawa's Yojimbo. After a botched assassination attempt on Sanchez' life, Bond begins to sow seeds of distrust in Sanchez's inner circle. He begins to cast doubt on Sanchez's workers and framing them for breaking their devotion to him all the while making himself looking like a 100% honest and helpful associate, by doing this Sanchez kills his own people and destroys his own empire while Bond doesn't have to do anything. He plays him like a fiddle, becoming the Igor to Sanchez Othello.

 
Director John Glen (his fifth in a row and last in the series) . His directorial choices might have worked for a typical 80's action film but it doesn't work for a James Bond film. 

The film does contain action, but not really very much. For the most part, it focuses on Bond intergrating himself into Sanchez inner circle and tearing his drug ring from the inside, leading to a Bond film more reliant on suspence. There are two very impressive action scenes. One involves an underwater struggle that escalaltes into a mid-air fight. The other, a spectacular chase involving tankers running down a mountain road. A bar fight when Bond meets Bouvier feels out of place in Bond's world and more akin to something seen in Lethal Weapon film.

The cinematography is terrific; with this film we're treated to version of Miami and Central America that feels unglamorised, there is an unpolished sense of danger about them. Yet I missed the escapism and more glitxy locations of earlier instalments. The costumes are fabulous, the production design is fine and but the nothing really leaps off the screen. I missed the flamboyant designs of the earlier Bond film. stunts are spectacular.

The score by Michael Kamen is gunk and completely unBond, the violence is gruesome (this is possibly the most violent Bond film in the series and I shall say overly violent),

The title song by Gladys Knight is catchy though.

To be honest with you the acting is pretty dull, Timothy Dalton remains as dull and unengaging as ever delivering a one-note performance, mainly because of a script that gives him little to do other tan obsess over Sanchez and overall make us as an audience feal depressed and downcast.

Dalton firmly establishes himself as a ruthless assasin who will kill you at the drop of a hat. His Bond is, at the end of the day, a killer whose often as bad as villains that he's up against, but he still has a sense of loyalty, honour and justice. 

Unfortunately, this makes him a little unlikeable, which is unthinkable for one of the most beloved action heroes in movie history.

Although all the Bonds are willing to disobey orders to do what's necessary, Dalton's Bond seems the most inclined to take ethical and moral objections to some of his orders and nowhere is that more apparent in this film as how he retires from M.I.6 to go on his personal vendetta against Sanchez. His attitude is "If Her Majesties government won't do anything about this then I will so F that really."

But this was not the type of Bond that I really connect with. It's not enough to just be a cold, ruthless, single-minded assassin, you also have to be a very charasmatic presence and have a vulnerability or a sense of vulnerability in order for us to genuinly care about you and for the most part Dalton doesn't exube much charisma or fear.
 
Carey Lowell makes for a splendid Bond girl playing Pam Bouvier, her character is clearly Bond's equal as opposed to a damsel in distress. She's tough and knows how to fight and because she's a pilot can fly a plane.

Lowell and Dalton share a strong rapport  Her rugged exterior and rough and tough attitude compliments Bond's single minded, vengeful persona and she proves herself a valuable ally over the course of the film.

Talisa Soto is here for no apparent reason, her character honestly serves little purpose than the obligatory trapped mistress of the drug lord. You could honestly remove her from the film and you wouldn't change anything - well apart from a few scenes where she helps Bond out of a few sticky situations.

Desmond Llewelyn gets a considerably expanded role from what we expect playing Q. He "pops round" whilst on leave to check up on Bond. From their interactions together, you get the sense that Q provides some much need levity to an otherwise grim and violent film. 

Robert Davi delivers an, intimidating, charismatic villain performance, dripping with menace playing Franz Sanchez. Being a drug lord, his goals are fairly modest - He just wants to expand his drug empire. Moreso than other Bond Villains, his mutilating of Felix creates a personal connection between him and Bond.

David Hedison does nothing but get his leg bitten off. Whilst in previous Bond outings he was a great asset to Bond in the field, here he's been reduced to merely the catalyst to get the plot rolling which doesn't put actor Hedison or the character to good use of you ask me.

Robert Brown hits a new low as M, in this film, he's reduced to the typical obstructive bureaucrat who reacts cold-heartedly to Leiter's tragedy and unceremoniously punishes Bond for his loyalty to them by revoking his Licence to Kill. When it came to M branding Bond a "loose cannon" showing a the point where his working relationship with Bond reaching its peak, I just didn't really buy into it. They've already pulled the M is angry at Bond card so many times that escalating this conflict to this degree just feels wildly out of character.

Anthony Zerbe, Wayne Newton, Anthony Starke, Everett McGill and Benicio del Toro round out the films stacked cast playing Sanchez henchmen. 

It is a staple of Bond films at this point for the main villain to be surrounded by henchmen but in Licence to Kill features a surprisingly diverse group of henchmen that make up Sanchez' inner circle. They look like hangers on. It almost possible to imagine that they knew him since he was nothing and stood by his side as he built his business. It's strongly hinted that their loyalty has secured them a place in Sanchez' trust.

I give Licence to Kill a negative review yet I don't think it's an objectively bad Bond film, it's more frustratingly grim. One made with clear skill and craftsmanship but lacking what me more or less deserve from a Bond film. I missed that polished, sauverity that was present in previous Bond films, 1/5.

The Anonymous Critic.