#License to kill show full#
#License to kill show series#

What’s unique about Sanchez among many Bond villains is that you understand why his people are loyal to him. He brings an air of equal parts charm and menace to the role. Revenge movies live or die off of the strength of the protagonist and the villain, and thankfully Robert Davi was more than up to the task. But throwing in the love triangle is unnecessary and adds a bit of a Three’s Company vibe to the film where it’s not needed.īut let’s circle back to Sanchez. I’ve nothing against the characters, as Bouvier is a pretty cool character who can hold her own in dangerous situations, and Lupe helps demonstrate what a vile man Sanchez is. This isn’t a film that particularly needs a romantic sub-plot. Leaving aside the fact that Sato’s performance is pretty wooden, the entire concept feels tacked on and unnecessary. The other, more notable problem is the love triangle the film introduces between CIA agent Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) and Sanchez’s kept woman, Lupe Lamora (Talisa Sato). Dalton does his best to make up for it though, and between his performance and the film’s brisk pace it’s hard to notice while you’re watching. While I do like the idea of Bond going on a revenge quest for his best friend, the truth is that we haven’t seen enough of his relationship with Felix to truly feel invested in Bond’s quest on a personal level. With all that said, there are some minor quibbles I have with the movie. And when he and Sanchez finally have their big confrontation it leads to one of the best climaxes of the series. The closer Bond gets to his goal, the more dangerous his position becomes.

If he truly wants to nail Sanchez, he’ll have to find a way to bring him down from the inside.Īnd it’s that constant back and forth between the two parties that keeps the film exciting. It’s a match-up that has Bond at a major disadvantage. But this drug lord, Sanchez (Robert Davi), is just as crafty as Bond, and even more ruthless. Cut off from his usual contacts, Bond has to rely on his wits, guns, and whatever friends he can make along the way. It’s an interesting story for Bond too, as he goes rogue from MI 6 in order to hunt down the drug lord who maimed Felix Leiter and murdered his wife.

#License to kill show full#

Dalton in particular shines throughout, as he’s finally able to show the full breadth of his take on Bond. It makes the film much stronger as a result. Where the last one kept pulling back from the darker moments, this film embraces that tone. The big difference between this one and its predecessor, The Living Daylights, is commitment. Surprisingly, it’s also one of my favorites.

#License to kill show series#

It’s about as far as the series could get from the Roger Moore era. It’s one of the most brutal, dark, and gritty entries in the franchise. The film earned over $156 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews, with praise for the stunts, but attracted criticism for its darker tone, which carried into Dalton's portrayal of Bond.So Licence to Kill is a polarizing film in the Bond community, and for good reason. Although its plot is largely original, it contains elements of the Fleming novel Live and Let Die and the short story ' The Hildebrand Rarity', interwoven with a sabotage premise influenced by Akira Kurosawa's film Yojimbo.įor budget reasons, Licence to Kill became the first Bond film shot entirely outside the United Kingdom: principal photography took place on location in Mexico and the US, while interiors were filmed at Estudios Churubusco instead of Pinewood Studios. Originally titled Licence Revoked, the name was changed during post-production due to American test audiences associating the term with driver's license. Licence to Kill was the first Bond film to not use the title of an Ian Fleming story.

Broccoli, all of whom died in the following years. It was also the last to feature the work of the screenwriter Richard Maibaum, the title designer Maurice Binder and the producer Albert R. Licence to Kill was the fifth and final Bond film directed by John Glen, the last to feature Robert Brown as M and Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny.