Licence to Kill (1989)

 

The grittier, more down-to-Earth Bond that Timothy Dalton already portrayed gets an even harsher follow-up with this entry, one that for some strange reason often gets a bad rep nowadays, but is in fact one of the better in the entire franchise. Maybe people just weren't accustomed to seeing this version of Bond, its excellent portrayal be damned! This would also be the last time Dalton played the character thanks to a myriad of reasons and the series would make a return towards the 'evil villain wants to take over the world'-plots, because people seemed to veer more towards that type of story.

But not here. Oh no. This is hardcore Bond, as it maybe should have been all along? 

Things start off easy enough: Bond is best man during the wedding for Felix Leiter when Leiter gets the news that Sanchez, a druglord he's been after, is in the country. They head down, capture the man and then proceed to the wedding. 

But of course Sanchez can pay off the police and is soon a free man again, but he does take his revenge on Leiter in the most horrid way, killing Leiter's bride and letting Felix be maimed by a shark. 

Naturally, this does not sit well with Bond, who wants to go after Sanchez, but is told by his superiors that there is no room for personal grudges in this business, so for perhaps the first time, Bond is rogue and on his own. 

This poses some issues, as Bond can no longer rely on anything Her Majesty's Secret Service provides. He is left to his own devices and wits and is singleminded in getting even. But, maybe he is not all alone, as he soon finds a strong ally in Pam Bouvier, an acquaintance of Leiter, as they both have a bone to pick with Sanchez. They head down to Isthmus City, where Bond tries to get into Sanchez' good graces so he can better take him out and down. But very soon, things get more complicated and even the inpromptu arrival of Q (unbeknownst to MI-6) cannot stave off the massive confrontation that is yet to come... 

This is Bond at the most action packed, gritty 80s and it is glorious. Dalton is seriously underrated as Bond and here, he displays a grim resolve that feels palpable and (perhaps more importantly) realistic. That he has to rely on his own is a cool touch and yes: he makes mistakes along the way. But the characters are nearly all excellent in this one, as it relies more heavily on the instead of gadgets and massive action set pieces (except for maybe the finale). Bond's partner Pam is one of the feistier ladies and Carey Lowell is great at being a hardass herself. She not only looks the part, but is in pretty much every respect Bond's equal, something which we haven't seen all that often. 

Is she one of my favourite 'Bondgirls'? Yes. Definitely. No one can top Diana Rigg in that respect, but Carey Lowell sure comes close. 

As for the villains, as it was the 80s, druglords were pretty much a craze, but if you need a memorable villain, you can do a lot worse than Robert Davi. He is one of those actors who is so recognizable, you will always know who he is. Yes, he often plays villains, but does so with conviction and glee and he never slouches on the job. Or at least, it's never obvious. He plays Sanchez like a believable guy. 

Fun fact: apparently Davi did real research with actual mob bosses for this role and he took on some of their mannerisms and demeanour. Talk about dedication. Sanchez therefore is never over the top but very grounded. 

See, that is what this film is, even if it is a Bond: grounded. Most of what happens feels realistic, which is a nice change of pace. Heck, the gory moments are also rather unexpected for this franchise: Felix getting mauled by a shark, a young Benicio Del Toro getting shredded in a machine, Sanchez being set on fire at the end...

Sorry for those spoilers, by the way. Whoops.

But even though this wasn't a failure as many would have you believe, the audience wanted the more fanciful Bond. Nothing wrong with that, but let it be known that 'Licence to Kill' is an excellent entry and probably one of the best Bonds out there. Timothy Dalton doesn't get nearly enough credit for his take on the character, this I cannot stress enough. It is great, and you get one of the best titlesongs as well. What's not to love?