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I like how inconsequential Felix was to Sanchez. He's punished him (quite severely) and moved on. Bond is committed to this revenge mission whilst Sanchez has already forgotten about it. "I want you to know it is nothing personal, it is just business."
I just wish Bond had actually said "this is for Felix!" or something like that so that there was a 100% guarantee Sanchez died knowing why Bond turned on him.
Yeah but LTK is not really about Bond getting revenge for Felix, it's about him getting his revenge for Tracy. Revenge for Felix was just a convenient excuse for Bond to unleash his inner predator & release alot of the pain he had carried inside him since his own wife was killed on their wedding day just like Della was killed on the day she married Felix. Bond might even have wanted to take a beating & possibly get killed because if you think about it he could have killed Sanchez perfectly easily. But he didn't want that, he wanted to go crazy & do his job with more difficulty than ever before & handing in his Licence to Kill was him proving to himself he never had to hide behind anything or anyone. He was still the deadliest agent in the world when provoked. Him killing Sanchez was his coming to terms with (presumably) the fact he had failed to kill Blofeld by killing his equivalent.
@Roger Rambo I can but that explanation, but you realize Bond already got revenge on Blofeld at the end of Diamonds are Forever when rammed the midget submarine he was trying to escape in into the satellite control building and killed him. Or perhaps when he dumps him into that smoke stack if you count that as a Blofeld appearance.
The best thing to come from this movie is that any time you kill someone in a FPS with a Speargun, you have to say, “Compliments of Sharkey” in a Welsh accident.
I don't mean to be pedantic but Tim doesn't have a Welsh accent. He grew up mostly in Derbyshire, England. His parents were English and American. If you said it for comic effect, I understand...
The John Gardner novelization handled the final phone call with Felix much better. Instead of just laughing and joking like nothing ever happened, Felix expresses his sorrow, and Bond says, "I know. I've been there."
I simply assumed the reason why Felix's in a cheerful mood had been the fact that Bond was successful in avenging his maiming, the deaths of both Della & Sharkey and (to quote Georgi Koskov from the previous film) "put away" Sanchez for life.
The reason Pam distracts Dario is because the last time he saw her, he shot her in the back, and thinks he killed her. Certainly explains why he just says "You're deeeead!"
I have watched this film multiple times and never thought of him saying that line for that reason. I always took it to mean that once he kills Bond, he will take care of her next. Maybe if the line had been delivered more as a question: "But, you're dead?" it would have worked better.
Because of that subtle musical que, I always thought she was like an unexpected angel, saving Bond, and it is Bond's perspective of her at that moment. But yeah, this makes sense.
I always took Dario telling Pam “you’re dead,” just before she shoots him to be a callback to the Barrellhead Bar, when he shot her in the back as the boat was driving away and grinned. I think up until that moment he genuinely believed he’d killed her then.
Plus the way she enters the scene in that big coat, almost feels like a visual metaphor for an angel or dead spirit. I theorized the movie did a similar thing with Bond waking up in that room in Sanchez's place.
Right. This is why Pam is lit so bright with soft focus: Dario thinks she's a ghost (the white cloak even makes her look ethereal). Interesting that, given he probably thinks he's seeing a ghost, he behaves as he does.
I will say in most of the American weddings I've been in, the bride and groom typically give gifts to the wedding party. An engraved lighter is pretty par for the course in terms of gifts too. The bride getting to mack on the best man is something I have never seen anywhere outside this movie though.
I always assumed the shot of Pam before she shoots Dario was hazy because his eyes were all watery and such and he said “You’re dead” because he assumed she was dead after shooting her in the back at the bar. Also, I think Dario has a bit of a contact high from all the drugs being grinded in his face. That’s how I always read it at least
I assumed it was a more smokey type effect. All the dust around is all cloudy, so of course the vision is hazy. I don’t see much imagery, except maybe an angel saving someone from a pit from hell, and sending a demon back down.
This has been my favourite Bond movie for ages, probably always has been my favourite since I first saw it, so glad you've had an epiphany on this one Calvin
It never occurred to me that the whole murder of Felix’s wife also stirred up memories of Tracy. In some ways, Bond was not only avenging Felix and Della, but also doing what he couldn’t do after OHMSS, and bring a killer to Justice
Oh and I would like to mention in a separate comment that Robert Davi as Sanchez is such an enormously underappreciated villain in the series. Yes, he's at the helm of a menial drug syndicate in senses, but Davi plays him as being so both cold and calculative along with the wariness of someone who's always twenty steps ahead of everyone. Someone who'd off anyone without second thoughts in terms of ruthlessness especially considering how he personally kills off so many of his associates in the context of the movie because of suspicions. 'Course at the same time in all of these character traits, persuasively charming. He's not overly emotional, if ever. So both detached and present. So, it's realistically lurid.
He also completely loses it over the course of the film (mostly thanks to Bond) - firing off multi million dollar rockets at his own drug tankers just to kill one man!
@@johnpotts8308 Oh, I agree. That is a moment when Sanchez loses his cool, but that's more of Bond essentially being scripted to always be literally cool under fire with a lot of stoicism as with the character. In other words, in chess game of cat and mouse, Bond will usually be the cleverer one. But to be fair, Timothy Dalton's Bond feels as if he's not an infallible superhuman and actually does panic rationally of course, but still. And I love all of the other canon versions of James Bond in certain ways for certain reasons, but Dalton's feels the closest to actually being a spy. 'Part of the idea with storytelling of the suspension of disbelief and such. The believability of course. And I used the verbage of menial or secondhand in a sense because while I know he's essentially the Al Capone-to-Tony Montana kind of Mafia Dons of drug cartels, but again as with Pablo Escabar in reality the lack of ethicacy with their means of going about and one literally does as they please to get ahead. Don't get me wrong though, love classic villains such as Blofeld for how over-the-top they can be among some others, but villains like Sanchez are the opportunists that occupy parts of the underfed. He's not out for world domination, he just wants to be monetarily powerful no matter the costs or what it takes to achieve it. 'Course most forms of both prohibition and drug recensions historically created the "black markets" and such from my understanding. I myself don't look down on actual drug dealers as with any trade. It's about how one chooses to do it is where the moral posturing is to me anyway. I love the bit at the end in the climax where how Bond actually kills Sanchez with the lighter. It's almost like Shakespearean irony to me, lol.
@@sashaking1115 Thanks for the mutual resonances as well, Sasha. I do like how Calvin made the analogy between their dynamic in the context of the movie that Sanchez is practically Bond's mirror in the movie. Both are very cunning, suave, elegant and shrewd when they need to be at times. The only differences are that Bond has a conscience (It seems. I do appreciate how Dalton's Bond is morally in greyer areas compared to other iterations of the role. I love Roger Moore as the titular character, but when would one honestly expect his Bond to set someone on fire or kill so intently? I know there are a lot of on screen deaths in the Roger Moore films, but still) and is doing a balancing act between light and dark both. Sanchez in many ways is like a better version of Scaramanga in Man with the Golden Gun. He's a sophisticate like Bond, but so decadent too)
53:35 - Dario believed Pam was dead from when she was shot back at the boat bar. When he sees her, she’s presented as a ghost (or angel) to him, where he responds with, “You’re dead.” He really thought she was.
I love how the actors who played FBI Agents Johnson and Johnson (no relation) in Die Hard were both in this film just a year later as Sanchez and that DEA guy 😂
Definitely still my favourite Bond movie. So glad it’s climbed up your rankings. You know you’re getting old when you see Calvin liking License to Kill 😂 2011 Calvin definitely didn’t hold back. I would say 25% of Bond fans hate this movie, 40% put in the middle, and now 35% love it. Definitely far cry from a decade ago when it felt so lonely to love this movie. Dalton is amazing. Love everything about it. It’s a great double feature with Goldeneye.
@@ughugh351 It still baffles me that David Zaritsky doesn't really care for that film. It seems that some people find it too "unglamorous" a Bond film, but then again I gotta wonder why these same people enjoy the Craig films!
Oooo I don't know, I know loadsa people who hated this movie as it was very polarising back in the day for it straying too far away from the Bond formula, being super Miamivice/ Scarface. Thats whyyy Brosnan and his films (first 3 ) are so beloved. I will say though, I think the film makers would have learn the lessons from this movie and go on to make a better movie for Dalton in his 3rd outing and That would have been his Spy who loved me movie :) I'll forgive License to kill because it had a writers strike and it lost its orginal Location of China and had to reloacte. but still i dont blame people for not being amazed by the movie. For those who dont like QOS, this was that back in the day
@@DafyddBrooks I can't stand this movie for the reasons you stated. It's the 80's "cowboy cop" trope, it's got every 80's cliche crammed into it, and it looks like it was filmed for TV. Doesn't feel very Bond to me at all. I do think Dalton gives a great performance though, and Robert Davi makes a convincing drug lord.
I don't know how you can put Goldeneye in the same category as Licence to Kill. Licence to Kill is one of the best, whilst Goldeneye is one of the worse films in the franchise.
Personally this is one of my favourite Bond movies. I really like how we get to see Bond in a smaller, darker and deeply personal story, which, until 1989, we hadn’t really gotten and arguably haven’t really gotten again, even in the more emotionally intense Craig films, which always had some larger conspiracy at work, whereas this film is essentially any great ‘80s action drama with Bond thrown in instead of, say, Sylvester Stallone. It’s also a smaller story, which I like. Not every movie has to be a big world ending scheme by secret villainous organisations. If anything, this movie basically took Tony Montana and made him into a Bond villain for an action crime drama starring James Bond, and I’m all for it as a darker Live And Let Die. Also, this film is aggressively ‘80s and I’m all for it. Also also, I’m just going to out and out say it, this movie does the whole ‘mid-air plane hijacking’ better than The Dark Knight Rises.
I'm a big fan of the Dalton films. And I think few would disagree that Sanchez was the one Bond villain that everyone wanted to see defeated, and in the most horrid way possible. Davi ruled.
I've always been a big fan of this one, and it's probably my most watched Bond film. It's such a shame that it marks the end of not just Dalton's run, but of Robert Brown's and Caroline Bliss's as well.
People seem to not read that Dalton left Wales aged 4 and grew up in Derbyshire, where the accent has similarities to Northern. He wouldn't have developed a Welsh accent from his parents as his Dad was English and Mum, American.
Glad to see the video online. Been waiting for this one for ages. Insightful and Hilarious as always, love your videos. Saw the two Dalton films back to back on LD a week before Goldeneye’s release in November 95, and ten year old me ABSOLUTELY LOVED LTK… To this day it is my favourite film of the series. Always considered the grittiest one, it was only whilst watching it on the big screen for the first time in June, I actually noticed how wild and decadent this film truly is.
Thanks very much for this and love hearing that even as a 10 year old you loved the film! I also agree with your point about the film being wild and decadent too. It’s not even as stripped back as some of the early Connery’s despite its reputation but I think it balances all the elements with the grittier stuff really well! Thanks again for the kind words too! 😁😁
@@calvindyson cheers. That Barrellhead Bar fight is just so wild and out of kilter with the rest of the series. Also, a televangelist, winking fishes and exploding heads. Also the scene when Bond and Pam deliver the money to Krest’s decompression tank, Bond unashamedly checks out Pam stripping down to a swimming costume. I mean pure shameless decadent Bond.
A tip of the hat to my fellow countryman Rémy Julienne, the stuntman and stunt coordination genius who conceived the tanker truck stunts in the climax, the truck on two wheels was one of the stunts he was the most proud of. Died from covid last year, RIP. Without him, 1980s Bond car stunts wouldn't have been so great.
So I have a fun little story about this film. My parents both love James Bond and for a birthday present, my father got my mother three Bond films. Dr No, Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill. Then when my grandparents came to babysit me while my parents went out for a meal, they asked me if I've ever watched a Bond film when they spotted the films by the TV. They told me to stick one of them on and I went straight for Licence to Kill solely because of the 15 certificate as I knew that my grandparents had no qualms about showing a child a film that was rated 15 or 18. So I put Licence to Kill on and everything was going great until they saw Dalton on screen, to which my grandparents ordered me to switch the film off. I asked him why and my grandfather's response was... "This is a George Lazenby film. He was awful. Put another one on now." So I put on Dr No and felt incredibly bored by the film and was longing to watch Licence to Kill. Of course, a few years later and seeing all of the Bond films up to that point, I told my grandparents that they had gotten the Bond actor in Licence to Kill wrong, but they were having none of it and even told me that George Lazenby was so bad that they got Sean Connery to play Bond and the franchise got better from then on - implying that Lazenby was the first Bond actor which makes absolutely no sense, but my grandparents were adamant that this was the case.
Ha! This is a great story, thanks for sharing. Can totally sympathise with relatives having a really limited grasp on the Bond timeline and the order of the actors!!
woooow how strange is that that they thought it was a George Lazenby movie. given that Tim is on the front cover haha. awww sorry you had to watch boring DR no let me tell you something. Back in May 1999 when the HMV catalogue was released they showed the boxset of all the James Bond films were going to be released that winter in a buy one get one free. I noticed that all the Bond movies were PG rated up until LTK which was 15???!!!! That meant I really had to watch the movie ha, was it going to have more blood, loadsa swearing and boobs?? Well back when the '00 heaven season' was being shown THAT summer in 1999 on ITV , it was great to watch all the Bond movies in order. But by the end of august and a few days before starting year 6, all my freinds and me watched LTK and..........OMG!!!! I dont know if we liked it or hated it as it was very polarising and shocking with all the deaths and vile characters. Certanly by Krest's head popping really made us quite scared :( it was always a facinating one to watch in the years to come because it was released at a time when we were either not born or just wee toddlers and in the early 90's, we had no idea that there were no Bond movies being made at that point. I think it was certanly an eye opener because we were so used to Brosnan at this point, that it made us very suprised that a movie of this kind was actually made before Goldeneye. No way could we have ever thought a Bond movie like this could exist. I actually would have loved to be at the summer of 89 and watched all the movies at the cinema's, including this one, Batman, Indy 3 and see no evil hear no evil, LOL certainly by 2002 and finding out that a 3rd Dalton movie could have been made, I always had to come back to this and other early 90's films and get a feel for what THAT 3rd movie could have been. thanks for sharing that story man :)
Well done Calvin! I love how your reviews are getting increasingly more in-depth! It's hard putting so much effort into one video, but you've smashed this one. I'm sure you'll enjoy making the GoldenEye one though 😅
Totally agree!! Was also a bottom of the barrel "this isn't even Bond" as a kid! Now I love Dalton a ton, mostly his voice and line delivery. Both Daltons likely in the top 10 now or fighting for a spot! I also love the refreshing action/suspense score!
What just killed me was that "fake televengalist" part. Probably one of THE most sophisticated jokes you ever did!!! And besides that, as usual, this is incredible! Such a greatly observed and entertaining experience! Keep the british end up, Sir! I can't wait for the fun you're gonna have with your GoldenEye review. Greetings from Germany! 😎
Hey Calvin 👋 The scene where Pam reappears to Dario in the drug factory, when they have the fight at the bar earlier and Dario shoots her he thinks he’s killed her, then she reappears wearing the white cloak and the sort of white light around her makes her look angelic and I always thought in his mind he’s wondering whether she’s come back to life, he does sort of sound like he’s both asking her and asserting to her that she’s dead in that moment. That’s always been my interpretation of it anyway 👍
I actually watched this one over the weekend. Hadn't seen it in a while and had a blast. Enjoyed every second of it. I saw it in the cinema originally back in the summer of 89 and I recall it having a generally positive reception among the audience. I loved it and have always loved this film. I immediately found the change in tone refreshing rather than daunting. As is always pointed out, LTK came out at the same time as Tim Burton's Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Lethal Weapon 2 but what they usually neglect to mention that (in the UK at least) after those other Hollywood blockbusters had completed their theatrical runs, Licence to Kill was still packing in the audiences, having its run extended. I believe the film also performed very well throughout Europe and Asia but not in the US market, where Moonraker was still considered the perfect Bond film standard. That should please you Calvin. I never got how some Bond fans think that this outing somehow feels more like a TV movie. Back in 89, you would never get this level of spectacle in a made for television film. You wouldn't get this level of spectacle in a TV movie now. This is very obviously a big screen experience in every way. I have a real soft spot for Bond films that deviate from the tried and trusted formula. They freshen everything up like the aftermath of a thunderstorm, so that when they return to the formula they can pick it up with renewed impetus...Oh, hang on. I just thought of an incident when that didn't really work. Skyfall was a break from formula and that's another Bond film I really love but after Skyfall, we got SPECTRE, which was a return to formula. Then after The World is Not Enough, which was another break from formula and another Bond film I really enjoy we got Die Another Day. Then After On Her Majesty's Secret Service, we got Diamonds Are Forever. I'm really shooting down my own argument here. Aaah, but after For Your Eyes Only, we did get Octopussy. I love Octopussy. Saved it. Awesome in depth review Calvin to one of my all time favourites in the series. Enjoyed it as much as the actual film. Nice one.👍
@@davidjames579 Agreed. The certificate lost a lot of people as well as the busy summer l [hence why all subsequent Bonds have been a 12 in the UK and released in the autumn].
ahh license to kill is soooo good, i always get sad at the end knowing its the last Dalton Bond, there was so much more potential from his portrayal of the character!
20:40 Michael Kamen did a fantastic job with the score. The gun barrel score is one of the best tone-setter music I have ever seen, the Latin version of the Bond themes gives you exhilaration and even quieter moments have a sense of ominous danger.
12:10 you have to commend how Dalton acted that sequence out. Like its a rare tinge of sadness and loneliness from Bond in the early series. In 17:18 that's what makes Dalton so great, he really does bring that short-tempered snappy element of the novel Bond to the screen without saying a word.
I am actually glad you mentioned the shot with the DEA Officer running toward the camera. It’s always stuck out to me, it has no business being that good and intense 😂.
21:33 yeah Dalton was terrific. The more I watch Licence to Kill, his and Robert Davi's performances really shine through. The steely eyed Dalton here with his cold demeanour is what Bond is in the Fleming books.
that bloody winking fish at the end spoils a really good 007 film and Felix is most definitely on morphine, if he isn't than maybe Mickey G was on a high at the time.
Being a Star Trek fan who discovered Bond quite a bit later, I always found it fascinating how Anthony Zerbe's characters in this film and ST: Insurrection ended up killed in somewhat similar manners
Yes! Thank you, Calvin! I needed another video to keep me procrastinating on this fine Monday morning. Very much looking forward to your in-depth review of this excellent film, my 6th favorite in the franchise.
@@calvindyson So we Germans aren't the only people who swap out or replace titles instead of just translating them? I mean, Dr. No doesn't even need to be translated. But we Germans did it too: Dr. No was changed to "James Bond jagt Dr. No" ("James Bond hunts Dr. No") while Licence to Kill was directly translated ("Lizenz zum Töten").
@@deliusmyth5063 hahaha 😂 no that would’ve sounded too weirdly in German. The name No is likely a simplification of the name Ngo, the Cantonese version of the Chinese name Wu. In the book, Dr. No had Chinede ancestry if I’m not mistaken.
Ah, that's a nice bit of trivia, grazie! I'm French and the only title was was heavily modified (in order to suit the dialogue) is The Living Daylights, aka "Tuer n'est pas jouer", which roughly translates to "Killing is not a game".
My take on Truman Lodge’s murder is that it’s meant to show that Sánchez has completely lost it. Bond has screwed with him so much that he doesn’t care about loyalty anymore and he’s just acting on pure id.
I always thought M's "Too many people." Was more to cover up his own personal bias towards Bond for the sake of a report or the like. The fact that he watches Bond run off and says, "God speed, Commander." Tells me he still appreciates where Bond's rogueness is coming from.
Easily the best moment of the franchise was when Sharkey swooped in at the end of OHMSS to save Tracy and said his classic catchphrase "it's Skarkin' time!" So sad and shocking to see such an integral character come to such an end in this film
@@mrcritical6751 Reboot!Sharkey's been controversial, but I've always had a soft spot for when he took out Blofeld's helicopter in Spectre with a shark pellet.
No his best moment was when he said to Mischka & Grischka "Excuse me fellas I'm looking for my friend 009, I have to pick up a rare faberge egg from him, hes dressed as a clown - oh there he is climbing over that wall over there! What good luck & WHAT a coincidence hey? Btw are these knives yours? You dropped them over there by that elephant shit"
Dalton's Bond has been so underappreciated for years that it's very nice to see him growing on people. This is the most "books" Bond has ever been imo.
Robert Davi also portrayed a villain - or a villainous character in Showgirls. As well, many would consider his real-life role as a prominent backer of "45" as his most villainous role. David Hedison had aged far too much to be credibly considered a longtime colleague/contemporary of the Dalton version of Bond. As well, another, more age-proximate actor had already portrayed Felix Leiter in the very preceding entry! After long tenures, this film marked curtains for Richard Maibaum and John Glen, in addition to Maurice Binder.
The Living Daylights definitely was a more traditional James Bond adventure compared to this one, but I do love the plot and many of the action sequences in the drug lab and especially the tanker chase at the end. I will never get tired of that :)
I've been waiting for this review for a long time and I'm especially happy with the U Turn Calvin has made about this movie and Timothy Dalton as Bond in General
It's one of my absolute favourites in the series, for it's completely brutal and stripped-back take on Bond. It's a Bond picture for the age of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon and while some might think those kind of films are too far out of Bond's wheelhouse Dalton and Glenn absolutely nail it. I think the reference to Tracey is almost the producers apologising for DAF - the impression I've always gotten is that Bond felt bad for brushing off his own wife's death so easily and that's why he goes so hard to get revenge for Felix when his wife is murdered. As for the tonal shift at the end, yes it's definitely jarring especially Felix who seems spectacularly unconcerned about losing his wife and being left maimed. I think the produers knew they wanted to move the series to be darker, more violent, less comedic and telling more personal stories but they were still locked into the conventions of how you make a Bond film; and at that point it was established that you ended the films on a cheeky scene where everyone has a laugh. There obviously wasn't the confidence at that stage to break away from that convention even if it meant a jarring tonal whiplash. They'd get it right in the Craig era but here it's as if the style of film they want to make and the style of film they know how to make are pulling in different directions although I think the final scene is the only one where it really causes a big problem. I love Davi in this and I think Sanchez is one of the greatest villains in the series, but I'm alarmed to find out what Davi has been doing in the last few years (he's now a terrifyingly right-wing Trump supporter who's just directed an anti-Joe Biden movie starring Lawrence Fox).
Licence to Kill is a top 5 Bond film for me and I've always had a hard time understanding why it isn't universally seen as one of the best in the series, despite it not doing well commercially. I've always been especially shocked when people cite The Living Daylights as the better Dalton film. To me it's absolutely no contest.
I don't know, I think it wouldn't be unusual for Brosnan's Bond to threaten Lupe at knife-point and be quite threatening himself. Brosnan could certainly pull it off!
@@davidjames579 In fairness Roger absolutely hated that scene, saying he felt his Bond was more of a charmer. I do think this film is a 'do over' of Golden Gun's Bond girls [one an agent, one the Villian's woman] and it does work a bit better this time around.
I've looked forward to a renewed opinion on this film for quite some time, I think it has quite a lot of things going for it, and I can see why John Glen considers this his best made film.
I always loved the scene where Bond he doodwinks Sanchez into thinking Crest is the villain, it shows his cleverness and not just an agent relying on his gadgets.
Love this Bond movie, easily a Top 5 for me. Love the title theme, the truck chase, great villain, and one of the best Bond girls. The ninja stuff is pretty dumb though and sticks out so much.
pam is just okay to me, bringing a shotgun to a barfight is pretty badass, her setup is a little forced but it serves the story and the fact that she has a gun holster in her thigh under a dress is double badass
I absolutely love Licence To Kill. Timothy Dalton is excellent, and the writing and overall tone of the movie really plays to his strengths. The story is gritty and emotional with personal stakes for Bond. Davi as Sanchez is amongst my favourite Bond villains, as you said in this review he has remarkable depth to him - yes he is ruthless and violent but also has his own personal sense of ethics and morality and values loyalty and talent in those around him. This film also contains some of my favourite moments for both M and Q in the entire series, with Bond's relationship with M never getting quite as heated as it is here. The action scenes are brilliant, flashy and immensely satisfying to watch. And the title song by Gladys Knight is also one of my favourites of the series. This was my standout favourite Bond movie until Skyfall, which gives it some fierce competition, and honestly I have a hard time choosing between the two.
Calvin as a life long Bond fan I adore all your content and the movie breakdowns are always something to look forward to. Just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the work that you do and the obvious love and care that goes in to everything!
I'm so glad you were able to upload this video, Calvin. Hopefully it won't get taken down. I can't wait to see your next Livestream. I'll be watching it, I'll be asking you some questions, and I know you'll answer the questions as best as you can.
I think this is your best work. Even as a little Bond fan in the early 90s this was my favourite (no idea why it spoke to me as a KID but there we go...) and I've seen it countless times but seeing it on the big screen for the first time last year made me notice a couple of things I'd never noticed before (the plane from the PTS being all skewiff right after the song for instance).
Thanks so much for this, Chris! I agree too about the big screen experience, every time I see a Bond film at the cinema I come away with something new. Always positive too!
I’ve always loved Licence, the first time I watched it I was blown away by it. I was about nine, and I was feeling very proud and smug about it the next day at school
@@sashaking1115 I think it might be because given my age and the age rating it had in the UK, my parents were reluctant to let me watch it so I'd seen all of the others, it felt like it was forbidden fruit. They finally relented in about 1992 when I was 8 so that could have played a part in it being my childhood favourite. The reason it's kept being my favourite is the more I watched it and the older I got, the more I understood it. I dragged a fellow Bond fan to see it at the Prince Charles Cinema last year who wasn't a Dalton fan and had really never liked LTK but he was blown away by it. I think it really, really stands up and it's great seeing Calvin warm up to it over time!
I've been watching every Bond movie in the cinema as part of the 60th anniversary and my ritual was to rewatch your in-depth review of the movie when I came home from the cinema. They were always very enjoyable evenings! Obviously that had to stop after The Living Daylights so I can't wait to watch your new review of Licence To Kill.
Thanks Damien! That’s quite an honour, really appreciate it! Also thrilled to hear you’ve been seeing ever my Bond film on the big screen for the anniversary. I now wish I’d made more of an effort to see some of the Connery and Moore’s…
@@damienfenton3880 It's great to see it on the big screen but the Xenia Onnatopp parts were a little awkward. except the dialogue in the spa scene someone was laughing their head off at it.
YES!!! Yet another top noch quality in depth review of a Bond movie. It’s a challenge not to go mental while waiting for these, but holy hell it’s Christmas comes twice a year feeling when you release a new one. Thanks!!
So glad you've grown to like this one, I've certainly had a similar had a similar experience back when I saw "Octopussy" on the big screen for the 60th anniversary after years of dismissing it. "Licence to Kill" has always been one of my favourites for years to the point of having it in my Top 5 and it's generally well liked amongst my circle of friends.
Another blinding review, Calvin. I'm so pleased you managed to see this film on the big screen in Wimbledon and it certainly sounded like it left an impression, especially with an audience who still appreciates the film like many still do. I always relish your humour and really enjoyed this one. Thank you! 😊
Let’s go!!! Been waiting so long for this!! Love you Calvin!! I love this movie so much. It’s my favorite Dalton movie by far and is in my top 5 Bond films.😃
Dario believed Pam to be dead, having shot her in the back after the bar fight, so when he saw her, I guess it was somewhat of a shock, this angel in front of him! Brilliant review as always.
"a SPECTRE yard sale" by "For Your Eyes Only" Blofeld was living in London outskirts, had nobody from his organization alive and probably barely had money to keep himself in a wheelchair, was probably working in a Tesco since he had a plastic surgery every 2 years as a good measure to remain anonymous. i'm pretty sure he would be selling all of the old equipment he has obtained over the span of 20 years at that point. /j
How did you not mention the bizarre reunion of Agents Johnson from Die Hard in the interrogation scene! Did no one else find it weird that those two specific actors were cast as partners in a movie one year previously? Was this intentional by the producers or what?
The franchise was probably taking cues from recent action pictures. They even poached Michael Kamen, who scored Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, for this installment. Not to mention, the whole backdrop of international drug smuggling in the American tropics was very likely a nod to Scarface and Miami Vice, along with the general zeitgeist of the actual drug trade itself and the problems it posed for the authorities, civilians and criminals alike from Miami all the way down to Bogota.
I really like Grand L. Bush in his small role, I wish he either had tagged along Bond and Sharkey when they investigated Krest's activities or that he had been collaborating with the British/Hongkongese agents in Isthmus. Shame he disappears from the movie so early on.
- Hawkins and Sanchez are Agent Johnson and Special Johnson from Die Hard, reunited! - I think the underwater and gear is literally from The Spy Who Loved Me - Isthmus is a real place in Panana, though not an independent city-state like here - The faces in Sanchez's place are based on MesoAmerican masks if I'm not mistaken - Sanchez's face is pockmarked as a nod to General Manuel Noriega, a notorious South American drug lord and dictator - Robert Davi was taken to see Pablo Escobar once because the drug lord was just a huge fan of the movie. - According to Robert Davi, after the fall of Baghdad, "Licence to Kill" was found in Saddam Hussein's VCR
Finally! Been waiting on you to get to this one since I discovered your channel. Hands down one of my top faves. Dalton was so underrated, wished we'd got two more with him at least.
Huge Bond fan here. Roger Moore is also my favorite. Thoroughly enjoying your videos. Your commentary on Frank McRae is very cool. Forgot he was in this film. Knew him rather well while growing up in LA as he was a neighbor. Genuinely a very kind man-a total gentle giant. Have many fond memories of him. My family really adored him. Sad to learn he passed away. Dalton has grown on me. At the time, was disappointed Pierce Brosnan was unable to get out of his RS contract so it put a pall on Dalton. Funny how now I prefer Dalton.
Dalton’s acting when Leighter’s wife reminded him of Tracy is some of the best subtle acting the series has ever had
The “No” with a look of barely contained pain on his face is so sad.
I like how inconsequential Felix was to Sanchez. He's punished him (quite severely) and moved on. Bond is committed to this revenge mission whilst Sanchez has already forgotten about it. "I want you to know it is nothing personal, it is just business."
"The day M. Bison visited your village was the most important day of your life. For me, it was just Tuesday" kind of vibe.
I just wish Bond had actually said "this is for Felix!" or something like that so that there was a 100% guarantee Sanchez died knowing why Bond turned on him.
@@spencerkindra8822 I think he figured it out when he read the lighter, he knew from that “ah shit this is because of that CIA guy I tortured”
Yeah but LTK is not really about Bond getting revenge for Felix, it's about him getting his revenge for Tracy. Revenge for Felix was just a convenient excuse for Bond to unleash his inner predator & release alot of the pain he had carried inside him since his own wife was killed on their wedding day just like Della was killed on the day she married Felix. Bond might even have wanted to take a beating & possibly get killed because if you think about it he could have killed Sanchez perfectly easily. But he didn't want that, he wanted to go crazy & do his job with more difficulty than ever before & handing in his Licence to Kill was him proving to himself he never had to hide behind anything or anyone. He was still the deadliest agent in the world when provoked. Him killing Sanchez was his coming to terms with (presumably) the fact he had failed to kill Blofeld by killing his equivalent.
@Roger Rambo I can but that explanation, but you realize Bond already got revenge on Blofeld at the end of Diamonds are Forever when rammed the midget submarine he was trying to escape in into the satellite control building and killed him. Or perhaps when he dumps him into that smoke stack if you count that as a Blofeld appearance.
The best thing to come from this movie is that any time you kill someone in a FPS with a Speargun, you have to say, “Compliments of Sharkey” in a Welsh accident.
LOL i find myself saying 'Turn the bloody machine off' at work quite a bit
I don't mean to be pedantic but Tim doesn't have a Welsh accent. He grew up mostly in Derbyshire, England. His parents were English and American. If you said it for comic effect, I understand...
@@secretsymphony the name's bond, james bond don't ya know?
@@secretsymphony hmm I’m not from the UK so I don’t know. I just know that he was born in Wales.
Too little phlegm to be a proper Welsh accent.
The John Gardner novelization handled the final phone call with Felix much better. Instead of just laughing and joking like nothing ever happened, Felix expresses his sorrow, and Bond says, "I know. I've been there."
They should have put that in the film. It would doubly pay off the mention of Tracy that was made earlier, making it more tragic and emotional...
That would make the "he was married once" line Felix said in the beginning pay off more
What’s the name of that book? I’ve only watched the movies and only been reading one book: ”Dr No”.
@@steelbear4887 Licence to Kill
I simply assumed the reason
why Felix's in a cheerful mood
had been the fact that Bond
was successful in avenging his
maiming, the deaths of both
Della & Sharkey and (to quote
Georgi Koskov from the previous film) "put away" Sanchez for life.
" Complements of Sharkey "
One of the most satisfying kills in the entire series.
Yesss!!!!
The reason Pam distracts Dario is because the last time he saw her, he shot her in the back, and thinks he killed her.
Certainly explains why he just says "You're deeeead!"
Now I'm imagining Natalie Portman as Pam and Dario saying "Are you an Angel Senorita?"
Oh wow yeah. That makes sense! Thank you
@@nekusakura6748 to keep in line with his own Star Wars character, he would have sounded more like "are you an a-a-angel?"^^
I have watched this film multiple times and never thought of him saying that line for that reason. I always took it to mean that once he kills Bond, he will take care of her next. Maybe if the line had been delivered more as a question: "But, you're dead?" it would have worked better.
Because of that subtle musical que, I always thought she was like an unexpected angel, saving Bond, and it is Bond's perspective of her at that moment. But yeah, this makes sense.
I always took Dario telling Pam “you’re dead,” just before she shoots him to be a callback to the Barrellhead Bar, when he shot her in the back as the boat was driving away and grinned. I think up until that moment he genuinely believed he’d killed her then.
Plus the way she enters the scene in that big coat, almost feels like a visual metaphor for an angel or dead spirit. I theorized the movie did a similar thing with Bond waking up in that room in Sanchez's place.
Yep, always saw it as him thinking she was an angel, back from the dead. Stupidly I'd never noticed the yellow circle (halo) in the background though.
This.
Right. This is why Pam is lit so bright with soft focus: Dario thinks she's a ghost (the white cloak even makes her look ethereal). Interesting that, given he probably thinks he's seeing a ghost, he behaves as he does.
"Hold on, you're dead!"
I will say in most of the American weddings I've been in, the bride and groom typically give gifts to the wedding party. An engraved lighter is pretty par for the course in terms of gifts too. The bride getting to mack on the best man is something I have never seen anywhere outside this movie though.
I certainly gave my best man a gift all those years ago!
@@GuyClapperton1 really?
I always assumed the shot of Pam before she shoots Dario was hazy because his eyes were all watery and such and he said “You’re dead” because he assumed she was dead after shooting her in the back at the bar. Also, I think Dario has a bit of a contact high from all the drugs being grinded in his face. That’s how I always read it at least
Exactly- I just said the same thing. He didn’t understand how she was standing there!
I assumed it was a more smokey type effect. All the dust around is all cloudy, so of course the vision is hazy. I don’t see much imagery, except maybe an angel saving someone from a pit from hell, and sending a demon back down.
This has been my favourite Bond movie for ages, probably always has been my favourite since I first saw it, so glad you've had an epiphany on this one Calvin
It never occurred to me that the whole murder of Felix’s wife also stirred up memories of Tracy. In some ways, Bond was not only avenging Felix and Della, but also doing what he couldn’t do after OHMSS, and bring a killer to Justice
Yeah seeing a bride get murdered on her wedding day clearly triggered the darkest memories of his life. It was a brilliant piece of writing
It's the perfect concession for OHMSS not having a proper sequel, and that feels like a small goal of the writers.
oh wow can’t believe i’m not putting this together. definitely adds so much to the film
Oh and I would like to mention in a separate comment that Robert Davi as Sanchez is such an enormously underappreciated villain in the series. Yes, he's at the helm of a menial drug syndicate in senses, but Davi plays him as being so both cold and calculative along with the wariness of someone who's always twenty steps ahead of everyone. Someone who'd off anyone without second thoughts in terms of ruthlessness especially considering how he personally kills off so many of his associates in the context of the movie because of suspicions. 'Course at the same time in all of these character traits, persuasively charming. He's not overly emotional, if ever. So both detached and present. So, it's realistically lurid.
He also completely loses it over the course of the film (mostly thanks to Bond) - firing off multi million dollar rockets at his own drug tankers just to kill one man!
@@johnpotts8308 Oh, I agree. That is a moment when Sanchez loses his cool, but that's more of Bond essentially being scripted to always be literally cool under fire with a lot of stoicism as with the character. In other words, in chess game of cat and mouse, Bond will usually be the cleverer one. But to be fair, Timothy Dalton's Bond feels as if he's not an infallible superhuman and actually does panic rationally of course, but still. And I love all of the other canon versions of James Bond in certain ways for certain reasons, but Dalton's feels the closest to actually being a spy. 'Part of the idea with storytelling of the suspension of disbelief and such. The believability of course. And I used the verbage of menial or secondhand in a sense because while I know he's essentially the Al Capone-to-Tony Montana kind of Mafia Dons of drug cartels, but again as with Pablo Escabar in reality the lack of ethicacy with their means of going about and one literally does as they please to get ahead. Don't get me wrong though, love classic villains such as Blofeld for how over-the-top they can be among some others, but villains like Sanchez are the opportunists that occupy parts of the underfed. He's not out for world domination, he just wants to be monetarily powerful no matter the costs or what it takes to achieve it. 'Course most forms of both prohibition and drug recensions historically created the "black markets" and such from my understanding. I myself don't look down on actual drug dealers as with any trade. It's about how one chooses to do it is where the moral posturing is to me anyway. I love the bit at the end in the climax where how Bond actually kills Sanchez with the lighter. It's almost like Shakespearean irony to me, lol.
That is so so true!!!!
@@sashaking1115 Thanks for the mutual resonances as well, Sasha. I do like how Calvin made the analogy between their dynamic in the context of the movie that Sanchez is practically Bond's mirror in the movie. Both are very cunning, suave, elegant and shrewd when they need to be at times. The only differences are that Bond has a conscience (It seems. I do appreciate how Dalton's Bond is morally in greyer areas compared to other iterations of the role. I love Roger Moore as the titular character, but when would one honestly expect his Bond to set someone on fire or kill so intently? I know there are a lot of on screen deaths in the Roger Moore films, but still) and is doing a balancing act between light and dark both. Sanchez in many ways is like a better version of Scaramanga in Man with the Golden Gun. He's a sophisticate like Bond, but so decadent too)
@@Chrisx005x yes I completely agree with you! Sanchez is a wonderfully written bad guy and he and Bond are a good pair
‘The Living Daylights’ introduces Dalton. ‘Licence to Kill’ *does* Dalton.
The DEA agent who gets the slo-mo running scene was Rafer Johnson, Olympic gold medalist in 1960 in the decathlon, that’s why he got featured there.
Wasn't he also one of the men who helped apprehend Sirhan Sirhan after he shot RFK?
@@victorguevara9227 yes!
This film is criminally underrated
53:35 - Dario believed Pam was dead from when she was shot back at the boat bar. When he sees her, she’s presented as a ghost (or angel) to him, where he responds with, “You’re dead.” He really thought she was.
"You took the Word Right OUTTA My MOUTH!"
I love how the actors who played FBI Agents Johnson and Johnson (no relation) in Die Hard were both in this film just a year later as Sanchez and that DEA guy 😂
In America it is common for the bride and groom to give small gifts to the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
The kissing thing is completely made up, though.
Gangbang the bride is also an American wedding tradition. I saw it in Pornhub, so it must be true. 😂
Definitely still my favourite Bond movie. So glad it’s climbed up your rankings. You know you’re getting old when you see Calvin liking License to Kill 😂 2011 Calvin definitely didn’t hold back. I would say 25% of Bond fans hate this movie, 40% put in the middle, and now 35% love it. Definitely far cry from a decade ago when it felt so lonely to love this movie. Dalton is amazing. Love everything about it. It’s a great double feature with Goldeneye.
I don't know if you would call people who hate License to Kill a Bond fan
@@ughugh351 It still baffles me that David Zaritsky doesn't really care for that film. It seems that some people find it too "unglamorous" a Bond film, but then again I gotta wonder why these same people enjoy the Craig films!
Oooo I don't know, I know loadsa people who hated this movie as it was very polarising back in the day for it straying too far away from the Bond formula, being super Miamivice/ Scarface. Thats whyyy Brosnan and his films (first 3 ) are so beloved.
I will say though, I think the film makers would have learn the lessons from this movie and go on to make a better movie for Dalton in his 3rd outing and That would have been his Spy who loved me movie :)
I'll forgive License to kill because it had a writers strike and it lost its orginal Location of China and had to reloacte. but still i dont blame people for not being amazed by the movie. For those who dont like QOS, this was that back in the day
@@DafyddBrooks I can't stand this movie for the reasons you stated. It's the 80's "cowboy cop" trope, it's got every 80's cliche crammed into it, and it looks like it was filmed for TV. Doesn't feel very Bond to me at all. I do think Dalton gives a great performance though, and Robert Davi makes a convincing drug lord.
I don't know how you can put Goldeneye in the same category as Licence to Kill. Licence to Kill is one of the best, whilst Goldeneye is one of the worse films in the franchise.
Personally this is one of my favourite Bond movies. I really like how we get to see Bond in a smaller, darker and deeply personal story, which, until 1989, we hadn’t really gotten and arguably haven’t really gotten again, even in the more emotionally intense Craig films, which always had some larger conspiracy at work, whereas this film is essentially any great ‘80s action drama with Bond thrown in instead of, say, Sylvester Stallone. It’s also a smaller story, which I like. Not every movie has to be a big world ending scheme by secret villainous organisations. If anything, this movie basically took Tony Montana and made him into a Bond villain for an action crime drama starring James Bond, and I’m all for it as a darker Live And Let Die. Also, this film is aggressively ‘80s and I’m all for it. Also also, I’m just going to out and out say it, this movie does the whole ‘mid-air plane hijacking’ better than The Dark Knight Rises.
I'm a big fan of the Dalton films. And I think few would disagree that Sanchez was the one Bond villain that everyone wanted to see defeated, and in the most horrid way possible. Davi ruled.
I've always been a big fan of this one, and it's probably my most watched Bond film. It's such a shame that it marks the end of not just Dalton's run, but of Robert Brown's and Caroline Bliss's as well.
Tiny thing but so refreshing to hear someone describe Dalton’s accent slips as northern rather than Welsh
People seem to not read that Dalton left Wales aged 4 and grew up in Derbyshire, where the accent has similarities to Northern. He wouldn't have developed a Welsh accent from his parents as his Dad was English and Mum, American.
This is one of my favorite Bond films:
Timothy Dalton is excellent.
Great Villain.
Great Bond Girl.
Great henchman.
Excellent action.
Etc.
Great soundtrack
The bond theme is cool and it was like no more disco theme and no more 60s Orchestra
And Q is cool in this
Glad to see the video online. Been waiting for this one for ages. Insightful and Hilarious as always, love your videos. Saw the two Dalton films back to back on LD a week before Goldeneye’s release in November 95, and ten year old me ABSOLUTELY LOVED LTK… To this day it is my favourite film of the series. Always considered the grittiest one, it was only whilst watching it on the big screen for the first time in June, I actually noticed how wild and decadent this film truly is.
Thanks very much for this and love hearing that even as a 10 year old you loved the film! I also agree with your point about the film being wild and decadent too. It’s not even as stripped back as some of the early Connery’s despite its reputation but I think it balances all the elements with the grittier stuff really well! Thanks again for the kind words too! 😁😁
@@calvindyson cheers. That Barrellhead Bar fight is just so wild and out of kilter with the rest of the series. Also, a televangelist, winking fishes and exploding heads. Also the scene when Bond and Pam deliver the money to Krest’s decompression tank, Bond unashamedly checks out Pam stripping down to a swimming costume. I mean pure shameless decadent Bond.
A tip of the hat to my fellow countryman Rémy Julienne, the stuntman and stunt coordination genius who conceived the tanker truck stunts in the climax, the truck on two wheels was one of the stunts he was the most proud of. Died from covid last year, RIP. Without him, 1980s Bond car stunts wouldn't have been so great.
So I have a fun little story about this film.
My parents both love James Bond and for a birthday present, my father got my mother three Bond films. Dr No, Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill. Then when my grandparents came to babysit me while my parents went out for a meal, they asked me if I've ever watched a Bond film when they spotted the films by the TV. They told me to stick one of them on and I went straight for Licence to Kill solely because of the 15 certificate as I knew that my grandparents had no qualms about showing a child a film that was rated 15 or 18.
So I put Licence to Kill on and everything was going great until they saw Dalton on screen, to which my grandparents ordered me to switch the film off. I asked him why and my grandfather's response was...
"This is a George Lazenby film. He was awful. Put another one on now."
So I put on Dr No and felt incredibly bored by the film and was longing to watch Licence to Kill.
Of course, a few years later and seeing all of the Bond films up to that point, I told my grandparents that they had gotten the Bond actor in Licence to Kill wrong, but they were having none of it and even told me that George Lazenby was so bad that they got Sean Connery to play Bond and the franchise got better from then on - implying that Lazenby was the first Bond actor which makes absolutely no sense, but my grandparents were adamant that this was the case.
Ha! This is a great story, thanks for sharing. Can totally sympathise with relatives having a really limited grasp on the Bond timeline and the order of the actors!!
@@calvindyson it's funnily one of my fondest memories I have of my grandparents XD
My dad also thinks Lazenby is the first Bond lol
@@justindgbz5588 it's weird isn't it
woooow how strange is that that they thought it was a George Lazenby movie. given that Tim is on the front cover haha. awww sorry you had to watch boring DR no
let me tell you something. Back in May 1999 when the HMV catalogue was released they showed the boxset of all the James Bond films were going to be released that winter in a buy one get one free. I noticed that all the Bond movies were PG rated up until LTK which was 15???!!!! That meant I really had to watch the movie ha, was it going to have more blood, loadsa swearing and boobs??
Well back when the '00 heaven season' was being shown THAT summer in 1999 on ITV , it was great to watch all the Bond movies in order. But by the end of august and a few days before starting year 6, all my freinds and me watched LTK and..........OMG!!!! I dont know if we liked it or hated it as it was very polarising and shocking with all the deaths and vile characters. Certanly by Krest's head popping really made us quite scared :(
it was always a facinating one to watch in the years to come because it was released at a time when we were either not born or just wee toddlers and in the early 90's, we had no idea that there were no Bond movies being made at that point. I think it was certanly an eye opener because we were so used to Brosnan at this point, that it made us very suprised that a movie of this kind was actually made before Goldeneye. No way could we have ever thought a Bond movie like this could exist.
I actually would have loved to be at the summer of 89 and watched all the movies at the cinema's, including this one, Batman, Indy 3 and see no evil hear no evil, LOL
certainly by 2002 and finding out that a 3rd Dalton movie could have been made, I always had to come back to this and other early 90's films and get a feel for what THAT 3rd movie could have been.
thanks for sharing that story man :)
Your longer form videos are top notch. It takes a lot of skill to make hour-long videos really entertaining and you do it very well. Bravo!
Thank you! Really appreciate it!
Dalton really should have gotten more films, after loving the franchise for 30 years by now he’s become my favorite Bond.
Well done Calvin! I love how your reviews are getting increasingly more in-depth! It's hard putting so much effort into one video, but you've smashed this one. I'm sure you'll enjoy making the GoldenEye one though 😅
oh i hope it'll be 2 hours long :)
@@DafyddBrooks nah 5
@@fizz1580 5 it is :)
Totally agree!! Was also a bottom of the barrel "this isn't even Bond" as a kid! Now I love Dalton a ton, mostly his voice and line delivery. Both Daltons likely in the top 10 now or fighting for a spot! I also love the refreshing action/suspense score!
What just killed me was that "fake televengalist" part. Probably one of THE most sophisticated jokes you ever did!!!
And besides that, as usual, this is incredible! Such a greatly observed and entertaining experience! Keep the british end up, Sir! I can't wait for the fun you're gonna have with your GoldenEye review.
Greetings from Germany! 😎
Hey Calvin 👋
The scene where Pam reappears to Dario in the drug factory, when they have the fight at the bar earlier and Dario shoots her he thinks he’s killed her, then she reappears wearing the white cloak and the sort of white light around her makes her look angelic and I always thought in his mind he’s wondering whether she’s come back to life, he does sort of sound like he’s both asking her and asserting to her that she’s dead in that moment.
That’s always been my interpretation of it anyway 👍
I actually watched this one over the weekend. Hadn't seen it in a while and had a blast. Enjoyed every second of it. I saw it in the cinema originally back in the summer of 89 and I recall it having a generally positive reception among the audience. I loved it and have always loved this film. I immediately found the change in tone refreshing rather than daunting.
As is always pointed out, LTK came out at the same time as Tim Burton's Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Lethal Weapon 2 but what they usually neglect to mention that (in the UK at least) after those other Hollywood blockbusters had completed their theatrical runs, Licence to Kill was still packing in the audiences, having its run extended. I believe the film also performed very well throughout Europe and Asia but not in the US market, where Moonraker was still considered the perfect Bond film standard. That should please you Calvin.
I never got how some Bond fans think that this outing somehow feels more like a TV movie. Back in 89, you would never get this level of spectacle in a made for television film. You wouldn't get this level of spectacle in a TV movie now. This is very obviously a big screen experience in every way.
I have a real soft spot for Bond films that deviate from the tried and trusted formula. They freshen everything up like the aftermath of a thunderstorm, so that when they return to the formula they can pick it up with renewed impetus...Oh, hang on. I just thought of an incident when that didn't really work. Skyfall was a break from formula and that's another Bond film I really love but after Skyfall, we got SPECTRE, which was a return to formula. Then after The World is Not Enough, which was another break from formula and another Bond film I really enjoy we got Die Another Day. Then After On Her Majesty's Secret Service, we got Diamonds Are Forever. I'm really shooting down my own argument here. Aaah, but after For Your Eyes Only, we did get Octopussy. I love Octopussy. Saved it.
Awesome in depth review Calvin to one of my all time favourites in the series. Enjoyed it as much as the actual film. Nice one.👍
I think it being a 15 cert in the UK didn't help it's Box Office, and families in the US were put off taking their kids to the PG-13 release.
@@davidjames579 Agreed. The certificate lost a lot of people as well as the busy summer l [hence why all subsequent Bonds have been a 12 in the UK and released in the autumn].
ahh license to kill is soooo good, i always get sad at the end knowing its the last Dalton Bond, there was so much more potential from his portrayal of the character!
One of the best endings to a bond movie !
yeah i get a bit teary eyed when Patti LaBelle 'if you asked me to' comes on and knowing that this is Daltons final movie
@@DafyddBrooks yeah I wish there was one last Dalton film before goldeneye
@@fizz1580 defo man. did you ever read the book 'the lost adventures of James bond ' ??
@@DafyddBrooks yeah Ik he was going to have another movie but because of issues
42:58 That's the moment when I lost it and fell from my chair, crying with laughter. Thank you so much for this :)
My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😁😁
20:40 Michael Kamen did a fantastic job with the score. The gun barrel score is one of the best tone-setter music I have ever seen, the Latin version of the Bond themes gives you exhilaration and even quieter moments have a sense of ominous danger.
12:10 you have to commend how Dalton acted that sequence out. Like its a rare tinge of sadness and loneliness from Bond in the early series. In 17:18 that's what makes Dalton so great, he really does bring that short-tempered snappy element of the novel Bond to the screen without saying a word.
I am actually glad you mentioned the shot with the DEA Officer running toward the camera. It’s always stuck out to me, it has no business being that good and intense 😂.
Great memories of grabbing this fresh off the VHS shelf in 1990, and my Dad quizzing the Video Store clerk on why a James Bond movie was rated 15's 😂
Farewell Mr.Dalton, can't wait to see your take on Brosman's debut as 007 in 1995 when you do your in-depth review on "Goldeneye"
This videos have gotten very slick. The humour is great and the appreciation of the films is very welcomed
21:33 yeah Dalton was terrific. The more I watch Licence to Kill, his and Robert Davi's performances really shine through. The steely eyed Dalton here with his cold demeanour is what Bond is in the Fleming books.
that bloody winking fish at the end spoils a really good 007 film and Felix is most definitely on morphine, if he isn't than maybe Mickey G was on a high at the time.
Being a Star Trek fan who discovered Bond quite a bit later, I always found it fascinating how Anthony Zerbe's characters in this film and ST: Insurrection ended up killed in somewhat similar manners
Yes! Thank you, Calvin! I needed another video to keep me procrastinating on this fine Monday morning. Very much looking forward to your in-depth review of this excellent film, my 6th favorite in the franchise.
Love Licence to Kill! Robert Davi, who played Sanchez, was my favorite Bond villain for a long while before Safin was introduced.
It's headcanon for me that felix is on painkillers at the end
Paynekillers.
So did you know that in Italy this film was titled "Private vendetta", cause "Licence to kill" had already been used as the title for "Dr No"?
I did not know that! Thanks for sharing
@@calvindyson So we Germans aren't the only people who swap out or replace titles instead of just translating them? I mean, Dr. No doesn't even need to be translated. But we Germans did it too:
Dr. No was changed to "James Bond jagt Dr. No" ("James Bond hunts Dr. No") while Licence to Kill was directly translated ("Lizenz zum Töten").
@@Lia-uf1ir Not Dr Nein?
@@deliusmyth5063 hahaha 😂 no that would’ve sounded too weirdly in German. The name No is likely a simplification of the name Ngo, the Cantonese version of the Chinese name Wu.
In the book, Dr. No had Chinede ancestry if I’m not mistaken.
Ah, that's a nice bit of trivia, grazie! I'm French and the only title was was heavily modified (in order to suit the dialogue) is The Living Daylights, aka "Tuer n'est pas jouer", which roughly translates to "Killing is not a game".
My take on Truman Lodge’s murder is that it’s meant to show that Sánchez has completely lost it. Bond has screwed with him so much that he doesn’t care about loyalty anymore and he’s just acting on pure id.
I always thought M's "Too many people." Was more to cover up his own personal bias towards Bond for the sake of a report or the like. The fact that he watches Bond run off and says, "God speed, Commander." Tells me he still appreciates where Bond's rogueness is coming from.
Easily the best moment of the franchise was when Sharkey swooped in at the end of OHMSS to save Tracy and said his classic catchphrase "it's Skarkin' time!" So sad and shocking to see such an integral character come to such an end in this film
hahaha brilliant :)
Nah the best moment is when he rode in on his boat during the chase in Skyfall and stopped that train from hitting Bond
@@mrcritical6751 Reboot!Sharkey's been controversial, but I've always had a soft spot for when he took out Blofeld's helicopter in Spectre with a shark pellet.
No his best moment was when he said to Mischka & Grischka "Excuse me fellas I'm looking for my friend 009, I have to pick up a rare faberge egg from him, hes dressed as a clown - oh there he is climbing over that wall over there! What good luck & WHAT a coincidence hey? Btw are these knives yours? You dropped them over there by that elephant shit"
I always loved him in die another day, when shary saved bond from being betrayed and saved him in a fisherman boat
Was never a fan of License to Kill, but Calvin has got me intrigued. Definitely gomna sit down with this one soon.
Its weird to remember that Dalton wasn’t great at comedy at bond especially since he was brilliant in Hot Fuzz
Dalton's Bond has been so underappreciated for years that it's very nice to see him growing on people. This is the most "books" Bond has ever been imo.
Robert Davi also portrayed a villain - or a villainous character in Showgirls. As well, many would consider his real-life role as a prominent backer of "45" as his most villainous role.
David Hedison had aged far too much to be credibly considered a longtime colleague/contemporary of the Dalton version of Bond. As well, another, more age-proximate actor had already portrayed Felix Leiter in the very preceding entry!
After long tenures, this film marked curtains for Richard Maibaum and John Glen, in addition to Maurice Binder.
The Living Daylights definitely was a more traditional James Bond adventure compared to this one, but I do love the plot and many of the action sequences in the drug lab and especially the tanker chase at the end. I will never get tired of that :)
TLD was horrible, Die another day was better then that one!
@@fizz1580controversial !
@@FreyFox87 just my opinion, always found TLD dry
@@fizz1580 Just like Bond's martinis
@@fizz1580 😐😐😐😐
I've been waiting for this review for a long time and I'm especially happy with the U Turn Calvin has made about this movie and Timothy Dalton as Bond in General
great work on the new video Calvin I love your deep dives in to my favourite bond films.
Fantastic review! Laughed so much at all the in-jokes and really appreciated the closer inspections of a movie I've seen at least 20 times.
Sharky's death was rough. One of the few times I felt a genuine chill in the Bond franchise.
It's one of my absolute favourites in the series, for it's completely brutal and stripped-back take on Bond. It's a Bond picture for the age of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon and while some might think those kind of films are too far out of Bond's wheelhouse Dalton and Glenn absolutely nail it.
I think the reference to Tracey is almost the producers apologising for DAF - the impression I've always gotten is that Bond felt bad for brushing off his own wife's death so easily and that's why he goes so hard to get revenge for Felix when his wife is murdered. As for the tonal shift at the end, yes it's definitely jarring especially Felix who seems spectacularly unconcerned about losing his wife and being left maimed. I think the produers knew they wanted to move the series to be darker, more violent, less comedic and telling more personal stories but they were still locked into the conventions of how you make a Bond film; and at that point it was established that you ended the films on a cheeky scene where everyone has a laugh. There obviously wasn't the confidence at that stage to break away from that convention even if it meant a jarring tonal whiplash. They'd get it right in the Craig era but here it's as if the style of film they want to make and the style of film they know how to make are pulling in different directions although I think the final scene is the only one where it really causes a big problem.
I love Davi in this and I think Sanchez is one of the greatest villains in the series, but I'm alarmed to find out what Davi has been doing in the last few years (he's now a terrifyingly right-wing Trump supporter who's just directed an anti-Joe Biden movie starring Lawrence Fox).
The opening plane fishing and Sanchez’s escaped were used for The Dark Knight Rises and Mission Impossible 3 respectively
Licence to Kill is a top 5 Bond film for me and I've always had a hard time understanding why it isn't universally seen as one of the best in the series, despite it not doing well commercially. I've always been especially shocked when people cite The Living Daylights as the better Dalton film. To me it's absolutely no contest.
Same. TLD has its moments but man it is a snoozefest
I don't know, I think it wouldn't be unusual for Brosnan's Bond to threaten Lupe at knife-point and be quite threatening himself. Brosnan could certainly pull it off!
When Calvin said Roger would schmooze a female suspect, I could only think of his handling of poor Andrea Anders on their first meeting.
@@davidjames579 In fairness Roger absolutely hated that scene, saying he felt his Bond was more of a charmer. I do think this film is a 'do over' of Golden Gun's Bond girls [one an agent, one the Villian's woman] and it does work a bit better this time around.
I've looked forward to a renewed opinion on this film for quite some time, I think it has quite a lot of things going for it, and I can see why John Glen considers this his best made film.
High Definition Transfers are a godsend for the Dalton Bond films.
I’ve always held it in particularly high regard, so it was rather affirming to read that he considered it to be his best outing in the series.
These are so bloody good. Honestly makes my day as a die hard bond fan. Never stop Calvin.
I always loved the scene where Bond he doodwinks Sanchez into thinking Crest is the villain, it shows his cleverness and not just an agent relying on his gadgets.
Love this Bond movie, easily a Top 5 for me. Love the title theme, the truck chase, great villain, and one of the best Bond girls. The ninja stuff is pretty dumb though and sticks out so much.
Which girl 😂
@@davidhughmiller Pam
pam is just okay to me, bringing a shotgun to a barfight is pretty badass, her setup is a little forced but it serves the story and the fact that she has a gun holster in her thigh under a dress is double badass
I absolutely love Licence To Kill. Timothy Dalton is excellent, and the writing and overall tone of the movie really plays to his strengths. The story is gritty and emotional with personal stakes for Bond. Davi as Sanchez is amongst my favourite Bond villains, as you said in this review he has remarkable depth to him - yes he is ruthless and violent but also has his own personal sense of ethics and morality and values loyalty and talent in those around him. This film also contains some of my favourite moments for both M and Q in the entire series, with Bond's relationship with M never getting quite as heated as it is here. The action scenes are brilliant, flashy and immensely satisfying to watch. And the title song by Gladys Knight is also one of my favourites of the series.
This was my standout favourite Bond movie until Skyfall, which gives it some fierce competition, and honestly I have a hard time choosing between the two.
I have been waiting for this one so much. Thanks Calvin!
Calvin as a life long Bond fan I adore all your content and the movie breakdowns are always something to look forward to. Just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the work that you do and the obvious love and care that goes in to everything!
Dalton is my favourite Bond and for me much closer to the novels. I wish he would have had more.
I love Licence to Kill. I think it's so underrated.
Always great videos, Calvin!
I think people underestimate Moore's Bond. He had a lot of cold moments throughout his tenure.
One of the most Underrated Bond movies in the series
I'm so glad you were able to upload this video, Calvin. Hopefully it won't get taken down. I can't wait to see your next Livestream. I'll be watching it, I'll be asking you some questions, and I know you'll answer the questions as best as you can.
Thank you, Andrew! Much appreciated and I hope you enjoyed the video 😁😁
Well, Licence To Kill isn't one of my favorite Bond movies for my own personal reasons, but I'll watch it.
You're welcome, by the way.
This was such a well done video of yours. It is so funny and very well edited. Sanchez haunting his villa legit had me spitting my drink.
Great video Calvin. I look forward to the next one.
I think this is your best work.
Even as a little Bond fan in the early 90s this was my favourite (no idea why it spoke to me as a KID but there we go...) and I've seen it countless times but seeing it on the big screen for the first time last year made me notice a couple of things I'd never noticed before (the plane from the PTS being all skewiff right after the song for instance).
Thanks so much for this, Chris! I agree too about the big screen experience, every time I see a Bond film at the cinema I come away with something new. Always positive too!
I’ve always loved Licence, the first time I watched it I was blown away by it. I was about nine, and I was feeling very proud and smug about it the next day at school
@@sashaking1115 I think it might be because given my age and the age rating it had in the UK, my parents were reluctant to let me watch it so I'd seen all of the others, it felt like it was forbidden fruit. They finally relented in about 1992 when I was 8 so that could have played a part in it being my childhood favourite. The reason it's kept being my favourite is the more I watched it and the older I got, the more I understood it. I dragged a fellow Bond fan to see it at the Prince Charles Cinema last year who wasn't a Dalton fan and had really never liked LTK but he was blown away by it. I think it really, really stands up and it's great seeing Calvin warm up to it over time!
@@chris_stokes that’s interesting! I’m glad your friend is now a fan. It’s always great to see some love for LTK
@@chris_stokes I wish I could have seen it in the cinema!
I've been watching every Bond movie in the cinema as part of the 60th anniversary and my ritual was to rewatch your in-depth review of the movie when I came home from the cinema. They were always very enjoyable evenings! Obviously that had to stop after The Living Daylights so I can't wait to watch your new review of Licence To Kill.
Thanks Damien! That’s quite an honour, really appreciate it! Also thrilled to hear you’ve been seeing ever my Bond film on the big screen for the anniversary. I now wish I’d made more of an effort to see some of the Connery and Moore’s…
In Mahon Point?
@@scottbuckley823 Vue in Liffey Valley, Dublin
@@damienfenton3880 It's great to see it on the big screen but the Xenia Onnatopp parts were a little awkward. except the dialogue in the spa scene someone was laughing their head off at it.
Got to appreciate the work and effort that Calvin put into this review. Top drawer effort! Really polished professional level of video!
YES!!! Yet another top noch quality in depth review of a Bond movie. It’s a challenge not to go mental while waiting for these, but holy hell it’s Christmas comes twice a year feeling when you release a new one. Thanks!!
So glad you've grown to like this one, I've certainly had a similar had a similar experience back when I saw "Octopussy" on the big screen for the 60th anniversary after years of dismissing it.
"Licence to Kill" has always been one of my favourites for years to the point of having it in my Top 5 and it's generally well liked amongst my circle of friends.
YES! FINALLY A 15 REVIEW, THANK YOU
I've waited for this video for so long and I'm so glad u as my favourite Bond youtuber, have finally covered one of my favourite Bond Adventures!
Nice! I love your reviews!
Another blinding review, Calvin. I'm so pleased you managed to see this film on the big screen in Wimbledon and it certainly sounded like it left an impression, especially with an audience who still appreciates the film like many still do. I always relish your humour and really enjoyed this one. Thank you! 😊
Thank YOU so much, Mike! Really appreciate it 😁
Let’s go!!! Been waiting so long for this!! Love you Calvin!! I love this movie so much. It’s my favorite Dalton movie by far and is in my top 5 Bond films.😃
Just back from work and this pops into my recommendations life is good.
Great review, really looking forward to watching again! Must have been epic at the cinema!! Thanks Calvin!!!!
Dario believed Pam to be dead, having shot her in the back after the bar fight, so when he saw her, I guess it was somewhat of a shock, this angel in front of him! Brilliant review as always.
Im so glad to see you Calvin warm up to this movie considering that LTK is in my top 3 favorite Bond films. ☺️
Thank you Calvin. Another inciteful and very entertaining review. I'll definitely revisit.
"a SPECTRE yard sale"
by "For Your Eyes Only" Blofeld was living in London outskirts, had nobody from his organization alive and probably barely had money to keep himself in a wheelchair, was probably working in a Tesco since he had a plastic surgery every 2 years as a good measure to remain anonymous. i'm pretty sure he would be selling all of the old equipment he has obtained over the span of 20 years at that point. /j
How did you not mention the bizarre reunion of Agents Johnson from Die Hard in the interrogation scene! Did no one else find it weird that those two specific actors were cast as partners in a movie one year previously? Was this intentional by the producers or what?
The franchise was probably taking cues from recent action pictures. They even poached Michael Kamen, who scored Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, for this installment. Not to mention, the whole backdrop of international drug smuggling in the American tropics was very likely a nod to Scarface and Miami Vice, along with the general zeitgeist of the actual drug trade itself and the problems it posed for the authorities, civilians and criminals alike from Miami all the way down to Bogota.
I really like Grand L. Bush in his small role, I wish he either had tagged along Bond and Sharkey when they investigated Krest's activities or that he had been collaborating with the British/Hongkongese agents in Isthmus. Shame he disappears from the movie so early on.
@@stoogefest16 Haha, LTK has always been "Miami Vice ripoff Bond" in my mind.
@@neohermitist Miami Vice had a better aesthetic than LTK and I love LTK.
Bush and Davi are no relation.
- Hawkins and Sanchez are Agent Johnson and Special Johnson from Die Hard, reunited!
- I think the underwater and gear is literally from The Spy Who Loved Me
- Isthmus is a real place in Panana, though not an independent city-state like here
- The faces in Sanchez's place are based on MesoAmerican masks if I'm not mistaken
- Sanchez's face is pockmarked as a nod to General Manuel Noriega, a notorious South American drug lord and dictator
- Robert Davi was taken to see Pablo Escobar once because the drug lord was just a huge fan of the movie.
- According to Robert Davi, after the fall of Baghdad, "Licence to Kill" was found in Saddam Hussein's VCR
Finally! Been waiting on you to get to this one since I discovered your channel. Hands down one of my top faves. Dalton was so underrated, wished we'd got two more with him at least.
Huge Bond fan here. Roger Moore is also my favorite. Thoroughly enjoying your videos. Your commentary on Frank McRae is very cool. Forgot he was in this film. Knew him rather well while growing up in LA as he was a neighbor. Genuinely a very kind man-a total gentle giant. Have many fond memories of him. My family really adored him. Sad to learn he passed away.
Dalton has grown on me. At the time, was disappointed Pierce Brosnan was unable to get out of his RS contract so it put a pall on Dalton. Funny how now I prefer Dalton.