Review of Licence to Kill (1989) - The Personal Vendetta
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- All too soon, we finish Timothy Dalton's era with perhaps the most unique film in the series, complete with violence, swearing, gore and the most flawed depiction of 007 we've seen up to this point in this series. As you can imagine, it's an incredibly divisive film, partly by design. Is a film that's trying to hard to match the success of other hard action films of the 1980s, or is there a pearl of great price that went unappreciated at the time?
Next in the Series: GoldenEye
I look forward to these videos every time! When UA-cam shows SLJ on the top of my list, I know I’m receiving 30 minutes of quality Bond. Thank you!
That's incredibly kind of you. Baring any copyright issues, you'll have the next one next Friday.
@@stephenjarvis534 Definitely interested in your Brosnan take! :)
Licence to Kill is my top favourite Bond. Slightly paradoxically the bond film that's often described as the Cannon films/Charles Bronson revenge genre trendhopper is also one of the more Fleming-accurate depictions of Bond. It feels faithful mostly to the spirit of Fleming, even with some material adapted from the books. This is the hard-boiled pulp Bond. It just happened to be the late 80's and not the 50's, as much as my old soul high-trousers fast-talking sensibilities would like to see a period film in black and white with fedoras and lots of smoking and all that, lol. I don't even categorize this as a trend-following bond film tbh, this is just a great James Bond story. Many of the choices feel informed by the source material and not just the action films of that time.
Pam is the best Bond girl and also one of the best ally roles in the entire series full stop. The best Q role in the series. Great villains. Good soundtrack. I don't even mind the ninjas or the ending.
License To Kill is truly a wonderful piece of art in this series, a beautifully unique experience even when you consider the Craig films. Timothy Dalton has a flair that no other Bond has for me, and that's why despite him only doing 2 films, he's my favourite.
Tim is my second favorite Bond! IMO, he never got the scripts that deserved.
The most bold and ambitious film in the series and I applaud the film for it shame Dalton didn't do at least one more.
You make the best bond content, hands down
I'm a big fan of The Living Daylights but of the two Dalton films I prefer License to Kill. Its a top 5 Bond film for me. Pam Bouvier is my favourite Bond girl. Sanchez and Dario are genuinely frightening villains. Great stunt work. Dalton is superb.
I wish Dalton had done a couple more Bond films but even with only the two he completed I place him second behind Connery.
Excellent review.
This Bond is very much the "blunt instrument" of Fleming's novels.
Of all your reviews this is the one I was most anticipating, sufficed to say it lived up to expectations
In short. Dalton's best outing. And to me, this is my favorite James Bond movie of all time. And Dalton is my pick for quintessential Bond actor. As you said, he was a pioneer and I do believe he was a game changer for the Bond movies going forward. His portrayal allowed more darker aspects of the character being portrayed by both Brosnan and Craig
18:54 from the instant that gunbarrel music hits, you know what sort of score you are gonna get from Kamen.And I loved it. The Bond theme in this movies gives me goosebumps. The tanker chase is one of my favorites.
I agree with you. Sanchez is a top 3 villain. It is an excellent film. Carey Lowell is an excellent Bond woman, very capable, tough. I love her scenes with Desmond Llewellyn. And yes, this is my favorite film for Q. He had a lot to do and as you say, Desmond was having a blast.
Dalton's portrayal is very close to the Fleming novels. He imbues a humanity in addition to being gritty. He has its flaws (the character), they are apparent, he can be emotional, but add to the depth of Bond. He does build upon what Connery established. In the 1960s, such character development (emotional side) was not something that was done in such movies. Fast forward 25 years, it still was tough to find its place. But Dalton laid the groundwork for this and can rightly be considered pioneering or more accurately, reforming, adding a new dimension to the character. I do wish he made more films. After Connery (who I grew up on), I think he is the best Bond.
It''s a masterful film and take's Fleming's Bond and puts him right up on the screen. I went to see it in a 4K screening in 2022 and a film not known for it's cinematography, it looked amazing on the big screen.
@loftlegacy Lucky bugger. I've always wanted to have the opportunity to see one of the first twenty on the big screen, but theaters in the States are annoyingly sparse with those opportunities. My first picks would be Goldfinger, Majesty's, Spy, GoldenEye and either of the two Dalton films.
The cinematography of the movie isn't bad. I think when it comes to the visuals, it mostly has to do with the set design. The stuff in Florida especially.
Great review of one of my favourite Bond films, perhaps my all-time favourite Bond reviewer. You really do go out of your way to get your point across in great detail on how you feel the way you feel about a film, yet you avoid using sensationalist terms and go out of your way to at least understand why those you may disagree with feel the way you feel...something which more fans of the series should shrive towards.
I've always find the fan and public reception to the Dalton films to be fascinating. If we're talking about people who don't really consider themselves massive Bond fans and see themselves more as casual movie fans, then I say "The Living Daylights" is absolutely an underrated film. "Licence to Kill" is certainly able to appeal to a particularly large group of casual film fans who see themselves more as action junkies (in particularly the ones of the 80s which many see as the Golden Age of the action genre) in ways "The Living Daylights" doesn't quite succeed in such a thing. "Licence to Kill" is simply a film much like "Skyfall" or "GoldenEye" has an easier time appealing to people outside of the Bond fandom.
But if we're talking about the 007 fandom, I say it's somewhat similar to "From Russia with Love" vs. "Goldfinger" for the Connery films or "Casino Royale" vs. "Skyfall" with the Craig films in which I personally know quite a good handful of fans who do prefer "The Living Daylights" over "Licence to Kill". I also feel like "The Living Daylights" is also a film that I honestly don't know anyone who actively dislikes it which by definition makes it one of the more agreeable films in the series even if the liking towards the films aren't as strong as other agreeable films in the series, whereas I do know a small handful who don't like "Licence to Kill" even after the films resurgence.....but fans of that film are certainly more passionate about that film than most fans who prefer "The Living Daylights" if that makes any sense.
I liked this film when I saw it in the cinema's back in 1989, but as a teenager it was nothing more than a middling Bond, not the worst but not the best either. As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the harder edge and Dalton's performances a lot more and it has steadily climbed up my ranking's, these days, it would happily sit inside my top 5 Bond films of all time. As a teenage it was the Pam Bouvier character that I liked most and she still takes me back to those teenage years when I watch the film, but these days I also see a lot more than the most beautiful Bond girl of all with the best legs and the sexiest haircut in cinema, she is a very strong, resilient and resourceful woman and brilliantly portrayed by Carey Lowell. As for Dalton, he is in my top two Bonds along with Connery and I really wish we had the chance to see a third and fourth Bond starring Mr. Dalton.
Well presented. Good arguments and well discussed. My favourite film of the series featuring my favourite interpretation of Bond and shat a Bond villain could be. Saw the two Dalton films back to back for the first time a week before I saw Goldeneye in November 95 and these films completely blew me away. Dalton was grounded and gritty, but he was also the most humane Bond. This guy made you feel and you felt the hubris and tragedy that comes with being Bond. Whenever he opens up, tragedy strikes and he has the baggage. Davi as Sanchez is superb, a multifaceted villain who is both charming and deadly, this is a man who In another world could have been friends with Bond. The betrayal the man feels over Bond’s duplicity is brilliant and Davi and Dalton are perfect onscreen. Pam Bouvier is very much one of the best leading ladies, resourceful, helpful and likeable.
One of my favourites grew up watching it.
7:59 It is probably the best performance from a Bond actor ever. I dont think there are many better than this.
This is a great film and Pam is my favorite Bond girl. It’s only gotten better with time.
I've been waiting for this one! My parents tried showing me this as a kid and I hated it because it was violent and frightening. I liked Felix a lot and hated seeing him get hurt... But thanks to your channel, I finally revisted this movie a few weeks ago and I loved it! Timothy is so good, Pam is an amazing Bond woman, and the villains are fantastic. I can't get "Honeymooooon" out of my head. That being said, this movie's violence really is over the top. The guy getting his head blown up is straight out of Saw, not sure why they felt the need to go so all in on the gore
I'm glad I gave you a reason to go back to this film. I never expect anyone to agree with me, and it's not really my intention to convince people one way or the other, so hearing that is surprising and somewhat of a bonus. I've had a few Bond films like that, and it's one of the best feelings in the world to come back to something later and realize there's a lot to like that you may have missed, though Licence has enough things that make me understand why some people just can't get into it (like the gore).
The biggest problems I have with the film is the scenes that occurred in the States. First off, I can't believe Leiter's mauling would compel Bond to resign. Some scenes of genuine camaraderie between the two would have helped. I know it's argued that he was really driven by Della's death that paralleled Tracy's but that is vaguely implied. The stuff in Florida feels rather low rent and that is where I feel that I am not watching a Bond movie, I am seeing a Cannon Films knock-off of a Bond movie. I think what would have helped is Anthony Zerbe playing a greater role. His Milton Krest had a slimy charm so more screentime for the character would have been welcome.
As for the scenes in Mexico, I think that's where the film gets interesting. Bond planting ideas in Sanchez's head in order to bring down his organization is actually executed well. Their first encounter is well written and it's easily the best moment Dalton has in the film. There's also that great Tanker chase at the end. So overall, it's a mixed bag but this is a good Bond movie but not a great one.
America might be the greatest country in the world in real life, but it's the least cinematic place especially for Bond.
Bond snooping around almost immediately after finding Felix and Della is pretty jarring the first time. No Moneypenny/M briefing/Q gadgets, just right into things. Then quitting MI6, getting shot at, and running away. And then it feels like one of the film reels was switched with a reel from Road House.
Once you get to Isthmus City, it feels more and more like a classic Bond. There's a casino, lots of Q, and the villain lair inside the megachurch. It still feels unique with the Yojimbo aspect, but they seem to be making up for how unBond the beginning is.
@@craigluft7453 Least cinematic? Haven't you ever seen vintage Westerns? There are beautiful places in the United States. Unfortunately, Bond movies have not had a great track record when it comes to shooting America.
@@ricardocantoral7672I'd have to agree. I'm rarely enamored when Bond decides to go to America, though I have a tough time pinning down the reasons why.
9:35 charming and menacing. He is the mirror of James Bond. Its a really good "what if" scenario for Bond if he ever went evil.
Great review. I personally always loved the License to Kill opening theme. It rolls nicely with 'Goldeneye' theme by Tina Turner for me in a 007 playlist.
Holy crap, that is Jerec from Dark Forces 2!!! I didn't realize he was in this.
I am a bit disappointed that the deleted scene of Bond sitting in his hotel room in Isthmus City and smoking a cigarette and seeing Sanchez in the TV entering his building was not included in the final cut. Such a Fleming moment.
I made the mistake of reading John Gardner's novelization a few days before seeng the movie. Hard to believe I was slightly disappointed and "only" saw the film in theatres twice (after seeing DAYLIGHTS 4 times). But BOY has it grown on me over the years.
The fact that "Live And Let Die" is the only novel I ever read twice probably helps as you have a few scenes in that finally brought to life in this film. Something I love about the story is how many times Bond SCREWS up-- and yet, again and again, he keeps lucking into getting closer and closer to his goal. Like, when he fails to kill Sanchez, and is captured by the Hong Kong cops, he's almost killed by them, then by Heller's army, before waking up and being thanked by Sanchez for telling him someone was out to get him. What a crazy turn-around, which he then presses his advantage on.
I've always wondered if he might have been able to talk his way out of Dario catching up with him at the drug factory! But, I guess he figured, that was his only chance to destroy the place. So nuts that one "small" fire should be allowed to get so out of control the entire place went up in explosions and flames.
Bond jumping from the plane to the roof of the tanker always reminds me of Simon Templar jumping from a plane to the roof of a speeding train in "The Avenging Saint" (the 2nd of the 3 "Rudoph Hauser" novels). I always felt when Bond asked Sanchez, "Don't you even want to know why?" and then shows him the cigarette lighter with Felix' name on it, was a callback in-joke to the movie LIVE AND LET DIE. In effect-- Sanchez was killed by "a genuine Felix lighter".
I took part in a school art contest to design a poster for the film under it's earlier title "LICENSE REVOKED". Somehow, I pictured Pam in lace and Lupe in leather, the opposite of how they looked in the film. And yet, on one of the official posters, that's exactly how they had them! I always figured they borrowed that from my design.
On my poster, I proposed a score by Keith Emerson, and a title song by Ann Wilson of Heart. It amazes me that both Ann Wilson & Gladys Knight were ladies with REALLY powerful voices, who around that time, had both put on a lot of weight (which thankfully did nothing to interfere with their incredible vocals).
I recently wrote a story in which I "cast" Robert Davi as a nasty henchman, of the kind he once played on THE GANGSTER CHRONICLES. I also cast Luciana Paluzzi as an Interpol agent in the same story. (Basing characters on real people makes them so easy to write!)
My favourite film in the series.
I kinda feel the ninjas (and the opening sequence with the repeated imagery of cameras with the photographic prints of the Asian woman) were maybe the remnants of an original idea for the movie that was set in a very different place.
LTK is a whole other beast from TLD which it's so hard for me to choose which is Dalton's best but it is up in the leagues to one of my best Bond films. If EON still had the rights of managing Blofeld and Spectre and decided to make a Bond film that continues right after Tracy's death from OHMSS, filmed in the 80s and included Dalton as the main actor that would've probably been the best revenge film where we see Bond in ultimate rage to take down his arch nemesis and climax the end of the Spectre organization. Dalton giving his intensity to Bond's performance in LTK is so surreal and terrifying that makes me appreciate how the actor went on the idea of building his interpretation of the character apart from the other actors.
TL;DR: Context of the times makes the difference between our experience of this film. I don't love this film as much as you do.
Longer comment:
I love Dalton. I thought that aside from an alternate universe where Clive Owen was cast as Bond, Timothy Dalton looked like the literary Bond and behaved like him more closely than anyone, Connery included. Dalton's Bond was haunted and alone, the man in the silhouette. He was believably vulnerable and prone to confining his romance to a very limited number of women, like the literary Bond. Just so I am clear how I feel about this actor and his take on Bond.
This movie was a very jarring tonal shift for me for more reasons than the elevated violence. I found the production values looked cheap, a mark of the John Glen directing era where sets looked more like a television studio's than a movie studio. The scenes filmed in Mexico look spare. I got a feeling that I was looking at a set and not a real location. Isthmus was really off to me. The bar fight in Bimini needed better suspense and looked like a parody of a real bar location.
Also, I grew up in Miami Beach. Seeing Miami Vice influence my favorite hero felt like I lost my last bastion of safety from all things drugs related in 80s media. But I digress. Robert Davi did a great job as Sanchez, but he's a little over the top along with Benicio Del Toro. They played caricatures in my eyes. No nuance. Zerbe and McGill were okay, but their motivations seemed two dimensional. Wayne Newton seemed like obligatory comic relief, but I went with it. (Who doesn't like Wayne Newton?) I realized that I was growing up when I saw the movie in the theater. I was developing a need for sophistication.
I liked Lowell and Soto as Bond "girls". When I saw Carey Lowell in "Fierce Creatures" years later, I was delighted. Very beautiful woman - a pity we didn't see her in wider distribution. And yes, Talisa Soto was a little off, but at least she wasn't Tanya Roberts.
I read the novelization for the film as I was reading a lot of John Gardner Bond novels then. It was good on paper but lost something in the translation to the big screen. The movie had the overall feel of a Bond movie that was almost ready to wow me but not quite there, so it felt rushed to market. And I did not appreciate Michael Kamen's soundtrack. This was the movie that stopped me from buying any more CDs for awhile. Funny, because I thought his soundtrack for "The Iron Giant" was absolutely compelling. Oh well. A chacun son gout.
1989 was a wild year for the movies. I was young and overwhelmed by all the awesome blockbusters out that summer. This movie was singled out as being so unlike the others before it. Bond was supposed to be family friendly, according to critics quoting Cubby Broccoli from 1962. This movie wasn't. If you're a young adult, you didn't care. If you're a parent of a young teen or a person who saw Connery as a kid, LtK absolutely made you scratch your head and walk out of the theater asking if this was what the franchise was going to be like from now on. I remember the news stations and their judgmental reviews. [Facepalm] You can't fix stupid.
Last thing, Stephen: You deliver your opinions with intelligence and consideration. I will never assume that means that you have any ego in expressing yourself. Just because you love this film more than me doesn't make you sound like a snob. I had to state that. You should never have to apologize for these videos because you put care into all of them. Thank you for another fine posting.
ADDENDUM: This video is even better on a second viewing. You're quite thorough, and always resonant.
Thank you. I knew we'd get to a film where you and I would fall on opposing sides, but I appreciate that you recognize that it doesn't have to be a battleground. I started out doing these videos for myself, to practice my editing and composition skills, so I'm amazed that people tuned in and continue to do so. It's invigorating, and it's only really because of the response that I was motivated to try the individual film reviews in addition to the longer rankings. I still have several in my mind that will happen, but I've been loving doing the single film videos, both because they are helping to add to my appreciation of each film and because I'm getting a kick out of hearing what everyone else thinks.
@@stephenjarvis534 You know what I like about these videos beyond what I've said before? It's that too many reviewers cross the line from a statement of conviction to a statement of judgment. It's a fine line and you don't cross it. That invites other opinions.
14:42 absolutely brilliant from Desmond Llewellyn. And he actually cares for Dalton's Bond's safety. Desmond even said that Dalton was his favorite Bond actor to work with. But Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny was done dirty. Zero scenes with Bond and one scene altogether. Thats being short strawed.
Could you do a video on the cancelled “Property Of A Lady” ?
I hadn't thought about it, but we do have enough information on it that I feel like there's stuff to talk about. It may be a while (I want to get through the released Bond films and a surprise franchise retrospective first), but I'll consider it.
I want to second the love of Christopher Neame. He had so little screentime but he struck me as such a badass. I would have loved to have seen him in my vision of this movie, a pre title sequence that occurs in Isthmus City!
Great to see another Jedi Knight fan, I thought I was the only one who'd spotted Jerec in this! ;)
And Metallica's S&M! I'm willing to bet there aren't that many of us standing in the same place on the Bond/Jedi Knight/Metallica Venn diagram, haha.
@@PetersonZF Gotta represent!
You know whats the one frustrating thing? Had EON had just used the template of Licence To Kill, a revenge thriller, on Diamonds Are Forever, and it becomes one of the most important movies. We dont have the cartoony Diamonds Are Forever, we get a revenge thriller but even more personal because Bond is going after the person who killer his wife.
As much as I’ve been looking forward to this one, what gets me most is we’re about to hit my favorite Bond in my favorite Bond film: GOLDENEYE.
I hope I won't disappoint. It's one of my very favorites.
I'm pretty conflicted on this one. I like it a ton, but it's not super high on my ranking. I do have issues with the tonal inconsistency (the bar fight/ninjas), but it's still a fun ride. I may be in the minority, but when it comes to the two big "Bond goes rogue" films, I prefer Quantum.
The production value just feels a little cheap to me too. I love a lot of the film (score, locations, action scenes), but it just feels like a high-budget TV movie to me. That being said, I think it is Dalton's best performance, and I love Davi as Sanchez. Lowell is great too!
I've rewatched LTK twice in the last year. One time for when I did my own ranking on our website, and once as a viewing party for a friend that had never seen it. Both times were a blast, and LTK is pretty squarely better to me than a good third of other Bond films.
I'm really looking forward to the next video! Thanks for the upload Stephen!
You're welcome. I'm very nervous about tackling the Craig films because everyone has strong opinions about them. Given that I also like Quantum more than most, I have a feeling that I'm going to encounter some resistance there.
@@stephenjarvis534 You’ll do a great job with the Craig films. Everyone does have strong opinions on them, but that’s what makes this a fun community to engage with. He’s got some of my favorite films in the franchise, and pretty easily at that.
Hell, I’m a big NTTD fan, so I know how reactions and backlash can hit in this community 😂
@Paul_Whaley Oh, No Time to Die's comment section is going to be a rollercoaster.
The (obviously) better of the two Dalton movies. When it hit the cinema I was in a stretch of life where I was dissociated from the cinemas and so I did not see it on first release. It sits 12th for me, behind For Your Eyes Only and ahead of Casino Royale.
This is my favourite bond film
Imagine if this had come after OHMSS?
I loved this movie and saw it three times in theatres in 1989 (I was probably the ONLY one doing that, since it did NOT do well in the USA)…by the early ‘90’s I was pretty sure we weren’t getting another one and was mentally prepared for this being the swan song….WAS THRILLED Goldeneye was Staggeringly good, but this film STILL HOLDS UP!
And believe me, it hurt no matter how much you prepare for it it still hurts because I wanted to see you Timothy Dalton back playing James Bond I mean a five year hiatus is almost absurd but at least we got two wonderful films out of him. It’s just very sad that it had to end that way for us the fans and for Timothy Dalton in the cast and crew and I would love to have seen property of a lady because it wasn’t goldeneye. It was property of a lady that he was going to do just said it never get the big screen in a theater near you.
Licence to Kill is in my top five Bond films. But the problem I have with the Bond series is the time between the few narratively important Bond films and its impact on continuity. LTK would have had so much more impact if made closer to Live and Let Die and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The former because of David Hedison's appearance and some of the few jokes made in LTK reference jokes made about Leiter in LALD.
But of course the most important storyline that LTK connects with is in OHMSS, which was released two decades earlier. There is a great parallel between the death of Della and Tracy, both who were murdered in their wedding dresses. What happened to Bond also happened to his best friend Felix, which only becomes clear if you're familiar with the series. But as a casual viewer you have no frame of reference, and the moment Bond finds Della in her wedding dress is less impactful as a result.
LTK, in many ways, is Richard Maibaum's revenge also. He wanted Diamonds Are Forever to be a revenge film with Bond going through different stages of grief, but the idea was rejected by Cubby Broccoli. It was a bad time for Maibaum, who had to play second to new kid, Tom Mankiewicz. Most people dismiss Maibaum's revenge idea focusing on the fact that early drafts of the revenge story were not so great. But if you read many early drafts by Maibaum this appears to be part of his process. Get the bad ideas out before the truly great ideas come.
2:53 those 6 years between 1989 to 1995 was probably not pleasant for Cubby considering the legal problems James Bond was in.
Greatness of amazing awesome James Bond movie adventures Timothy Dalton second James Bond movie license to kill underrated bond movie Timothy Dalton James Best performance as the character Robert Darbi Frank Sanchez amazing villains he is compelling villain I do like the story arc in this movie James Bond going rogue getting revenge for his friend license to kill have excitement action I think it excited action pack Bond movie amazing review of the movie I so happy you going be on my childhood life favorite James Bond era Pierce brosnan James Bond era looking forward to seeing your reviews
Alright! My favorite one! Just a damn pity Dalton couldn't do any more because of that whole license debacle with EON and Danjaq.
Also yes! Love you mention Chris Neeme as Jerek!
Absolutely ! Love Dalton´s Bond (just pipped by Connery for me) and would have loved a few more outings. LTK is a top 5 Bond in my book. P.S. I can handle the winking fish but not Felix´s jovial mood at the end after being maimed or life and losing his new wife, but no film is perfect.
The original story for this film was RISICO, but obviously the actual story was used in the EYES ONLY film, however the essence of the story where a a villain turns out to be a good man of conviction, with latitude the theme was used with Bond being the villain..
Well said 😊
As you can probably tell from my user name, I'm a big fan of this film.
Great assessment and overview of Timothy Dalton's brief, but powerful and ultimately, influential run as James Bond.
There's faults with this film... some of which you have brought up. The scene with the ninjas makes it feel like a Cannon film, rather than something as upmarket as the James Bond series, but I'm glad you brought up Christopher Neame's performance ; he comes across with a similar intensity and cold efficiency as Dalton, though less glamorous... He could have used more screentime. Now that I think of it, he reminds me a bit of Kittridge in the Mission: Impossible films.
The bit with the stinger missiles does feel a little too convoluted for it's own good (reminds me a bit of the subplot in Daylights, regarding the diamond smuggling), but I can see how it could have led to a more emotional payoff... One of the complaints LtK has always had from its detractors is that "it doesn't feel like a Bond film" and "it feels too low-stakes with Davi being a relatively small time drug dealer, who doesn't want to take over the world", but if that "stinger" subplot had been a bit fine tuned, it could have won them over. Imagine if the finale of the film had involved Bond now having to stop these missiles being used in some way. It would still be relatively low-key, but it would have Bond now actively saving people's lives, rather than still selfishly trying to take down Sanchez. You could have even had Neame's character help in some way, if they hadn't killed him off, even if it was done in a tangential way... again, I bring up Kittridge, particularly at the conclusion of the first M:I film. I love the revenge aspect of the film, but a lot of people don't and a tightening of the missiles subplot could have deepened the plot more... and it still could have been followed by the amazing tanker chase.
I would also say that the Stingers give Pam Bovier slightly more agency within the story.
Pam Bouvier from "Licence to Kill" is a Bond girl who has grown on me A LOT recently, especially after my recent viewing of "Licence to Kill" during the 60th anniversary showings at the cinemas. In many ways, she really is everything the massively overrated Wai Lin from "Tomorrow Never Dies" since Pam's contribution and agency to the story isn't interchangeable to that of Bond within "Licence to Kill" and actually adds some substance and stakes to the narrative of "Licence to Kill" in ways Wai Lin just doesn't.....like AT ALL.
I remember back when I watched "Skyfall", I went to the catharsis that the film is what I would refer to as a "Reverse-Bond" film with how it essentially placed Bond and the MI6 in a similar position to the villain in your typical Bond story, whereas Silvia is placed in a similar position to that of Bond within your typical Bond adventure. "Licence to Kill" for the time at least is very similar to "Skyfall" except instead of swapping the position of Bond and the villain, it is more of swapping the roles of Bond and the Bond girl. Contrary to what your modern-day feminist would tell you, the Bond films before Brosnan and Craig for the most part actually do have some agency within the story since most Bond stories usually follow the flat character arc format of storytelling to where the Bond himself doesn't exactly change, but the people around him do due to his influence within the story that allows us to learn more about said characters. Usually within a Bond film, it is the Bond girl who are the ones with the personal stakes and sense of agency whether it is a sense of self-discovery, growth within the story or the desire for revenge, this is usually to prevent the films from feeling rather static despite Bond himself usually being a character who hardly grows or changes within the story as he is simply a "man on a mission".
In "Licence to Kill", Bond himself is in the position like that of Melina from "For Your Eyes Only" or to a lesser extent Honey Rynder from "Dr. No" where he is the one out for a personal vendetta in which we learn different sides to Bond as a characters in ways we rarely did within previous films beforehand and is somewhat consistent with Dalton's Bond sense of disobedience as was established within "The Living Daylights" similar to how throughout the course of your average Bond adventure we slowly learn more about the Bond girl whether it’s her backstory, different sides to her personality and even how to change or self-reflect on the events of the film. Pam Bouvier is in the position Bond is usually in as far as Bond adventures go in which she is more of the individual out on a mission type in which I am mostly okay with Pam not exactly being a character who goes through a proper character arc or development in ways your typical Bond girl usually has because that sort of role is being is essentially being filled with Bond within the film. Therefore I honestly disagree with Calvin Dyson within his review of the film in which he described the plot revelation of Sanchez having stinger missiles from the contras as he is threatening to shoot down an American airliner if the DA doesn’t lay off. I can kind of understand where he is coming from to a degree of it maybe seeming a bit out of character for Sanchez to suddenly have such a large-scale plot development for a drug baron to have, but I think it makes some sense for Sanchez to be resourceful since he does essentially own the Republic of Ithumus to which it makes sense for Sanchez to use his money for some security measures. Plus even Calvin did admit within the review that there is more going on within the story than his own personal vendetta to which I am okay with it since that is usually the sort of revelation a lot of Bond girls of the past usually have too such as Melinda from “For Your Eyes Only” and it does give Pam some agency within the film albeit one that is less emotion or personal to that of previous Bond girls and one that is a lot more professional akin to Bond within your average Connery or Moore affair. It certainly prevents Pam from being a simple tagalong of a Bond girl.
Compare this to that of Wai Lin’s inclusion within “Tomorrow Never Dies” where I am constantly asking myself “What’s her fucking story?” throughout the course of the story as she literally gets little to no development as a character throughout the course of the story to which I am not feeling any sense of relief once her and Bond eventually romance each other in ways I do with some of the Connery and Moore films. Some would argue that Wai Lin within “Tomorrow Never Dies” functions like that of Pam within “Licence to Kill” in which Bond’s role is the more personal one, whereas Wai Lin is the more professional sort of role. The problem with that mindset is how the whole personal stakes within “Tomorrow Never Dies” regarding Bond’s past relationship with Paris Carver really goes no where or at least barely gets any development to the point where it barely counts as a personal story despite the film occasionally bringing it up. This eventually leads to a film which comes off as static since neither Bond or the main Bond girl either goes through any growth as characters or have anything that personal for me to care what’s going on as there is no character development being presented within their scenes in either your typical Bond approach or even the “Licence to Kill” approach to such a thing. It really does baffle me on how Wai Lin is such a “fan favourite” Bond girl when she comes off as one of the most one dimensional ones that I have ever seen due to lack of story within the film and how she doesn’t really add to the potentially interesting ideas of a Bond girl of Bond’s past coming back to his present or the idea of mass media manipulation, which is not helped by her lack of story that makes her just such a bore to me. Many peoples praise towards Wai Lin always comes off as false praise or extremely shallow with how much of the praises for her simply being “bad-ass” even though the Bond equal Bond girl has been a consistent thing since at least “The Spy Who Loved Me” (or “You Only Live Twice” or “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” depending on who you ask). I mean maybe that is enough for you, but it isn’t for me as I prefer my Bond girls to have a bit more to them than just “being cool and bad-ass” as Bond himself essentially fills in that role anyway. Wai Lin simply comes off as the Bond producers simply missing the point on why the likes of Sarah Connor from the “Terminator” films and Ellen Ripley from the “Alien” franchise actually work as action heroes.
9:25 you believe that Bond and Pam are a great duo. You believe them together can tackle any problems coming their way. The chemistry between Dalton and Lowell are great. Probably only bettered by Daniel Craig and Eva Green in Casino Royale and Pierce Brosnan and Izabella Scurrupco in GoldenEye. Diana Rigg and George Lazanby was close from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Celine Dion over Patty La Belle? Nooooooo. Loved Joe Butcher! Clearly a younger reviewer. Ending put a smile on my face despite its rushed pace
@tulabead I don't generally go for Celine Dion over Patti Labelle, but in this case, I do.
License to Kill is my favourite of the two Dalton films, and the one where he shines most. For those who want a Bond revenge story, LTK is where you go. The film isn't afraid of being gory or brutal, and it works pretty well. Sanchez is a realistic Bond villain, but still has a good precense. The only things about the film I don't like is Pam Bovier, as I find her quite annoying and bossy; and the title song, which I don't think is entirely fitting and isn't very memorable.
I don't find her annoying but she wasn't impressive. She is a very much a TV actress hence her only notable role is her character on Law and Order.
8:14 top 5 all time Bond women no doubt.
2:45 that's why the franchise went down hill after this movie, post movies doesn't feel like Bond movies.
20:01 agreed.
James Bond goes to work with the DEA. With the producers trying to ape Lethal Weapon, and, with that film's composer as well. Dreary, ugly, not a Bond movie at all.
Hands down the worst Bond movie!!I hate it!
Quantum of Solace says hello...
In a series with films like Die Another Day, Casino Royale 1967, Diamonds Are Forever, A View to A Kill, and "insert the Craig film you hate", that's quite the pronouncement.
@@stephenjarvis534 I love Diamonds! I think it's a funny self parody of the series.
@@ricardocantoral7672 I'm quite partial to Diamonds as well. However, I listed the ones that I tend to see line the bottom of a lot of people's lists.