Review of Licence To Kill: Special Edition (James Bond)

Introduction

I used to love James Bond movies, until the age of about 15. Ludicrous plots, dodgy acting, ridiculous gadgets and laden with stereotypes and clichés, I`ve always felt that the James Bond franchise appeals to the child in all of us. The Sean Connery movies are very good for what they are, but are very much products of their time. They are enjoyed with a sense of nostalgia, and an acknowledgment that they are very much anachronisms. The Roger Moore era saw the movies descend into pure farce, and the plots very much relied on the villains being quite comical, with secret hidden bases in volcanoes and intricate schemes designed to rid the world of the superspy, when a bullet would suffice. I had approached the first Brosnan movie with a sense of hope, that maybe a little realism and common sense would be instilled in the character, but the opening scene of Goldeneye proved otherwise, where Bond jumps after a falling plane, catches up to it, climbs in, takes the controls and flies away. GCSE Physics taught me how impossible that was, and I have never taken the Brosnan films seriously since. More recently, even the Austrian tree trunk has made True Lies whilst the Austin Powers movies seem to be going from strength to strength. These films make watching James Bond seriously, practically impossible.

Yet in the late eighties, two James Bond movies were made that radically changed direction for the franchise, much to general disdain. Looking back, these are the only two movies that I can still sit down and enjoy wholeheartedly without commenting cynically on the plot or laughing at another impossible gadget. They are of course, The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill. Timothy Dalton was cast as James Bond, and for a change we were presented with a more human character, someone who had emotions, who could be hurt and could be fallible also. The plots were realistic, and the producers made a conscious decision to make the character less promiscuous. He still got the girl though, just not all of them. Licence to Kill is simply the best Bond movie ever made.

On the way to Felix Leiter`s wedding, the groom and the best man (James Bond of course) are interrupted by the DEA. It appears that Franz Sanchez, a billionaire drug baron has made the mistake of straying onto US jurisdiction. Leiter, seeing the chance to capture Sanchez, decides to delay his wedding for a few minutes. Bond tags along of course, ostensibly as an observer. This being a James Bond movie, he doesn`t observe for long and is soon instrumental in Sanchez` capture, 10000 ft over the Florida Keys. Leiter and Bond then parachute in spectacularly just in time for the wedding. Leiter`s nuptials are rudely interrupted however, when Sanchez escapes and seeks revenge. With the bride murdered and Leiter badly injured, Bond swears revenge. However, the British government doesn`t sanction his investigation and M soon turns up to remind Bond of his responsibilities, forcibly if necessary. Bond sees things differently and blinded by his revenge, he resigns. His licence to kill revoked, he escapes the agents sent to detain him and pursues Sanchez alone. After examining Leiter`s files, he finds a CIA pilot, Pam Bouvier who is undercover for the DEA. She agrees to fly him to Isthmus City where Sanchez rules behind a puppet president. There he plays a dangerous game, playing two sides against each other in an attempt to get close to Sanchez.

Video

These screen ratios are getting ridiculous. Licence to Kill is presented in a 2.45:1 anamorphic transfer. An almost immaculate print is the standard for a James Bond film and this doesn`t disappoint. The colours are rich and image sharp. The film does show its age though, with the occasional scratch and fleck. To save on budget, the film was shot entirely on location in Florida and Mexico. This results in great scenery and glorious settings. Ironically it looks as if more money was spent than on the typical Pinewood productions.

Audio

An English DD 5.1 soundtrack is provided for your aural pleasure. It perfectly suits the movie and I didn`t find any flaws. Michael Kamen provides the soundtrack and it`s a peculiarly understated affair. The ubiquitous Bond Theme is rarely heard and the music is more generic. You may think that without the familiar tune blaring in every action scene, you would forget you were watching a Bond movie, but this is far from the case. When you do hear the tune, it is more climactic and emphasises the action more. Gladys Knight provides the theme tune and for once it says Bond movie. This is a grand piece with loads of strings and plenty of vocal. Rather than the "trendy" pop bands this harks back to the golden era of Shirley Bassey tunes and more than suits the film.

Features

Bond DVDs certainly don`t scrimp on extras. Licence to Kill has two audio commentaries, one by the cast and one by the crew. Again there are no contemporary comments by Timothy Dalton, but most of the other cast contribute. I have a problem with the commentaries. John Cork of the Ian Fleming Foundation introduces them both and he also introduces each individual comment. I would have preferred the cast to speak for themselves rather than be sandwiched by a relative unknown. Also, poor John has a rather nasal voice, which I find personally irritating and distracting. Naturally I didn`t listen to much of the commentaries. There is a 30-minute documentary, Inside Licence to Kill, which is a recently made retrospective look at the movie. Made 10 or so years after, it provides an objective and interesting look at the film rather than an advertisement. If only all documentaries could be so interesting. There are two featurettes, a making of and one focussing on the Truck stunts. These total 15 minutes. Also provided are 2 music videos, the Gladys Knight title track and the closing theme by Patti LaBelle. They`re interesting only as nostalgic looks at cheesy 80`s music videos. Finishing off the extras are 2 trailers and a comprehensive production photo gallery as well as an 8 page making of booklet.

Conclusion

Timothy Dalton returns as Bond, in what would be his final outing as the superspy.
He surpasses his previous performance here as a Bond who has stepped over the line. There is an edge and restrained violence that hasn`t been evident before or since. Fuelled by vengeance and a blind thirst for revenge, you don`t know what to expect from him. The character has a fire and passion, as well as a fallibility that makes him seem human and for once a plausible character. Remedying the fault of the previous film, the bad guy has much more meat to his character. Rather than going for the camp villains of earlier films, we get a more vicious and realistic drug baron who`s grown up watching Scarface. Robert Davi is the ruthless but charismatic Sanchez, a far more contemporary bad guy, not given to elaborate schemes or ridiculous executions, easy to escape from. This is a man who will shoot you just as soon as look at you. His two henchmen are Dario, a cold-blooded killer and Milton Krest, played respectively by Benicio del Toro and character actor Anthony Zerbe. The obligatory Bond girls are Pam Bouvier and Lupe, played respectively by Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto. Lupe is the stereotypical, submissive and passive character we expect in these films, but Pam has more "girl-power" and hold her own when the action heats up. Returning of course in his most expansive role in the series is Desmond Llewellyn as Q. Here he accompanies Bond to Isthmus city and joins in the fun. Reprising his role as Felix Leiter after 15 years is David Hedison.

It`s absolutely stunning that this film met with such a poor reception on release. After 13 years of hindsight, Licence to Kill is still simply the best James Bond film ever made. The out of place humour has been dispensed with as has the gimmickry and pointless gadgets. The story is excellent, focussing on the most basic of human emotions, rage. It`s Bond`s rage and desire for vengeance that drives this film and makes it so powerful. Here the character shows some humanity and a fallibility that is completely absent from the other films. The filmmakers took a chance moving in this direction and it pays off in spades. Dalton`s Bond is one that can be hurt and can make mistakes. In Licence to Kill he has to face the consequences of his actions, when his blind rage results in the failure of legitimate police actions against Sanchez. Coupled to the peerless story are some glorious stunts and action scenes. From the opening capture scene to the climactic tanker chase, the movie is absolutely gripping. It`s not perfect. There is a glimpse of the bad old days of villains with secret underground bases when Sanchez helicopter lands at the drug factory and a giant hydraulic door opens out of the ground. Who needs to hide a bloody helicopter? But this is one hydraulic door out of a 2 hr movie. I could be nit picking.

The essential Bond film, Licence to Kill has yet to be surpassed. It is a shame that the filmmakers went back to rote Bond with the advent of the Brosnan era. I far preferred the gritty, hard edged but human Bond that Timothy Dalton created. With a reliance on strong characterisation and story rather than gadgets and special effects this film is watchable again and again. Not only is this the best Bond movie, this film is up there with Die Hard as the essential 80`s action flicks. You should own this disc.