‘Licence to Kill’ Review: A Brooding and More Serious Bond Sets Timothy Dalton’s Portrayal Apart

One usually has to view a Bond film through a lens of nostalgia. Whether you prefer Connery or Moore, etc., the older films have an aloofness that’s divorced from modern cinema. For example, I just finished “Moonraker.” And while Roger Moore is fantastic, the film falls apart in its closing act filled with space laser fights that look like something George Lucas cooked up. The action in Bond films—from “Dr. No” through most of Moore’s pictures—hinged on a dignified man in a suit engaging in fisty-cuffs rather than believable action. Yet ten years have passed since “Moonraker” by the time Timothy Dalton’s “Licence to Kill” released, and the picture shows marked improvement. Bond has more gruffness, more espionage, and more of that raw quality that would later mark Daniel Craig’s excellent portrayal of the spy. 

“Licence to Kill” has much in common with “Quantum of Solace” in that regard. The film opens with Bond en route to attend his CIA pal Felix Leiter’s (David Hedison) wedding. However, before long, the two are off on a chase. A notorious drug lord, Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) is in the area and it’s their chance to nab him. The ensuing helicopter chase is standard Moore-era stuff; however, things turn sour quickly. After taunting the cops and bragging he’ll be freed soon, Sanchez escapes—but not before killing Leiter’s new wife (Priscilla Barnes) and leaving Leiter himself near death. How Leiter didn’t die still confounds me, but I’m getting beside the point. This all sets Bond off on a revenge mission. And Dalton’s brooding and gruffness make us believe he means it. When the CIA seems uninterested in looking for Leiter’s assailants, he knows he’s the only one to do it—whether or not M (Robert Brown) thinks it’s a good idea. 

Less Womanizing and More Action

By the time “Licence to Kill” was released—1989—society was changing somewhat, and you can see it in the film’s treatment. The two women Bond meets along the way (one, a CIA agent and the other the drug lord’s girlfriend) are given regular names, and not chauvinistic pet titles like ‘Dr. Goodhead’ from “Moonraker.” The jet-setting also makes sense this time. Bond travels from Florida to Mexico throughout the film, all in a quest to right the wrongs caused by Sanchez. We believe it for two reasons: one, Dalton is excellent as Bond, believably hurt by the transgressions that befell Leiter and his wife and two, Sanchez is equally good as the drug lord. Here—again, unlike “Moonraker”—we believe he will hurt people and more: that he likes to. 

What works about “Licence to Kill” also is the Bond-on-the-run motif we’ve come to love in modernity. M refuses to sanction his mission (though, like Dench’s portrayals, we get the impression he doesn’t really mind) and Bond is forced to give up his 00 status. The film also gives us more in the line of the art of espionage than previous films as Bond realizes the harm his vendetta is causing to not just his peace of mind, but other spy operations. During the course of the film Bond’s reckless actions will inadvertently sabotage 1) a DEA sting operation and 2) a CIA missile recovery deal. Here “Licence” again reminded me of Craig’s “Quantum of Solace” as we get to see the machinations that go into global espionage and the quest for governance, with Bond’s presence offering silent commentary. 

Dalton is a Great Bond

As the spy, Dalton looks the part, but operates less the suited gentleman and more the kind of Bond that wants to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty. He seldom wears a suit and tie, clad in black and an unbuttoned shirt that eschews vengeance. He’s still got his Rolex (that wouldn’t disappear until “GoldenEye”), but he wears it subconsciously. There’re no overt shots of the dial and the film itself is low on advertising in general. I’ve heard that Dalton’s Bond can be somewhat polarizing. He lacks the chauvinism and charisma that lined Connery and Moore’s performances and seems more intent on working than womanizing. However, romances he has with Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) and Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto) become somewhat charming, especially towards the end as they both vie for his affections. I can’t remember the last time a Bond film showed his conquests aware of the other. 

Meanwhile, Davi is menacing as Franz Sanchez, and his host of minions fit the bill. They include an extremely young Benecio Del Toro and man named Heller (Don Stroud), who is clearly the money. The cocaine operation Sanchez runs takes place in a huge “meditation” complex that resembles some kind of cult, and the only part of the film that felt forced was having singer Wayne Newton act as a TV evangelist charming for donations. It added extra time to the film that didn’t need to be there, although the film’s ending—comprised of Sanchez’s drug operation falling apart—is rife with action and comeuppance aplenty. But at 2 hours and 13 minutes the film feels overlong, and could have written some stuff out with not much loss to the plotting.

Paving the Way for the Future

But all-in-all, “Licence to Kill” is a solid film. Dalton makes a very pleasing Bond, and it’s a shame he didn’t continue further. Seeing as that decision paved the way for beloved Pierce Brosnan to take over (I love Dalton but couldn’t imagine him in “GoldenEye”), it’s a small regret. But with this film, we see a Bond divorced from his usual charms (although they’re still present)  and more raw in nature. The film is also high octane action (the budget was $32 million) that seems urgent rather than squeezed in for necessity. “Licence to Kill” invests audiences in its happenings and sets the stage for Bond’s new era in “GoldenEye” six years later. A good action film and one of Bond’s best forays in the time between “Dr. No” and today.