When drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) exacts his brutal vengeance on Bond's friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison), 007 resigns from the British Secret Service and begins a fierce vendetta against the master criminal. Bond won't be satisfied until Sanchez is defeated, and to accomplish this aim he allies himself with a beautiful pilot (Carey Lowell) and Sanchez's sexy girldfriend (Talisa Soto). But Bond, relegated to outlaw status, must battle agents on both sides of the law as he discovers the horrifying extent of his prey's resources. In order to bring Sanchez down, Bond must survive a ferocious boat chase, a midair brawl over the controls of an out-of-control airplane, and an action-packed confrontation in the Mexico desert.
AMAZON.COM REVIEWS FOR LICENCE TO KILL (1989): Timothy Dalton's second and last shot at playing James Bondisn't nearly as much fun as his debut, two years earlier, in the 1987The LivingDaylights. This time Bond gets mad after a close friend (DavidHedison) from the intelligence sector is assassinated on his weddingday, and 007 goes undercover to link the murder to an internationaldrug cartel. Robert Davi makes an interesting adversary, but as withmost of the Bond films in the '70s, '80s, and '90s--and especiallysince the end of the cold war--one has to wonder why we should stillcare about these lesser villains and their unimaginativecrimes. Still, Dalton did manage in his short time with the characterto make 007 his own, which neither Roger Moore did nor Pierce Brosnandid. --Tom Keogh The James Bond Collection (vhs):
Amazon.com video review:Seven films. Four Bonds. One set. This sprawling collection surveysover 30 years of James Bond skullduggery, from the cold war tensions ofthe 1960s to the international free-for-all of the present. Sean Conneryremains the coolest of the Bonds, a ruthless agent with dry martini wit anda way with the women, and in Goldfinger his steely presence helpedforge the Bond formula of tongue-in-cheek wit, wondrous secret agent toyscreated by Q, and megalomaniac supervillains bent on world destruction.Thunderball upped the Bond ante with the most ambitiousadventure--andbudget--to date. Roger Moore brought an altogether lighter tone to 007 withLive and Let Die, softening Connery's rough edges with a moreromantic persona as the films became even more exotic. After a briefdigression into outer space, For Your Eyes Only returned Bond to globetrotting high adventure and teamed him with his most endearing ally(Topol as a gregarious smuggler). Timothy Dalton made his second and finalappearance as Bond in Licence to Kill, the toughest of the Bondfilmssince Connery's early efforts. Though not a fan favorite, it's a sleek,solid adventure with an edge missing from the Moore pictures. PierceBrosnanis the latest to take on 007's licence to kill, combining the best ofConnery's cool and Moore's humor. GoldenEye is the best Bond film inyears, a grand globetrotting adventure with lovely Bond girls and a toughnew M (Judy Dench). Tomorrow Never Dies doesn't recapture that magicmix of action, gadgetry, and romance, but does feature the first Bond girlto match 007 blow for blow: Hong Kong action superstar Michelle Yeoh. Takentogether, this set is a veritable cross-section of the many faces of JamesBond. All that's missing is George Lazenby. Do I hear a nomination for set 2? --Sean Axmaker
AWARDS FOR LICENCE TO KILL (1989):
- Edgar Allan Poe Awards
1990
Nominated
Edgar
Best Motion Picture
Richard Maibaum
Michael G. Wilson
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