Licence to Kill

“Then you have my resignation sir.” James Bond to M in Licence to Kill

Licence to Kill is the most controversial James Bond film.  Rarely have I heard comments that it is poorly made, but many Bond fans, especially those who have not read the books, do not like it.  I feel this is good example of the need for film discussion.  For example, I like David Fincher as a director and I admire the structure of his film Fight Club.  However despite two viewings I do not enjoy the experience of watching it, though many disagree with me.

Please note, I do include spoilers and third act revelations in this post so I encourage every reader to watch the film first and then come back.

Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson decided to create a story to showcase Bond’s darker side, now that they had Timothy Dalton, whose interpretation was based on the more serious character from the books.  Licence was Dalton's second Bond film.  During the late 1980s a lot of the popular action films were R rated films with tough names like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard.  The heroes were not personable and really took the battle to the villains, who often were drug dealers.   The plot of Licence involves Bond seeking a vendetta against a Hispanic drug lord, Franz Sanchez, (presumably based on Manuel Noriega) for maiming Felix Leiter and murdering his wife. The producers probably felt it logical for Bond to venture into the same area although the film does not show us the effects of anyone using the drugs.

Director John Glen directed all five of the Eon Bond films of the 1980s (four of which are in or near my top 10 list).  Overall he had a more realistic style and an editor’s eye for designing sequences.  I think Licence, his final Bond film, showcases Glen at the top of his form.

The Living Daylights, Dalton's first Bond, is more audience friendly but I prefer this film.  For the most part I find the darkness fascinating and it gives Dalton the chance to take Bond on an emotional journey.  I saw the Licence on opening night in 1989 and had a fun time with the audience I saw it with.  Right afterwards I went overseas for a month and when I came back I had planned to catch it again and was surprised to see it gone from theatres. 

Licence was released in the midst of a competitive summer for franchise films.  I think Licence was hurt the most by Lethal Weapon 2, which was also a violent action film but funnier and was released a week before Licence in the U.S.  Audiences probably saw Lethal twice instead of going to Licence which opened 4^th behind Lethal, Batman, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  The more mature theme also meant people did not go with their families.  In contrast The Living Daylights opened at #1 and stayed there for two weeks, without this type of competition.  After this Bond films release dates shifted to the fall (except for Tomorrow Never Dies which opened in December - opposite Titanic) to greater success.  Also, now that Bond is more popular again other studios won’t release bigger films against Bond films. 

Although much has been made of Licence's lackluster marketing campaign it is the first Bond film to have a great teaser.  The poster also quite ominous.  I have read the studio stopped supporting it after the first weekend.

David Hedison captures Felix Leiter’s congenial nature from the books even though he is not a straw haired Texan.  Hedison's Leiter was one of the few bright spots in Live and Let Die and the producers were wise to bring him back so the audience would have a previous connection with Felix even though Felix is supposed to be about Bond’s age and Hedison was born the same year as Roger Moore (1927).  Felix is a recurring character in the books, often helping Bond out whenever he is in the U.S. or the Caribbean.  In the films Felix is often on the sidelines and though he appeared (always played by a different actor) a lot in the Connery films we rarely got a sense of their friendship until Live and Let Die.    I wonder if Felix is supposed to be a DEA agent here because in the other films he worked for the CIA.

Beforehand I expected to like Talisa Soto, as Lupe, Sanchez girlfriend more than Carey Lowell, as Pam Bouvier, a former CIA agent who helps Bond but when I saw the film the opposite was true.  Talisa Soto as Lupe looks stunning but her voice is monotone and she eats up a lot of the screen time that I think would have been better devoted to Pam. Lowell is tough and capable and can easily stand toe to toe with Dalton and, when she lets the audience see it, has a warm smile.   

In nearly every scene she is in, Lowell gets to do something interesting.  She upstages Bond in both the bar fight and at the bank, she has a funny moment where she tries out Bond’s martini, she looks stunning in two blue dresses, she is both a pilot and quick with a gun, she has a fun interplay with Wayne Newton’s sleazy televangelist and plays a crucial role during the climax. 

There are some terrific moments where Bond and Pam butt heads and it made for a nice contrast to Bond and Kara’s relationship in Daylights. Kara often took Bond’s scolding whereas Pam gives it right back to him.  Dalton’s Bond also enjoys the conflict.  The scene in the hotel room right after Bond and Pam arrive in Isthmus, when Bond makes a couple of un pc remarks to Pam I think he is baiting her to see what she comes back with. 

Robert Davi is calculating and menacing as Sanchez and is around a lot so we truly get to know him.  Davi takes an understated approach to Sanchez, who rarely shouts but always seems ready to strike.  I found it interesting that his character employed no family members. 

Although I was a bit disappointed that John Barry did not score the film, Michael Kamen’s score is a gratifying, especially when he introduces his version of the Bond theme in the pre-credit sequence.  Kamen worked on a lot of action films around this period (his music for Lethal Weapon is a standout) and I am glad to hear his take on Bond, which uses more brass than he might normally include.

Going through the film here are some observations:

This is the first time we see Bond dressed in tails.  Sharkey has a more dangerous mission than Bond and Feliz.

Sanchez has a whale of an opening scene, showing his passion and capacity for violence.  It was the first scene filmed and Davi’s Hispanic accent is far more pronounced here than in the rest of the film. 

Kamen’s music when the DEA agents are running out of the chopper suggest this has been an epic hunt. When Bond lands from his jump from the chopper the music matches his landing perfectly.

Glen stages and cuts the sequence to ensure that Sanchez never gets a good look at Bond.

When Bond and the agents run back to the helicopter Bond is clearly in charge now.

The “fishing” scene is a larger-than-life stunt worthy of the series.

Could the helicopter have caught up with the small plane?  Also the Bahamas, where Sanchez escapes from, is about 300 miles from Key West and it appears that Bond and Leiter capture Sanchez right above Key West.  Sanchez seems to notice the wedding and perhaps targets Leiter later because of it.

Maurice Binder’s last title sequence have an odd camera theme.  Dalton appears briefly.

Bond seems a little too friendly with Della, kissing his best friend’s bride on the lips twice.

Pam’s first scene is direct, she has nothing to say to Bond and leaves quickly so he does not hit on her.

Dalton’s reaction to Killifer punching Bond in the arm is played perfectly.  Bond’s look to Felix seems to say “nice friend you have here”.  An Englishman like Bond would not like that type of gesture, especially from someone he does not know.

When Killifer hits the guard with the shotgun the amount of blood that appears makes it clear that Licence is going to be more violent.  The underwater escape is clever, though how did Killifer know to contact Krest?

I am glad that Dalton got a chance to play a moment that addresses the loss of Tracy, Bond’s bride from OHMSS.  His polite but firm reaction to the garter belt makes it clear he will not put himself in this position again.  Kamen scores this moment with an acoustic guitar which underlines Bond’s loss.  As Bond drives away his isolation is punctuated and it also establishes that he is not going to around to help when Della and Felix find Sanchez’ men waiting in their bedroom in the next scene.

Sanchez’ scene with Krest sets up both of their characters.  Sanchez relies on loyalty but is ruthless.  Krest is a slimy but weak willed, a little like the bullying character he is based on in The Hildebrand Rarity.

Felix’s attack by the shark deviates a bit from the source material. In the novel Live And Let Die Felix is fed to the shark offscreen and Bond finds him later (with the same note).   Hedison plays Felix’s conflicting emotions of horror and attempt to be defiant.  Sanchez states indirectly that he is not killing Felix – though these actions are if not ruining Felix’s life certainly making a permanent impact on it.

“Some big drug dealer just escaped” is not the best delivered line in cinema history.

When Bond discovers Felix and Della after the attack it forms his vendetta which drives the rest of the film.  Alec Mills’ camera comes in behind Bond slowly revealing the environment to us along with him (as it does later when he goes to Sanchez’ office).  Bond is fairly casual at this stage, just checking things out, and he only goes on alert when he sees the blood on the floor. 

Bond is grief stricken when he finds Della shot and with her eyes still open.  Unlike the scene with Saunders in The Living Daylights, this is a personal loss as Della was a close friend.  He starts to breathe heavy as he starts to look for Felix. 

When Bond finds Felix’s body bag, he appears defeated, and expects that Felix is dead.  He is holding the gun at his side; if one of Sanchez’s men were still in the house they might have had him easily.  A little rage appears as he finds the note and then Felix unexpectedly stirs.   When the phone rings Bond is so shaken he grabs it awkwardly.

When Bond says “Find him!” to Hawkins Dalton spits out the line with venom.  I do not think he is suggesting that Hawkins is corrupt, just useless. 

When Bond goes to Krest’s warehouse although he is friendly his inquisitiveness makes Krest and the guard uneasy.  I think Krest senses that Bond sees through him.  The cinematography and Dalton both show us that Bond sees the flower and keeps it to himself, realizing he has found the spot.

The camera shakes when Bond gets out of the boat when he comes back to the warehouse that night.

Bond’s escape from the guard with the machine gun recalls his run from Whitakker in The Living Daylights.  His disposal of all three men is gruesome, as they are all killed by animals.  Bond lets people get the drop on him twice in this scene.  As Killifer threw up when Felix was attacked by the shark would he really have done the same to Bond?  Of course it gives a reason for the trap door to be open for when Bond turns the tables on him.  Note how Bond moves ready to strike again even though Killifer has been bested.  Killifer clearly expects Bond to take the money.

Dalton’s coldness is at its apex, throwing a man into a shark tank and then looking at the shark eat Killifer with an almost sociopathic look.   His voice when he says “You earned it, you keep it” matches this.  All the Bonds have done cruel things before but this is a calculated action.  Killifer sold out and while he may not have intended for Felix to be hurt by it, his betrayal is probably seen by Bond as being worse than Sanchez’ actions.

I can see why people who dislike Dalton cite this scene as an example.   It is in line with the character from the books who can be as bad as the villains.  Although Craig's Bond is ruthless as well he has not had a scene as coldblooded as this. While watching the scene I was riveted and then had a big laugh when Sharkey delivered his line. 

The cats at the Hemingway House hint that something unpleasant awaits Bond in the house.  Bond is defiant though when he says Leiter has put his life on the line for him, when was that exactly?  It is sad to see Bond resign the service though unlike other observations I have read, he does not attack M, but rather the guard standing next to M.  The “Farewell to Arms” line is a cheeky touch given the setting.  When M tells the guard not to shoot, the line about too many people is just an excuse since he does not want Bond shot.

Lupe is resourceful in her own way but I would have liked to hear a little more about her background.  Why did she leave her family and how did she end up with Sanchez?  We see almost nothing of how she ends up in Sanchez good graces after the whipping scene or maybe that was to be the end of it.

When Bond appeared on the boat I feared for the despicable Krest a bit.  It is brutal how forcefully he grabs Lupe and holds a knife to her throat though after the initial shock she does not seem afraid of him.

Bond improvises a way to destroy a drug buy, hurting Sanchez’s business.  The escape has just the right amount of underwater action and the whole sequence is inventive, especially the POV skiing shot. 

Bond manages to almost look like he belongs in the dive bar.  As entertaining as the fight is it feels out of place, perhaps not in this film, but in a Bond film overall.

Benicio Del Toro as Dario makes a strong impression in his first scene without Sanchez.

On the boat Bond lets go of his anger when asking for Pam’s help.  The acoustic guitar score helps sell the perhaps quick seduction but I find the scene cute.

It is amusing to see Dalton’s Bond in a casino.  He walks in like he owns the place, asking for a private table to be sure he attracts Sanchez attention.  Interestingly Bond plays blackjack instead of baccarat. 

I prefer Dalton’s tuxedo look in Daylights though his slick hair here makes him look more menacing.

Bond accomplishes two things when he goes to the glass window in Sanchez' office.  He sees what type of glass is on the window and he shows Sanchez that he is not intimidated by him and will not just sit and wait.

Dalton perfectly sells the “problem eliminator” mixing just enough humor and menace.

When Bond meets Sanchez he loses his passport and his gun though perhaps by design.  I wonder why he brought both with him to the meeting.

There are many funny lines in Q’s scene, but the skeletons in the Polaroid is my favorite.  The closing line is a nice cap to Pam’s annoyance about Bond going off with Lupe.

Dalton has a sniper scene in each of his Bond films, though no one is killed in either.

Kwang was already attracting attention when Bond attempted to kill Sanchez, which led Sanchez to go after Kwang after the attempt.

Bond is on a private vendetta but the film does not let him off the hook for it.  Presumably he ruins the Hong Kong narcotics operation.  Bond seems more stricken by ruining the deal with Heller than about the narcotics sting. 

It is hilarious when Q casually throws the rake away.

Kamen puts little drumbeats on the soundtrack when Dario recognizes Bond in the lab.

Bond makes no effort to escape from Dario; he starts the fire, willing to sacrifice himself to destroy Sanchez’ drug lab.

Sanchez’ threat to kill Bond in the cocaine grinder is as horrific a potential death as Bond has ever faced.

Although Bond gives him a good reason it is convenient that Sanchez leaves only Dario behind.

Pam looks a like an angel in the outfit, and Dario probably thinks he killed her before.

Bond narrowly avoiding Sanchez Uzi shots while scrambling atop the trucks is an ingenious stunt and the theme of the bullets is a good touch.

The stunt work in the mountain truck chase is tremendous.  Bond is doing whatever damage he can in the trucks and Pam is providing air support.  The two connect when Bond sets the pursuing pickup truck on fire and Pam’s plane almost gets hit with it in a well framed piece of the battle.

I would have enjoyed a more drawn out mano a mano between Bond and Sanchez but the finale does show Sanchez is about to behead Bond and Bond baits him long enough to turn the tables, a little like trick with the case with Grant in From Russia With Love. Sanchez’ fiery death is a fitting send off for this character.

Bond has a brief cathartic moment after Sanchez’ death (which is a little difficult to see with the bruises and cut up face).  This vendetta came at a cost and will not bring Della back or give Felix his leg back.  Pam’s appearance lightens the mood.

Leiter is quite upbeat given his circumstances, though the book character was often the same.

Dalton looks better in his tuxedo here than earlier.  Bond seems to have recovered quickly from his substantial facial wounds which included a singed eyebrow.  I wonder how much time has passed.

The love triangle between Bond, Pam and Lupe comes to an odd conclusion.  Bond seems to have given little thought as to who his date is at the party but when he sees Pam crying he instinctively goes to her.  Q’s genuine affection for Pam is sweet when he looks to Bond hoping he will make this right.  Pam sure lets him off lightly though.

If You Asked Me To by Patti LaBelle is pretty and uses the cute exchange between Bond and Pam for the title.  Celine Dion’s cover made the song popular a few years later but I prefer this version.

In the end I did not expect to say goodbye to Timothy Dalton so quickly but I am glad to have had these two films with him. ****