License to Kill (TV 1984)

A grieving family whose daughter was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver is outraged and frustrated as they encounter the inevitable bureaucratic delays in bringing the case to ... See full summary »

Director:

Jud Taylor

Writer:

William A. Schwartz

Stars:

James Farentino, Penny Fuller, Don Murray

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Farentino	...	John Peterson
Penny Fuller	...	Judith Peterson
Don Murray	...	Tom Fiske
Millie Perkins	...	Mary Fiske
Ari Meyers	...	Amy Peterson
Donald Moffat	...	Webster
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Judge Miriam Roth
Kristen Vigard	...	Lynne Peterson
Denzel Washington	...	Martin Sawyer
George Martin	...	Steve
John M. Jackson	...	Officer Caskey
Josef Rainer	...	Campbell (as Joe Rainer)
Jerry Haynes	...	Bill Wilson
Marc Gilpin	...	Larry Chernoff
Niki Flacks	...	Meredith

Storyline

A grieving family whose daughter was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver is outraged and frustrated as they encounter the inevitable bureaucratic delays in bringing the case to trial. Once in the courtroom, they are horror-stricken as the young, hard-pressed district attorney seems unable to overcome the technicalities and maneuverings that the driver's attorney uses to keep his client out of jail and still on the streets as a legal driver. When the judge is forced to rule time and again in favor of the defense, it appears that the driver might escape punishment altogether.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Diritto alla vita

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

D. Petrie Productions, Marian Rees Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Time in a Bottle"
Written and Performed by Jim Croce
Produced by Terry Cashman and Tommy West
Courtesy of Lifesong Records

User Reviews

Heavy Handed Morality Tale

There's really not a whole lot to say about this low budget made-for-TV drama about two families whose lives intersect as a result of an accident involving a young girl and a drunk driver. The courtroom sequence in the second half contains some tension. And the overall acting is decent.

Maybe in its day the movie had some merit as a propaganda tool. But a generation later, the film's blunt, too-direct theme is highly off-putting. The story is not particularly entertaining. Indeed, it is something of a downer. Characters are all cardboard cutouts, lacking any degree of complexity. The family of the victim is highly respectable and squeaky clean. The head of the other family is an arrogant businessman named Tom Fiske (Don Murray) who is easy to dislike. The film's plot is trite and predictable. Script dialogue contains very little subtext. And the film's low-key piano score reeks of cheap elevator music.

I can think of no reason to recommend "License To Kill". Its thematic message of don't-drink-and-drive has long since been pounded and beaten into Americans, the highly moralistic theme belabored, ordained, and codified in countless other ways. To find films with relevant social themes, the viewer will need to look elsewhere.