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Licence to Kill (1989)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
14 July 1989 (USA) moreTagline:
Out for revenge. Glimpse behind the cool facade of 007. And see how sweet revenge can really be. [USA poster] morePlot:
James Bond leaves Her Majesty's Secret Service to stop an evil drug lord and avenge his best friend, Felix Leiter. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Three weddings for Doctor Who companions (From The Geek Files. 4 June 2009, 4:32 AM, PDT)
DVD Playhouse--June 2009
(From The Hollywood Interview. 3 June 2009, 12:41 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Hard-edged Bond film. Not a great commercial success, but it has interesting points. moreUS TV Schedule:
| Mon. July 20 | 9:00 AM | USA |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Timothy Dalton | ... | James Bond | |
| Carey Lowell | ... | Pam Bouvier | |
| Robert Davi | ... | Franz Sanchez | |
| Talisa Soto | ... | Lupe Lamora | |
| Anthony Zerbe | ... | Milton Krest | |
| Frank McRae | ... | Sharkey | |
| David Hedison | ... | Felix Leiter | |
| Wayne Newton | ... | Professor Joe Butcher | |
| Benicio Del Toro | ... | Dario | |
| Anthony Starke | ... | Truman-Lodge | |
| Everett McGill | ... | Ed Killifer | |
| Desmond Llewelyn | ... | Q | |
| Pedro Armendáriz Jr. | ... | President Hector Lopez (as Pedro Armendariz) | |
| Robert Brown | ... | M | |
| Priscilla Barnes | ... | Della Churchill |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Bond 16 (UK) (original script title)Bond XVI (UK) (original script title)
Licence Revoked (UK) (working title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for action violence and drug content. (2006 video version)Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
133 minColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby SRCertification:
Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:16 (re-release) (uncut) | West Germany:16 (video rating) (cut) | Ireland:15 | USA:R (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
Cameo: [Pedro Armendáriz Jr.]President Hector Lopez. His father Pedro Armendáriz played Kerim Bay in From Russia with Love (1963). moreGoofs:
Factual errors: Sanchez pays Killifer his $2 million bribe in a medium-sized suitcase, describing it as "all in $20 bills". A single suitcase is much too small to hold 100,000 banknotes. moreQuotes:
[first lines]AWACS radar operator: We have a mid-course deviation. Target heading 036, 126 miles, bearing 062, Havana VOR.
Voice of DEA agent: He's landing at Crab Key. Advise Key West Drug Enforcement.
AWACS radar operator: Roger, sir. AWACS to Key West. Key West Drug Enforcement, please come in.
Voice of DEA agent: If they hurry, they just might be able to grab the bastard.
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Soundtrack:
Licence to Kill moreFAQ
Is this based on an Ian Fleming story?What are the differences between the PG-13 theatrical version and the uncut version of this movie?
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Timothy Dalton only played Bond twice, but he tried to base his interpretation of the character on the descriptions provided by Ian Fleming in the original novels. Therefore, his Bond is quite ruthless and embittered, and always ready to stick two fingers up at the establishment if he feels they've got it wrong.
Bond is vacationing in Florida, acting as best-man at his friend Felix Leiter's wedding, when the unthinkable happens. Leiter and his wife are assaulted by some Central American thugs; the wife is murdered and Leiter is crippled by sharks. Bond is obviously deeply unhappy about this, but his bosses instruct him to let the matter drop and get on with another assignment. 007 knows who is responsible for the injuries to his friend, so he revokes his licence to kill and becomes a rogue agent, tracking down the villainous drug lord Sanchez (Robert Davi) to his Latin America headquarters. Here, aided by Sanchez's unfaithful mistress Lupe (Talisa Soto) and CIA agent Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), Bond attempts to wipe out their enormous clandestine drug operation single-handedly.
There's definitely an uneasy, hard edge to the film which makes it unique among the Bond series. Whether or not this improves the film depends on your personal taste: if you like safe, humorous Roger Moore escapades, you'll probably find this too jarring, whereas if you prefer espionage stories with a bit of grit and sweat, this may be just what you're after. The action sequences are still outrageous in the tried-and-trusted Bond style, with memorable episodes featuring a daring helicopter .vs. airplane pursuit; a barefoot water-skiing sequence; and a truck chase down the side of a mountain. Some of the language, though not out-and-out "foul", is a bit stronger and more believable than in other Bond entries. The theme tune from Gladys Knight and the Pips is one of the better 007-tracks.
Licence to Kill is a new twist on the Bond theme. It isn't the best, and some of its new ideas don't fit with the usual routine (which may or may not be a good thing), but it is certainly interesting.