Review of Licence to Kill (1989) by Rob Ó — 24 Oct 2012

A pitch-black Fleming-revenge tale with nigh-Shakespearean tones diluted by the laughable traits of an outrageous, overblown-but-fun 80s action flick. This is a flawed gem, but it's sheer dark fun from beginning to end.

Dalton indulges just a little bit too much in making Bond a fiercer, scarier killer than before (whereas in "The Living Daylights" he was far broader and more impressive overall), but perhaps the nature of the plot demanded it. Once again, Dalton proves his mettle in the scenes that are most reminiscent of the literary Bond ("Actually I'm more of a problem...eliminator."). The villain, played by Robert Davi is a fairly credible Colombian druglord, who is perhaps too easy for Bond to manipulate and destroy. Carey Lowell is wonderfully quirky and smoking hot.

As mentioned previously, the plot is a straightforward revenge story, but the popular elements of the 80s action genre weaken the viewer's ability to take the proceedings seriously (it's nowhere near the level of sophistication in "The Living Daylights", a film which featured an Aston Martin that sprouted skis). There are perhaps a few too many ninjas, trucks doing wheelies and EXPLODING HEADS for the film to be as effective as it's trying to be. Michael Kamen's music is similarly over-enthusiastic, resulting in something that while exciting, pales in comparison to the haunting melodies of John Barry.

Despite these criticisms, this really is one of the most enjoyable films in the series, even if it's possibly for the wrong reasons. Another under-rated outing and definitely one of my favourites.

"Let's go shark-hunting!".