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Licence to Kill
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Licence to Kill
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- 1989
- John Glen
- 133 mins
- 15
Summary
Spy adventure starring Timothy Dalton. Agent 007 James Bond sets out for revenge when his best friend Felix Leiter is badly injured by an evil drugs baron. But after ignoring orders from "M" to give up the case, Bond has his licence to kill revoked.
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Review
A star rating of 3 out of 5.
Jeremy Aspinall
Timothy Dalton was not everybody's choice to replace urbane Roger Moore when he retired his Walther PPK after A View to a Kill in 1985, a verdict confirmed by the limp response to The Living Daylights, his first mission as James Bond. But his second outing is an altogether tougher, grittier affair and is well suited to Dalton's brooding incarnation of Ian Fleming's superspy. Indeed, John Glen's fifth (and final) Bond film as director has more in common with the more visceral, bloody violence of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard than the wry silliness of the Moore era. You know you're in virgin territory when Bond resigns the day job to go and get the brutal drugs lord (Robert Davi), who's just fed his best mate to a shark on his wedding day. This time it's personal and Davi's stone-faced Sanchez and his snarling knife-wielding henchman (played by a young Benicio Del Toro) prove formidable and unflinchingly nasty adversaries. But it's not all business and no play for Bond, as he also gets up close and intimate with a sassy CIA agent (Carey Lowell) and Sanchez's sultry girlfriend Lupe (Talisa Soto). It's a watchable adventure boosted by impressive action sequences and a fiery climax with a bone-crunching punch-up. Pity Dalton didn't have another crack at proving his secret-agent credentials.
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6.7/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameJames BondTimothy DaltonPam BouvierCarey LowellFranz SanchezRobert DaviLupe LamoraTalisa SotoMilton KrestAnthony ZerbeSharkeyFrank McRaeKilliferEverett McGillProfessor Joe ButcherWayne NewtonDarioBenicio Del ToroTruman-LodgeAnthony StarkePresident Hector LopezPedro Armendáriz Jr"Q"Desmond LlewelynFelix LeiterDavid HedisonDella ChurchillPriscilla Barnes"M"Robert BrownMiss MoneypennyCaroline BlissHellerDon StroudKwangCary-Hiroyuki TagawaHawkinsGrand L BushFallonChristopher Neame (2)
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Crew
rolenameDirectorJohn Glen
Details
Theatrical distributor
U.I.P. (UK)
Released on
1989-07-14
Languages
English | English | Spanish
Guidance
violence, some swearing
Available on
video, DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
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