007: Licence To Kill (1989) Reaction & Review! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!

[@swordofstmichael007]

Timothy Dalton is considered to be the closest portrayal of the written Bond in Ian Fleming's books. He also fits the physical description given to Bond.

[@davewolf6256]

To be fair, the closest looking Bond probably really was George Lazenby.

[@richardscanlan3167]

@@StoryOfUsFinalDraft no - Connery,then Brosnan,followed by Dalton. Forget the rest.

[@danielschaeffer1294]

@@davewolf6256 Sure about that? Bond is described in “Casino” as looking vaguely like Hoagy Charmichael, which Dalton does. Lazenby looks like Cary Grant, which is interesting because Fleming wanted Grant to play Bond. But Grant wanted too much money, so they settled for Connery, which turned out to be a very good thing indeed.

[@kirerunte1046]

@@danielschaeffer1294 pretty sure bond is a bi racial multi colored hair princess now

[@ennesshay5040]

the 2.36 video ''JAMES BOND: Timothy Dalton. 007'' by SxDementia. If only TD's films were edited THAT brilliantly !

[@tsogobauggi8721]

14:47 15:30 18:55 One thing I especially like about this movie is that Desmond Llewelyn as Q got to act more than in any other Bond film. He is out on the field helping Bond. He gets to be serious and also comedic. :)

[@Algee-le3gp]

"Licence To Kill" is the darkest, grittiest, and most hard-edged Bond film ever IMO. I've watched it more times than any of the others. For the first time, Bond has a chance to act on his emotions: anger, hate, and a burning desire for revenge. However, he does not go in guns blazing this time. Instead, he takes a stealthy and insidious approach by sowing the seeds of doubt and mistrust in Sanchez's mind, largely causing the drug baron to destroy his own organization. Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) is one of the most realistic Bond villains ever. He's not planning global destruction like Karl Stromberg or Hugo Drax. He is just looking to expand his drug empire across the Pacific Ocean, into the Far East, and eventually around the world. Early on, he states that "loyalty is more important to me than money." He can go from kind and generous to those who serve him well, to explosive and savage fury - woe betide anyone who crosses him! He also delivers my favorite line in the film: "When you're up to your ankles, you're gonna beg to tell me everything. When you're up to your knees, you'll kiss my ass to kill you!"

[@dennisjames6753]

Dalton's third film was intended to go into production late 1990/early '91 but was delayed due to legal problems between MGM and Broccoli. Essentially MGM had been bought out by Pathe and and the new head of MGM began licensing the TV rights for Bond without consulting Broccoli and Eon. This legal battle continued until '93 when Dalton's contract expired. Instead of going with the original script for Bond 17 (by Alphonse Rugierro), Eon chose to start from scratch and hired Michael France to write a new script which became GoldenEye. France's GoldenEye was written with Dalton in mind. However, after 8 years of being associated with the role Tim formally resigned on April 12, 1994. Broccoli had wanted him to commit for several more films and Tim, by that point just wanted to honor his original contract and do the one remaining film. The other side to the story is that MGM wanted a new Bond regardless since the series was being relaunched after a long hiatus. Licence To Kill didn't perform nearly as well in the States compared to the previous Bond films and by 1995 there was talk that Bond was outdated and passe. Eon had to prove Bond's worth with GoldenEye.

[@McPh1741]

This is one of my favorite Bond movies. I wish Dalton had been in more Bond movies. He did a great job in the movie “The Rocketeer”. If you haven’t seen that, it’s worth watching.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

He is great in The Rocketeer. I like that movie. :)

[@richwagener]

The Rocketeer is a charming and very underrated film.

[@SierraSierraFoxtrot]

+1

[@putinscat1208]

Don't forget Flash Gordon!

[@potterj09]

He's great. Similar screen presence or style to Jason Isaacs.

[@robertjewell9727]

Desmond Llewellyn stated that Timothy Dalton was the closest to Ian Fleming's description of Bond and I agree and he's on my list of best Bond actors and he studied Fleming's novels and stories to help him achieve those high stakes even though License to Kill was not a Fleming novel although there's certain variations from the novel Live and Let Die.

[@joonaa2751]

Also, the character of Milton Krest is taken from one of the stories (and portrayed truly accurately), and Sanchez might be a variation on the book version of Scaramanga from TMWTGG (there’s an analysis about that somewhere on the web)

[@Crolis]

The religious leader was played by famous Vegas singer and actor Wayne Newton. Also, El Presidente is played by Pedro Armendáriz Jr., the son of Pedro Armendáriz, who played Bond's ally Karim Bey in From Russia with Love (1963).

[@thoso1973]

"Why did Dalton only do two Bond films? He's a very good actor." The third one he was supposed to do, was held up for years due to a legal battle over some rights. When that was settled, Broccoli wanted to sign Dalton for three Bond films and Dalton said no thank you; he was interested in doing other roles and would only sign up for one more Bond outing. they couldn't agree and that's how Brosnan was cast instead. Some of the ideas for Dalton's unmade Bond 17, found their way into Brosnan's Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies. And yes, Dalton is probably the best actor in the role, next to Connery.

[@robgeach8105]

public perception played a role too. everybody wanted brosnan already once he was available and when the 3rd movie was finally ready to begin the producers were aware of that. with no solid evidence to back this up, I'm guessing that had a lot to do with changing the offer to require 3 more movies from dalton and refusing to accept only 1 more. They wanted a soft-reboot and brosnan, so there was really no reason to negotiate with dalton.

[@dannyadams4765]

Brosnan was original cast as bond before Dalton but then Remington Steele was saved for another series and he had to turn it down.

[@francisbartoszewski2284]

Spoilers. Not just some of the ideas, the majority of Goldeneye was written with Dalton in mind, that's why it feels so different to Brosnan's other films. Imagine the "For England James?" "No, for me" line but with Dalton's delivery before he drops Sean Bean.

[@ClaireWW]

I'd add they weren't too cut up about it, as Dalton was only cast in the first place because Brosnan couldn't get out of a contract.

[@ClaireWW]

@@francisbartoszewski2284 That must be why that's my favourite.

[@markjone671]

One of my all time favourites in the series. This wasn't popular at the time in the States especially being up against the other Summer blockbusters of 89 Tim Burton's Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Lethal Weapon 2. However, Licence to Kill did amazing business in the UK, all over Europe and Asia. I recall in Europe at the time when Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon and Batman had completed their theatrical runs Licence to Kill had its run extended because audiences were still flocking to see it. Roger Moore was a hugely popular Bond in the States. One of the most profitable Bond movies Stateside up to the release of Licence to Kill was still Moonraker but the rest of the world was ready for a change of tone and were more ready to embrace a darker, grittier Bond movie. Everything that Daniel Craig has been praised for doing during his time as Bond, Dalton got there first. And his portrayal feels more authentically Bond. Less angst, more businesslike cold professionalism. I quite liked Craig's portrayal of Bond for the most part. It was different enough to stand out but I did have issues with some of his films. Casino Royale and Skyfall were the best out of his five films but that's a discussion for another day. I just knew you would love the explosions in this one. The next movie, Goldeneye is a classic.

[@bigneon_glitter]

A superior Bond performance from Dalton. He is the grim, literary Bond come to life. Filmed like an episode of _Miami Vice,_ there are two types of Bond fan: those who love _LTK_ and those who don't. But most can agree on Carey Lowell's excellent Bond girl turn.

[@DarkMProductions]

I absolutely love how this film is kind of the follow up to On Her Majesties Secret Service we never got with Diamonds are Forever. The call back to Tracy, and the parallels with Felix's doomed marriage, really emphasizes Bond's drive here, and its brilliant. My favorite Bond film.

[@chrislewis1981]

It's an amazing film. Dalton rocks it and the soundtrack is epic. Top 3 bond films for me. The only fault is that Felix is so happy at the end and just wants to go fishing, haha.

[@Welsh_Dragon756]

@@chrislewis1981 the whole film should have ended after he killed Sanchez and him and her just going off together. The whole second ending feels forced.

[@ArthurBedur]

There was also a call back in The Spy who loved me, as Anya starts to talk about Tracy and James did not hear to want what she is saying. Yes, it is a shame that they didn`t referred in Diamonds are Forever to Tracys death. But as OHMSS was not so succesfull in that time it is understandable that they cut off all references. The only thing you can say is that Bond ir relatively brutal in the beginning as he searches Blofeld. This reminds in some way to this film and that there is a personal reason he wants to find Blofeld.

[@Legitcar117]

@@ArthurBedur there is a tracy reference in the world is not enough as well

[@MikeBrown-kv2ej]

TWINE Bond in chair to King - TWINE. or George ,in OHMSS,for Coat of Arms reads ,The World I N E .

[@FilterHQ]

I always liked Dalton in the role...the more serious tone was perfect for him.

[@StCerberusEngel]

Hiroyuki Tagawa being in this was a big surprise for me when I first saw this. Kind of had the same reaction as you did when you saw Benicio del Toro. This stands as one of the best movies in the series. It's almost enough to make me like Dalton's bond more than Connery's...almost.

[@StephenLuke]

Tagawa also portrayed Minoru Genda in the film Pearl Harbor (2001).

[@StCerberusEngel]

@@StephenLuke Right. I forgot about that. Only saw that once, but I do remember now.

[@linkvagar2336]

@@StephenLuke I mostly remember him as Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat movie lol

[@russellward4624]

The fake preacher is played by Wayne Newton. A famous Las Vegas singer.

[@MyEgoTripped]

The feeding of Felix to a shark and the line 'He disagreed with something that ate him' actually comes from the novel of Live and Let Die, which was only the second in the book series so Felix lost his leg (and an arm in the novel) early on in the series.

[@AmberSmith-zx2rp]

Coincidentally the actor who plays Felix also played him in the Live and Let Die movie.

[@ericjohnson9623]

@@AmberSmith-zx2rp It’s almost a creepy Final Destination type thing where David Hedison missed out on it when they removed it from the film adaptation and then had to come back when they decided to finally adapt it.

[@derworfnet]

The Tanker-Chase is one of the best Action-Setpieces of the entire franchise. And I just *knew* you'd love these massive Explosions! :D And while this was his last Bond-Movie as a writer, Michael G. Wilson has stayed with the Franchise through the Brosnan- and Craig-eras as producer.

[@qwertymanor]

This movie proves that Timothy Dalton IS James Bond.

[@richardscanlan3419]

he was certainly an underrated Bond.I would only put Connery and Brosnan ahead of him.

[@damonroger3184]

Fun fact, the Professor is played by Wayne Newton, a famous singer and Las Vegas icon.

[@freemansteinslab]

The actor that played Sanchez was also one of the Fratellis in Goonies, but also appeared in Die Hard (alongside the other CIA guy in this movie) as FBI agents Johnson and Johnson (no relation 😏)

[@danielallen3454]

Sanchez is played by Robert Davi. A veteran character actor who's been in the Goonies, Predator 2, Die Hard, and numerous other films.

[@Panzer4F2]

When I saw this at the theatre I was surprised to see him as the bad guy, but definitely not disappointed. My favourite part of this movie was Q though..Q probably had years worth of accrued vacation time, and it was great to see him and Money penny get more involved..

[@Haldurson]

This is definitely my favorite Dalton film, more like the Bond from the books, and from the earliest Bond movies. BTW, the preacher is played by Wayne Newton. He actually was a hugely famous Las Vegas performer. And he's still alive and singing there. Most people today, I think, don't even realize just how big he was.

[@ericmkendall1]

I saw this one multiple times in the theater when it came out. It's one of my favorite Bond films!

[@ethantoise4073]

The scene where Bond resigns is actually Ernest Hemingway's house in Key West. That's why Bond says "A Farewell to Arms", one of his novels.

[@vonkroenen]

Franz Sanchez is one of the most cruelest, brutal villains in the Bond universe. I still can't watch the way he dealt with Krest in that diving chamber, it was so gruesome.

[@TheWaynos73]

i love Sanchez plan of turning cocaine into liquid and mixing it with gasoline. what a clever way to smuggle it if the recipe actually was possible.

[@garyjones2561]

I agree.

[@keithbrown8490]

After "The Spy Who loved Me" and "Moonraker" Ken Adam felt he could never top himself so he stopped working on Bond Movies. John Barry after they introduced Dalton in "The Living Daylights" also felt it was time to let others do the music scores so you won't see either gentlemen's names with the franchise again. The Bond estate and United Artist studios got mixed up with several count cases so by the time everything got settled Dalton had moved on. This movie came out in 1989 and the next Bond movie took six years before the dust settle and they could make another now with Pierce Brosnan .

[@countryoftheblind]

Also Daniel Kleinman took over for Maurice Binder. His "audition" was the music video for License to Kill.

[@jasonmelton9755]

The preacher in white is world-famous Las Vegas legend, Wayne Newton.

[@johnkennethwiseman682]

The tobacco warning ironically is the last 007 movie where we see Bond smoke

[@Acme1970]

This movie is i believe the only Bond film to never have a scene in England, the whole movie takes place overseas.

[@Trademarc1977]

With its gore and jumpscares, this is probably the most violent Bond film. Love that Q gets more screentime, and I enjoyed singer Way Newton as the televangelist and Del Toro as the creepy henchman. The best Bond film since The Spy who Loved Me.

[@briangee8782]

Dalton was very underrated.Dalton is the second best Bond in my opinion, after Connery.Dalton was closer to the character in the books then any of the other actors.His 2 Bond films are amongst the very best.

[@secretsymphony]

I've seen quite a few reactions and reviews of Bond movies, but what makes yours special is your enthusiasm and intelligence. You come across as really smart, and you pick up on things I haven't noticed after watching these movies many times over. I'm glad you like Dalton. I always thought he was great too.

[@Renegade2786]

This film is not only the darkest bond film in the series, but it show that Felix has got the best friend in the entire world. Bond literally risks his career and his life to seek revenge for Felix. My guess is it was done out of empathy since his wife was killed by Blofied and didn't get any retribution for it (if FYEO was made cannon), so he went on a Paul Kersey spree for Felix's assailant.

[@richardb6260]

The scene where Leiter is fed to the sharks and the note is from the book "Live and Let Die". In the books, Leiter has a prosthetic leg and a hook in place of his hand from then on. When Bond is hanging under the tanker and Sanchez shoots a machinegun at him, the ricochet sounds play the James Bond Theme. BTW, Bond resigned in OHMSS too. But M just gave him a few weeks leave.

[@michellepeters7066]

I suggest THE ROCKETEER from 1991. Timothy Dalton as the Bad Guy.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

You are spoiling his character by saying that.

[@chrisanderson1069]

1st thing I watched when got Disney+ and it holds up 👍

[@danielemerson312]

One of my favourite Bond movies. Timothy Dalton was underrated for ages, but is gradually being re-assessed as the years go by. Robert Davi always reminds me of Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot) - the deep-set eyes and the cheekbones make him look threatening, even in some of the worse movies he's done over the years. By the way, I don't think you've watched 'Das Boot', so drop everything and embark on a cinematic journey the likes of which you've never experienced. Did I mention there are lots of explosions in 'Das Boot'?

[@Legitcar117]

Yes, das boot is awesome!

[@goodowner5000]

Yes! "Das Boot" ! But someone that is more familiar with the varying versions than myself unfortunately, please advise as to which is THE BEST viewing experience. Thank You .

[@Legitcar117]

@@goodowner5000 the original German version for sure, not the English dub if possible

[@danielemerson312]

@@goodowner5000 The correct answer is "any version other than the 2018 remake". Of the 1981 and 1985 incarnations, both are magnificent. It really depends if you're in the mood for a multi-episode experience, or of you want it all in one big chunk. Both deliver the goods.

[@KaterChris]

Not to worry, "Das Boot" is already on his schedule :-)

[@rumblebars]

The two Dalton Bond flicks were where I got old enough to be able to see such movies on my own. So while i had seen some random TV edits of previous Bond movies on TV, this was my first cinematic investment into the character, so Dalton was and and I guess, still is, "My Bond" Some subsequent Bond movies would stand out but I have a soft spot in my heart for the hard edge of Dalton. Also: what a great film in you like practical explosions!

[@ralphroshia9247]

The Reason that Dalton didn't do more is because of the Kevin McClory lawsuit over Thunderball and after the lawsuit was settled 5 years had passed they asked Dalton to come back for a 3 Picture deal he was only interested in one more as he wanted to do other films so they went with Pierce Brosnan

[@tobyhart8515]

Yo Shan - enjoying your Bondyssey - small point though, Maurice Binder - of the credits sequence fame - was a dude and pronounced Bin-Durr.

[@nikolaiquack8548]

You're correct about Felix. They brought back actor David Hedison for the role, who had previously played the character 16 years earlier in Live and Let Die along side Roger Moore as Bond. I think it adds a nice layer of likability to the character, as opposed to having another new actor in the role.

[@ianlacey11]

Also the quote "He disagreed with something that ate him" is the title of chapter 14 in the Fleming novel of Live and Let Die.Licence to Kill also differs from The Living Daylights in that it was written specifically for Timothy Dalton whereas Daylights was already being written before Dalton was cast.It was only adapted in part hence some of it was lighter in tone, the scene where Bond confronts Pushkin and then how he treats Pushkin's girlfriend was one of the alterations.

[@davidbull7210]

@@ianlacey11 Quite. I believe Roger Moore was going to ask Pushkin if he fancied a nightcap.

[@linkvagar2336]

They wanted to get him back for The Living Daylights too, but he was unavailable.

[@nikolaiquack8548]

Do you have any sources you can cite on that? Would love to read about it.@@linkvagar2336

[@damiandorhoff719]

the Scene at the beginning when they caught Sanchez Plane was inspiration for Christopfer Nolan to do something simmilar in The dark Knight rises

[@DarthRushy]

To quote Roger Moore's Bond: "A genuine Felix lighter. Quite illuminating."

[@visiblepixels4632]

I'm a lifelong Bond fan - I absolutely love every film. That said, Licence to Kill is one of my favorites - top 5 Bond films ever. Dalton played the character close to the source material and gives the role the gravitas it deserved, without losing all of the charm. Dalton is a very underrated actor and frankly both of his Bonds are very, very good films - though Living Daylights suffered from a poor theme and a lengthy ending. BTW: The truck sequence at the end is epic - do yourself a favor and find out about the behind the scenes stunt driving that went into it,

[@countryoftheblind]

Felix and the shark (including the note "disagreed with something that ate him") comes from the novel LIVE AND LET DIE. The film CASINO ROYALE was a reboot so Felix is made whole again.

[@countryoftheblind]

I think also this is why we never see Felix in the Brosnan era, replaced by Jack Wade of the CIA.

[@matsv201]

So i was checking, could Timity dalton be married in 1969... well theoretically yes, he would have been 23 years old, really a fairly common age to get married 11:54 CD was actually fairly common place in 1989. While it didn´t take over record sales before a few years later, CD was really common known format at this time, it would have been 9 years old at this time. CD-rom (used here) was a bit newer, while it was theoretically introduced in 1984, the first practically usable came in 1986. The most interesting part here is that this is a tray loaded CD-rom, most early ones was cartridge loaded. So this would probobly have been a very new CD-rom player at this time. For CD-audio, they was tray all the way since 1980 13:00 its a fictional place, it should have been somewhere between Panama and Venezuela. During this period there was a lot of fighting going on in both Nicaragua and Colombia and also a lot of drug Trade. The issue i that the Colombian government was always fighting the drug cartel, and the drug cartel was really the one not in power, but they had a bit of land that the government was unable to control at this time. The idéa in this movie seams to be that those areas would be independent in a fictional timeline.

[@juvandy]

I love how the 'maggots' the guy gets thrown into are twisty-tail grubs (a plastic fishing lure). Always makes me laugh.

[@ianlacey11]

Michael G Wilson continues through No Time To Die as a producer alongside Barbara Broccoli.It was however Albert R(Cubby) Broccoli's last film as producer. The film in the UK didn't do so well as the film classification board gave the film a 15 rating meaning no one under 15 could see the film, was mainly the scene in the decompression chamber plus others eg the fork lift scene.It did lead to changes though and a new 12 certificate was brought in, I believe the same year's Batman movie was the first one issued in the UK.

[@nikolaiquack8548]

And so we come to my #1 Bond movie. As much as I wish Dalton had done more, I think it was such a great one to go out with. The action is stellar, the callback to Tracy and the revenge mission after Leiter's maiming gives the entire film a much more personal feeling to it. And yet, with Q coming out to the field, plus some trademark Bond humor, it still is also a lot of fun. Just an all around great entry.

[@andarporbuenosaires]

I recommend you to see the making off, on KZbin you can see it, under the title: LICENSE TO KILL (1989) | On Set with John Glen Featurette, so you can see all the great work that was done in that percussion with the trucks, the Kenworth company that provided the trucks, in fact, collaborated in the movie, putting together all kinds of devices in the trucks to help in the stunts of every moment in the scene.

[@MilanTehVillain]

IIRC, a working title for this film was “Licence Revoked”. Apparently, American test audiences misinterpreted the phrase as being associated with driver’s licences. Hence, that particular title was changed to what we have now. Also, Carey Lowell (Pam Bouvier) would play the role again in the James Bond game, 007 Legends.

[@portland-182]

Another top notch Bond review! If you are pronouncing Dalton, you might as well go for Maurice Binder. Maurice is pronounced the French way 'more reece' and Binder is pronounced 'bin duh'. Desmond Llewelyn's surname is pronounced 'lew ell in'. Did you spot the dubbing mixer having fun during the gun fight at the trucks where he makes the gunshots play the Bond theme?

[@grahamhill4113]

Basically a movie ahead of its time. Audiences weren't looking for gritty, realistic stories. They were still caught up in the more fantastical Bond and other over the top action movies of the era. If this had been made in the Craig era it would have been wildly popular. It's better than all of the Craig movies, except Casino Royale IMO.

[@QuayNemSorr]

Shorthaired Carey Lowell is one of the most gorgeous Bond girls in the franchise.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

Yeah she looks fantastic.

[@shainewhite2781]

This was the first James Bond movie I saw on CBS Sunday Night Movie in 1995, a week before GoldenEye was released. They released most of the James Bond movies on CBS every Sunday night to promote GoldenEye.

[@azizkan36]

I love his gunbarrel opening sequence of Timothy Dalton best of all time

[@minnesotajones261]

The preacher - that's the one and only Wayne Newton dude! lol! You should also see The Rocketeer if you haven't - Dalton is in that too! And Dalton is a perfect Bond.

[@adamdarmstaedter1256]

The Newt was also in Natl Lampoon's Vegas Vacation! He really makes a great Jim Jones type character. Maybe a missed opportunity for him in real life?

[@bjgandalf69]

From Wayne Newton's Wikipedia page: Carson Wayne Newton is an American singer and actor. One of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas, he is known by the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment. His well known songs include 1972's "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast", "Years", and his vocal version of "Red Roses for a Blue Lady".

[@davidbull7210]

This is basically a horror film complete with twitching corpses and blood all over the shop. It's the most atypical of the classic Bond films for various reasons and yet it's possibly my favourite. It was pretty unpopular at the time but hindsight and all that...

[@nikolaiquack8548]

Also just an fyi, Casino Royale and the entire Craig era of Bond films is a new timeline. Think of it as another universe, where we see a different Bond story from beginning to end. So Felix being his usual self with both legs, isn't really a problem. The general continuity goes: Connery-Brosnan and then the entire Craig era is it's own universe. Otherwise, you'll be heavily confused by those films remaking elements of the previous ones.

[@neiltaylor6645]

Saw this one I saw at the odeon marble arch wow they had good eyesight at the wedding 💑 to see them so high up in the sky

[@FeaturingRob]

Okay...some of the casting is interesting with this. Sanchez...You said you recognized him. Robert Davi was well known for being bad guys mostly. He was one of the FBI agents Big Johnson in 'Die Hard' (and Davi's partner aka Little Johnson was one of the DEA agents in this, actor Grand L. Bush). He was also in 'Goonies', where he displayed one of his talents...singing opera. He's a trained opera singer. Pam Bouvier...Actress Carey Lowell was a model previous to this. In the 90s,she became one of the DAs on the long-running TV series 'Law & Order'. She was also married to actor Richard Gere for 11 years before separating then divorcing 3 years later. Della...prior to this actress Priscilla Barnes was best known for playing Terri Alden in the 70s-80s sitcom 'Three's Company' for three years. Before she acheived fame, she also posed for Penthouse magazine and was 'Pet of the Month' in the mid 1970s under another name. There was a legal battle over whether the photos could be republished under her real name. Professor Joe Butcher, the fake preacher...one of the most famous people in the film. Wayne Newton, is a singer and Las Vegas headliner for decades and still going strong, he sometimes made movies and tv appearances. Probably one of his most famous songs was in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' in the parade scene..."Danke Shoen" which Matthew Broderick lip-syncs. If you are a gamer, he plays the voice of Mr. New Vegas in 'Fallout: New Vegas'. This has one of my top 5 favorite Bond theme songs..."License To Kill' sung by Gladys Knight.

[@shainewhite2781]

This was the darkest, violent and controversial Bond movie ever

[@davidbull7210]

Wasn't hugely controversial at the time because nobody cared

[@StephenLuke]

This was the first Bond film to be rated PG-13.

[@davidbull7210]

@@StephenLuke Should have been a 15

[@darksparks8444]

@@davidbull7210 was a 15 in the UK

[@davidbull7210]

@@darksparks8444 yep it was

[@sunnybee2439]

Thank you so much Shan for your reaction, love this Bond movie with Dalton, Davi and Del Toro. Think Del Toro is still the youngest bad guy/henchman to date in a Bond movie. Don't forget Gladys Knight who sings the title song, such a powerful voice

[@WUStLBear82]

Dalton was cast as Bond when the producers already wanted Brosnan, but he was unable to get out of his contractual obligations to the US TV series 'Remington Steele' and the film production required too much time to fit in the season hiatus (interestingly, reports of the interest in Brosnan led to a two-part episode of 'Steele' that is clearly a Bond homage with gadgets, stunts, and outlandish set pieces). So Dalton made two films and was scheduled for a third, but production was delayed for years by a series of rights disputes and when that was over he decided to honor commitments he had made in the interim, making room for Brosnan.

[@MAMoreno]

This film has the last overt reference to Tracy, but there are some ambiguous lines in the Brosnan era that could be taken as a reference to her death. Anyway, it's too bad that Dalton didn't get two more films in 1991 and 1993.

[@DP-hy4vh]

Robert Davi was Agent Johnson (the white one) in Die Hard. The other Agent Johnson is in this movie too. Felix's wife was played by Priscilla Barnes who was Terri on the TV series "Three's Company."

[@Helbore]

Dalton is my favourite Bond. I think he encapsulates everything about the character to perfection and Licence to Kill is my favourite Bond film. I felt like an outsider for so many years, but was glad to see both Dalton's and this film's appreciation rise as time went on. Considering the future popularity of the Daniel Craig films, I generally think that Dalton was ahead of his time.

[@tomski120]

My favourite bond movie, I think it was too far ahead of its time for audiences to deal with. They follow Dalton with Brosnan sheesh. Dalton is my favourite Bond 👍

[@martinstallard2742]

18:16 mind blown

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Best Bond movie with Dalton.

[@Billis75]

There is a deleted scene in the second act where Pam tells James the names of all of those people you couldn't keep track of. They never replaced that part, so it is harder to know their names.

[@paulhelberg5269]

Carey Lowell is my favorite Bond Girl. I liked her part in this film, and I enjoyed Timothy Dalton's take on 007. The drug theme was a little tired at the time this movie was released. It seemed that every action hero in Hollywood was doing an anti-drug PSA in their feature films. Still, we had great stunts, hot ladies and bad guys getting getting trounced. Q showed up with toys, so I am happy. Good review Shan.

[@burni82]

@Shan Watches Movies After the entire Bond franchise and those two other films (Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again) you should also watch the Austin Powers movies and "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (at least the first one from 2014) - those are an homage to the whole Bond series.

[@smokeyverton7981]

Please consider Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on actual events. Thank you

[@doughbafett]

One of my favorite Bond films. It was ahead of its time for this franchise. Audiences weren't ready for the darker, grittier Bond til Craig came along. I always thought of this movie as a sequel of sorts to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Bond wants the revenge for Felix's wife that Tracy never got(technically we never see him kill Irma Bunt).

[@alienlv426ify]

You must watch "The Usual Suspects" with Benicio del Toro and Kevin Spacey. On the other hand, Timothy Dalton is my second favorite Bond; the first one is sir Sean Connery.

[@peppyd]

Robert Davi may have looked familiar to you for playing Agent Johnson (One of them) in Die Hard

[@robertocarbonvarela6387]

I love that you'd liked this movie so much. 'Licence to kill' is definitely one of my favorite Bond movies from the entire franchise, and Dalton is amazing in it. In my opinion, the tanker chase scene is one of the most impressive action sequences ever made.

[@cd-vq6dz]

Timothy Dalton will always be the best Bond to me, although I saw Roger Moore first. As I'm sure many others have pointed out, Dalton took the franchise back to a more gritty and tougher Bond with his portrayal. Audiences at the time were a little confused I think, mostly because Roger Moore's Bond had been more of a caricature really, and Moore had been Bond for 14 years at the time Dalton took over. I'm glad to see that over time Dalton's portrayal has become arguably much more appreciated. It broke my heart when he retired from the role without doing a 3rd film. I believe The Living Daylights is the better of the two Bond films Dalton did, but he's such a force on screen he was able to carry Licence To Kill nonetheless. I saw both of his Bond films in the theater at the time of their release, on a literally huge cinema screen both times I might add, and it was such a memorable experience. For me Timothy Dalton is the definitive James Bond.

[@Welsh_Dragon756]

One of the best moments of this film is the moment del Toro's character dies and the camera swings to bond with the exception of a quip and he says "switch the bloody machine off" 😂 it makes me laugh more than some of the funniest bond quips just because of how Dalton delivers the line

[@minnidrake3342]

They wanted dalton to commit to 4 more bond films he only wanted to do one more according to an article I read. I really liked his bond performance

[@michaelgolliher888]

The reason for Dalton doing anymore was a legal issues between the producers I think and it would’ve been six years until the release of the new one. This title didn’t exist originally called license revoke but it was changed to this. It didn’t do very well in the US but it also we released about the same time as Batman in 1989

[@Gort-Marvin0Martian]

Isthmus is in Panama in this case. However isthmus also refers to a narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces of land.

[@CSM100MK2]

"FOR GODS SAKE THIS ISN'T A COUNTRY CLUB 007!" - you passed by one of my favorite lines in the entire franchise!

[@themadpizzler6081]

I grew up with Roger Moore's Bond, and this got me interested in actually reading the Bond books. After reading the books, Dalton was a welcome change that was closer to the 'cold killer' Bond that appears in the books. Hat tip to Roger Moore, he put his stamp on the role, but I think the steering of the franchise back to a more serious tone was a welcome change.

[@NICO_TV]

Its the best with goldfinger and the spy who loved me.

[@rjaraneta913]

Cubby Broccoli's EON Production and UA/MGM the film's distributor were having legal problems with each other as well as financial problems. The production of the next 007 film was held up for several years. Although Dalton was signed up to do 3 movies under his deal, the 3 were supposed to be done within a certain period of time. By the time EON and UA/MGM had their complications sorted, Dalton's contract had expired. Dalton was offered 'Goldeneye', which eventually starred Pierce Brosnan, but he thought too much time had gone by since 'License To Kill' and wanted to move on to do other projects. A shame really, Dalton was one of the best Bond. Many viewers who were raised with Moore as 007 did not like Dalton. They did not think he was funny and missed the slapstick buffoonery of the latter Moore films. Dalton portrayed Bond the way he was in Ian Flemings novels. Daniel Craig's Bond is patterned closer to Dalton's version more than any previous actors who played him.

[@andarporbuenosaires]

The story of License To Kill was based on a novel by Ian Flemming ? or was a free story of the writers, created for this movie ? Because it feels very different from the rest of the saga.

[@rjaraneta913]

@@andarporbuenosaires 007 movies are based very loosely on the novels. One movie will take bits and pieces from several novels. What I was saying is that Dalton's portrayal of Bond is very close to the character in the series of Ian Fleming's novels. I did not say the movie itself was based on any novel, as there was no book titled "License To Kill" written by Fleming. The book version with this title was written by Bond continuation author John Gardner and the story was adapted from the movie.

[@ChipWhitingtonIII]

Dalton is my top fave, then Lazenby, then Connery, then Moore, then Brosnan, then Craig.

[@eriklarson7023]

You recognized Robert Davi (Sanchez), you might remember him from Die Hard, and he was also in The Goonies. Talisa Soto and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa would later work together again in Mortal Kombat. Also, Carey Lowell would later be a regular on Law & Order for a few years.

[@markjones9020]

Cubby Broccoli chased Dalton for years to play Bond . He first approached him in 1968 after his performance in the lion in winter but Dalton turned it down because he was far to young at 22. He asked him again in 1972 but Dalton gave same answer. The next approach was in 1980 but he was to busy with Flash Gordon & was signed for the film Chanel Solitaire , in 82 he was making Jane Eyre a USA mini series , in 1986 Broccoli finally nailed him .

[@bjgandalf69]

Shan, from his Wikipedia page...the reason Dalton only did 2 Bond films: Since Dalton was contracted for three Bond films,[19] the pre-production of his third film began in 1990, in order to be released in 1991. What was confirmed is that the story would deal with the destruction of a chemical weapons laboratory in Scotland, and the events would take place in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The film was cancelled due to legal issues between UA/MGM and Eon Productions, which lasted for four years.[20] The legal battle ended in 1993, and Dalton was expected to return as James Bond in the next Bond film, which later became GoldenEye. Since his contract had expired, negotiations with him to renew it took place.[21] Dalton surprised everyone on 12 April 1994 with the announcement that he would not return as James Bond. At this time, he was shooting the miniseries Scarlett. Two months later, Brosnan, the original intended successor to Moore, was announced as the new Bond. Dalton reflected in 2007, "I was supposed to make one more but it was cancelled because MGM and the film's producers got into a lawsuit which lasted for five years. After that, I didn't want to do it anymore."

[@rustybarrel516]

21:24 Looks like Miss October 1988 got comfortable for the ride. 😂

[@andrewgordon5016]

Robert Davi (the villain) was Agent Johnson in Die Hard and Felix’s partner was the other Agent Johnson.

[@leavemealoneyoutube1707]

Michael G. Wilson is actually Cubby Broccoli's step-son and he and Cubby's daughter Barbara Broccoli run the James Bond franchise. His father Lewis Wilson played Batman back in the 40's

[@TBCreek]

Well done Shan, love how you light up when things blow up. Another plug for 'The DUELISTS' (1977) Based on a true story

[@SnabbKassa]

The first non-classical published music CD was 1982. So they weren't that new in 1989, although most people didn't yet have a cd player. And Isthmus is clearly Panama, which makes the corrupt President a cipher for Noriega whom the US invaded to overthrow. The scene, as described by DutchBondFan in which "Bond is attacked by a bunch of ninjas" had me laughing for a whole day.

[@pieceofgosa]

I'm by no means an expert on vfx/sfx but I have two guesses as to how they did the plane/flaming car shot: 1 - Double exposure. Shoot the car being yeeted off the cliff, rewind the film in the camera then film the plane flying through on the same section of the filmstrip 2 - Forced perspective. The plane looks like it might be a miniature/model.

[@richwagener]

Dalton left mainly due to the long wait between License To Kill and Goldeneye. There was a protracted legal case over rights issues. Bond fans like me were very worried about the franchise from 1989 to 1995.

[@davidmeir9348]

I think License to kill is the best Timothy Dalton's James Bond film (btw, Dalton had a memorable role as supermarket owner/evil mastermind Skinner in Hot Fuzz). It's certainly the grittiest and most brutal pre-Craig Bond film. But I do see the movie as more of a crime thriller with a character named James Bond in it than as a 'Bond' movie. If that makes sense.

[@chuckleezodiac24]

one of my fave Bond films. great lineup: Dalton, Lowell, Davi, Del Toro and Newton.

[@layedout778]

Great reaction Shan! This is one of my favorites :)

[@crypticmirror]

Bond is a deniable asset for M in this film. M cannot officially sanction an assassination without official approval, which we can infer he doesn't have, but by inciting Bond to resign and doing the literal bare minimum to stop him, he knows Bond will take care of Sanchez (and if he fails, then HMG is not implicated) and then Bond can be rehired with no questions asked. All part of the dirty work the 00 division is there for. Hence why Q and Moneypenny can arrange unofficial support and supply. If M was serious about Bond not being allowed to go off like this, then Q would never have been allowed out of London.