Licence To Kill (Ultimate Edition) (DVD)

Welcome to me review of Licence to Kill, 2 Disc Ultimate Edition.

In 1989, after the success of Timothy Dalton’s first Bond film The Living Daylights, a second Bond film with Dalton in the lead role was released, this proved to be one of the most controversial releases of a Bond film in its history as the censors in the UK decided to give it a 15 rating due to the story and violence as well as cut scenes and parts of the soundtrack, ...
...not at all happy. In Licence to Kill he looks more relaxed as than what he was in The Living Daylights. This film suits him perfectly ans we see his rendition of Bond effectively break loose and let rip with the mission his has given himself.

Refreshingly the villain of the film is played by Robert Davi is unique in the series. He is not after world domination, not after starting World War III. He just wants to be the leading provider ... more

Welcome to me review of Licence to Kill, 2 Disc Ultimate Edition.

In 1989, after the success of Timothy Dalton’s first Bond film The Living Daylights, a second Bond film with Dalton in the lead role was released, this proved to be one of the most controversial releases of a Bond film in its history as the censors in the UK decided to give it a 15 rating due to the story and violence as well as cut scenes and parts of the soundtrack, where as Batman that was released less than a month later was the first film that achieved a newly created 12 certificate. Bond was given a 15 certificate because this is a harder hitting film and based more in reality due to its main villain being a South American drugs baron which at the time was getting substantial amount of media coverage on the channels of CNN due to what the Americans were doing.

---The Film---

This was the first Bond film in the series that was not based on a novel of Ian Fleming, this gave the producers an opportunity to really let rip with the characters and take a gint leap of faith in what direction the film should go. Although there are some names that are taken from other novels that were not used when the film was made such as Milton Krest who was nabbed from the short story The Hildebrand Rarity. The shark attack on Leiter was lifted directly from Live and Let Die.

Bond’s long term colleague and friend Felix Leiter, who is now working for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is getting married to his partner Della.. Bond is best man at Leiter’s wedding and before the service is due to start Leiter is alerted by the DEA that Sanchez, the villain that he was tracking is active in the nearby area, as this is a golden opportunity for capturing Sanchez, Bond goes along with Leiter and the DEA and through means of effective use of a coastguard helicopter and its winch, capture Sanchez’s light aircraft mid-flight and escort him to custody. Oh, as well as landing by parachute at the front of the church the capture takes place in the pre-title sequence. After the title sequence is run with a dynamic title track by Galdys Knight, the story continues. Sanchez escapes and in turn kidnaps Leiter ensuring that his bride has no chance of escaping, Sanchez cuts gher throat. Leiter is then fed to the sharks but survives long enough to be discovered by Bond who visits his house being concerned. Bond is furious that something like this has happened and goes out to revenge the drug lord Franz Sanchez.

The plot is basically one of revenge as Bond not only resigns from the service but also attacks M as well. This is a much darker Bond and a far more violent film than we have ever seen in previous films and is a complete departure from previous actors like Roger Moore. Bond is more the blunt killing tool that he was in the novels and this comes across on the screen very well as he is focussed on removing a problem and is determined that this should be done at whatever cost. A different kind of Bond as he is very sharp when talking to people around him.

First time since Thunderball, we see Q in the field with a much larger role than what he has had in the past and effectively become a colleague working with Bond. In the film he takes a “two week” holiday and pays Bond a visit to hand over equipment that Bond needs to get the job done, this leads to a very touching scene between Bond and Q where Bond tells Q that he couldn’t have the job without him. You get the feeling from this that Q is effectively looking after Bond and is quite proud of him. This type of scene up till then was quite refreshing to see as this not the normal type of exchange between the two characters. It is also the first time that we see a Government retrieval team sent in to recover Bond who has now been classified as a rogue agent. This was a fresh idea and also an original one, it is just a shame that we don’t see more of this type of situation as it works well and displays the dark and sometimes dangerous workings of the organisation to what Bond has attempted to leave behind him.

The romantic involvement is this film is also a break from the norm, we have two women, one an ex-CIA pilot and the other is Sanchez’s girlfriend. Guess what? Bond gets them both. In fact from one line in the film you do get the impression he had ridden her like Seabiscuit!!!!

There are a lot of differences between previous films in the franchise and this one, mainly the fact that we see a lot more blood than before. This is apparent in the second half of the film where reactions that controls the story as it begins to unfold. Also a lot of the characters are seen smoking as well. And although this is now condoned at the time it led to a smoking warning being given within the end credits. This was the first time that this had occurred. Although I won’t go to much on the ending it is quite chilling to see how the villain is disposed off, even half way through he film you see the full evilness of Sanchez as to how he deals with people who he believes have betrayed him. Milton Krest being a good example where use of a decompression tank and an axe give a frightening execution, the scene is shown in it’s full glory.

Even though the film was made in 1989, the special effects are quite impressive as most of them on a large scale, you do get the impression of size as this works with the direction. As you would expect from John Glen, who has previously directed most of the franchise, the direction of the film is sound and quick paced, the camera angles not only build the tension but also get you thinking as to what will happen next. John Glen has directed this with gusto and perfection. Thankfully the Director has decided that the use of the back projection has been completely abandoned and the actual actors can be seen hanging off vehicles and so on, this not only give a certain amount of gravity but then bases it permanently in reality. As well as including his signature white bird in the film has managed to deliver a top notch action film that today still entertains.

---The Cast---

Timothy Dalton’s second outing sees him don the Tuxedo again as 007, this time the script is written with a more aggressive story line that gels very well with how Dalton wishes to play the character. Looking a little older than before, Dalton definitely meets the criteria of Bond not only in looks but also in stature, I have always found him to be a believable actor in this role, because of his mannerism and his delivery of his lines. He acts more with his eyes than with his fists. Throughout this film, his facial features may not give much away but you can see his anger and fury build up in his eyes that tell you he is not at all happy. In Licence to Kill he looks more relaxed as than what he was in The Living Daylights. This film suits him perfectly ans we see his rendition of Bond effectively break loose and let rip with the mission his has given himself.

Refreshingly the villain of the film is played by Robert Davi is unique in the series. He is not after world domination, not after starting World War III. He just wants to be the leading provider of the famous Columbian white powder. The actor stands at well over 6 foot tall and Davi himself gives a menacing performance throughout, he is very good in the part and gives an ambiance off when ever he is on screen that tells you he isn’t a person who should be messed with. Davi was previously in Die Hard before Licence to Kill. When you see the character of Sanchex torture a person which does happen throughout the film you really are convinced that the villain is more of a reality based persona than a creation of Ian Fleming.

The Bond Girls in this film are again a departure from what we have previous had to tolerate. The characters of Pam Bouvier and Lupe Lamora are complete opposites and this can be clearly seen in the acting as well as there are sometimes that the actress playing the character of Lupe Lamora as the delivery of lines is such a standard that it looks like it is being read of a cue card. Whether or not Talisa Soto was chosen because she meets the standard to fill the part of a girlfriend type character I am not sure, but she just cannot act at all. On the other hand the character of Bouvier played by Carey Lowell is a shining element to this film, the character whose background is an ex-CIA pilot is totally different; she is basically a Tom-boy who is involved with heavy guns and always up for a brawl, she was a perfect match for Bond and the perfect female for Bond to be teamed with. Something that had not happened since Moonraker in 1979.

Anthony Zerbe plays Milton Krest, a villain and assistant to Sanchez. He effectively oversees all the operations that are carried out. He works very closely to Sanchez and is his right hand man. Zerbe is a well known actor for films such as The Omega Man opposite Charlton Heston. He has also appeared in a number of well known franchises mainly as a villain.

Robert Brown plays M for the last time, he had played M since 1983 in Octopussy and Bernard Lee had passed away, he is only seen on screen for 6 minutes in total throughout the film. I feel that he was underused and although he is involved in a key scene where Bond resigns, he could have been utilised more. Miss Moneypenny played by Caroline Bliss is only in one scene, this was her last Bond film as well. Although the scene she is in is typical Moneypenny worrying about James, it is a scene that could have easily been cut and you feel that it was here just to ensure that the regular characters are present.

Overall this is the probably the best gathering of actors in a Bond film in a long while as the cast are well applied to the roles they have been given.

---The Soundtrack---

The soundtrack of the film was orchestrated by the late Michael Kaman; he has overseen a lot of films like Lethal Weapon and the Die Hard series. The music for my taste is a bit too Latin for my liking. Yes it is set in South America, but to do the Bond theme in a Latin style is a little too much. Throughout the film the music does jump up on you at the right points and does genuinely up the ante in the action scenes, especially the sequence involving the Kenwood 18 wheelers which I have deliberately avoided from mentioning as I do not want to give any spoilers. As with The Living Daylights a different song was used on the end titles as with the beginning. At the beginning we have Gladys Knight banging out the title song of Licence to Kill. I felt that worked better than A-ha as this was more of a Bond song. For purists out there it also has the same opening notes as Goldfinger. Upon release of the 7” it reached Number 2 in the Top 40 and was the second highest chart position for a Bond theme.
The end song ’If You Want Me To’ is sang by Patti Labelle and was also released. This was again a slight departure as this is really nothing more than the song that people will leave the cinema by and is simply forgotten and in a majority of cases there is no one there to hear it. Unfortunately the person who usually oversees the music score, John Barry was seriously ill at the time and through his illness was not available to score the music for the film.

---The Extras---

This probably shouldn’t be in this section, but the film has been released on DVD totally unedited. Hoorah!!! Not only does that mean you get the 17 seconds of footage that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) cut out but also some additional screams on the soundtrack at the beginning of the film Top stuff. The extras on this 2 disc DVD set are awesome. Bearing in mind that the film has been restored and the soundtrack has been re-mixed into DTS 5.1 then this is exceptionally good value for money. Those with a sound system will no doubt be savouring the thought of listening to this, specifically for the explosions, which in this film there are plenty of. The extras are as follows….

Subtitles for hard of hearing
Release and Teaser Trailers
Commentary - featuring John Glen and Michael G. Wilson.and crew members
Inside Licence to Kill
Kenworth Truck featurette
Image gallery
Bond 89: On the Set with John Glen
On Location with Peter Lamont
Ground Check with stunt pilot Corkey Fornof
Behind the Scenes production featurette
‘Licence to Kill’ music video performed by Gladys Knight
‘If You Asked Me To’ music video performed by Patti LaBelle
Interactive guide into the world of Licence to Kill
Deleted scenes with introductions by director John Glen

A great assembly of features have been put together; the deleted scenes have been something that has always fascinated me as to why they have actually become a deleted scene in the first place. On this occasion the scenes are rather meaningless and do not add much to the film. In some cases these scenes are only memorable for the product placement that is shown in them are rather shallow.

The top notch documentaries tell you what difficulties the production crew would encounter whilst filming in Mexico at high altitude, as well as the problems they had filming the climax of the movie with the trucks. These are not only informative but also give a very good perspective of what has to be done on set. The music videos are also interesting to watch as don’t forget this was the late eighties. The image gallery gives some promo shots as well as shots taken on set and are quite a good mix of black and white and colour photos.

---Overall---

Since the film was released, it has slowly become one of my favourites due to the fact that it is a more adult orientated film with adult themes. I only just managed to get into the Cinema when it was released and at the time didn’t enjoy this film compared with the previous one. Now I enjoy this more as I understand the scope of the film more. The film itself truly falls into the underrated category as it is an enjoyable film with the lead character taken out of his comfort zone and Bond dictating what he has to do himself to get the job done.

As an entry into the franchise it is a very good film, in recent years it has not been shown on TV. It is a shame to think that this is an underrated film as more effort to move away from the formula has been made than in the Pierce Brosnan era that apart from GoldenEye kind of played it safe.

Watching this for its entire 133 minutes, I felt a direct and distinct link with Casino Royale, the characteristics of Dalton are very similar to how Daniel Craig plays his Bond, a lot is done with the eyes. I believe that this can only be deemed as a good thing, both films were made nigh on twenty years apart anyway. If they were following each other in the order of continuity then I would be concerned, but this goes to show how close to the novels the actors believe in playing there respective versions of Bond. This is a big thumbs up and maybe also shows what could’ve been achieved if Dalton had made a third film.

The film was really being geared up for an American market as this is where the most income can be achieved, to do this the title had to be changed from ‘Licence Revoked’ to ‘Licence to Kill’ as it was not understood what the word ‘Revoked’ actually meant. With a weak marketing campaign and a somewhat limp film poster the film was deemed to be a failure in the States as it did not reach the intended targets. Elsewhere targets were exceeded with ticket sales. This in turn meant a review had to be done to freshen up and revitalise a franchise that was deemed by some to be in crisis. With a 6 year hiatus between this film and the next the production team did exactly that with a new writing team and director. At the end of the film it still says James Bond will return.

Personally this film means a lot to me due to the fact that I met the cast on 9th June 1989. That day there was a strike at the BBC, so as the recording was rescheduled without any tickets being distributed Radio 1 offered the first 500 people to the Shepherds Bush Theatre a seat in the audience of the then very popular chat show Wogan, who that day was recording a James Bond Special with the cast of the film, I was at college at the time and had a free afternoon, so I thought what the hell!!! After the recording the stars came out the Stage Door and signed autographs, I met Timothy Dalton and we spoke briefly. For a fan, I was in my Utopia. That day I also saw Cubby Broccoli, the producer of the franchise. Also I met both Robert Davi and Talisa Soto upon there departure. The segment with Q was pre-recorded due to availability problem with Desmond Llewellyn.

---And lastly---

This film will always be remembered by Bond fans as the last Bond film of the original run. It was also last of something for a number of reasons…it was the last time that John Glen would direct a Bond film. It was the last Bond film for 6 years due to legal problems that prevented production of further films. It was the last film that Albert R Broccoli would produce as he shortly passed away after the film was released. It was the last time that Richard Maibaum wrote the script as he passed away in early 1991.

---Availability---

Although this is released in an ultimate edition 2 Disc set it has also been released in a singular disc style as well. These are still available at places like Tesco and Sainsbury’s as well as the usual places of HMV and Virgin, process for the two disc range from £9.99 to £16.99, while the inferior one disc is available from £5 upwards. One word of advice would be to get the 2 disc while you can as it is now on limited stock runs. So this will be a collector’s opportunity to get these while you can. Originally they were released I time for Casino Royale last November.

Thanks for reading and until next time…take care.

Tim 

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