"LICENCE TO KILL" (1989) Review


Most James Bond fans tend to use ”LICENSE TO KILL” as an example of why Timothy Dalton’s tenure as the British agent had failed. Failed? Hmm. Granted, the Welsh-born actor had only starred in two Bond films, but chances are he would have starred in a third if EON Productions had not found itself mired in some lengthy legal battle that lasted throughout the early 1990s. Although ”LICENSE TO KILL” never made as much money at the U.S. box office as its predecessor, ”THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS”, it proved to be an interesting addition to the Bond franchise.

Now, when I had said that ”LICENSE TO KILL” was interesting, I was not kidding. It turned out to be a rather unusual experience. The movie turned out to be a revenge story that started with the capture of a drug czar named Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), at the hands of Bond and Felix Leiter (David Hedison), now a DEA agent, on the latter’s wedding day. Unfortunately for Leiter and his new bride (Priscilla Barnes), a fellow DEA agent named Killifer (Everett McGill) helps Sanchez escape . . . an act that leads to Della...

"THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS" (1987) Review

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of EON Productions' release of its 15th entry in the Bond franchise – "THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS". The movie featured the first of two times in which actor Timothy Dalton portrayed the famous British spy, James Bond. I first saw "THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS" on the night of July 31, 1987 – the date of its original U.S. release. My family and I saw it at the Grauman Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The theater was so packed that we ended up seated near the screen. I had a headache by the time the movie ended. Yet, watching the movie that night was one of the most enjoyable movie going experiences of my life.

The movie’s title comes from the 1966 short story, ”The Living Daylights” in which Bond is assigned to assassinate a KGB sniper out to kill a MI-6 agent trying to escape from the Soviet Bloc in Berlin. The movie’s director, John Glen, along with screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson, took aspects of that short story and used it to set the movie's plot in motion. "THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS" begins with a military exercise on Gilbratar in...

"MOORE AS BOND"

I always found it odd that many Bond fans tend to dismiss Roger Moore's performances as a non-threatening Bond. While watching the "Special Features" segment for my "CASINO ROYALE" DVD, I saw the "Bond Girls Are Forever" segment in which Jane Seymour described her character's relationship with Moore's Bond. From what she and Maud Adams had said, I got the distinct impression that in his own way, Moore's Bond was just as ruthless as the other Bonds.

Unlike his fellow Bond actors, Moore’s ruthlessness usually did not involve grittiness of any kind or overt menace. Judging from Seymour's description of Moore's Bond and my own memories, I suspect that Moore's ruthlessness was a lot more subtle, but equally cold-blooded. I believe that Moore had portrayed Bond as a manipulative and cold-blooded cad, who would use anyone to achieve his goal . . . while smiling in their faces or whispering soft words. And thinking about this made me realize that Moore's portrayal of Bond had more than just tongue-in-cheek humor. He had portrayed a Bond that turned out tobe very unique from the others. Perhaps the other Bonds have used or manipulated...