Licence to Kill

LD was good and all but Licence to Kill is top 10.

"Licence to Kill" is unquestionably a very unusual Bond film in every conceivable way imaginable. The larger-than-life villains of the Sean Connery era with their outrageously extravagant plans to blackmail the whole world are completely gone and these elements have been replaced with a much more down to earth approach and in this instance it has resulted in the film resembling a regular crime movie, but don't fret too much. There still remains at least some instantly recognisable remnants of the beloved Bond trademarks to be found amongst all the violence and minor league swearing with some remarkably thrilling and expertly produced action sequences - especially those involving the Kenwood tankers. However, when such conventional Bond fare as this is placed alongside some of the other elements (chief bad guy Sanchez being turned into a flaming human bonfire by Bond) it does often make for extremely uncomfortable bedfellows, especially coming so soon after the long running Roger Moore era where a good deal more of the violence was a lot less graphic.

I was just not a fan of Timothy Dalton's "007" and so can't say I was looking forward with much enthusiasm to this. Sadly, it didn't surprise - it's a really far fetched, frankly rather unpleasant, outing for Ian Fleming's deadly agent that sees him on the trail of an evil drug lord who fed "Felix" (David Hedison) to a shark whilst doing away that man's new wife. What now ensues is just a series of unremarkable set-piece escapades that have precious little jeopardy to them. Anthony Zerbe just doesn't cut it as the supposedly menacing "Milton Krest" (surely a milk-shake?) nor does Robert Davi as baddie-in-chief "Sanchez". Not that it's unusual for a "Bond" film - but this one really does play a bit too much to stereotype without any of the fun; the tongue-in-cheekiness or any charisma at all from the star very much on the wain here. As adventure films go, it is entertaining enough - there are gadgets; but the banal dialogue grates after a while and this one somehow appears much less "British" than many of it's forebears - certainly it is grittier and more violent. Adequate, but I would not say anything for the far classier and engaging Connery or Moore to worry about.