Licence To Kill (1989)
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74% of critics liked it
(38 reviews) -
56% of users liked it
(62,485 ratings)
For his second outing as James Bond, Timothy Dalton is working on his own rather than on behalf of the British Secret Service in this follow-up to The Living Daylights). When his American friend Felix Leiter ({$David Hedison), an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration, is seriously injured by… More For his second outing as James Bond, Timothy Dalton is working on his own rather than on behalf of the British Secret Service in this follow-up to The Living Daylights). When his American friend Felix Leiter ({$David Hedison), an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration, is seriously injured by drug dealer Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), 007 is out for blood. There is precious little time for the usual Bondian quippery and campiness, resulting in a marked increase in bloodletting (including the "implosion" of secondary villain Anthony Zerbe). A climactic highway chase involving an oil tanker and a helicopter is the highlight, as well as Benecio Del Toro in an early role as the psychotic henchman Dario. Licence to Kill's intensified taste for violence lessened Bond's box-office value, and helped keep 007 off the screen for another six years before Pierce Brosnan took up the mantle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Glen
- Written By
- Michael G. Wilson
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Jul 14, 1989 Wide
- On DVD
- Oct 22, 2002
Critic Reviews
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Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
The Bond women are pallid mannequins, and so is the misused Dalton -- a moving target in a Savile Row suit. For every plausible reason, he looks as bored in his second Bond film as Sean Connery did in his sixth.
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Variety Staff, Variety
The thrills-and-spills chases are superbly orchestrated as pic spins at breakneck speed through its South Florida and Central American locations.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Despite some shaky narrative continuity and muddled motivations, this manages to move pretty briskly, and the action sequences are generally well handled, especially at the climax.
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, Time Out
It's all very pacy, with the overly straightforward plotting dimmed but not obscured by the hi-tech effects.
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Caryn James, New York Times
Mr. Dalton is perfectly at home as an angry Bond, and as a romantic lead and as an action hero, but he never seems to blend any two of those qualities at once.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Timothy Dalton
as James Bond
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Carey Lowell
as Pam Bouvier
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Robert Davi
as Franz Sanchez
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Talisa Soto
as Lupe Lamora
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Anthony Zerbe
as Milton Krest
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Wayne Newton
as Prof. Joe Butcher
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Frank McRae
as Sharkey
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Everett McGill
as Killifer
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Benicio Del Toro
as Dario
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Desmond Llewelyn
as Q
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David Hedison
as Felix Leiter
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Priscilla Barnes
as Della Churchill
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Caroline Bliss
as Miss Moneypenny
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Pedro Armendariz Jr.
as President Hector Lopez
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Jeannine Bisignano
as Stripper
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Teresa Blake
as Ticket Agent
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Edna Bolkan
as Barrelhead Waitress
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Alejandro Bracho
as Perez
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Claudio Brook
as Montelongo
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Grand L. Bush
as Hawkins
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Carl Ciarfalio
as Warehouse Guard
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Sergio Corona
as Ninja
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Roger Cudney
as "Wavekrest" Captain
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Rafer Johnson
as Mullens
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Samuel Benjamin Lancaster
as Della's Uncle
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Jorge Russek
as Pit Boss
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Anthony Starke
as Truman-Lodge
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Don Stroud
as Heller
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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
as Kwang
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Jeff Moldovan
as Warehouse Guard
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Jose Abdala
as Tanker Driver
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George Belanger
as Doctor
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Fidel Carriga
as Sanchez's Driver
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Humberto Elizondo
as Hotel Assistant Manager
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Eddie Enderfield
as Clive
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Cynthia Fallon
as Consuela
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Osami Kawawo
as Oriental
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Mark Kelty
as Coast Guard Radio Operator
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Stuart Kwan
as Ninja
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Diana Lee Hsu
as Loti
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Honorato Magaloni
as Chief Chemist
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Enrique Novi
as Rasmussen
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Juan Pelaez
as Casino Manager
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Guy de Saint Cyr
as Braun
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Robert Brown
as M
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Christopher Neame
as Fallon


