Well, it felt like a typical DEA raid action movie at first. I mean the pacing wasn't as bad as watching Moore **** around with horses for 50 minutes in AVTAK, but when it came to Dalton being a straight-up spy and assassin for the 2nd half of the movie, that's where I totally lose track of time watching it.
Lupe and her love for James
Della and her lust for James - she fancies him more than Leiter!
Wedding party music and dad-dancing by the pool
Dirty love music and the corny bar room brawl
"Things were about to turn Nast-ay"
End title music
Winking fish, yes I said winking!
Just watched now...
There are two things that make this movie my 2nd choice for favourite Bond movie behind TLD.
First: I generally love Michael Kamen's work, but here he delivers a generic 'Kamen' score with rather bland Bond flourishes.
Second: I don't know if it was the DOP, or the fact that most of it was in daylight, or if it was the smaller budget, but it looks a bit less textured than the previous entry.
That said, it was pretty awesome, again. I never tire of this flick. Mainly because of Dalton.
9/10
This is another film that has steadily moved up in my estimation over the years. Its in my top 5. I do tend to enjoy watching the films that show a darker side to Bond's character. Yes the film is so 1980's it should age badly, but overall it hasn't aged badly for me. Yes it's basically just a simple revenge story but it's a simple revenge story that is well plotted and you care about, helped by a great cast (mostly) and exciting stunts leading up to a fantastic conclusion. But for me the main reason I rate it so highly is Timothy Dalton. For me the second greatest Bond behind Connery. But if Dalton had the chance to do 4 or 5 Bond films he would probably be number 1 (sorry Higgins). -{
Just watched now...
There are two things that make this movie my 2nd choice for favourite Bond movie behind TLD.
First: I generally love Michael Kamen's work, but here he delivers a generic 'Kamen' score with rather bland Bond flourishes.
Second: I don't know if it was the DOP, or the fact that most of it was in daylight, or if it was the smaller budget, but it looks a bit less textured than the previous entry.
That said, it was pretty awesome, again. I never tire of this flick. Mainly because of Dalton.
9/10
I loved that it had a smaller budget, it was like a throwback to dr.no and FRWL
A gritty revenge thriller and Tim is at his best in this film
Dario is a great henchman
Sanchez is a well written villain. He could be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on whether you were in his circle of trust or not
Krest's death is actually terrifying, the anticipation of what's coming is really unsettling. We've seen Bond stash the money in the pressure chamber and Krest trying unsuccessfully to explain how the money was stolen without sounding as if he's lying.
cons
Has the look of a tv film.
.
Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?"
Licence To Kill is an excellent movie, and Timothy Dalton is just terrible... uh er I mean terrific at playing Bond. )
This film has been so heavily criticized since it's release, and whether this was the reason that Bond went on a 6 year hiatus in the early 90's, I don't know. Whatever the case, Dalton is my pick for the best Bond and this film, along with The Living Daylights are both in my top five.
Pro's:
- Timothy Dalton's performance
- The darker tone to this film, and realistic plot
- Sanchez is one of the greatest villains of the entire series
- One of the best Bond films of the entire series
- Enjoyable, entertaining and never a dull moment
- Honorable sequel to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which we never got. An awesome revenge thriller
- Like in Octopussy, 'Q' gets an extended role
Cons:
- Both Bond girls were quite weak, uninspired and wooden (especially Talisa Sato)
- Locations were cheap, and the worst of the 1980's Bonds / tied with Octopussy's locales
- The underwater and ocean scenes (basically the first half) were less interesting than the rest of the movie
- Score by Michael Kamin is nowhere near as good as John Barry
- 'M' was a complete jerk on this film, treating the world's best agent as a complete waste of space
- Caroline Bliss as 'Moneypenny' hardly got 2 minutes on screen
Quite simply put LTK is one of my favorite Bonds- easily in my top ten and I've been a firm supporter of this films since it opened. The things many have criticized about this film....since the day it came out.... I tend to appreciate.
Here's a couple examples-
Pros:
The grittiness and look of this film as seen in the cinema was a departure from what had come before. LTK had a very dirty look to it that's hard to describe.
It sort of recalls the Charles Bronsan Death Wish films, but not really. More like a Dirty Harry film or even a Cannon Film from that era. Fine grain and deep contrasts. However, once we get to the casino scenes only then are we returning to the glamour and technicolor of the 60s films. Talisa's dress is a very rich red. No, the blu-ray doesn't look like it did in cinema. It's been cleaned up immensely.
Dalton's hair. I have to defend this one....uh at least as much as I can. Given the Dirty Harry/Sudden Impact look and feel of Licence, Tim here is actually sporting the Clint Eastwood haircut. Longish on the sides and full in the back, big sideburns and somewhat thin on top. With the right product it would have looked bada$$ like Clint's in THE ENFORCER. However, they just let it either hang down naturally or slicked it back. Just a case of the wrong style for that cut.
This leads to to the clothes. The costume designer really was intending on putting Tim in pastels- Miami Vice style, but Dalton stuck as close as he could to Fleming. Bond wears mostly single breasted blue suits....and here we go on the the cons.
Cons:
Those blue suits a'la Fleming do seem a bit loose here on Tim.
As Roger Moore might say "Pity you couldn't find one that fits".
The biggest con for me is changing the title from Licence Revoked to Licence To Kill.
I much preferred the original title, as LTK is too similar to AVTAK. LTK is generic, but not as bad as DAD.
Also I really miss John Barry here. This is the first film in which there were no instrumental versions of the main title track used during the film. A big void there.
Sadly that would begin a trend for later films. I suppose that's what you get when the song is written after the film has been scored.
Was quite disappointed with Dalton's comic take on the swordfish through the tabletop. A screwball comedy moment, IMO, in an gritty revenge vehicle. Pulled the missile off course, to my mind. That, and the wheelie-poppin' big rig are two major 'cons' for me.
Pro: "He disagreed with something that ate him."
A lot to like in this one overall. The huge nod to Kurosawa's Yojimbo works in this milieu.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
-Dalton is fully believable as Dark Bond.
-Felix Leiter.
-Dario is a fantastic Bond hechman (hard props for Benicio del Toro).
-Carey Lowell looks great.
-Solid chemistry between Dalton and Lowell.
Cons:
-I find Sanchez an average villain. He's too much of a slimeball. The fact that he references The Godfather doesn't help (it's unoriginal and feels unnecessary).
-The scene with the ninjas is too sudden.
-It kinda feels like a TV movie.
Overall, I like LtK, and give it an 8/10.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I could like it more eventually, I guess that can happen with Bond movies.
Btw, it rocks that from the moment the gunbarrel music comes on, you know the movie's gonna be dark.
Thoughts on the song by Gladys Knight?
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Comments
How is it generic, and what does being generic have to do with pacing?
AJB007 Favorite Film Rankings
Pros and Cons Compendium (50 Years)
I liked Newton and they prolly needed him to lighten the mood a bit....unlike say JW Pepper who wasn't really needed in TMWTGG 8-)
Cons : the first generic photoshop movie poster.......
Can you blame her? Leiter is ancient!
There are two things that make this movie my 2nd choice for favourite Bond movie behind TLD.
First: I generally love Michael Kamen's work, but here he delivers a generic 'Kamen' score with rather bland Bond flourishes.
Second: I don't know if it was the DOP, or the fact that most of it was in daylight, or if it was the smaller budget, but it looks a bit less textured than the previous entry.
That said, it was pretty awesome, again. I never tire of this flick. Mainly because of Dalton.
9/10
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
A gritty revenge thriller and Tim is at his best in this film
Dario is a great henchman
Sanchez is a well written villain. He could be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on whether you were in his circle of trust or not
Krest's death is actually terrifying, the anticipation of what's coming is really unsettling. We've seen Bond stash the money in the pressure chamber and Krest trying unsuccessfully to explain how the money was stolen without sounding as if he's lying.
cons
Has the look of a tv film.
.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
"Don't worry, we gave her a nice honeymoooon"
Cons:
"Don't worry, we gave her a nice honeymoooon"
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
This film has been so heavily criticized since it's release, and whether this was the reason that Bond went on a 6 year hiatus in the early 90's, I don't know. Whatever the case, Dalton is my pick for the best Bond and this film, along with The Living Daylights are both in my top five.
Pro's:
- Timothy Dalton's performance
- The darker tone to this film, and realistic plot
- Sanchez is one of the greatest villains of the entire series
- One of the best Bond films of the entire series
- Enjoyable, entertaining and never a dull moment
- Honorable sequel to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which we never got. An awesome revenge thriller
- Like in Octopussy, 'Q' gets an extended role
Cons:
- Both Bond girls were quite weak, uninspired and wooden (especially Talisa Sato)
- Locations were cheap, and the worst of the 1980's Bonds / tied with Octopussy's locales
- The underwater and ocean scenes (basically the first half) were less interesting than the rest of the movie
- Score by Michael Kamin is nowhere near as good as John Barry
- 'M' was a complete jerk on this film, treating the world's best agent as a complete waste of space
- Caroline Bliss as 'Moneypenny' hardly got 2 minutes on screen
1. Dalton 2. Moore 3. Connery 4. Lazenby 5. Craig 6. Brosnan
Here's a couple examples-
Pros:
The grittiness and look of this film as seen in the cinema was a departure from what had come before. LTK had a very dirty look to it that's hard to describe.
It sort of recalls the Charles Bronsan Death Wish films, but not really. More like a Dirty Harry film or even a Cannon Film from that era. Fine grain and deep contrasts. However, once we get to the casino scenes only then are we returning to the glamour and technicolor of the 60s films. Talisa's dress is a very rich red. No, the blu-ray doesn't look like it did in cinema. It's been cleaned up immensely.
Dalton's hair. I have to defend this one....uh at least as much as I can. Given the Dirty Harry/Sudden Impact look and feel of Licence, Tim here is actually sporting the Clint Eastwood haircut. Longish on the sides and full in the back, big sideburns and somewhat thin on top. With the right product it would have looked bada$$ like Clint's in THE ENFORCER. However, they just let it either hang down naturally or slicked it back. Just a case of the wrong style for that cut.
This leads to to the clothes. The costume designer really was intending on putting Tim in pastels- Miami Vice style, but Dalton stuck as close as he could to Fleming. Bond wears mostly single breasted blue suits....and here we go on the the cons.
Cons:
Those blue suits a'la Fleming do seem a bit loose here on Tim.
As Roger Moore might say "Pity you couldn't find one that fits".
The biggest con for me is changing the title from Licence Revoked to Licence To Kill.
I much preferred the original title, as LTK is too similar to AVTAK. LTK is generic, but not as bad as DAD.
Also I really miss John Barry here. This is the first film in which there were no instrumental versions of the main title track used during the film. A big void there.
Sadly that would begin a trend for later films. I suppose that's what you get when the song is written after the film has been scored.
If Barry had done the score it'd be my # 1. B-)
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
"Better make that two."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Was quite disappointed with Dalton's comic take on the swordfish through the tabletop. A screwball comedy moment, IMO, in an gritty revenge vehicle. Pulled the missile off course, to my mind. That, and the wheelie-poppin' big rig are two major 'cons' for me.
Pro: "He disagreed with something that ate him."
A lot to like in this one overall. The huge nod to Kurosawa's Yojimbo works in this milieu.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
That's the thing about Glen films, lots of great action scenes. The PTS fishing scene is great too
-Dalton is fully believable as Dark Bond.
-Felix Leiter.
-Dario is a fantastic Bond hechman (hard props for Benicio del Toro).
-Carey Lowell looks great.
-Solid chemistry between Dalton and Lowell.
Cons:
-I find Sanchez an average villain. He's too much of a slimeball. The fact that he references The Godfather doesn't help (it's unoriginal and feels unnecessary).
-The scene with the ninjas is too sudden.
-It kinda feels like a TV movie.
Overall, I like LtK, and give it an 8/10.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I could like it more eventually, I guess that can happen with Bond movies.
Btw, it rocks that from the moment the gunbarrel music comes on, you know the movie's gonna be dark.
Thoughts on the song by Gladys Knight?
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS