Pros and Cons: License to Kill

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  • WadsyWadsy Auckland, New ZealandPosts: 412MI6 Agent
    Oh yeah, Licence To Kill is hilarious. It does show a lot of gore and violence but something about the score in the film does not make it as dark. It's definitely not a bad thing, it's just worth pointing out. Maybe it's just me, but The Living Daylights was a far more serious film.
    1. FYEO 2. OHMSS 3. LTK 4. FRWL 5. TLD 6. TSWLM 7. AVTAK 8. GF 9. MR 10. TB 11. OP 12. SF 13. DN 14. SP 15. LALD 16. GE 17. CR 18. YOLT 19. TWINE 20. TMWTGG 21. NTTD 22. TND 23. QOS 24. NSNA 25. DAD 26. DAF 27. CR '67

    1. Dalton 2. Moore 3. Connery 4. Lazenby 5. Craig 6. Brosnan
  • UnderwaterBattle007UnderwaterBattle007 Posts: 284MI6 Agent
    So my Bond marathon continued tonight with LTK.

    IMO one of the best Bond films out there, and it's such a shame that the public weren't ready for this kind of Bond movie. Sanchez the drug baron with scenes similar to Largo when it comes to "his pleasures". Sanchez uses the whip, and Largo used a cigar and ice.

    I absolutely loved this film when it was released and I loved it even more on the new blu ray I have just purchased. It looks amazing.

    So in the mid to late 80's what was the biggest threat to society? Well the drug cartels in South America would be high on the list thats for sure.

    So the basis of the plot is set in the reality of those times.

    The whole Leiter torture scence is out of Live and Let Die (the novel) if my memory is correct.

    I love how Bond, although having his license revoked infiltrates Sanchez's gang, with the sting in the tail that he compromises and causes the deaths of fellow law enforcement agents also trying to bring Sanchez down. All this through his personal vendetta, and all so true to life.

    How many times do we hear about "Blue on Blue" contacts, to me it just made the film more realistic and even darker.

    We have some great gadgets, and some are introduced with a little bit of humour, like the laser camera.

    The stunts are fantastic, and we get a DAFesk truck stunt on two wheels.

    Another high point is the villains meet some gory ends, and I love Dario's end very reminiscent of SPECTRE goons in OHMSS.

    For me, one of the only Cons is maybe the realism and the violence.

    I say this for no other reason than I was allowed to see my first Bond movie in the mid 60's and they were classified A.

    I was lucky I had an older brother to take me, however I wouldn't have been able to go and watch this movie if I was that age which maybe was the reason the World wasn't ready for Daltons Bond.

    Maybe in future now that we have more violent Bond movies, the producers should release two versions of the film. One that suits a younger audience and another that suits an audience of 18+, a harder cut if you like. I believe some of the Taken movies did just that.

    I can't praise this film enough and for me it's a great Bond movie and can stand shoulder to shoulder with FRWL and CR. It's that good on blu ray I'm going to watch it again tomorrow, so Golden Eye on blu ray will have to wait another 24 hours I'm afraid. By the way I own 10 of the Bond movies on Blu Ray and I am enjoying them very much in that format.
    FRWl, CR, OHMSS, TSWLM, SF, GF, TLD, LTK, TND, FYEO, OP,TWINE, GE, LALD, TB, SPECTRE, DN, YOLT, TMWTGG, QOS, MR, DAF, DAD, AVTAK, NTTD.

    "Do you expect me to talk? "No Mister Bond I expect you to die"
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    LTK is among the very finest of them, yes. Only a Barry score could have made it better IMO.
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • DiabolikDiabolik TexasPosts: 117MI6 Agent
    chrisisall wrote:
    LTK is among the very finest of them, yes. Only a Barry score could have made it better IMO.
    and maybe a few more lingering shots of Carey Lowell's incredible gams
    1.TSWLM 2.LTK 3.YOLT 4.OHMSS 5.TWINE 6.LALD 7.MR 8.GE 9.DN 10.FRWL
    Bond: Pierce Brosnan Villain: Hugo Drax Girl: Pam Bouvier
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    Diabolik wrote:
    chrisisall wrote:
    LTK is among the very finest of them, yes. Only a Barry score could have made it better IMO.
    and maybe a few more lingering shots of Carey Lowell's incredible gams
    Crudely put but not entirely incorrect.
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,610MI6 Agent
    LTK could also have put Bond in more appropriates clothes for the character.
    Visit my blog, Bond Suits
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    I'll quote my own cons from an earlier post - if it didn't have these (which I consider quite big ones) then I'd rate it, and consider it to be a better film...
    - The first 40-50 minutes. From PTS to Bond's resignation feels like they're from a TV movie. They're cheap, sometimes poorly acted and at times darker than what eventuates in the film - they also feel more like an American production than a British one. I hate the slow-mo scene in the PTS, the over-dubbed voices and sound-effects in Sanchez's arrest and Killifer belongs on Miami Vice. I find the start of the movie gets worse each time I watch it.
    - David Hedison as Leiter. Nice that they brought him back from LALD, but I don't like the way this guy acts.
    - The gadgets look dated.
    - While it contributes well the fooling Sanchez further, the Hong Kong Narcotics reveal and the "rogue-agent" guy feels like the TV movie parts again.
    - M.
    - Is Sanchez sucked in by Bond a little too easily? I would've thought he'd be far more suspicious.
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • zaphod99zaphod99 Posts: 1,415MI6 Agent
    Matt S wrote:
    LTK could also have put Bond in more appropriates clothes for the character.

    Agreed. I'm a Tim Fanboy, but even I thought the clothes were terrible and the Dracula hair a major mistake. I like the film a lot but think it looks cheap and T.V.Movie of the week like in places.
    Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
  • walther p99walther p99 NJPosts: 3,416MI6 Agent
    Matt S wrote:
    LTK could also have put Bond in more appropriates clothes for the character.
    Absolutely agree, it looks like cheap off the rack clothing.
  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,610MI6 Agent
    Matt S wrote:
    LTK could also have put Bond in more appropriates clothes for the character.
    Absolutely agree, it looks like cheap off the rack clothing.

    Though it was off the rack, it was not cheap clothing. Poor fit and outdated fashions certainly give that impression, though.
    Visit my blog, Bond Suits
  • walther p99walther p99 NJPosts: 3,416MI6 Agent
    Matt S wrote:
    Matt S wrote:
    LTK could also have put Bond in more appropriates clothes for the character.
    Absolutely agree, it looks like cheap off the rack clothing.

    Though it was off the rack, it was not cheap clothing. Poor fit and outdated fashions certainly give that impression, though.
    What brands were his clothes?
  • DiabolikDiabolik TexasPosts: 117MI6 Agent
    1.TSWLM 2.LTK 3.YOLT 4.OHMSS 5.TWINE 6.LALD 7.MR 8.GE 9.DN 10.FRWL
    Bond: Pierce Brosnan Villain: Hugo Drax Girl: Pam Bouvier
  • walther p99walther p99 NJPosts: 3,416MI6 Agent
    Diabolik wrote:
    Never heard of this brand but its an interesting choice, would've thought Dalton would want to wear an English brand like the literary Bond.
  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,610MI6 Agent
    Diabolik wrote:
    Never heard of this brand but its an interesting choice, would've thought Dalton would want to wear an English brand like the literary Bond.

    It was filmed in North America where British brands weren't available. Unlike Moore, Dalton didn't have a tailor of his own to use.
    Visit my blog, Bond Suits
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,458MI6 Agent
    Stefano ricci is more pricey than Tom Ford. But he does make some lovely items. The cut of his suits has never seemed typically Italian to me like Brioni. You'll find his stuff in Harrods, Neiman Marcus etc. Di Capric wore his stuff in Wolf of wall Street.
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • heartbroken_mr_draxheartbroken_mr_drax New Zealand Posts: 2,073MI6 Agent
    Dalton and his suits look excellent in TLD - they don't in LTK.
    1. TWINE 2. FYEO 3. MR 4. TLD 5. TSWLM 6. OHMSS 7. DN 8. OP 9. AVTAK 10. TMWTGG 11. QoS 12. GE 13. CR 14. TB 15. FRWL 16. TND 17. LTK 18. GF 19. SF 20. LaLD 21. YOLT 22. NTTD 23. DAD 24. DAF. 25. SP

    "Better make that two."
  • walther p99walther p99 NJPosts: 3,416MI6 Agent
    Chriscoop wrote:
    Stefano ricci is more pricey than Tom Ford.
    didn't know that was possible :))
  • ChriscoopChriscoop Belize Posts: 10,458MI6 Agent
    Chriscoop wrote:
    Stefano ricci is more pricey than Tom Ford.
    didn't know that was possible :))
    :)) Yeah well £800 for a French cuff shirt!!!!
    It was either that.....or the priesthood
  • bainesy1usbainesy1us Posts: 43MI6 Agent
    Pros- Carey Lowell :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x
  • jet set sweeneyjet set sweeney Posts: 25MI6 Agent
    edited March 2017
    Pros

    LTK is one of my favourite films in the franchise. Its up there with GF and OHMSS.

    Dalton is at his best here, in the closest screen adaptation of the Fleming Bond from the novels. He certainly did his research with the character when taking on the Bond role, but boy does it show here. Humourless, violent, driven. This is Bond at his most badass. Forget what came later with Craig. This is the real deal, right here.

    Even Maibaum and Wilson come up trumps here with the script also, in a storyline and scenes that Fleming himself would have been proud. The film unfolds and feels like a Fleming book, helped massively by scenes and characters taken directly from the books, but Maibaum knew his Fleming, and this feels as close to the novels as OHMSS or FRWL.

    Glen's direction is not too flashy, workmanlike but serious and rather violent at times, which again helps drive the Fleming tone along, in the best of the films Glen directed. This would be his last one, but by now he had crafted and perfected his art for the benefit of the film.

    Sanchez is one of the best villains in the series, and I heard a rumour he was based loosely on Scaramanga. They both share the same initials, and once Bond goes undercover as a kind of personal bodyguard to get close to his man, it definitely echoes the novel TMWTGG.

    `You earned it, you keep it, old buddy!'.....`Don't you want to know why?' The dialogue is brilliant, sharp Flemingesque. This is still the closest we have seen to Fleming's Bond in all his glory on screen. It's a damn shame Dalton would never do any more.

    Cons


    There really aren't any. Some complain that Dalton's wardrobe isn't dressy enough. I love it. It definitely feels more like how Bond dresses from the novels. The only one element I would have welcomed would have been another John Barry score, but otherwise the film is fairly near 100% perfect for me.
  • HigginsHiggins GermanyPosts: 16,619MI6 Agent
    wasn't Sanchez based on Pablo Escobar??
    President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.

    Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,298MI6 Agent
    I enjoy LTK a lot. It has a strong plot and Dalton is very Flemingesque. The directing is too safe and traditionally and the restrains of the budget shows sometimes. I would have liked to see Bond find Pam in Thailand or Burma instead of in Key West. That would make sense plotwise, set up the ninjas later in the story and it would give Dalton some globetrotting to do. Also make Pam funnier and Leiter less jolly in the end.

    Finally I wish Ridley Scott directed it and U2 wrote and performed the title song (With or without you?).
    I think this movie would have been one of the three best in the series.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    " one of the three best in the series " .......... it is in my top three ! ;)
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • HigginsHiggins GermanyPosts: 16,619MI6 Agent
    It is in my top 3 - on the bottom :v
    President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.

    Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
  • ichaiceichaice LondonPosts: 602MI6 Agent
    One of my favourites as well. Great film. I watched it again recently on my original VHS copy.....ouch! :))
    Yes. Considerably!
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Where you tattoo your top three Bonds is completely up to you. ;)
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Matt SMatt S Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,610MI6 Agent

    Cons


    There really aren't any. Some complain that Dalton's wardrobe isn't dressy enough. I love it. It definitely feels more like how Bond dresses from the novels. The only one element I would have welcomed would have been another John Barry score, but otherwise the film is fairly near 100% perfect for me.

    In some ways the clothes are closer to Fleming and in some ways they are further. The casual shirts with pockets are similar to what Fleming wore himself. The simplicity of the outfits was very Flemingesque, as were the moccasins that Bond wears in the film.

    The oversized fits of everything and the flashy Italian cuts of the suits are very far from what the literary Bond would have worn, and that's the big problem with the wardrobe. Fleming's Bond would not have been wearing clothes that could better fit a 100-kg man. The clothes were sourced in America, and that's not where Fleming's Bond would have purchased all of his clothes. Fleming's Bond was into luxurious shirts (whether formal or casual), and that's not reflected in Licence to Kill's wardrobe.
    Visit my blog, Bond Suits
  • jet set sweeneyjet set sweeney Posts: 25MI6 Agent
    Matt S wrote:

    Cons


    There really aren't any. Some complain that Dalton's wardrobe isn't dressy enough. I love it. It definitely feels more like how Bond dresses from the novels. The only one element I would have welcomed would have been another John Barry score, but otherwise the film is fairly near 100% perfect for me.

    In some ways the clothes are closer to Fleming and in some ways they are further. The casual shirts with pockets are similar to what Fleming wore himself. The simplicity of the outfits was very Flemingesque, as were the moccasins that Bond wears in the film.

    The oversized fits of everything and the flashy Italian cuts of the suits are very far from what the literary Bond would have worn, and that's the big problem with the wardrobe. Fleming's Bond would not have been wearing clothes that could better fit a 100-kg man. The clothes were sourced in America, and that's not where Fleming's Bond would have purchased all of his clothes. Fleming's Bond was into luxurious shirts (whether formal or casual), and that's not reflected in Licence to Kill's wardrobe.

    I think that was probably more down to the fashion of the 80's at the time. Everything was baggy back then. I reckon some of those shirts that Daton wore were fairly luxurious though. I doubt they would have been shirts from Debenhams.
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,298MI6 Agent
    " one of the three best in the series " .......... it is in my top three ! ;)

    I think LTK was in my top three before CR. FRWL, OHMSS and LTK.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    -{ nice selection and matches my own with CR and OHMSS joint #1 followed by LTK and FRWL.
    You must have terrific taste. :D
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
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