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Thoughts on Licence to Kill?
LTK is definitely one of the most controversial Bond films, if not the most. I used to think that the majority of people didn't think very highly of it, for obvious reasons. But recently I have begun to realise how many Bond fans rank it as one of their favourites of the series. For me, it's one of my least-viewed films in the series (I've only seen it a few times). I personally enjoy it, even though it's not great. I'd probably rank it as my seventeenth favourite Bond film.
So, my questions is: What are you thoughts on LTK? How would you rank it in terms of the rest of the series?
So, my questions is: What are you thoughts on LTK? How would you rank it in terms of the rest of the series?
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Comments
If you like Fleming, you should like LTK & Dalton.
The series. :)
That being said, Casino Royale and Skyfall are my favourite films in the series, and I also really like FYEO.
Incidentally my favourite Bonds are OHMSS & CR, they should always try and keep
As much Fleming, if only in spirit in the films as possible.
The books are superior, although I like the elegant gloss/ increased sophistication of the character in the films. Yes a darker edge is better.
It's nothing like Fleming. Just because it nicks a couple of scenes from the LALD novel doesn't automatically make it more like Fleming.
The whole film is a drag with it's grim dull as dishwater revenge plot, one dimensional villain and uninspiring action.
Dalton's performance is forced and obvious. Nothing like the natural and riveting performance he gave in TLD.
It's the most un-bondian film of the series.
Good performance from Carey Lowell who made a decent Bond girl.
OHMSS, CR, LTK, FRWL ( now we might part company ) SF. ;)
Give a F**k, she is beautiful :x
Ha ha. Nice one. Agreed.
We've had this discussion before @LeonardPine.
All I can see is we don't agree on it. As for "Dalton's performance is forced and obvious". It seems like we are watching different films. His performance is very studied and impressive. An actor who took the time to read and think about the Fleming novels.
It always bugs me that the truck tipping on its side wheels gag doesn't even work if you consider the timing of it and the guy shooting.
Watch the same films, but we can come up with which opposite opinions. :)
LTK was the end of the original Broccoli/Saltzman era of James Bond. Dr No to Licence To Kill. Goldeneye did feel like a new era.
As with the entire Glen era, the sets are just terrible. That drug factory is so awful looking. Not good.
That being said, LTK has a lot going for it, and somewhat makes up for QoS.
Ian Fleming's stories were larger than life, keeping one foot in reality and one in a fantastic world where mere mortals would never tread. His villains were often grotesques, his ladies ridiculously gorgeous and feminine, his hero flawed and vulnerable, but dedicated to Queen and country.
So, without dissecting his books it does strike me that LTK isn't as close to Fleming as people seem to suggest.
The film's villain is a bog standard drug baron, his cronies are weird but not exactly of the OddJob variety.
The leading lady is a woman in a man's world, desperately trying to prove herself equal to any man. Pussy Galore was like that, but she was barely featured in the story, and not exactly in to men.
Bond in the film is a vigilante, beating up fellow agents, refusing his orders, showing no respect to M.
The story had no sense of the absurd, no larger than life villain, no fantastic plotline. It was suitably serious, but the pace of the film meant it captured none of Fleming's class or elegance. It just bull dozed through, with Bond acting before he thinks and getting others killed (the Chinese agents).
I hear excuses about audiences not being ready for a serious Bond, but I was there and believe me, we were ready. But we wanted someone who could enter a casino and all the heads would turn (like Connery). We got starched, snarling Timothy Dalton in an ill fitting tuxedo and the worst haircut in the history of the series (possibly the world).
The director who had kept TLD bouncing along at a fine old clip, with good humour and fine spectacle, seemed to lose all of his abilities here. It was a nasty film full of bad tempered people and nothing really to make one cheer for anyone, not even Q.
Not the worst in the series (although my least favourite), but neither is it the homage to Fleming that people think.
But at the end we know M will forgive his actions and Bond will return to serving queen and country. :)
Except in India when Sir Roger got the trots, where .....
"His Back side was a Dangerous place to be !" :D
I used to hate License, but after watching it the 2nd time, it wasn't so bad.
And to think that my profile pic is the logo for the Japanese version of SPECTRE...
I certainly admire Dalton for the seriousness he took over the role and as I said, he was fantastic in TLD (One of my favourite Bond films). Probably the most faithful interpretation of Bond put to film.
But he fell well short in LTK and I really do believe he made the fatal mistake of 'trying too hard'
The script for that film certainly didn't help matters.
Dalton to be very intense at times, the Truck case I also thought was
Very inventive. It had a couple of good one liners " He came to a dead end"
I also loved how Bond used his intelligence to turn the villain on his own
Men ( I know it's been done before) all leading up to the end Fight between
Bond and Sanchez, which in a way reminded me of the Novel TMWTGG.
I could.
The bits of Fleming that are woven through the film and Michael Kamen's underrated score all combine with the above to make for the best Bond outing thus far.