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Me too! Only FRWL and Casino Royale beats it! One of the most underrated films on this site...
And 3's a crowd at #3 as of now.
Daytime: TB, TLD, DAF, TSWLM, QoS
Evening: GF, OHMSS, OP, GE, SF
Late Night: YOLT*, LALD, TMWTGG, AVTAK, CR
*good for a 3 am "can't sleep" with a bowl of cereal
>:P
Licence To Kill
The second and sadly final Bond film for Timothy Dalton has a very mixed opinion amongst Bond fans. You either love it. Or you don't.
After my most recent viewing I must say it didn't capture me as it did upon its release in 1989. When I first saw it, I loved it. It was different. It was dark and brutal. Dalton was badass. It was like the first adult Bond film. People got hurt. The violence was taken up a notch (Not that I enjoy violence. But for a Bond film it was cutting edge). I loved the vengeful Bond who puts his friends before everything. And hunts down Sanchez and his men. It was simple and engaging.
But having 25 years pass, the film isn't quite as ground breaking as I recall. Dalton is as he was in TLD. A fantastic Bond. Even better in LTK you could say. The scene where he finds Felix after his encounter with the shark is moving and shocking. This is a Bond we haven't seen in a while. Unpredictable and dangerous. The look of rage and helplessness is wonderfully played by Dalton. Too bad this would be his final assignment for Mi6.
The villain of the film, Sanchez as played by Robert Davi is for me, one of the best villains of the series. He's charming, utterly ruthless and very dangerous. The relationship he has with Bond is well written and believable (as far as Bond movies go anyway)
Not so keen on the love interest. Pam Bouvier as played by Carey Lowell. She's not unattractive. I just find her quite dull. The acting's not superb either. But she's no where near as bad as the second Bond girl, Lupe played by Talisa Soto.
The action is up to the usual John Glen standard, with an excellent set piece underwater that becomes an aerial action as well. And a well staged finale involving Bond stopping a group of cocaine filled petrol tankers.
The film has a slightly cheaper look to it than the other 80's Bonds, and the lack of location hopping doesn't help it. It's set in predominantly one locale for much of the film. Whilst this isn't always a bad thing, I think LTK could've used a contrasting location away from Latin America. Each to their own I guess.
John Glen returns for a fifth and final time, it's a worthy send off from one of my favourite Bond directors. I do applaud EON for attempting something different. Playing to Daltons harder more ruthless Bond is a good idea, I just don't think 80's audiences were ready for such a change. However seventeen years later a similar style was used to usher in the Daniel Craig era Bond, and worked extremely well.
As with all the blu -ray transfers the picture quality and colours are outstanding.
At the end of the day, I still have a soft spot for LTK, but it's not quite the film I recall. It's very dated, and the lower production values make it look like a tv movie at times.
The saving grace being Timothy Dalton. Easily one of the best Bond actors. Such a pity he didn't continue.
Benny's Blu-Ray Bondathon ranking:
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. The Living Daylights
4. Octopussy
5. The Spy Who Loved Me
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. Goldfinger
8. Thunderball
9 Doctor No
10 Licence To Kill
11. Live And Let Die
12. You Only Live Twice
13. A View To A Kill
14. Moonraker
15.The Man With The Golden Gun
16. Diamonds Are Forever.
There is a peculiar quirkiness to the proceedings which can only be attributed to the psychedelic influence of the late 60's. The whole "Angels" bit is bizarre and somewhat off-putting. However, all is forgiven as we get to soak in the absolute grandeur that is Piz Gloria. The awe inspiring view really hit home as I am currently getting pounded with snow as of this writing. Has there ever been a more fantastic sequence of events in a Bond film from the moment where Bond escapes on skis to when Bolfeld's goons are carrying off Tracy in the wake of the avalanche?
The ending still packs an emotional punch. I've seen it countless times but it still gets me in the gut after all these years. George really showed potential. It's fascinating to think about how he could have evolved into the role. In the end, he really didn't care so I won't either. The ending shot of the bullet hole through the windshield evoked a memory of the Spectre poster. I have done well to avoid all the spoilers but I can't imagine why they are using such iconic imagery to promote this new film. It's a tough act to follow so the best of luck to them.
:))
What about....
ummm...
I got nuthin'.
Haha; see, sometimes we can agree!
;;)
Hot trumps all else IMHO.
Jinx? I'll let that pass due to the annoying factor.
But she was hot too.
HULK LOKI PUNCH!!
;)
Roger Moore stepped into the role with confidence and was so smooth and relaxed. He had a great rapport with Jane Seymour who just happens to be my favorite Bond girl! The whole cast of villains was outstanding. Except for Rosie. The boat chase probably went on for too long. The croc farm scene was excellent. Wow, that stunt still scares the hell out of me. The final fight on the train was also well done. It must rank as one of Moore's best.
I don't mind seeing Bond in America. Granted, I don't want him there all the time but I don't understand why some dislike it so much. I know New York has been done to death but it was interesting to see Louisiana. Personally, I find this to be the best non-Barry score. There is a lot to like about this particular adventure. I think it's slightly underrated on this site. I can't rate it above DN or OHMSS (I'm going through all of the first appearances) but it's definitely an entertaining watch nonetheless.
*shoots self*
As for why Jinx is the worst - Berry acts horribly, and in a bad way. Richards' acting was terrible but it had an odd charm to it (maybe because her line delivery was so bad). The lines and the line delivery trump everything though. In fact, I'm not sure there's a single line of non-cringeworthy dialogue for her in the entire film. And Berry does it no favors.
As for Jinx, everything out of her mouth in Isla de Los Organos was sexual innuendo, so I'm not sure how that develops her as a character.