Licence to Kill

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For other uses, see Licence to Kill (disambiguation).
Licence to Kill

Licence to Kill film poster
James Bond Timothy Dalton
Also starring Carey Lowell
Robert Davi
Talisa Soto
Directed by John Glen
Produced by Albert R. Broccoli,
Michael G. Wilson,
Barbara Broccoli
Novel/Story by Michael G. Wilson,
Richard Maibaum
Screenplay Michael G. Wilson,
Richard Maibaum
Cinematography by Alec Mills
Music by Michael Kamen
Narada M.Walden
Main theme Licence to Kill
Composer N. Michael Walden
Jeffrey Cohen
Walter Afanaseiff
Performer Gladys Knight
Editing by {{{editing}}}
Distributed by MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Released July 14, 1989
Running time 133 min.
Budget $32,000,000
Worldwide gross $156,200,000
Preceded by The Living Daylights (1987)
Followed by GoldenEye (1995)
IMDb profile

Licence to Kill is a 1989 spy film and the 16th installment in the James Bond series, and the last to star Timothy Dalton as MI6 agent James Bond. Licence to Kill was the first official James Bond film to use a title not derived from either an Ian Fleming novel or a short story. It is, however, essentially a new adaptation of Fleming's novel Live and Let Die, carefully avoiding the few character names and elements that had already been used, and with material also taken from the author's short story The Hildebrand Rarity. It has been noted that there are also some plot similarities to Fleming's novel The Man with the Golden Gun. The film revolves around Bond's dismissal from MI6 and his vendetta against a South American drug baron. The title refers to Bond's discretionary licence to kill which allows him to kill without prior approval in order to complete his mission. The film was originally due to be called Licence Revoked.

Due largely to a poor showing in the United States, Licence to Kill was one of the least commercially successful Bond films, fetching only $256,701,197 (inflation adjusted) worldwide. Due to the death of screenwriter Richard Maibaum and subsequent legal battles over the ownership of the James Bond series, Licence to Kill was the last Bond film for over six years, the longest interval in the history of the series. It was also the final film to be produced by Albert R. Broccoli, whose declining health led to a diminished role in bringing 1995's GoldenEye to the screen.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story opens with Bond and his friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter, on their way to Leiter's wedding to Della Churchill. Meanwhile, DEA agents spot drug lord Franz Sanchez flying near The Bahamas, and a Coast Guard helicopter collects Leiter and Bond in an attempt to capture Sanchez. They capture Sanchez by attaching a hook and cord to Sanchez's plane and pulling it out of the air with the helicopter. The two parachute to the wedding.

Franz Sanchez, drug-lord from the Republic of Isthmus.
Franz Sanchez, drug-lord from the Republic of Isthmus.

Later that day, bribed DEA agent Ed Killifer assists Sanchez in escaping. On their honeymoon night, Leiter and Della are captured by Sanchez's henchmen; Leiter is fed to a shark as his wife is raped and killed. After hearing the news of Sanchez's escape, Bond returns to Leiter's house to find Della dead and Felix alive but severely injured.

Bond begins his revenge by killing Killifer, causing him to fall into the same tank with the shark that maimed Leiter. M meets Bond in Key West's Hemingway House and orders him to an assignment in Istanbul, Turkey. Bond refuses the assignment and subsequently resigns. M accepts his resignation and immediately revokes his licence to kill. Bond quickly escapes MI6 custody and becomes a rogue agent, bereft of official backing but later surreptitiously helped by armourer Q. Bond boards a ship run by Milton Krest, Sanchez's key lieutenant, where he ruins Sanchez's latest drug shipment and steals five million dollars. In Leiter's records, Bond finds details of a rendezvous in Bimini with Pam Bouvier, an ex-CIA agent-pilot, who he recruits to his mission.

Bond journeys to the Latin American country of the "Republic of Isthmus" (a fictional country loosely based on Panama, which is known for its Isthmus of Panama), where he finds his way into Sanchez's employ by posing as an assassin looking for work. With the aid of Bouvier and Q, he frames Krest, making him appear disloyal to Sanchez. Sanchez traps Krest in a hyperbaric chamber and then suddenly depressurises the chamber, causing Krest's head to explode; meanwhile, for Bond's perceived loyalty, Sanchez permits him into his inner circle of friends.

After an overnight stay at his villa, Sanchez takes Bond to his base, disguised as a meditation retreat. Bond learns that Sanchez's scientists can dissolve cocaine in gasoline, and then sell it disguised as fuel to Asian drug dealers. The buying and selling are conducted via the fake American televangelist Professor Joe Butcher, working under orders from Sanchez's business manager Truman-Lodge. The re-integration process will be available to those underworld clients who can pay Sanchez's price. In addition, Sanchez has brokered a deal to buy Stinger missiles from the Contras, and has threatened to shoot down an American airliner if the DEA interferes in his operations. Unfortunately for Bond, he is recognized by Dario as an informer; though Bond does manage to start a fire in the laboratory, his henchmen capture Bond. Sanchez orders Bond be placed on the conveyor belt that drops the brick-cocaine into a giant shredder and leaves with his men. Pam Bouvier arrives (posing as a follower of Professor Butcher) and helps Bond escape; during his escape, Bond kills Dario by pulling him on to the conveyor belt and Dario falls into the shredder. Pam and Bond quickly escape the base as it explodes. Sanchez escapes with four tanker trucks full of the cocaine/gasoline mixture and his Stinger missiles, and Bond pursues them by plane (with Bouvier at the controls).

James Bond transferring from a Piper Cub plane to a tanker truck.
James Bond transferring from a Piper Cub plane to a tanker truck.

Through Bond's actions, he cleverly manages to destroy three of the four trucks' tanks. An irate Sanchez kills Truman-Lodge when he mocks Sanchez about the money he's just lost. Bond and Sanchez fight aboard the final remaining tanker, which ends up out of control and then rolls down a hillside. Sanchez, soaked in gasoline, prepares to kill the prone Bond with a machete, but Bond distracts him by producing the cigarette lighter that was the Leiter's gift for being the best man at their wedding — so showing Sanchez his true motive in destroying his drug empire — and then setting the villain afire. Sanchez, burning alive, stumbles into the wrecked tanker truck's cistern, causing its gasoline to ignite. Bond flees before the massive explosion. Pam arrives driving one of the two remaining trucks and drives them back to Isthmus City.

That night, a party is held at Sanchez's residence. Bond receives a call from Leiter telling him that M is offering him his job back. As Q and Pam share a drink, Lupe thanks Bond for everything and kisses him. Pam notices them and goes downstairs, upset. Bond looks over the balcony, and tells Lupe that he thinks she and El Presidente will make a perfect couple. With that, Bond flings himself over the balcony and lands in the pool, surprising Pam. He pulls her into the pool and Lupe, El Presidente and Q walk away respectively. The two share a romantic moment.

[edit] Cast

See also: List of James Bond henchmen in Licence to Kill and List of James Bond allies in Licence to Kill
James Bond and Bond girls / Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto / promotional photo for Licence to Kill.
James Bond and Bond girls / Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto / promotional photo for Licence to Kill.

[edit] Production

[edit] Filming

Much of the film was shot in Mexico in Mexico City and the Florida Keys. In the film the Republic of Isthmus was a fictional South American country, based on Panama. Mexico was used to double for this location. Shooting ran from July 18, 1988 to November 1988.[1]

In Mexico City locations included the Biblioteca del Banco de Mexico for exterior of El Presidente Hotel and the Casino Español for the interior of Casino de Isthmus whilst the Teatro de la Ciudad was used for its exterior. Churubusco Studios was used as a sound stage and production base. Villa Arabesque was used for Sanchez' lavish villa which was filmed in Acapulco, and the La Rumorosa Mountain Pass in Mexicali was used for the filming site of the tanker chase. Sanchez's Olympiatec Meditation Institute was shot at the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Toluca. Other underwater sequences were shot at the Isla Mujeres near Cancún.[citation needed]

In the United States filming was done primarily in the Florida Keys, notably Key West. Seven Mile Bridge towards Pigeon Key was used for the armoured truck driving off the edge. Other locations there included Ernest Hemingway House, Key West International Airport, Mallory Square, St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church for Leiter's wedding and Stephano's House 707 South Street for his house and patio. The US Coast Guard Pier was used to film Isthmus City harbour.[1]

Licence to Kill is the only James Bond film to date not to have used a film studio in the United Kingdom during production, though post-production and sound re-recording was carried out at Pinewood Studios. This is also the first Bond film to be rated PG-13 in the US and 15 in the UK; all previous films were PG. Violent scenes had to be trimmed in both the UK and US (albeit somewhat less so) to avoid a higher classification.[1] The uncut version is available in the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD range.

[edit] Music

Main article: Licence to Kill (soundtrack)

Initially Eric Clapton and Vic Flick were asked to write and perform the theme song to Licence to Kill. The theme was said to have been a new version based on the James Bond Theme. The guitar riff heard in the original recording of the theme was played by Flick. The prospect, however, fell apart and Gladys Knight's song and performance was chosen. The song (one of the longest to ever be used in a Bond film) was based on the "horn line" from Goldfinger, which required royalty payments to the original writers.[2] The music video of "Licence to Kill" was directed by Daniel Kleinman, who later took over the reins of title designer from Maurice Binder for the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye.

Notably, the end credits of the film feature the Top 10 R&B hit "If You Asked Me To", sung by Patti LaBelle. In 1992, the song was covered and became a Top 10 pop hit for singer Céline Dion.

Because John Barry was not available at the time due to the fact he was undergoing throat surgery, the soundtrack's score was composed and conducted by Michael Kamen.

[edit] Reception

Taking inflation into account, Licence to Kill is among the least financially successful James Bond films in the U.S., although its worldwide performance was significantly better.[3]

Licence to Kill also had a somewhat troubled production history (as related by long time producer Michael G. Wilson on the DVD's commentary track), including budgetary constraints imposed ever since the excesses of Moonraker that failed to allow for inflation, the location shift to Mexico from the originally planned China and a five month WGA strike that prevented veteran Richard Maibaum from completing the script, a task producer Wilson had to take on.[4]

Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli openly stated that he disliked the handling of the marketing and promotion for Licence to Kill,[citation needed] which was significantly affected by a late title change. Promotional material already produced by artist Robert Peak was built around the original title Licence Revoked and was inspired by Dalton's more dramatic and hard-edged portrayal of Bond. The delay in producing corrected materials (created by Steven Chorney in a more traditional style) limited its pre-release exposure to audiences. The reason behind the name change was rumored to have been as a result of test screenings shown in the United States, where members of the audience did not understand the meaning of "revoked." Though often repeated, this has never been substantiated and it seems unlikely the word would be unknown in the U.S. since it had been ubiquitous for decades prior to the films release due to its usage in relation to driving privileges. As was stated in the production featurette "Inside Licence to Kill," narrator Patrick Macnee states that the actual reason for the change was precisely because American audiences associated the word "revoked" exclusively with driver's licences, not the image the producers were hoping for.

Another factor responsible for Licence to Kill's underperformance was competition with blockbusters such as Batman,[5] Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,[6] Lethal Weapon 2,[7] The Abyss,[8] Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,[9] Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Ghostbusters II.[10] No Bond film has been given a summer release since, opting instead for the fall or winter release.

Licence to Kill did, however, perform well with numerous critics; Variety, Roger Ebert, and Leonard Maltin among them.[citation needed] Director John Glen also deemed the film to be the best of his five Bond films.[1] On the other hand, Norman Wilner of MSN chose it as the second worst Bond film.[11]

[edit] Adaptations

1989 British Coronet Books paperback edition.
1989 British Coronet Books paperback edition.

Licence to Kill was the first James Bond film since Moonraker to be adapted as a novelisation. The then-current Bond novelist John Gardner was commissioned to write the novel based upon the screenplay by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum. Gardner was faced with a challenge because his books maintain the continuity of Ian Fleming's original novels (albeit updated), and, in Fleming's and Gardner's continuity, Felix Leiter had lost a leg and an arm in a shark attack in the novel Live and Let Die, an event adapted by the screenplay of Licence to Kill. As a result, Gardner's book requires readers to suspend disbelief as James Bond comes to terms with his friend being maimed twice using the same method in a chapter aptly titled "Lightning Sometimes Strikes Twice". Gardner, however, does not attempt to reconcile the return of Milton Krest, who was murdered in Fleming's short story "The Hildebrand Rarity" yet appears alive and well in the film.

The novelisation stays faithful to the script; however, one key difference is that Bond does not use his famed Walther PPK as he does in the film. Instead, Gardner gives Bond a Walther P38K. Gardner also notes that the PPK is Bond's favourite weapon but it was taken out of service with the SIS several years ago (a fact also noted in other Gardner Bond novels). Additionally, Q has an extra scene, which takes place during the time when Bond is at Sanchez's Olimpatec Meditation Institute. In the scene Q teams up with a police captain and is involved in a raid on Sanchez's palace. Although John Gardner had written, at this point, eight James Bond novels, this was actually his first to include Q. Prior to Licence to Kill, Q had only been mentioned a couple of times and had been largely replaced by his assistant Ann Reilly, better known as Q'ute.

It appears that the novelisation takes place sometime prior to Gardner's novel Win, Lose or Die in which Bond is promoted to Captain (in the novelisation, as in the film, Bond is still a Commander).

Licence to Kill was adapted as a graphic novel by writer-artist Mike Grell, who would go on to write several original James Bond comic books. The adaptation was published in both hardcover and paperback editions by Eclipse Comics and ACME Press in 1989. The comic book follows the film closely though the ending is trimmed down. The image of Bond, however doesn't have the likeness of Timothy Dalton. The comic book is 44 pages long and in colour.[12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d (1999). Inside Licence to Kill Documentary — Licence to Kill Ultimate Edition [DVD]. MGM.
  2. ^ Walden, Narada Michael. (2006). James Bond's Greatest Hits [Television]. UK: North One Television.
  3. ^ Box Office Franchises - James Bond. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  4. ^ Highlights of the WGA's contributions to the arts. Variety.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
  5. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=batman.htm oct 10 07
  6. ^ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  7. ^ Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
  8. ^ The Abyss (1989)
  9. ^ Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
  10. ^ Ghostbusters II (1989)
  11. ^ Norman Wilner. Rating the Spy Game. MSN. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
  12. ^ Just Johnny's James Bond Comics Website. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.

[edit] External links

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