Licence to Kill

Though an obvious improvement over The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill‘s egregiously gritty sensibilities ultimately ensure that it often feels more like a typical ’80s actioner than a bona fide James Bond adventure – with Timothy Dalton’s less-than-charismatic turn as the infamous secret agent exacerbating the film’s various problems. The storyline, which follows 007 as he embarks on a campaign of revenge after his friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison) is viciously attacked by a ruthless drug kingpin (Robert Davi’s Franz Sanchez), admittedly does hold some promise at the film’s outset, as it’s virtually impossible not to be drawn into the irresistible notion of Bond putting his unique set of skills to use within the realm of pure vengeance. Director John Glen, working from Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum’s screenplay, proves unable to reconcile the story’s inherently hard-edged elements with the demands of the Bond formula, however, which does ensure that the film is subsequently forced to spend the bulk of its running time uncomfortably straddling the two extremes. That said, Licence to Kill, buoyed by an unexpectedly strong finale, generally comes off as a satisfying (if somewhat underwhelming) Bond flick, with an early turn by Benicio Del Toro as a scenery-chewing henchman certainly standing out as a highlight.

**1/2 out of ****