license to kill, most underrated bond movie in the series

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i really think timothy dalton did give a great take on the james bond character with his portrayal of ruthless and straight to the point nononsense bond, if only he could deliver the funny one liners better, but let s get to the point, this movie is probably the most underrated in the franchise, i give a lot of credit to the filmmakers in makinf this film dark and intriguinf, robert davi is really believable and really fits the bad guy scheme here, its the most down to earth bond movie and certainly more fun than live and let die.
u could see the anger on the face of dalton when he goes to felix lighter s house only to find him unconscious after a shark bitten his leg off, and i really like how felix s wife della tells that he can be the next one who gets married and he directly takes off with thanks but no thanks attitude i really love that scene.
i ve seen this movie mny times but i actually enjoy the beginning more than the ending because it was a bit anti climactic after all the other movies had big setpieces for the finale but all in all i think this movie is a really good movie which should deserve more credit.
what do you think guys?



I actually really like it, it's genuinely my favourite non-Moore Bond film. It's a very 80s style bloody revenge thriller more than a standard Bond, but that's fine with me!



i really think timothy dalton did give a great take on the james bond character with his portrayal of ruthless and straight to the point nononsense bond, if only he could deliver the funny one liners better,
I've just remembered "Yeah – looks like he came to a dead end" which was a bit naff but I think in the main Dalton's quips are often delivered in a much more throwaway manner than is usual for Bond. I know I've mentioned "At least someone's on the case" as being a favourite because of its extremely under-the-radar coolness .

I know Robert Davi's take on the lack of Bond one liners was that he could have them instead – it definitely pays off.

i really like how felix s wife della tells that he can be the next one who gets married and he directly takes off with thanks but no thanks attitude i really love that scene.
I think it's more a case of him appreciating the gesture but knowing it's never going to happen. And in fact Felix mentions that Bond was married doesn't he? So it's bringing in all the On Her Majesty's backstory too.

i ve seen this movie mny times but i actually enjoy the beginning more than the ending because it was a bit anti climactic after all the other movies had big setpieces for the finale but all in all i think this movie is a really good movie which should deserve more credit. what do you think guys?
I like the ending though. I love Bond headbutting Dario – not sure even Daniel Craig's Bond has been as vicious . And all the stuff with the tanker and the end fight with Sanchez — and the payoff is brilliant. Another very clever aspect is Bond infiltrating Sanchez's inner circle.

One thing I remember about the response to Licence to Kill is that people were saying how American it all was, comparing it to Lethal Weapon. I can recall those films fairly well but I'm not sure the criticism was valid. Michael Kamen obviously is the link between the two franchises and his score is very good but doesn't show his full talent. I like the opening gunbarrel music as it's, sensibly, very different to the norm and tells the audience that this won't be a standard Bond film.



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Licence to Kill is my second-favorite Bond movie, and has garnered quite a bit of reappraisal since Daniel Craig popularized "Dark, Gritty" Bond. Not sure I would still call it underrated, but it was definitely ahead of its time



People fail.to appreciate how much underrated this movie is,and im having another rewatch now



People fail.to appreciate how much underrated this movie is,and im having another rewatch now
Good lad .

My favourite bit:

WARNING: spoilers below
When Bond headbutts Dario



Have to say i really like the soundtrack by gladis knight, very 80s feel to it



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This was one of the first Bonds I ever saw so I've always had a soft spot for it, though how much of that translates to it being genuinely good is up for debate. I think it'd make my top 5-10 if I ranked them all.
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I'm not sure if it's the most underrated one, I mean is it not well liked? I thought it was fairly liked by fans, or at least not hated.

For the me, the most underrated one was probably The World Is Not Enough, but it depends on if Licence to Kill was generally disliked now.

But Licence to Kill may be my favorite one in the series, but it's a tough call between that one and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.



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I'm surprised really, I mean sure it was a different type of Bond, but I didn't think it was TOO different for the time.



People used to look at me like I was crazy when I said Dalton was a very underrated Bond. Out of him or Moore, which one looks like he could kill you with zero effort or regret? (But Moore wins in other areas obviously)



I always felt that way about The Living Daylights which for me was the best of the 80's Bond's mixing the good parts of latter Moore with a more serious edge.

Its actually been awhile since I watched Licence to Kill but by memory is that its an interesting idea trying to make a "Miami Vice" Bond but ends up being held back by being kept "in house" with Glenn directing still rather than getting someone like Mann involved to bring more visual interest.



A system of cells interlinked
Dalton's Bond rocks. The guy takes zero **** from anyone. It's a bummer the franchise ran into licensing issue after his second film, or we may have seen more of him. I like both films he is in.

Great stuff when he tosses some guy out of a helicopter. Very refreshing after having to watch Roger Moore (RIP) lurch and putter about in his final film as Bond.
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I always thought it was interesting that the Bond series went from Licence to Kill having him go rogue to avenge a friend to GoldenEye having a friend who wants revenge on him for "choosing the mission over his friend". Wonder if that was planned for Dalton or created for Brosnan in order to mark him out as a completely different Bond (probably the latter).



I always felt that way about The Living Daylights which for me was the best of the 80's Bond's mixing the good parts of latter Moore with a more serious edge.

Its actually been awhile since I watched Licence to Kill but by memory is that its an interesting idea trying to make a "Miami Vice" Bond but ends up being held back by being kept "in house" with Glenn directing still rather than getting someone like Mann involved to bring more visual interest.
Yeah that would have been good .



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Licence to Kill is my favorite Bond movie of the 80s, where as The Living Daylights, might be my least favorite one, so it goes from worst to best of the 80s for Dalton for me.



I've always felt that Timothy Dalton could have been Bond much longer if he would have been provided a good script and story. Of his two Bond flicks, I enjoyed "The Living Daylights" the most. It would have been interesting to see him act in one or two of the Roger Moore renditions with the prerogative of eliminating some of the corny, comedy that was brought to the scripts of those films. (By the way, I really enjoyed the Moore films. But they were much different than all the other Bonds, in my humble opinion.)



i like what dalton has offered to the role, but he definitely lacks and slickness and finesse of the line delivery to Pierce brosnan, so i would much have preffered pierce starting his bond adventure in 1987 rather than 1995



What I like with Dalton, and Craig has this as well, is that there's a distaste about the business Bond's in, which apparently is something that is present in the books. There's plenty of irony and dark humour with all the actors but to have that extra quality is really interesting.