This movie, Licence to Kill, made me decide that Timothy Dalton is my favorite Bond. I never had a favorite James Bond before and, why would I since I’m not a Bond fan?
And although I’m ambivalent towards him (because of his maltreatment towards women), Sean Connery is my second favorite, especially in his first three movies. But I’m still not a James Bond fan.
Despite being a non-Bond fan, I’m loving watching to see how Bond has (or hasn’t) transformed over the years. Here’s what I thought of him in my 16th Bond movie, License to Kill.
James Bond and Women in Licence to Kill
Timothy Dalton as Bond doesn’t come across as a womanizer like Connery and Moore. But that doesn’t stop him from sleeping with two women in this movie. But at least he doesn’t appear to want to sleep with every beautiful woman that comes across his path. Nor does he use sex to try to get secret information, although he does sleep with the villain’s girlfriend in this movie. But she’d already become Bond’s ally by then.
Although Bond doesn’t exhibit any violence toward women in this movie, the villain Sanchez does. When he (Sanchez) finds his girlfriend cheating on him, he whips her on her backside. But he’s a villain, and psychotic violent behavior is expected.
Dalton as Bond…Has He Evolved?
I finally see an evolution in Bond’s character and the Bond franchise. It took them nearly thirty years to realize the vile names used for female characters is WRONG and highly degrading. This is the third consecutive movie where no vile sexual names have been used for female characters.
In most of the previous films, when there’s a beautiful woman with a powerful position, she’s given a vile sexual name. I hope that tradition is gone for good. (I’m assuming it’s a permanent change. I’ll have to see what happens in upcoming films.)
Disrespect towards women has been hugely reduced with Timothy Dalton’s era. He did rip off a woman’s robe in The Living Daylights. It was a clever ploy to escape a gunman, but it left the naked woman highly vulnerable and humiliated.
My Thoughts Overall About Licence to Kill
Dalton comes across as realistic, serious and gritty. And even though he’s a super spy, he’s more relatable than his predecessors. He doesn’t have the arrogance and superior attitude that Sean Connery’s Bond had. Nor does he have the silliness that Roger Moore brought to the role. (I don’t mention Lazenby because he only did one film–On Her Majesty’s Secret Service–so it’s hard to capture his Bond persona with only one film.)
Timothy Dalton takes James Bond to a different level. I thought the last movie was edgy…this one surpasses the last. Dalton brings very little humor (and that’s a good thing) and this movie is a serious adventure film. Not cartoonish. There were no wacky science fiction type villains. Actually, it was more like a mobster gangster type movie. I liked it and would watch it again.
Actor, Benecio Del Toro (Dario in the film) was amazing in this movie. He was a good looking believable psychopathic henchman of the villain, Sanchez (Robert Davi), a drug lord who was also great. They were excellent in their mobster roles. This type of James Bond movie could convert me into a James Bond fan.
When Bond finished fighting at the end of the movie, he looked like he’d been through a war. He was dirty, bloodied and tired. Previous Bonds came out of a fight unscathed, looking as neat and tidy as they did before the fight.
Timothy Dalton’s Bond Era Is Over
Just two movies and I’m finished with the Timothy Dalton Bond era. He only did two movies which is too bad because I’d like to see what his third and fourth movies would have been like. That’s funny because initially, I wanted to hurry and get through the Dalton era so I could see Pierce Brosnan.
Dalton being so good as Bond was a surprise. Unfortunately, legal issues came up between the Bond production company, EON, and MGM and it wasn’t until 1995 that another Bond movie was released. By that time Dalton lost interest in playing Bond.
In his short era as Bond, he was top notch. Well done, Timothy Dalton.
Filming, Production & Other Info
Principal filming took place from July 1988 through November 1988. The movie was released in the U.S. in July 1989.
This was the first James Bond movie that was rated PG-13 in the U.S. All prior were PG. It was rated 15 in the UK (age fifteen and over) for the first time as well. This is interesting because mostly all Bond films should have been rated PG-13 or above, including those in the 1960s because of Connery’s treatment of women. But the rating system wasn’t created until 1968.
If you’d like to know why I, a non-Bond fan, am watching all 25 James Bond movies you can read about it in detail here: Who Is The Next James Bond? A Non-Bond Fan Makes Her Prediction.