Licence To Kill came out during the huge box office summer of '89 (which included Batman, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters II, etc). Unfortunately, lousy advertising and Timothy Dalton's lack of appeal to American audiences did not bring in the big bucks that could have been expected. While the film did not do great in the US compared to other Bond films, it still did well overseas. Because of the assumption that LTK was a flop, people consider it one of the weakest entries in the series. Needless to say, they're dead wrong.
(Possible Spoilers)
Sanchez is one of the most realistic, deadly villains Bond has ever met, and this is also 007's most personal mission yet. Felix Leiter, the trusted ally and Bond's best friend is fed to sharks and his newlywed bride has been murdered. After Bond decides to attend to Felix and find out what happens and doesn't leave for his mission, he resigns and his license to kill is revoked by M. Bond goes on a personal vendetta which involves more spying, more detective work and less gadgets and over the top villanious plans. Licence to Kill isn't everybody's cup of tea, and some think it's a Charles Bronson rip off, but personally I see it as more of an Ian Fleming Bond movie, which is ironic since this is the first movie title not to be taken from a Fleming novel. Q has a nice supporting role rather than the smaller role he usually has.
In a way, I always see Licence to Kill to be the end of an era for Bond films. It seemed with Goldeneye's release in 1995, Pierce Brosnan's Bond is not the same Bond as portrayed by his four predecessors. I don't know why, but with Felix Leiter out of action, Bond losing his license, the last appearance of so many members of the Bond crew and cast, it seems like Dalton's final portrayal was the end of one continuity, and Brosnan's is a new, revamped Bond. Nonetheless, this is one of the best Bond films of the entire series, both pre-Brosnan and the Brosnan era.
(Possible Spoilers)
Sanchez is one of the most realistic, deadly villains Bond has ever met, and this is also 007's most personal mission yet. Felix Leiter, the trusted ally and Bond's best friend is fed to sharks and his newlywed bride has been murdered. After Bond decides to attend to Felix and find out what happens and doesn't leave for his mission, he resigns and his license to kill is revoked by M. Bond goes on a personal vendetta which involves more spying, more detective work and less gadgets and over the top villanious plans. Licence to Kill isn't everybody's cup of tea, and some think it's a Charles Bronson rip off, but personally I see it as more of an Ian Fleming Bond movie, which is ironic since this is the first movie title not to be taken from a Fleming novel. Q has a nice supporting role rather than the smaller role he usually has.
In a way, I always see Licence to Kill to be the end of an era for Bond films. It seemed with Goldeneye's release in 1995, Pierce Brosnan's Bond is not the same Bond as portrayed by his four predecessors. I don't know why, but with Felix Leiter out of action, Bond losing his license, the last appearance of so many members of the Bond crew and cast, it seems like Dalton's final portrayal was the end of one continuity, and Brosnan's is a new, revamped Bond. Nonetheless, this is one of the best Bond films of the entire series, both pre-Brosnan and the Brosnan era.