Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!cbnewsj!ecl From: dorsett@molokai.sw.mcc.com (Robert Dorsett) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews Subject: REVIEW: LICENSE TO KILL Summary: r.a.m.r. #00575 Keywords: author=Dorsett Message-ID: <481@cbnewsj.ATT.COM> Date: 16 Jul 89 22:22:21 GMT Sender: ecl@cbnewsj.ATT.COM Reply-To: dorsett@molokai.sw.mcc.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Organization: MCC, Austin, TX Lines: 55 Approved: ecl@cbnewsj.att.com LICENSE TO KILL A film review by Robert Dorsett Copyright 1989 Robert Dorsett Timothy Dalton's back as James Bond, in what appears to be a mixture of many plot elements from the *book* LIVE AND LET DIE, the movie THUNDERBALL, and various "Miami Vice" episodes. The plot: Tragedy strikes Felix Leiter, the CIA agent who's helped out Bond many a time (and who's undergone yet another facelift :-)). The culprit is a drug czar. Bond goes on a revenge trip, accumulating an impressive body count along the way (remember, Bond has the license to *kill*, and he uses it liberally in this one). In the process of his vendetta, the Secret Service disowns him, which makes for a renegade secret agent, and, for the first time in the series' history, a plausible cover story. Story: mostly sound, almost even believable. Dialogue: I saw this at a college preview. The audience appreciated some intentionally corny lines. I'm not sure how well the same lines would come across in "real life." "I love James so much"--this from a girl who barely knows him... :-) (That particular scene was a throw-away.) There are a lot of very good wisecracks, as well as self-deprecating humor. Special effects: some pretty good ones, some very complex. Unfortunately, there are continuity problems on some of the more complex effects. Stunts: likewise, some very complex ones.... Gore count: still cartoonland violence, but this flick has the highest casualty count in years. Characterization: Bond's drifting closer to the "book Bond" than even Connery did. He gets really bashed up in this one (although, unlike many a Bond book, he doesn't end up in the hospital). The villain's a suitable match for him, this time around. Product placement: didn't seem very conspicuous. Of course, a Coast Guard Dauphin II had a big "Aerospatiale" logo on the side of it, which I didn't notice when I examined one fairly closely six weeks ago.... :-) Cars: mostly American shit. Airplanes: mostly Cessna. Gadgets: a few. I get the impression that the gadgets were only introduced to bring Q on the screen, who's an audience favorite. It isn't really a gadget movie, but they do use everyday household appliances (spear guns, lighters, airplanes, Stingers) in interesting ways... Overall review: one of the best adventure films this summer, and the best Bond since THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Easily on a par with INDY III, and much better than the summer disappointments (GHOSTBUSTERS II, STAR TREK V, BATMAN). 3 stars (out of four), or a 7.5/10 on the genre-sensitive scale.