MOVIE REVIEW: James Bond: Licence to Kill

RELEASE DATE: July 14th 1989

RUN TIME: 2 Hours 13 Mins

MPAA RATING: PG-13

FAMILY MOVIE SCALE: 5

MY IMDB SCALE: 8.5

DIRECTOR: John Glen

MAIN CAST: Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell

IMDB STORY LINE
James Bond goes rogue and sets off to unleash vengeance on a drug lord who tortured his best friend, a C.I.A. Agent, and left him for dead and murdered his bride after he helped capture him.

This was Timothy Dalton's 2nd and last time as James Bond. This is when they started to darken the role of James Bond as he goes rogue in a plot of revenge for his C.I.A friend. In many aspects you can see how this was more like the recent Bond films with Danial Craig. I think Dalton played a better darker Bond then his successor Pierce Bronsnan did. Bronsnan played a great Bond but would have been better between The Late Roger Moore and Dalton. However in a world of contracts and negotiations that most likely would not have happened. Timothy I think however got us ready for a Daniel Craig type Bond. I don't have a problem with any of the men that played Bond, they all had a specific style they brought to the roll.

The darker plot was a excellent transition from the previous Bond by Dalton The Living Daylights Because you saw a more lighthearted Bond to a Bond filled with vengeance in Licence to Kill. Bond was hurt and upset and wanted justice at any cost. He did not care about the rules. Much like Daniel Craig but not the same as Craig.

This is my Favorite of the Bond films That Dalton was in and in my top five Bond films. But I really do like all the bond films. 

MOVIE REVIEW: James Bond: The Living Daylights

RELEASE DATE: July 31st 1987

RUN TIME: 2 Hours 10 Min

MPAA RATING: PG-13

FAMILY MOVIE SCALE: 5

IMDB SCALE: 7.5

DIRECTOR: John Glen

MAIN CAST: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Michael G Wilson

IMDB Story Line
James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov.

REVIEW
I thought that Timothy Dalton made a great James Bond and really liked his approach to being 007. In my opinion this is where the 007 role started to transition to the 007 we have now in Daniel Craig. Starting with Living Daylights I believe we saw Bond in more believable dangerous situations, it was a bit more intense and less flirting behavior but the leading lady still had a major role to play. I always thought that before Living Day lights there was more of a SY-FY edge. However one of my favorite James Bond films with Pierce Bronsnan crossed that line a major way in "Die Another Day". However the danger was more harsh and believable even in that one. Living Daylights started a new trend in Bond movies but still held on to all the standards of the movies before with the carefree lifestyle and kill anyone when necessary and the gadgets did not disappoint.