Licence to Kill (1989)

After his friend former CIA-turned DEA agent Felix Leiter’s (David Hedison in his second outing) new bride is murdered by drug lord Robert Davi, Timothy Dalton’s James Bond finds his licence to kill revoked when he choses to pursue Davi instead of following MI6 orders. When I decided to watch various Bond films, it seemed prudent to also check out each actor’s portrayal of the iconic character. I generally expect Dalton to be a film’s villain, so casting him as Bond provides a much different take than the previous actors, much darker and younger. The Drug War plot, propelled wonderfully by Davi’s ruthless kingpin who is himself supported by a young Benicio del Toro, amps up the tension and pulls Bond into a more modern action flick age. I also can never not be amused when the licence to kill is referred to as an actual thing instead of the metaphorical device I had always assumed it to be.