Licence to Kill (1989): 16th Bond Movie

Licence to Kill is the 16th Bond movie. Timothy Dalton played the role of agent 007 James Bond for the second and last time. James Bond sets out to track down drug lord Franz Sanchez to avenge the mutilation of his friend Felix Leiter and the death of his new wife.

Plot

James Bond is preparing to be a witness at the wedding of his friend Felix Leiter, formerly a CIA agent, now an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On the way to the ceremony in Miami, they get involved in a raid on drug lord Franz Sanchez along with other DEA agents.

Meanwhile, Sanchez and his gang manage to punish a man who started dating his girlfriend Lupe. After the operation begins and subsequent chaos, Sanchez manages to escape by a small plane. But not for long. Bond and Leiter catch up with him by helicopter, and Bond hooks his plane with a loop of rope tied to the rear of the plane's fuselage. They then let the DEA agents finish the job and parachute with Leiter directly to the wedding.

Sanchez is confident that he won't stay in custody for long as usual. Eventually, he manages to bribe the initially reluctant DEA agent Killifer with two million dollars instead of the usual one million. Killifer helps him escape during transport by jumping off a bridge at a designated location where divers are already waiting.

Sanchez's henchman Dario and his gang attack Leiter and his wife Della after the wedding. They throw Leiter to a shark, and Della is raped and killed. When Bond learns that Sanchez has escaped, he immediately goes to Leiter's house, where he finds Della dead. Upon closer examination, he realizes that despite serious injuries, Leiter is still alive. Bond swears to avenge this.

The DEA refuses to help Bond, saying that Sanchez is outside their jurisdiction. Bond therefore decides to investigate on his own, with the help of Leiter's friend Sharkey. Eventually, searching for the shark-crime scene leads him to a marine research center run by a certain Milton Krest, who collaborates with Sanchez.

Bond breaks into Krest's research center, where he discovers that Killifer was the traitor. After a struggle, Killifer ends up hanging on a rope above a tank with a shark that bit Felix Leiter. Bond takes his suitcase full of twenty-dollar bills and drops Killifer into the tank.

Then M meets Bond at Hemingway's house in Florida and assigns him a task in Istanbul, Turkey, urging Bond to behave like a professional and not be blinded by personal revenge. However, Bond resigns instead, so M suspends Bond and revokes his licence to kill. Bond escapes from MI6 agents and becomes a freelance agent without official government support. Later, he is secretly helped by inventor Q.

Bond gets on board the Wavecrest ship, owned by Milton Krest, where he causes a commotion, destroys a huge shipment of drugs from Sanchez, and steals 5 million dollars. Bond later hires Pam Bouvier, a former army pilot and CIA informant whom he saves from Dario in a bar. Pam Bouvier is the last living agent who has been revealed. Bond and Bouvier travel together to the Republic of Isthmus, where Bond meets with Q.

Bond attracts attention at Sanchez's casino, where he first plays blackjack as a complete novice. He requests an unlimited limit, which the dealer approves by phone directly to Sanchez, and starts winning. The invitation from Sanchez, which he was following, doesn't take long. Bond poses as a hired assassin who is currently looking for employment.

Bond examines Sanchez's office and finds that it is protected by bulletproof glass. He uses plastic explosive from Q, which he detonates at the right moment and shoots Sanchez from a distance during the ensuing confusion. But Bond's plan is thwarted by two agents from the Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau, who have long been after Sanchez.

Bond is dragged to an abandoned factory, where Fallon, an MI6 agent sent by M to capture Bond dead or alive, joins them. Bond is tied up and sedated, to be humiliatingly transported back to Great Britain. However, Sanchez's men storm into the factory, killing the agents as they believe them to be the perpetrators of the assassination.

Bond is freed and admits to Sanchez that he is a former MI6 agent. He convinces Sanchez that he was betrayed by someone in his circle. That evening, Sanchez is supposed to meet with Krest, whom Bond traps by hiding the stolen 5 million in the pressure chamber on the deck of Krest's Wavecrest ship. Krest finds his death in it, while Bond is admitted to Sanchez's circle for his loyalty.

Sanchez takes Bond to his base, disguised as a meditation center. Bond discovers that his scientists can dissolve cocaine in gasoline and get it back. Gasoline is to be sold as fuel to drug dealers around the world. The drug auction is broadcast on television disguised as charitable teleshopping. The auction is led by evangelist Professor Joe Butcher, who follows the instructions of Sanchez's business manager Truman-Lodge. Only those who pay the price demanded by Sanchez will be able to convert the fuel back into cocaine.

During the presentation for Asian customers, Dario exposes Bond. Bond starts a fire in the laboratory and tries to escape. However, he is captured and tied to a conveyor belt from which cocaine cubes fall into a huge crusher. Fortunately, Bouvier appears, distracting Dario's attention, and Bond pulls him into the crusher.

Sanchez's base is engulfed in flames, so he sets off on the run with four tanker trucks full of a mixture of gasoline and cocaine. Bond and Bouvier chase the convoy by plane. Bond manages to destroy three out of four tankers and kills many of Sanchez's men in the process. Sanchez attacks Bond with a machete on the deck of the last tanker. However, the uncontrollable tanker crashes down the hill. Sanchez, soaked in gasoline, tries to kill Bond with a machete. However, Bond finds a lighter, given to him by Felix Leiter, for testifying, and uses it to set Sanchez on fire. Revenge for Felix and Della is complete.

Bond Song

The title song Licence to Kill, performed by the legendary Gladys Knight, is a powerhouse anthem that encapsulates the essence of James Bond's daring adventures. Knight's soulful vocals infuse the song with raw emotion and intensity, perfectly capturing the high-stakes world of espionage and intrigue. With its dynamic arrangement and powerful lyrics, Licence to Kill resonates as a bold declaration of Bond's unwavering resolve and determination to confront danger head-on. Knight's commanding performance elevates the song to iconic status, immersing listeners in a thrilling sonic journey that mirrors the action-packed thrill of the film itself. As one of the standout tracks in the Bond franchise, Licence to Kill stands as a testament to Knight's vocal prowess and the enduring appeal of Bond's enduring legacy.

Cast

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Based on the original Czech article: Povolení zabíjet (1989) – 16. bondovka.