MovieChat Forums > Licence to Kill (1989) Discussion > The real turning point for the series

The real turning point for the series

posted 9 years ago by MisterHandsome
4 replies | jump to latest

I feel LTK marks the real turning point of the series. Not TLD or GoldenEye. TLD plays like a classic Bond movie. There's the standard briefing in M's office with the original set and features exotic locations and many familiar faces, like General Gogol.

In LTK, it has a late 80's R rated action movie feel in the tradition of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard...LTK features a Micheal Kamen score and the Johnsons (Davi and Bush) make appearances. Grand L Bush appears in all three movies and later appeared again with Davi in Maniac Cop 3 (which also featured Dwayne T. Robinson, himself!).

Anyway. LTK is the last to feature the original set of M's office, or rather Moneypenny's, and it was only for about a minute. LTK also marks the last time the Walther PPK had that terrific, distinctive sound that still stops me dead in my tracks whenever I hear it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt__uGVuIuQ). It seemed to have been drifting from the classic Bond movie formula and was becoming modernized, in a way. Any thoughts?

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] MisterHandsome 9 years ago

" gentlemen played bridge on the verandah before afternoon tea "
I had a vision of Bond and Kamal Khan playing a friendly game of Backgammon which turned into Khan scowling at Bond's quips.

" It was also the first film in which you saw Bond get seriously hurt. "
That's a good point. I didn't even realize that until just now. Bond movies before LTK barely had any bloodshed. LTK not only featured Bond getting pretty bloody, but also featured a friggin' head exploding.

[–] christmasjonesmed 9 years ago

Yes, LTK was pretty amazing. Waaaaay ahead of its time, which is why it probably underwhelmed at the Summer boxoffice of 1989.

It's a classic Bond thriller that it all: great story, great Bond, great set pieces, kickass villain and two Bond girls who actually impact the story and hold their own. Love it.

[–] Hookpunch 8 years ago

You know I think this film was the proto Casino Royale, Bond as what he is, a ruthless assassin.

It's ironic that Craig played Bond that way in Casino Royale and everyone said..."now that is how Bond is supposed to be played!" But when Tim did it...it was "that's not Bond!"

Timing is everything I guess....plus Casino Royale jettisoned everything that had bogged Bond down right to the shaken martini.