MovieChat Forums > Licence to Kill (1989) Discussion > The Most American of All Bond Films

The Most American of All Bond Films

posted 12 years ago by Ronsin1976
14 replies | jump to latest

A good part of the beggining is in the US.

South American drug lords made most of their money off of American
users. Therefore this story plot resonates more with Americans.

The storyline centers around avenging an American and his American wife (Leiter).

The Bond girls are all played by Americans.

The Villians: Sanchez, Krest, Killifer, Lodge, Dario,etc are all played by Americans

The singers of the opening and ending Bond songs are Americans. The songs are American R&B stylized.

Michael G. Wilson and Albert Broccoli, producers, are Americans. The writer, Richard Maibaum, is an American.

[–] Skye_Reynolds 12 years ago

Wow, the only thing about the film which isn't American is the spelling.

[–] jaimehk 12 years ago

It's kinda obvious, after all Bond is in U.S. backyard, completely off-limits to other Western intelligence services (have you ever heard about the Monroe Doctrine?). MI6 wouldn't send him in an official assignment unless there's another british national involved, but not to fight a drug lord, that's DEA and CIA business. As in LALD, when Bond get involved only because a British Ambassador was murdered, so in both cases is about revenge

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] desotowright 12 years ago

I noticed that too and I like that, it feels no less like a Bond film though. For what it's worth "Licence to Kill" is one of my favorite Bond films.

[–] CapitanJusticia 12 years ago

Actually, it's the most 'Latin American' of all Bond films.

[–] TMC-4 12 years ago

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/33789/licence-to-kill-is-it-too-american /

But one of the biggest complaints LTK receives is that it feels too American, akin to an episode of Miami Vice, or suchlike. Do you think this is true? Indeed it does feel somewhat American, especially with the settings and the characters, but is this overwhelming? Of course Bond remains British, and whether he seems out of place or not, is that not enough to render this a legitimate Bond film?

[–] thelastfaceyouwillsee 11 years ago

Plot and setting aside, this film feels the most American or Hollywood, indistinguishable from other action movies of the time. The most unBritish Bond film and yes I know the filmmakers are American. I'm talking about tone.

"Remember, you have to make it home to get paid" (The Dogs of War)

[–] srb-3 11 years ago

'The Most American of All Bond Films' true and ironically, it's the American movie audience as a whole that hated this. Obviously American 007 fans are the exception to the rule.

[–] kevin-bergin 9 years ago

You can see it in many of the Bond Novels. So often Bond was "bossing around" CIA types in connection with Interests that were clearly American" NASA, Latin America, etc.
Biographers suggest that England's 2nd team role in the post WWII world had a lot to do with this?

"It's the system, Lara. People will be different after the Revolution."

[–] cc-16143 9 years ago

It's also one of very few (or possibly the only?) Bond film that was not produced at Pinewood Studios. It was filmed almost entirely in Florida and Mexico, all studio work was done in Mexico.

[–] king_cooler 9 years ago

The Most American of All Bond Films

As American as this movie is, I still think Diamonds Are Forever and Live And Let Die feel much more American.