RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Licence to Kill
Licence to Kill

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

Licence to Kill (1989)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
73 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 33

Fresh: 24

Rotten:9

Average Rating: 5.9/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 14 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: James Bond (Timothy Dalton) returns with a vengeance in LICENCE TO KILL. Having just witnessed his best friend's wedding, Bond is shocked when he learns that ruthless drug runner Franz Sanchez... James Bond (Timothy Dalton) returns with a vengeance in LICENCE TO KILL. Having just witnessed his best friend's wedding, Bond is shocked when he learns that ruthless drug runner Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) has assaulted the couple on their honeymoon, killing the bride. Assisted by the twiggy Drug Enforcement Agent Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) and the gadget wizard Q (Patrick Llewelyn), Bond resigns from Her Majesty's Secret Service and pursues justice on his own. Perhaps the darkest of the 007 films, LICENCE TO KILL, exhibits a previously unseen side of James Bond. Maniacal at times, ex-agent 007 detonates everything in his way on the road to avenging his friend's bride. The 16th installment of the James Bond series, LICENCE TO KILL, veers away from the pick-up artistry and light interlocution of former 007 films. Instead, director John Glen, gives the audience a crystal clear view of the man behind the martini glass. [More]

Starring: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Anthony Zerbe

Starring: Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Anthony Zerbe, Talisa Soto, Wayne Newton

Director: John Glen

Director: John Glen
Story: Richard Maibaum
Screenwriter: Michael G. Wilson
Composer: Michael Kamen

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Feb 6, 2007

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Licence to Kill

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A well-produced slick high-octane action thriller that remains escapist and as entertaining as possible throughout.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/16/09
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

...it often feels more like a typical '80s actioner than a bona fide James Bond adventure...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/25/08
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

The Bond women are pallid mannequins, and so is the misused Dalton -- a moving target in a Savile Row suit. For every plausible reason, he looks as bored in his second Bond film as Sean Connery did in his sixth.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/13/08
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fast, efficient and unusually gruesome Bond. The tone is sombre, the action is ingenious and in Dalton the series finds the only actor to take 007 seriously.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/13/08
Channel 4 Film

Hardcore Bond fans may be dismayed by some of the changes, but no one can deny that the action scenes staged by director John Glen are some of the most spectacular of the entire series and well worth the price of admission.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
10/13/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The thrills-and-spills chases are superbly orchestrated as pic spins at breakneck speed through its South Florida and Central American locations.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/13/08
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite some shaky narrative continuity and muddled motivations, this manages to move pretty briskly, and the action sequences are generally well handled, especially at the climax.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/13/08
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even weak James Bond is better than the norm action flicks, and this one qualifies.

comment Comment
03/20/08
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

Very hardcore for Bond

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
02/10/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

No review available.

comment Comment
09/06/07
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

A cameo by Wayne Newton pushes the film into full-on kitsch, and many feared the series was dead after Licence's poor showing.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/15/07
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/26/06
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

It's all very pacy, with the overly straightforward plotting dimmed but not obscured by the hi-tech effects.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
11/04/05
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

Both the toughest Bond movie ever and the most entertaining Bond movie ever. A rare entry in the series where the danger seems real.

comment Comment
10/14/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/03/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Dalton is just a little TOO serious as Bond.

comment Comment
01/08/05
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/04
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

comment Comment
05/14/04
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Dalton brought a seriousness back to the films that somehow got lost in a lot of silliness along the way.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/21/03
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Licence to Kill

November 07, 2008: Bonding with Bond, Day 18: Licence to Kill
Community Manager RT-Ryan has never seen a single James Bond film, except for 2006's Casino Royale. To rectify the situation, he decides to watch every Bond film and write... More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Licence to Kill

Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
79%
79%
Gran Torino
30%
30%
12 Rounds
23%
23%
Confessions of a Shopa…
—
The Code
39%
39%
Inkheart

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
22%
22%
Push
12%
12%
The Unborn

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

What’s Hot On RT

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

Pt. 3: Cuaron's darker Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Mockumentaries

Best Mockumentaries

From Borat to Spinal Tap, this one goes to 11

Humpday Clip

Humpday Clip

An exclusive peek at the indie comedy!

Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince

How good is the 6th Harry Potter?

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: T.J. Hooker Film in Development
38
  • Warners Shortens Green Lantern Wishlist Source: Hollywood Reporter
140
  • Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3 Source: MakingOf.com
44
  • Spider-Man 4 Gets Its Third Writer Source: Latino Review
60
  • Warners Wins Favorable Ruling in Superman Case Source: Variety
20
  • Remo Williams Rides Again Source: Risky Biz
10
  • Mortal Kombat 3 Filming in September? Source: Slashfilm
82
  • MacGruber Gets a Director Source: Variety
39
  • PG-13 Turns 25 Source: VideoETA
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
92
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
88
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
67
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Transformers and Ice Age Tie for Top Spot
59
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
53
  • Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock
48
  • Tomatometer Watch: How Good is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
47
  • Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
44
  • Five Favorite Films with Kathryn Bigelow
39
  • RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
28
  • Five Favourite Films with Jaime Winstone
20
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
0
  • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10
  • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
2
  • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
5
  • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
10
  • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
24
  • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
5
  • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
11
  • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
7
  • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
7
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Licence to Kill at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Licence to Kill at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno External Link

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles External Link

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

A Baywatch Comedy?
A Baywatch Comedy? External Link

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.