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Licence to Kill

Play trailer Poster for Licence to Kill PG-13 1989 2h 13m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
James Bond (Timothy Dalton) takes on his most-daring adventure after he turns renegade and tracks down one of the international drug cartel's most-brutal and powerful leaders. After the murder of his just-married friend, he is fighting not only for country and justice, but for personal revenge!
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Licence to Kill

Licence to Kill

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Critics Consensus

License to Kill is darker than many of the other Bond entries, with Timothy Dalton playing the character with intensity, but it still has some solid chases and fight scenes.

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Critics Reviews

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Leonard Maltin Video Review Aug 5, 2022
3/4
Licence to Kill is just the shot in the arm the James Bond series has been needing. Go to Full Review Chris Stuckmann ChrisStuckmann.com Apr 13, 2020
B+
I think it's very underrated. Go to Full Review Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times May 20, 2014
Every once in a while, [the Bond series] pulls in its stomach, pops the gun from its cummerbund, arches its eyebrow and gets off another bull's-eye. The newest, Licence to Kill, is probably one of the five or six best of Bond. Go to Full Review Sarah Cortinaz InSession Film Apr 23, 2024
Many may have forgotten Dalton’s time as the iconic agent, but whether you remember him or not, it’s worth sinking your teeth into. Go to Full Review Tom Ryan The Sunday Age Jul 25, 2023
It's helped by Sanchez, its wonderful villain, simultaneously sadistic and principled, played as Bond's opposite with a superbly sinister aloofness by Robert Davi. And the ending is suitably spectacular. Go to Full Review Carson Timar ButteredPopcorn Aug 28, 2022
B-
This is far from a terrible movie as it is easy to sit through and has plenty of enjoyable moments but it also isn't well balanced enough to be a classic. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Frank Oct 12, 2022 The usual unbelevable mess James gets into, with an inevitable bruised and lacerated successful result. Acting is superb to point of making the crazy show believable! See more stephenpaul C @ash20261234567890 Sep 13, 2026 The worldwide gross is $156,200,000.00. See more Mickey B @Mickerdoo Aug 31, 2026 Dalton does a pretty good Bond (but probably like 5th best). Davi is a shoe in villain. Lowell and Soto pull their own. Needs less Florida. See more diogo13 T @Tua_mera Jul 11, 2026 Mais uma atuação incrível de Timothy Dalton como Bond! Ele teve as melhores cenas de ação, as melhores Bond girls e honestamente a melhor interpretação de Bond em geral. See more David D @David2026 Jul 5, 2026 I feel for Timothy Dalton as he was a solid Bond and sadly only got two outings. There are no holes in this story, which also managed to be great fun. All round superb entertainment. See more Wayne K @WayneKelso Jun 23, 2026 Considering its remarkable brutality, especially for the series its part of, Licence To Kill is a very apt name. It’s the only Bond film to receive a 15 rating in the UK, it has some of the bloodiest deaths in the franchise, as well as the darkest tone. It’s a perfect setting for Timothy Dalton’s take on the character, so much so that when they try to slip in a Bond quip here and there they land so flat I’m shocked they’re not accompanied by a wah wah sound effect. Things are often made far too easy for Bond this time round, but the villain is memorable and more hands on this time, the action scenes are brilliantly directed, so much so that the lack of them is a crying shame, and the personal vendetta angle very much works in its favour. It’s a more ruthless Bond film, one steeped in blood and revenge, and while it’s often considered a footnote in the series given Dalton’s short tenure, it’s still a film I very much recommend, whether you’re a fan of 007 or not. See more Read all reviews
Licence to Kill

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Cast & Crew

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John Glen

Director

Timothy Dalton

James Bond

Carey Lowell

Pam Bouvier

Robert Davi

Franz Sanchez

Talisa Soto

Lupe Lamora

Anthony Zerbe

Milton Krest

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Licence to Kill

Licence to Kill (1989) Licence to Kill (1989) Licence to Kill (1989) Licence to Kill (1989) Licence to Kill (1989) Licence to Kill (1989) Licence to Kill (1989) Scene from the film LICENSE TO KILL. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis James Bond (Timothy Dalton) takes on his most-daring adventure after he turns renegade and tracks down one of the international drug cartel's most-brutal and powerful leaders. After the murder of his just-married friend, he is fighting not only for country and justice, but for personal revenge!
Director
John Glen
Producer
Michael G. Wilson, Albert R. Broccoli
Screenwriter
Richard Maibaum
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
United Artists, Danjaq Productions
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 14, 1989, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$34.7M
Runtime
2h 13m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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