License to Kill transformers Bond from a goofy punchline to a vengeful unstoppable force, turning the franchise from whimsical to gritty and producing one of the best films of the series.
License to Kill marked a major shift in the franchise away from the campy, goofy, and almost family-friendly Roger Moore Bind films to something darker and more brutal. Timothy Dalton’s Bond is savage and emotional, using only his wits to track down an elusive drug lord and devising an elaborate scheme to exact revenge and cripple the entire drug enterprise. No longer are the jokes and gadgets the focus, but instead, the violence and rage of Bond and the villains he faces take center stage. Characters are eaten by sharks, crushed, exploded, and more in barbaric ways with incredible stunts and a more grounded sobering story. License to Kill finds its influence in Miami Vice and benefits from a less outrageous or fantastical story. Unfortunately, License to Kill was before its time as Brosnan’s Bond slid the franchise back to the far-fetched goofy extremes of Bond. Thankfully the Craig era returned to what Dalton began with a nuanced and volatile character in a more believable world of spies and danger. License to Kill is one of the best in the Bond franchise and shamefully underrated.