Licence to Kill

Licence to Kill (1989)

Timing: 2:13 (133 min)

6.427/10
2134

6.917/10
13459

6.7/10
120000

All about film

Video 8

Photo 131

Actors and characters

Release date

1989-06-13

Country

United Kingdom, United States, Mexico

Production

United Artists, EON Productions, Danjaq, Estudios Churubusco Azteca

Genre

Adventure, Action, Thriller

Budget

$32 000 000

Revenue

$156 167 015

Website

https://mgm.com/movies/licence-to-kill

Director

John Glen

Actors

Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto, Anthony Zerbe, Frank McRae, Everett McGill, Wayne Newton, Benicio del Toro, Anthony Starke
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Albert R. Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

Operator

Alec Mills

Composer

Michael Kamen

Artist

Audition

Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins

Editing

John Grover, Anthony Waye
All team (45)

• At the age of 21, Benicio del Toro (full name – Benicio Montserrat Rafael del Toro Sánchez) became the youngest actor to play a villain in a James Bond film.
• Albert R. Broccoli (1909-1996), the producer of all films in the series, became seriously ill during filming. The thin Mexican air adversely affected his health, and Broccoli left the set with his wife Dana and daughter Barbara. Thus, the film “Licence to Kill” was the last James Bond film he worked on.
• The last film in the Bond series directed by John Glen.
• Initially, the film was intended to take place in China. Screenwriters Richard Maibaum (1909-1991) and Michael J. Wilson wrote two scripts where James Bond was to fight a drug lord from the 'Golden Triangle' countries. Action scenes would have included a motorcycle chase along the Great Wall, as well as a fight among the terracotta warriors of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Due to the strict conditions imposed by the Chinese government, the idea of filming in China had to be abandoned.
• Unpainted fishing lures were used as 'larvae' at Milton Krest's research center.
• The role of General Pushkin was offered to John Rhys-Davies, but the actor was busy filming the adventure film 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' (Steven Spielberg, 1989) and declined the offer.
• The main post office building in Mexico City served as the Banco de Isthmus bank. The filmmakers contacted the management of the actual Bancomer bank for permission to film there, but were refused. The financiers feared that the money laundering shown in the film would damage the bank's reputation.
• Two teams were used in the clashes between James Bond and criminals at sea and underwater. Timothy Dalton himself participated in the surface battle, while Arthur Wooster led the team. The second team operated underwater and consisted only of experienced divers.
• Felix Leiter's bride's wedding dress was made of French lace with small pearls and opalescent glitter. Two dresses had to be made because the scene of the criminals attacking the Leiter house was filmed before the wedding scene.
• Dario aims a Walther P5 (developed in 1979 for the West German police) at James Bond. Agent 007 himself used the same pistol in the films 'Octopussy' (John Glen, 1983) and 'Never Say Never Again' (Irvin Kershner, 1983).
• The old Ministry of Defence building near Westminster served as the location for the MI6 headquarters and Universal Exports. The building can be seen in the films 'Octopussy' (1983), 'A View to a Kill' (John Glen, 1985), 'The Living Daylights' (John Glen, 1987), and this film. It is located near other locations where 'Bond' scenes were filmed – for example, the Heraldry College in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (Peter R. Hunt, 1969), the subway station exit in 'Skyfall' (Sam Mendes, 2012), Westminster Bridge in 'The World Is Not Enough' (Michael Apted, 1999), 'Die Another Day' (Lee Tamahori, 2002), and 'SPECTRE' (Sam Mendes, 2015).
• The name of the drug lord Franz Sanchez is a reference to Frank Sinatra (1915-1998). A close friend of producer Albert R. Broccoli and actor Robert Davi, Sinatra himself dreamed of playing the villain in one of the franchise's films.
• Casinos were prohibited during the filming of the movie in Mexico.
• According to screenwriter Michael J. Wilson, Timothy Dalton himself ran away from the exploding tanker truck at the end of the film, not a stunt double.
• In the scene of Milton Krest's death in the caisson chamber, a dummy head was used, created by the props department from casts of Anthony Zerbe's face, who played Krest. The explosion of the 'head' due to the pressure difference was filmed, but the result was so gruesome that it was decided not to show it on screen to avoid problems with the American Film Association.
• For the scene where he escapes from the prison van underwater, actor Robert Davi had to take several diving lessons.
• In the scenes taking place in the USA, Carey Lowell, as Pam Bouvier, wore a wig. She then, according to the plot, went to the hairdresser and subsequently appeared on screen with her 'natural' short haircut.
• Unpainted fishing lures served as "larvae" in the research center scenes at Milton Crest.
• John Rhys-Davies was offered an episodic role as General Pushkin, but the actor was busy filming the adventure film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (Steven Spielberg, 1989) and declined the offer.
• A dummy head, created by the props department from casts of Anthony Zerbe's face—the actor playing Crest—was used in the scene of Milton Crest’s death in the caisson chamber. The explosion of the “head” from the pressure difference was filmed, but the result was so gruesome that it was decided not to show it on screen to avoid problems with the American Film Association.
• In scenes set in the United States, Carey Lowell, as Pam Bouvier, wore a wig. She then, as per the plot, went to a hair salon and subsequently appeared on screen with her “natural” short haircut.