Licence to Kill (1989)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
After a drug lord's actions lead to the death of his friend's wife, James Bond goes rogue to seek revenge.
The story
Bond and his friend Felix Leiter are tasked by the DEA to capture the powerful drug lord Franz Sanchez. After a botched operation leads to the death of Leiter's wife and the escape of Sanchez, Bond finds himself in a desperate situation. Following the loss of his friend's wife, Bond decides to go rogue, resigning from MI6 to hunt down Sanchez personally. He must navigate a dangerous landscape of drug trafficking and corruption in the Republic of Isthmus, seeking out the man responsible for the tragedy while dealing with the consequences of his own actions and the loss of his official status.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bond and his friend Felix Leiter are tasked by the DEA to capture drug lord Franz Sanchez. After Sanchez escapes and his henchmen murder Leiter's wife, Bond goes rogue to hunt him down. He navigates the Republic of Isthmus, eventually teaming up with Pam Bouvier. Bond infiltrates Sanchez's operations, which are disguised as a religious cult. After a series of confrontations, including a high-stakes tanker chase in the desert, Bond confronts Sanchez. He uses a gift from his friend to set the drug lord on fire, leading to Sanchez's death in an explosion. Following the victory, Bond is offered his job back by M but chooses to remain with Bouvier.
- Original title
- Licence Revoked
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 133
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Glen
- Writers
- Michael G. Wilson · writer; Richard Maibaum · writer
- Cast and characters
- Timothy Dalton · James Bond; Carey Lowell · Pam Bouvier; Robert Davi · Franz Sanchez; Talisa Soto · Lupe Lamora; Anthony Zerbe · Milton Krest; Everett McGill · Ed Killifer; Frank McRae · Sharkey; Desmond Llewelyn · Q
- Genres
- spy film; action thriller; adventure
- Themes
- revenge; drug trafficking; betrayal
- Tone and mood
- dark; serious
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; drug war; undercover
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ian Fleming's stories (specifically 'Live and Let Die' and 'The Hildebrand Rarity')
- Franchise connections
- James Bond
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews but faced criticism for its darker tone and some critics felt it lacked the 'sparkle' of previous entries.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 79% · scale: percentage · review count: 63
- Awards and nominations
- Edgar Allan Poe Award · Best Motion Picture · 1990 · nomination; MPSE Golden Reel · Outstanding Sound Mixing · 1989 · nomination
- Production trivia
- It was the first Bond film to not use the title of an Ian Fleming story.; It was the first Bond film shot entirely outside the United Kingdom.; The film was originally titled 'Licence Revoked'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…