History YMMV / LicenceToKill

* VindicatedByHistory: At the time, it was initially considered a disappointment, partly from competition with ''Film/LethalWeapon'', ''Film/DieHard'' and Tim Burton's ''Film/{{Batman}}'' but especially from comparisons to the Bond films that had preceded it. This, combined with legal issues over the franchise, ensured that another Bond film would not be made for 6 years, and that Timothy Dalton would not return to the lead role. ''License to Kill'' has since been re-evaluated as among the best installments in the franchise.

** Bond may be an AntiHero at times, but he does have principles. The cash is ''Blood money'', used to wound his best friend and murder a bride to be. Keeping the money is not an option.

* VindicatedByHistory: At the time, it was initially considered a disappointment, partly from competition with Tim Burton's ''Film/{{Batman}}'' but especially from comparisons to the Bond films that had preceded it. This, combined with legal issues over the franchise, ensured that another Bond film would not be made for 6 years, and that Timothy Dalton would not return to the lead role. ''License to Kill'' has since been re-evaluated as among the best installments in the franchise.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: With DanielCraig's portrayal of Bond, it's difficult to appreciate Timothy Dalton's portrayal of Bond here and in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights''.

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* BaseBreaker: Normally, a consensus forms on a Bond movie after a few years. Not this one. The divide over whether it is one of the best or worst Bond movies persists until the present.

** Sanchez himself would probably qualify in a world where he did not piss off JamesBond- he has "an invidible empire from Chile to Alaska" and is ready to expand; he is the ''de facto'' ruler of a BananaRepublic due to bribing and intimidating its dictator; he keeps his ForTheLolz attitude even in the face of a ''1000 year'' jail term because he knows he'll escape in less than a day; casually hands out $1-2m bribes....really, if Bond hadn't made him so paranoid and ended up killing him, he'd probably have ended up the most succesful crime lord in history, even considering that some of that paranoia turned out to be justified.

* MostlyNarmless: "Don't worry. We gave her a nice honeymooooooooon."

** An unamed mook murders Bond's ally Sharky by slashing his throat, [[KickTheDog and jokes about the ridiculous name to his henchmen.]] Unfotunately for him, [[LaserGuidedKarma an EXTREMELY pissed off Bond saw and heard all of it.]]and karma catches up with him [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice mere moments later.]]

** An unamed mook murders Bond's ally Sharky by slashing his throat, [[KickTheDog and jokes about the ridiculous name to his henchmen.]] Unfotunately for him, [[LaserGuidedKarma an EXTREMELY pissed off Bond saw and heard all of it.]]

** An unamed mook murders Bond's ally Sharky by slashing his throat, [[KickTheDog:and jokes about the ridiculous name to his henchmen.]] Unfotunately for him, [[LaserGuidedKarma:an EXTREMELY pissed off Bond saw and heard all of it,]] and karma catches up with him mere moments later.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Benicio Del Toro as Dario (He was twenty-one at the time, making him the youngest Bond villain).

* EvilIsSexy: Dario, by virtue of being played by Benicio del Toro (who was 21 at the time and remains the youngest Bond villain in the series). He's not as sexualized as Necros from ''TheLivingDaylights'', but still has a...killer smile.

** Pam does get points for being one of the few Bond girls as capable as he is, and one of the ''very'' few who never needed to be rescued. Plus, their scene at the end rivals the ''TheLivingDaylights'' in {{WAFF}}.

** Franz Sanchez is probably one of the most vicious and cruel of all Bond villains (along with [[AViewToAKill Max Zorin]])- [[spoiler:he kills one of his henchman just because he thinks he had stolen his money, by ''{{explosive decompression}}''.]] He also feeds Leiter to a shark and [[RevengeByProxy murders his innocent new wife]], whips his girlfriend for leaving him and has her new lover's heart cut out, and threatens to shoot down American airliners if the DEA doesn't butt out of his drug dealing business.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: With DanielCraig's portrayal of Bond, it's difficult to appreciate Timothy Dalton's portrayal of Bond here and in ''TheLivingDaylights''.
* VindicatedByHistory: At the time, it was initially considered a disappointment, partly from competition with Tim Burton's ''{{Batman}}'' but especially from comparisons to the Bond films that had preceded it. This, combined with legal issues over the franchise, ensured that another Bond film would not be made for 6 years, and that Timothy Dalton would not return to the lead role. ''License to Kill'' has since been re-evaluated as among the best installments in the franchise.

** She gets points for being one of the few martially-capable Bond girls, and one of the even fewer who never has to be rescued. Plus, their scene at the end rivals the ''TheLivingDaylights'' in {{WAFF}}.

* EvilIsSexy: Dario, by virtue of being played by Benicio del Toro (who was 21 at the time and remains the youngest Bond in the series). He's not as sexualized as Necros from ''TheLivingDaylights'', but still has a...killer smile.

* EvilIsSexy: Dario, by virtue of being played by Benicio del Toro (who, at 21, is currently the youngest actor to portray a Bond villain). He's not as sexualized as Necros from ''TheLivingDaylights'', but still has a...killer smile.

** Also, Sanchez was first taken down by Felix Leiter, and in the end again, [[spoiler: by Felix's lighter]].