History YMMV / LicenceToKill

** Bond setting [[spoiler: Sanchez]] on fire using the lighter Felix gave him is possibly the most satisfying kill throughout the entire franchise. In fact, Bond pitting the villains against each other and giving them their well-deserved punishment in the third act is wonderful.

** Creator/AnthonyZerbe and Creator/EverettMcGill both appearing in this film as Sanchez's henchmen is rather interesting, as both actors appeared in film adaptations of Creator/StephenKing's books (Zerbe appeared in ''Film/TheDeadZone'', which featured music by Music/MichaelKamen who scored this Bond flick and starred Creator/ChristopherWalken who played Bond villain Max Zorin in ''Film/AViewToAKill'', while [=McGill=] appeared in ''Film/SilverBullet'').

** [[Film/TheHunted2003 Benicio del Toro]] is a bit of a KnifeNut. He's also working as a Film/{{sicario}} for the BigBad.

* FanPreferredCutContet: One of Creator/TimothyDalton's best scenes as Bond ended up in the cutting room floor. A dishevelled Bond is in a hotel room watching Sanchez on television and silently studying his target, while loading his gun, lighting a cigarette and having a drink. It's straight out of the Creator/IanFleming books.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: This is classic example of a very '80s genre, the "[[CowboyCop lone cop out for revenge who doesn't play by the rules]]" movie. It's just that here, the lone cop is Film/JamesBond. It could have been worse, though; Bond fights a South American drug empire specifically because the filmmakers weren't sure that the Soviet Union would stay around for very long, and therefore decided to play it safe. History proved the filmmakers right two years later, although they still felt the UsefulNotes/ColdWar needed a proper sendoff, which wound up being achieved with ''Film/GoldenEye''.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: This is classic example of a very '80s genre, the "[[CowboyCop lone cop out for revenge who doesn't play by the rules]]" movie. It's just that here, the lone cop is Film/JamesBond. It could have been worse, though; Bond fights a South American drug empire specifically because the filmmakers weren't sure that the Soviet Union would stay around for very long, and therefore decided to play it safe.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** [[DirtyCop Ed Killifer]] is dangling above the shark tank Leiter was lowered into earlier.\\
'''You'd expect''' him not making it worse for himself and surrender to Bond and turn himself to the authorities.\\
'''Instead''' he tries to bribe Bond with the money he was bribed to spring Sanchez out of custody, which resulted having Bond's friend mauled by the shark and having his wife raped and murdered.\\
'''Results''' in a [[TranquilFury pissed Bond]] throwing the briefcase containing the money on him and making him shark food. To be fair, given how the whole movie is a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Bond would probably have killed Killifer anyway.\\
'''Even Worse''' when Bond throws the briefcase at him, Killifer ''actually lets go of the rigging he's holding on to in order to grab it''! Greed kills, indeed.
** Krest is shown the pile of Sanchez's money sitting in the decompression chamber that "he" stole (which Bond had planted there).\\
'''You'd Expect:''' That Krest would tell Sanchez that he didn't take it and was set up.\\
'''Instead:''' He says that it's "not (his) money", which earns the obvious response from Sanchez ("You're right, amigo. It is mine!"). While Krest was looking guilty as sin to begin with, his weak defense didn't exactly help his case (not helping is the fact that Krest had been drinking and was nervous being questioned by Sanchez to begin with).\\
'''End Result:''' Krest is locked in the decompression tank and is left for his head to explode.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: This is classic example of a very '80s genre, the "[[CowboyCop lone cop out for revenge who doesn't play by the rules]]" movie. It's just that here, the lone cop is Film/JamesBond. It could have been worse, though; Bond fights a South American drug empire specifically because the filmmakers [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp weren't sure that the Soviet Union would stay around for very long]], and therefore decided to play it safe.

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

** Also noteworthy, Bond feeding Killifer to the ''exact same shark'' that took Felix's leg by shoving him into the tank with the ''same'' suitcase of blood-money he sold out Leiter for is poetic justice at its most [[{{Pun}} delicious]].

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The amazing shot of burning car going off a cliff and just barely missing Pam's plane. You would never guess that it was all done with miniatures.

--->'''On Sanchez & Lupe:''' ''"Certainly, Sanchez seems rather sexless in his interactions with his beautiful mistress. She draws the most passion him when he’s brutally whipping her – an urge he apparently can’t wait until he’s across the border to satisfy. Indeed, it’s likely Sanchez is just a sexual sadist, but there are hints throughout the film that he’s not really all that interested in his mistress. They spend most of the film doing little more than holding hands while he treats her as an accessory or a secretary.....When they do kiss on the lips it’s a passionless affair, and Sanchez himself immediately makes a mockery of it by kissing the lizard on his shoulder. (“You want one too?”) Even early in the movie, it becomes quite clear that Lupe is fairly detached from her lover. She seems to sleep mostly alone. When Bond confronts her on Krest’s yatch, she states, “He’s not on board. I don’t know where he is.” Bond actually takes the time to point out how strange this sounds, “You’re his girlfriend.” Lupe concedes, “He doesn’t tell me anything.”"''
--->'''On Sanchez & Dario:''' ''"In contrast to his somewhat cold physical relationship with Lupe, Snachez is quite touchy-feely when it comes to his male colleagues, like the psychotic Dario or even Bond himself. Indeed, Dario looks like something from a Columbian boy band, with his strangely graceful and theatrical movements. Dario is, despite the relative absence of personality, actually one of my favourite henchmen, if only for the way that he flicks his knife open like he’s in Theatre/WestSideStory and the way that Benicio Del Toro pronounces “honeymooooon.”''

* CatharsisFactor: Bond setting [[spoiler: Sanchez]] on fire using the lighter Felix gave him is possibly the most satisfying kill throughout the entire franchise. In fact, Bond pitting the villains against each other and giving them their well-deserved punishment in the third act is wonderful.

** Creator/AnthonyZerbe and Everett [=McGill=] both appearing in this film as Sanchez's henchmen is rather interesting, as both actors appeared in film adaptations of Creator/StephenKing's books (Zerbe appeared in ''Film/TheDeadZone'', which featured music by Music/MichaelKamen who scored this Bond flick and starred Creator/ChristopherWalken who played Bond villain Max Zorin in ''Film/AViewToAKill'', while [=McGill=] appeared in ''Film/SilverBullet'').

** Shortly after the movie's release, Robert Davi, who played Sanchez, was taken to see an actual drug lord in South America. Apparently, the drug lord loved Robert's portrayal of Sanchez.

* RealismInducedHorror: Franz Sanchez. Unlike many other Bond villains, he hasn't got "Super gadgets" and his plan is more realistic that other villains' plan.

** Lupe and Kwang became Kitana and Shang Tsung in Film/MortalKombatTheMovie. [[HilariousInHindsight Maybe Kwang should have gone after Lupe instead?]]

** Felix being a friend is one thing, but a newlywed bride being murdered on her wedding day is almost PTSD for Bond, making him even more vindictive and brutal than he would have been.

* ContestedSequel: Is it a brave change of formula and works well with Dalton's serious take on Bond, or is it a generic revenge movie with Bond shoehorned in?

** Benicio del Toro's full name in real-life is Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro ''Sanchez'' [[note]]though the 'Sanchez' is his mom's maiden name under Spanish naming conventions, where both the father & mother's surnames are used[[/note]].
** Anthony Zerbe and Everett [=McGill=] both appearing in this film as Sanchez's henchmen is rather interesting, as both actors appeared in film adaptations of Creator/StephenKing's books (Zerbe appeared in ''Film/TheDeadZone'', which featured music by Music/MichaelKamen who scored this Bond flick and starred Creator/ChristopherWalken who played Bond villain Max Zorin in ''Film/AViewToAKill'', while [=McGill=] appeared in ''Film/SilverBullet'').
** A couple of years after this film, Timothy Dalton played a ''James Bond''-esque ''BigBad'' in ''Film/TheRocketeer''.

* RealismInducedHorror: Franz Sanchez. Unlike, many other Bond villains, he hasn't "Super gadgets" and his plan is more realistic that other villains' plan.

'''Instead''' he tries to bribe Bond with the BloodMoney he was bribed to spring Sanchez out of custody, which resulted having Bond's friend mauled by the shark and having his wife raped and murdered.\\
'''Results''' in a [[TranquilFury pissed Bond]] throwing the briefcase containing the BloodMoney on him and making him shark food. To be fair, given how the whole movie is a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Bond would probably have killed Killifer anyway.\\