Timothy Dalton has only two James Bond pictures on his CV. Of the two, Licence To Kill has a stronger narrative hook than The Living Daylights. This time, revenge motivates 007 as he attempts to infiltrate the drug and money laundering ring of Sanchez (the chilling Robert Davi). The latter captured Felix Leiter and killed his wife Della. Now Bond wants justice. Officially disavowed as an agent of her majesty’s government, he goes it alone with only Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and the ruthlessly efficient Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) to help him on his quest.

Composer Michael Kamen replaces John Barry’s long tenure as the bond musician par excellence. The former turns in a serviceable score, superior to For Your Eyes Only but desperately short of the greatness present in A View to a Kill (my favourite Bond soundtrack). My feeling is that Kamen misses key accent points, places where the music should soar and doesn’t.

Despite one nasty bit of business, Licence To Kill upholds the tradition of the series. As written by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum, Bond displays his humanity here. Although there were shades of this in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the emphasis proves far greater in the hands of Dalton.

Robert Davi could be one of the first Bond villains worthy of Academy Award attention. Every fibre of his physical and emotional self radiates extreme intensity. He’s the quintessential antagonist, never prone to gimmicks or droll humour.

Equally, Dalton creates a well-drawn canvas of a performance. His range encompasses everything from easy going laughs to brutal outpourings of emotion.

The pacing finds its groove early and never wavers. Editor John Grover shows his experience, calculating the rhythms and maintaining the urgency of the clock. Time does not stand still, even for Bond. Grover understands this principle better than most of his contemporaries.

Another pleasant surprise manifests itself in the form of supporting actor Benicio Del Toro. He does some memorable work as Dario, Sanchez’s lead henchman. Add to that the terrific comedic presence of Wayne Newton and Licence To Kill definitely earns its place in the top five Bond extravaganzas.

(Released by MGM/UA and rated "PG-13" by MPAA.)