Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When drug lord Franz Sanchez exacts his brutal vengeance on Bond's friend Felix Leiter, 007 resigns from the British Secret Service and begins a fierce vendetta against the master criminal. Bond won't be satisfied until Sanchez is defeated, and to accomplish this aim he allies himself with a beautiful pilot and Sanchez's sexy girlfriend. But Bond, relegated to outlaw status, must battle agents on both sides of the law as he discovers the horrifying extent of his prey's resources. In order to bring Sanchez down, Bond must survive a ferocious boat chase, a mid-air brawl over the controls of an out-of-control airplane, and an action-packed confrontation in the Mexico desert.

This was my favorite of the Timothy Dalton Bond films and one of the most underrated of the series in my opinion. Being a fan of the novels, Dalton brought the more serious tone of the Bond character as written by Fleming instead of the suave womanizer so many of the other films portray. This is closer to the role we are seeing now from the newer reboot. License to Kill also featured a great support cast and some pretty intense action scenes and managed to break away from the gadget phase of the Bond universe. Definitely one of my favorites from the series and a depressingly underrated addition to the series.

MGM is just doing a phenomenal job with the Bond Blu-rays and this is no exception. This one looks like it was shot yesterday and displays incredible dimensionality and detail. The film’s color and production design are the only thing giving away its age. Contrast is strong and the depth of image is outstanding. MGM is doing an incredible job with these new masters and I can’t wait to see the rest of the series receive the same level of treatment.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is quite good, but shows its age. Dynamic range is lacking and the sound effects sound a bit canned. The film’s tonal balance is a bit treble heavy but the mix is very spacious with nice use of the surround soundstage. Dialogue sounds very natural and the imaging across all channels is excellent. It is just too bad the bottom end sounds a bit thin.

Extras are similar to the rest of the Bond Blu-rays and includes a feature commentary with the producer and members of the cast. You also get a look at the production and the film’s place within the series. Some short features give you an inside look at the stunts and cast and the trailers are also included along with the video to the film’s theme song.

Dalton did a great job with this one and MGM has delivered an outstanding Blu-ray presentation for this underrated Bond gem. Highly recommended.