What could have been a promising run of quality films only managed to double the output of George Lazenby. EON’s parent company ran into rights issues when it came to splitting up the company, and Dalton would eventually relinquish the role, despite having initially signed on for a multi-picture contract. For theatrical audiences, this particularly nasty installment was definitely not what they were looking for in the breezy summer of ’89 (adjusted for inflation, Licence to Kill is the lowest-grossing film in the franchise). The dream did not continue after this entry.

source: Metro-Goldwyn-MayerĮxcept that it wasn’t. This is now what Bond was now going to be. Everybody, strap in for a hard-edged tenure.

Classic spy games were out Miami Vice was very much in. This one also offers a bold shake-up of the genre, too. It was here that Dalton’s ideal of Fleming’s agent crystallized: gone were the days of leaping across the backs of alligators to safety, or goofy pigeons doing double-takes as a gondola turned into a hovercraft. Violent, barbaric, and untamed - this was everything that James Bond decidedly was not. Licence to Kill is a different beast entirely. The big question mark remained: where would this Bond go from here? Broody, but elegant gritty, but classy intricate, but unwavering. And while Dalton’s take was undeniably darker, the film still very much retained the DNA of Bond, never once losing sight of the mission. No matter the film’s reputation has only improved over time, often regarded as establishing the framework perfected in the Craig era (you could even say Dalton walked so Craig could run). The Living Daylights was a resounding success, even if contemporaneous audiences of 1987 couldn’t quite warm to Dalton’s cool touch. In the No Time To Die Countdown, Jake Tropila takes a look back at every Bond film – official and unofficial – in anticipation of the release of the latest entry

Licence to kill fan trailer