Licence to Kill

Question: Who's the character who's the driver of both Sanchez's car and (after the second truck explosion and the shooting of Truman Lodge) one of the 2 remaining tankers throughout the truck chase at the end? Can't seem to find any info on him. Don't think he dies, as we see him leap out of the truck just prior to it tipping over (due to the damaged brake pipes) during the final confrontation between Sanchez and Bond.

Question: When Cary Lowell arrives at the religious compound run by Wayne Newton to "donate" money, they don't let her in at first. She begs and says "But I came all the way from Wichita Falls." Being from Wichita Falls, Texas (a city not real well known throughout the US since it's relatively small) I'm curious as to how this line got into the film. Does someone working on the film have some connection to Wichita Falls?

Answer: Just why they chose this city is not known. It was probably chosen for an inside reason, i.e. one of the writers or producers was from there, and they wanted to give a nod to their hometown.

raywest

Question: Is License To Kill the first Bond movie that isn't based on a novel or short story?

MikeH

Chosen answer: "License to Kill" is partly based on the novel "Live and Let Die" and the short story "Hilderbrand Rarity". However, it is the first Bond film not titled after a book. While "The Spy Who Loved Me" shares its name with a book, it was the first Bond film not based on a book (though subsequently, there was a novelization of the film.) "Goldeneye" is the first film not based on a book AND not titled after a book.

Question: Why does Bond in the aquarium warehouse scene near the start, during the firefight portion, move what looks like a lobster from one tank and drop it into another? Is it one of those iconic random things heroes do in some movies?

Answer: When the warehouse guard fires on Bond at least one of those bullets hits a tank, so the crustaceans, starfish, and the rest pour out of the shattered tank. Then Bond picks up one of those crustaceans and drops it into an undamaged tank.

Super Grover

Question: Why did MI6 shoot at Bond after he refused to give them his gun? Surely it's not worth killing one of their agents over. And why did M say there's too many people? There was nobody around.

MikeH

Chosen answer: At that moment, he was not one of their agents; M had just stripped him of his licence to kill and suspended him. So he was, essentially, a rogue agent about to escape...of course they were going to try and stop him. M stopped them because 1) they were in an MI6 building in the middle of an American city and gunfire would have drawn unwanted attention (perhaps giving away the location to enemy agents), and 2) unlike the faceless security forces trying to shoot Bond, he had a personal relationship with Bond and didn't want to see him injured or killed.

Chosen answer: No, they were not having an affair. He just liked her.

raywest

Chosen answer: It was to cause a diversion so Bond could transfer the money back onto the Wavecrest while everyone else was running about sorting out the mess from the crash.

Question: When Bond goes with Sharkey to the warehouse at night (after Bond met with Krest during the day), did Bond know that Killifer was in league with Sanchez and something to do with Felix's injuries before Killifer showed up with the gun and suitcase holding the $2 million Sanchez paid him to help him escape? Also when Killifer is hanging over the shark tank, he attempts to bribe Bond into helping him by saying that he'll split the $2 million with him, to which Bond declines and throws the case at him instead causing him to fall into the tank. But couldn't Bond have just kept the money and used it later on to frame Krest with?

Answer: Although Bond was suspicious of Kilifer (hence the look he gives him at the wedding party), he didn't know for sure until they met at the warehouse. So Bond probably did suspect him. As for the money, Bond was not only angry that Killifer betrayed Leiter over it, but had the audacity to offer him half after trying to kill him. So as far as he was concerned, if it meant so much to him...he can die with it. Bond simply had no interest in using the money which nearly got his friend killed.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: He'd been having some of his men spying on her to learn what she was doing and find out where she went.

raywest

Answer: Dalton was still contracted to play Bond in the next Bond film, Goldeneye. However, due to legal battles between MGM and EON productions, the film was delayed so long that Dalton simply lost interest and quit his role. He said afterwards in 2007 that, "I was supposed to make one more but it was cancelled because MGM and the film's producers got into a lawsuit which lasted for five years. After that, I didn't want to do it any more."

swordfish

Question: When Bond goes back to Felix's house and discovers Della's dead body, what exactly happened to her after Felix was taken and before Bond discovered her?

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: She is found shot dead on the bed. It is also probable that Sanchez's men, lead by Dario, raped her - this is hinted at strongly when Dario says that he and his men will "give her a second honeymoon." However, this is left very vague, and nothing certain is ever said on the subject.

swordfish

Question: When M comes out to tell Moneypenny off for the errors in the paperwork she did, and discovers that she authorised a search for Bond, is he angry with her for doing it or does he sympathise with her? I know it's a stupid question, but I've never been able to work it out.

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: It's meant to be a bit of both - he is angry she is failing her professional duties but is also worried on a personal front for Bond too. This is also seen earlier at Hemingway House, when Bond resigns and escapes. Although previously M has told Bond plainly to quit his vendetta with Sanchez, when Bond escapes, M says "God help you, 007" - ie. at the same time he sympathies with Bond. So basically he is angry on the surface, but he too is also sympathetic with Moneypenny.

swordfish

Question: After Sanchez has killed Krest, he goes to Bond and pays him for his information. Bond then says to him something like "only one man? No one would go after you alone." Did this mean that Bond was trying to get Sanchez to kill all his own men? Seems a bit ambitious to me.

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: It's more likely that Bond is trying to instill fear and paranoia into Sanchez, getting him to suspect that everyone is trying to kill him so that he trusts no one.

raywest

Question: I know there is one quick shot of a real iguana when Robert Davi puts it on the couch, but are all the other shots fake? And why did they use a fake iguana and not a real one in the rest of the shots?

tattoojunkie

Chosen answer: Reptiles are difficult to train and handle, and can hold up filming by being uncooperative. Using a reptile model would simply be easier and faster. Long hours on a movie set is also stressful on animals. There may be other shots with the real iguana, but I can't say for sure.

raywest

Question: Why does Sanchez leave Felix back at his house? I get that he might have thought Felix was dead, but why bring him back to his house? Why not cremate him or something? Hell, why not leave him in the shark tank to drown or get eaten some more?

Answer: That message wasn't for Bond. It was for everyone in law enforcement, to show what happens when you tangle with him. No one is safe from his wrath.

Answer: He apparently wanted to "stage the scene" in order to send a message, particularly to Bond. It's doubtful he expected Felix to still be alive.

raywest

That doesn't make any sense - Sanchez didn't even know who Bond was at that point. Even if he did and Killifer had tipped him off why did Sanchez not recognise Bond when Bond turns up at his casino?

Question: Can a cabin on a truck really do a wheelie like the one in this movie does? And if so how is it possible? For years I've wondered if this is a real world thing that can be done or it's just made possible in the movie. Is it just a 'Bond' thing?

Answer: According to Wikipedia, the stunt driver (Rémy Julienne), was able to perform the trick with no modifications or rigging. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licence_to_Kill#Filming).

So it's a specialised thing that anyone can do if they know HOW to do it?

I have seen online that the rig received extra suspension on its back so it could lift its front wheels.

Factual error: When the air hose on the truck is severed, the brakes release. In reality, on an air-braking system, if the air hose is severed, the brakes lock on as a safety measure.

wizard_of_gore

More mistakes in Licence to Kill

Felix Leiter: Where's my wife?
Dario: Don't worry. We gave her a nice Honeymooooon.

More quotes from Licence to Kill

Trivia: When Sanchez is chasing Bond in the trucks, and when he starts to shoot Bond with the Uzi, listen to the ricochet off the bullets. They sound like the James Bond theme tune.

More trivia for Licence to Kill

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