![]() He was later played by Rik Van Nutter in Thunderball, Norman Burton in Diamonds Are Forever, and David Hedison in Live And Let Die.įor all the discussion of how our hero is operating under a codename, it’s entirely possible on the visual evidence of the first 15 films, especially the Sean Connery ones, that Felix Leiter is just the name for whoever has to deal with whatever James Bond is doing in America. The unintended trend of recasting Leiter began when Dr No’s Jack Lord requested co-star billing and a higher salary to return in Goldfinger, prompting Eon to cast Cec Linder to replace him. He’s also a character who isn’t even played by the same actor more than once for the first 27 years of the series. It works not only because it keeps the character intact, but also because its story allows Timothy Dalton to showcase a greater range of emotion than anyone who’d played the role before him.īut really, what’s so American about Bond defying the British authorities that have governed his adventures to date and taking up arms to press forward with his own destiny? Welcome to the USA, old buddy…Īs in Ian Fleming’s books, Felix is James Bond’s most trusted American ally across all of his film appearances. We’ve told the story of the making of the film in a previous episode of the Film Stories podcast, which you can listen to here:īut what is still decried in some quarters as a muddling of genre and a step too far into violent Hollywood action for 007 now looks like a much-needed kick up the arse for the formula, explicitly taking place in a world where James Bond’s usual rules don’t apply. ![]() Viewed more than three decades later, and especially with Daniel Craig’s era now in the Aston Martin’s rear-view mirror, Licence To Kill is a terrific film, comfortably the best of director John Glen’s five outings when it comes to spectacle, suspense, and satisfaction. Having resigned from one firm that demands absolute loyalty, (“We’re not a country club, 007”, splutters Robert Brown’s M when Bond resigns) he poses as an ally of another as he seeks revenge on Sanchez in lieu of real justice from either the British or American authorities. However, Sanchez soon bribes his way out of custody and he and his men deliver swift retribution, maiming Leiter and killing his new bride.īuilding upon the insubordination of Dalton’s take on Bond in The Living Daylights, this incident gives 007 a personal motivation in avenging his newlywed friends. Starting as it means to go on, the film opens unusually, with Bond off to a social engagement rather than completing a mission, though even serving as best man to friends Felix (David Hedison) and Della (Priscilla Barnes) comes with a daring arrest of Colombian drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) before the wedding. Wilson’s script was accordingly designed around locations in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Mexico City, but highlighted some interesting aspects of the series’ relationship with America to date, pivoting as it does on Bond’s relationship with his long-suffering CIA buddy Felix Leiter. ![]() But with inflation ballooning throughout the 1980s and the same budget it had a decade ago, Licence To Kill brought to North America primarily to save money.Īfter UK tax incentives for foreign film companies ended with the introduction of the Films Act in 1985, production in the UK looked less and less appealing to Eon Productions, and that’s why Licence To Kill is the first and (to date) only Bond film where 007 never sets foot in Blighty. Broccoli behind the wheel, the James Bond franchise has always seemed driven by the psyche that it can beat Hollywood at its own game. Try three issues of Film Stories magazine – for just £1: right here!
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