Every Bond Movie Pre-Title Scene Ranked - Worst To Best
17. Licence To Kill (1989)
007 hauls in a notorious drug lord! '80s, baby. Is this James Bond or an episode of Miami Vice?
While it made for a nice change of pace to see longtime Bond ally Felix Leiter get some action (and we’re not just talking about his getting married), John Glen’s direction had grown a little stale by this point.
Few recall the opening segment of Licence to Kill with particular fondness, primarily because the scenes involving slow-motion shots of the CIA running towards Franz Sanchez and his forces lack vibrancy and energy. The colourful Key West location isn’t taken advantage of, with the surroundings coming off as notably bland.
Of course, its 007’s involvement that marks the mission as a success, with Bond applying the finishing touches on a plan to snag the escaping Sanchez’s plane, hook line and sinker. Where would the world be without Her Majesty’s Secret Service? It’s only after making the catch of the day that he and Felix can parachute down to finally attend Leiter’s wedding, as the pair grin with unabashed cheese upon landing.
None of this is awful, but it’s certainly not a spectacular opening by any means.
Best moment: Bond’s towing of Sanchez’s plane is clearly an influence on the opening sequence of professed Bond fan Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, with its high-flying highjacking hijinks.