🎥 Why Timothy Dalton is My Favourite Bond (and Why Licence to Kill is the Best Bond Film)

by MechMadHog

Everyone has their favourite Bond.

Connery set the standard. Moore leaned into camp. Brosnan polished it for the 90s. Craig brought the grit back.

Lazenby only had one film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. People still argue about it, but it left a permanent mark on the series. That’s the film where Bond marries Tracy… only for her to be murdered.

It’s why Felix Leiter says in Licence to Kill:
“He was married once.”

For me though, Dalton is the best Bond.

Dalton’s Bond

Dalton’s version of Bond felt like a sharp left turn.

He wasn’t charming everyone in the room like Brosnan.
He wasn’t cracking jokes like Moore.

He played Bond like what the character actually is… a professional killer who happens to wear a tuxedo.

He looked dangerous.
He carried himself like a man who had seen things and didn’t care about being liked.

It felt closer to Fleming’s Bond from the books.

Cold.
Efficient.
Always a little on edge.

Licence to Kill

Released in 1989, the year I was born, Licence to Kill is my pick for the best Bond film.

It gives you everything a Bond film should have.

• The Stunts → insane practical action. Tankers on two wheels. Planes dragged across runways. Explosions that still hold up.
• The Villain → Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi). Not a world-ending cartoon villain, just a cartel boss. Ruthless and believable.
• The Henchman → Benicio del Toro as Dario. Sadistic, stylish, and memorable. One of the best henchmen in the series.
• The Bond Girls → Pam Bouvier, the ex-CIA pilot who can handle herself, and Lupe Lamora, Sanchez’s mistress trapped in his world. Both actually matter to the story.
• Q in the Field → Desmond Llewelyn finally leaves the lab and joins Bond. One of the best parts of the film.
• The Gadgets → exploding alarm clock, laser Polaroid camera, sniper rifle. Tools, not toys.
• The Bond Staples → casinos, sharks, helicopters, revenge, and even ninjas.

The only classic piece missing is the Aston Martin, but The Living Daylights already gave Dalton his car moment.

The Music

The score was written by Michael Kamen, the composer behind Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. That’s why the action scenes hit with the same energy as those films.

The theme song, “Licence to Kill” by Gladys Knight, is one of the strongest Bond themes ever written.

Big sound.
Powerful vocals.
Perfect for Dalton’s darker Bond.

Why Dalton Works For Me

Dalton’s Bond carries this simple energy:

“If you get on his bad side, your number is up.”

That feels honest.

Dalton never played Bond as smug or indestructible. He played him as a man doing a brutal job.

A professional who knows exactly what the work costs.

Why It’s the Best

Licence to Kill has:

• Practical stunts that still hold up
• A villain that feels real
• A henchman that steals scenes
• Two Bond girls with actual story weight
• Q operating in the field
• Sharks, casinos, helicopters, gadgets, and revenge

It isn’t just a Bond film.

It’s a late-80s action film that sits comfortably beside Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

For me, it’s the complete Bond experience.

And it just so happens it came out the year I was born.