History YMMV / LicenceToKill

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: This is classic example of a very '80s genre, the "[[CowboyCop lone cop out for revenge who doesn't play by the rules]]" movie. It's just that here, the lone cop is Film/JamesBond. It could have been worse, though; Bond fights a South American drug empire specifically because the filmmakers weren't sure that the Soviet Union would stay around for very long, and therefore decided to play it safe. History proved the filmmakers right two years later, although they still felt the UsefulNotes/ColdWar needed a proper sendoff in the Bond films, which wound up being achieved with ''Film/GoldenEye''. It could have been even more of a period piece, as the costume department initially wanted to dress Bond in pastels due to the popularity of "Miami Vice." Creator/Timothy Dalton fought for a more understated wardrobe for Bond and won the battle.

** Felix being a friend is one thing, but a newlywed bride being murdered on her wedding day is almost PTSD for Bond, making him even more vindictive and brutal than he would have been. The fact that Bond being once married is referenced by Felix to Della only reinforces this. It becomes more and more clear that Bond's actions during the film are only partially because he "owes it to Leiter." He's trying to heal his own scars over Tracy's death that were ripped open by what Sanchez did to Felix and Della. Making it even worse is that Della's final moments involved her being gang raped and stabbed to death, while Tracy's death was instant from a gunshot to the head. Also, Bond was unscathed, while Felix is maimed for the rest of his life. The film only hints at this angle, such as the garter scene, and Bond's acidic "Did his WIFE?" response when M brushes off what happened to Felix as 'the risks' of the job. Bond's response so unsettles M that he pauses for a brief moment before trying to get Bond to drop it using a different tact, which Bond still ignores.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Creator/TimothyDalton's DarkerAndEdgier portrayal of Bond here and in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' was shocking at the time, but with Creator/DanielCraig's later portrayal of Bond following the same lines, it's difficult to appreciate it nowadays.

** Dario. Largely due to the EvilIsSexy trope. He's a monstrous PsychoKnifeNut GigglingVillain with a SlasherSmile who is also implied to be a serial rapist....Played by a very young (the youngest Bond villain to date at then-aged-21) and very gorgeous Creator/BenicioDelToro. He's a handsome fellow and was not fooled by Bond's disguise, and if it wasn't for his near constant {{SlasherSmile}}s, you'd almost forget that he murdered and probably raped Felix's wife.

* EvilIsSexy: Dario, by virtue of being played by Creator/BenicioDelToro (who was 21 at the time and remains the youngest Bond villain in the series). He's not as sexualized as Necros from ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', but still has a...killer smile.