I seem to be one of the few who think that Timothy Dalton was actually a pretty good Bond.  All too often people claim that anyone not named Connery who ever played the part sucked really hard and that he was the one and only true James Bond.  I am not of that belief.  I think all of the actors (well, most of them, anyway) brought something unique to the role, and what Dalton brought was a genuine anger.  He gave 007 a vicious streak not often seen previously, and I found it oddly refreshing.

Not only that, but License to Kill (1989) was a surprisingly decent film to boot.  Maybe my expectations were low, but I dug it.  Was it perfect?  No.  Wayne Newton is fairly awkward in it, to say the least.  And that goofy nurse from Three's Company is in it too, and she's pretty awful.  But their parts are relatively small.  The principal Bond girl is played by Richard Gere's ultra-yummy wife, so it's all good.

And I even liked the theme song.  To me it sounds reminiscent of the Goldfinger theme, except it's done by Gladys Knight, whose voice doesn't annoy me nearly as much as Shirley Bassey's.  So, here's to exceeded expectations.

Watch the film's opening sequence on YouTube.  Misspelled added-on scrolling titles FTL.

This is part of week-long series on songs from the James Bond films.