Synopsis - Licence To Kill

The American Drugs Enforcement Agency is mounting an operation against notorious drug baron Sanchez and need the help of Felix Leiter. But he's on his way to his wedding with Bond as his best man. A Coast Guard helicopter picks up Felix and Bond, still in their wedding suits, and whisks them off to t he action. Sanchez has made a very rare trip outside his fortress hideaway in Isthmus City to retrieve and punish an errant lover, Lupe Lamora, who has fled to the arms of another man in Miami's Cray Key. A gunfight ensues between Sanchez's goons and Leiter's men and Bond finds Sanchez's lover while the man himself uses the chaos to escape in a light aircraft. Bond and Leiter give chase in the Coast Guard helicopter and Bond is winched down from the machine onto the fleeing aircraft. There he hooks a second winch cable to the tailplane and the helicopter is able to haul both the aircraft and Sanchez into custody. Having saved the day, Bond and Leiter parachute into the church and Leiter is able to go ahead with his wedding.

Later, Sanchez is being held in custody, watched over by DEA agent Ed Killifer who the drug lord tries to bribe. Bond, meanwhile, is enjoying himself at the wedding reception, and comes dangerously close to getting off with the blushing bride, Della. Leiter briefly introduces him to Pam Bouvier, one of his agents, and Leiter seems to find it impossible to stop working even on his wedding day. Killifer enters and Leiter congratulates him on his good work. Killifer confirms that Sanchez is to be transferred to the FBI headquarters at Quantico, Virginia later that afternoon. Satisfied that things are going to plan, Leiter carries on with his reception.

Sanchez is loaded into a secure police van and shackled to the walls. The van drives off, escorted by a truck load of armed troops as the reception party gets into full swing. Leiter and Della present Bond with an engraved cigarette lighter.

As the convoy escorting Sanchez crosses a bridge under repair, Killifer suddenly attacks the guard and forces the van off the bridge and into the sea. The van immediately sinks to the bottom where Sanchez and Killifer are rescued by a team of frogmen. Coast Guard divers recover the van's driver, but both Killifer and Sanchez escape.

The reception is now over and Bond is the last to leave. Della offers him her garter - traditionally, the person who next owns it will be the next to marry. Clearly hurt by memories of Tracy, Bond makes his excuses and leaves. But Leiter and Della are not alone and, as they retire to their bedroom, they are confronted by two men with guns. More men appear and knock Leiter out, taking Della captive.

Sanchez is in a warehouse being readied for his escape to Cuba, but he wants to see through a deal he made earlier. He pays off Killifer with the two million he promised him, then hears that Leiter and Della have been brought to him. Leiter is furious and distraught when one of the goons suggests that Della may have been raped and murdered and is further angered when he realises that Killifer has betrayed him. Sanchez then has him lowered into a tank where he is attacked by a hungry shark.

Bond is at the airport preparing to return to London when he learns of Sanchez's escape. He rushes back to Leiter's house where he finds Della's body and Leiter, badly injured but still barely alive. Leiter is taken to hospital where Bond confers with some of the DEA agents. He learns that Sanchez has vanished with all of Leiter's files and also learns that Leiter was not attacked with a chainsaw, as the local police suspect, but was attacked by a shark.

Searching the immediate area, he arrives at the warehouse where Leiter was attacked and finds that it's posing as a marine biology research lab. As he leaves, he spots Leiter's discarded buttonhole. That night, he returns to the warehouse and sees a small, one-man submarine, bearing the logo of Wavekrest Marine Research, leaving. Breaking into the warehouse with one of Leiter's men, Sharkey, Bond is almost attacked by the same shark that did for Leiter before gaining entry to the deserted lab. While investigating, he's captured by a security guard but manages to overpower him with the help of a handful of maggots. Another guard appears and Bond plays a game of cat and mouse, eventually seeing off his pursuer with the help of an electric eel!

But Bond is captured by Killifer who threatens to dispose of Bond in the same way as he tried to dispose of Leiter. The timely arrival of Sharkey results in Killifer dangling precariously over the shark tank. He tries to bride Bond with the case of money, but Bond coldly throws the case at him, causing him to fall into the tank where he is killed by the shark.

The next day, Sharkey tells Bond that Wavekrest is the name of a ship owned by one Milton Krest which is anchored nearby collecting marine specimens. Another of Leiter's men arrives and tells Bond that Killifer's body has been found by the local police. Bond is menaced by local law enforcement agents who take him to a house where a mysterious man is waiting for him surrounded by cats. The man turns out to be M who is furious with Bond - he was supposed to be in Istanbul the previous night and is concerned that Bond is too emotionally involved in the Leiter case. Bond refuses to accept his assignment and resigns on the spot. M revokes his license to kill and asks him to turn in his weapons. Bond attacks M and manages to escape.

On the Wavekrest, Krest visits Sanchez's Lupe who is being kept on the ship where she can come to no more harm. His captain arrives to tell him that the radar is picking up something large on the monitors which turns out to be a manta ray. But in truth, it's actually Bond, disguised under a special cowl and he manages to sneak aboard the vessel under cover of a mini-sub as it sets sail. On board, he finds a large consignment of drugs and discovers Lamora sleeping in her cabin, recognising her from their earlier meeting. He notes with disgust the scars on her back received during her beating.

By now, Krest and his men have realised that someone has got aboard the ship and are actively searching for the intruder. Bond watches horrified as Sharkey's body is brought aboard the Wavekrest and his determination to get Sanchez hardens. He shoots Sharkey's killer with a harpoon gun and leaps overboard, escaping when he takes the aqualung equipment from the man's body. Krest sends his men after Bond and they give chase in both surface vessels and a mini-sub. As the search continues, more of Sanchez's men arrive aboard a sea-plane carrying more drugs which they transfer into the Sentinel mini-sub in exchange for large parcels of money.

Bond breaks into the sub's cargo compartment and destroys as much of the cargo as he can, but he's spotted on one of the surveillance cameras. With his oxygen supply running dangerously low, Bond flees, pursued by a team of Sanchez's harpoon wielding frogmen. Bond puts up a valiant struggle and escapes by firing a harpoon gun into the skis of the departing sea-plane. Water skiing at a furious pace, Bond manages to climb aboard one of the skis as the plane lifts off. The pilot tries to dislodge him, but Bond proves tenacious and sneaks aboard the aircraft, throwing the pilot out and struggling with the co-pilot. Just as it seems that the plane is about to crash, Bond regains control and flings the co-pilot into the sea.

That night, Bond returns to Leiter's house, sneaking past the police guards outside. Behind a photograph of Della he finds a CD-ROM full of Leiter's evidence against Sanchez. He also finds a list of Leiter's contacts, eight of which have already been killed. The last, Pam Bouvier, a former CIA contract pilot, is due to meet with some of Leiter's men later that night at a club named the Barrelhead.

Bond tracks her down and warns her to get away while she still can. Bouvier spots a team of Sanchez's assassins, led by his right hand man Dario, and she and Bond try to decide how to escape. But Dario and one of his men come to their table and try to get Bouvier to work for them. A fight breaks out which soon embroils the entire bar in a brawl. In the ensuing mayhem, Bond and Bouvier make good their escape aboard a speedboat, but Bouvier is injured when one of Dario's men shoots her. Fortunately, she's weraing a kevlar jacket and her injuries are superficial. They bicker for a while over who actually saved who before the boat runs out of gas, the fuel lines having been severed during the gunfight.

Bond and Bouvier reluctantly decide to work together, Bond looking to hire Bouvier's skills as a pilot to take on Sanchez on his home turf in Isthmus City. Their negotiations lead to them the place where all negotiations between Bond and his female associates lead...

In London, Bond's disappearance is having a serious effect on poor Moneypenny who is worried sick about him. M assures her that he's sending his man in Isthmus to try to stop him from taking on Sanchez. He then gives her orders that she is to convey to Q Branch.

Bond and Bouvier arrive in Isthmus masquerading as a businessman and his executive secretary. Bond is financing the operation using the money he stole from Sanchez's plane. Bond pays off Bouvier put she refuses to leave, arguing that she won't be safe anyway until Sanchez is dead. He sends Bouvier out to buy more clothes [much to her disgust] then visits the Bank of Isthmus, owned by Sanchez where he wants to deposit his stolen loot. While he's meeting with the manager, Sanchez is showing a group of Oriental businessmen around the premises. Bouvier arrives now fully disguised as an 'executive secretary' much to Bond's obvious amazement and amusement.

Later, Sanchez questions Lupe about what happened on the boat. Bond and Bouvier, meanwhile, visit the local casino while Sanchez uses a religious telethon staged by Professor Joe Butcher to pass on details of his latest drugs deals to his various associates in the States. Bond attracts attention to himself by asking to play dangerously at the card table and Sanchez, alerted to the presence of the man who stole his money, decides to let him play to see what will happen - but Bond makes a quarter of a million dollars out of his card playing skills.

Lamora arrives to deal cards at Bond's table, telling him that he's going to lose. She also reveals that Sanchez has sent her to find out more about him, warning that he should leave Isthmus straight away. Bond learns that Sanchez is upstairs and is planning a big party for his Oriental guests the following night. Leaving a disconsolate Bouvier to drink alone in the bar, Bond gets Lamora to take him up to meet Sanchez.

Bond passes himself off as a "problem eliminator" and tells Sanchez that he is looking for work. He persuades Sanchez that a man of his talents could be useful in his organisation and Sanchez says he will think about it. When Bond leaves, he sets his men to finding out more about him.

Bond and Bouvier return to the hotel where Bond is alarmed to hear that his "uncle" has called to visit and is waiting in his room. Borrowing Bouvier's gun, he bursts into the room and finds... Q! The armourer is on leave and has called in to see how Bond is doing. He traced him through Moneypenny and has come to offer his help, bringing with him a suitcase crammed full of toys and gadgets including a kit-form rifle disguised as a camera and accessories, complete with palmprint reader; a tube of exploding toothpaste; a laser hidden in a Polaroid camera; and an exploding alarm clock.

While Sanchez entertains his Oriental guests, Bond again tries to get Bouvier to leave, telling her that he "works best alone." He masquerades as a waiter at the casino and manages to sneak onto the roof from where he absails down to spy on Sanchez's meeting. He learns that Sanchez is trying to expand his drugs empire into the Pacific and is offering his guests exclusive franchises. He offers to take them to see the main production and distribution plant the next day.

Bond uses the toothpaste explosive and a timer disguised as a packet of cigarettes to line the reinforced windows of Sanchez's apartment, then return to collect his high power rifle, taking up position in a building opposite the casino. While Sanchez is paying off - and threatening - the President, Bond is about to trigger the explosive when he spots Bouvier apparently handing over an envelope to one of Sanchez's men. Bond triggers the explosive but is attacked and captured by a gang of ninjas.

When he comes to, Bond is being held captive by the Orientals who turn out to be agents from Hong Kong who have been tracking Bond for some time. With them is one of M's men who plans to have Bond shipped straight back to London. But a huge explosion rocks the Chinese agents' headquarters when the local military, working under orders from Sanchez, attack. Bond is discovered in the ruins by Sanchez and taken back to Sanchez's luxurious home.

When he comes to, Bond is greeted warmly by Sanchez but is warned by Lamora that the Wavkrest is due to arrive that night. Bond claims that the Chinese were a freelance hit team out to get him and reveals that he used to work for the British secret service. Keeping up the pretense, Bond tells Sanchez that he learned from the Chinese that someone inside his organisation is trying to kill him and drops enough hints to make Sanchez suspect Krest. Sanchez insists that Bond stay at the mansion.

Wth Lamora's help, Bond is able to sneak away from the mansion hiding beneath a powerboat she is driving. He returns to the hotel where he tells Q for the third time that he should leave and confronts Bouvier about seeing her in Sanchez's apartment. She explains that Sanchez has bought four Stinger missiles from the Contras is threatening to shoot down a civilian airliner if the DEA doesn't leave him alone. Bond saw her delivering a letter to one of Sanchez's men, Heller, from Leiter offering him immunity if he helps to get the missiles back. Bond's intervention ruined the plan and has now put Bouvier's life in even greater danger. Bond recruits a delighted Q to help, then heads for the bank to withdraw all his money.

That night, Bouvier, disguised as the harbour pilot, get aboard the Wavekrest as it approaches Isthmus and she rams it into the dockside. Bond sneaks aboard through the mini-sub entrance while Sanchez contronts Krest. His ridiculous - though truthful - explanation of how he lost the money to a man who got away with the ski-plane only lends credence to Bond's hints that he is double crossing Sanchez. Bond and Bouvier, meanwhile, have deposited the money in the Wavekrest's vaults and Sanchez, on discovering it, is furious. He throws Krest into the pressurised vault and murders him by increasing the pressure, casuing him to explode. Back on the quayside, Bond makes Q and Bouvier leave, telling him that he'll be safer on his own.

Bond returns to Sanchez' mansion where the drugs baron gives him money, rewarding him for the information leading to Krest. But Bond reasons that no-one would be stupid enough to take on Sanchez alone. Sanchez tells him that he is taking Bond to show him something important but doesn't say what. Lamora arrives and tells him that he'll be seeing the drugs production lab with the Chinese. She ends up seducing Bond while Sanchez is downstairs entertaining the Chinese.

Later, Lamora goes to Q and Bouvier and tells them that Bond is in danger, that Sanchez is checking upon him. Bouvier believed that Bond had left the country and is jealous when she hears that Bond spent the night with Lamora.

Q and Bouvier mount their own operation to help Bond, but Bouvier discovers her plane being dismantled, apparently on Sanchez's orders. Bond is driven to what appears to be a meditation centre run by the Joe Butcher but which is fact the vast production and distribution centre at the heart of Sanchez's operations. He learns from Sanchez's yuppie sidekick Truman-Lodge that the drugs are dissolved in gasline to aid distribution.

Bouvier has managed to hitch a ride to the institute carrying a basketful of money she uses to get in to see Professor Joe. Meanwhile, Bond's tour of the manufacturing and distribution process continues. Bouvier pulls a gun on Butcher, locks him in his private meditation chamber and, disguised as a client of the institute, begins looking for Bond.

He meanwhile has tried to escape, causing chaos in by starting a fire in the lab before before being captured and identified by Dario. Sanchez orders four gas tankers full of drugs to be evacuated and sends Bond along a conveyor belt into the drugs processing machinery. But before he gets there, Bond reveals that he knows about the Stingers and tells Sanchez that he's seen the last of both them and the Stingers. As the huge processing plant goes up in flames, Bouvier frantically searches for Bond while Sanchez and his men abandon ship. Bouvier shoots and injures Dario and Bond drags, clinginging precariously to a handrail, throws him into the guts of the machinery. Bouvier switches the machine off and rescues him.

Sanchez's plant is now well and truly alight, the flaming ruins rocked by explosions. They find Heller dead, murdered by Sanchez while he was trying to steal the missiles and set off in pursut of Sanchez and his tankers aboard a light aircraft. Bond lowers himself onto one of the tankers and precariously clambers around it as Sanchez fires at him. He manages to get into the cab and tries to make off wth the tanker.

Bond manages to run one of the other tankers off the road, but Sanchez's men, armed with a Stinger missile, have headed him off and are lying in wait. Bond tips the truck up on one set of wheels and the missile passes beneath him, destroying the wreck of the tanker behind. But Bond loses control of his tanker when Sanchez's men shoot out the tyres and it ends up perched over the edge of a cliff.

Bouvier crop-dusts the pursuing hoods, allowing Bond to topple the tanker over the edge, straight onto a third tanker on the road below. He uses the cab to escape as Sanchez and his surviving guns make off with the last of the tankers. Another team is pursuing Bond and loses them by doing a spectacular 'wheelie' through the flaming wreckage.

Bond sets off after Sanchez and uses the cab's cruise control to get aboard the last tanker and begins to empty the contents into the road where flames from the pursung vehicle set it alight. Bouvier has a narrow escape when the flaming wreckage of the car is flung into the air, over the edge of a cliff and straight into her flight path!

Sanchez fires a missile at Bouvier's aircraft, blowing off its tailplane and tries to dislodge Bond from the roof of the tanker. Bouvier makes a safe if bumpy landing while Bond and Sanchez battle it out on the tanker which ends up plummeting down an incline and overturning. Bond, badly battered and broken, is about to be hacked to death when Bond burns Sanchez with the lighter that Felix and Della gave him at the wedding, detonating the remaining fuel in the tanker. Bond escapes and Sanchez is left to die in the flames. Bouvier arrives in one of the tanker cabs and picks up Bond.

Later, Bond calls Leiter to tell him the news and he, Q, Bouvier and Lamora [who now has her eyes on the President] visit a party. Bouvier rushes off in a jealous rage when she sees Bond kissing Lamora, but he pursues her, dragging her into a swimming pool where they kiss, watched by a flumoxed Q.