We don't need the musical cues, and the film's strength comes when it keeps those at bay. License to Kill is dated and at its at its weakest when using its piano-heavy soundtrack that lacks true emotion, but it's at its best when it allows silence to carry the weight of the characters' grief. Other performances of note include that of TV actor Don Murray as the drunk driver-there's something about his expressions that are just strangely magnifying-and Donald Moffat. Despite having a fairly low-key role as the prosecutor (he arrives about 40 minutes into the film), he manages to lend his lines the electrifying gravitas and sharpened delivery that would define his career. What will keep this film on radars is the performance of one of its supporting actors, a young Denzel Washington. It's a haunting shot that adds dramatic flair to the film. Perhaps its most shocking moment arrives in the instant the two cars collide, freezing on a blurred motion of the girl in mid-scream, as the sound of the tires squealing, chrome crumpling and glass crunching roars underneath. It's not a technical marvel rather, it's shot in a style typical of made-for-television movies, with flat lighting, standard shot composition and very little camera movement. There's nothing truly remarkable nor particularly unforgettable about the film. We listen to the guilty man lament that he'll lose everything: "It was an accident! Why should a guy have to give up his life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for something that wasn't even his fault?" he ponders, a vodka glass in hand. The film takes us to the other side, too. The girl's family struggles to stay together in the aftershock: the mother, Judith (Penny Fuller), seeks solace in the church, while the father, John (James Farentino), seeks it in the courthouse, dead-set on getting justice for his daughter. When an ambitious high school graduate-the valedictorian with her sights set on Northwestern-is killed in a head-on collision by the gin-soaked owner of a construction company, the latter walks away unharmed and saddles himself with the best lawyer money can buy. Driving while intoxicated was a major issue in 1984, and it remains an issue in 2019, but Jud Taylor's film brought the subject to American screens with an anger directed at those who try to get away with it. Name one person who hasn't been affected in some way by the repercussions of drunk driving, or one week's news cycle-local or national-that doesn't involve mention of a life cut short by alcohol. His son Didier Decoin became a famous writer (and occasionally screenwriter).Share License to Kill (1984) is a made-for-television movie that gets straight to the point of its subject matter. The ending drags on ,bit as it was his last movie,Decoin probably wanted to prolong the agony. In its first part ,the movie is some kind of murder mystery a la Conan Doyle then becomes an action-packed a bit tong in chick plot,with a lot of nods to James Bond (a secretary ,model of Monneypenny,and a special watch)and to the yellow peril (the two gang leaders are a poor man's Fu Manchu and daughter).The lethal weapon which is the subject of the plot is quickly forgotten and when it's over,you will probably have forgotten why those people were fighting. Besides,he does not play Nick Carter but the private eye's son!The film begins with the glorious story of the late papa:he helped Sarah Bernhardt,and was taught to shoot by Buffalo Bill. As the precedent user wrote,Constantine is too old for the part of Nick Carter and he is mostly remembered for his role of Lemmy Caution in Godard's notorious "Alphaville". It was Henri Decoin's last movie and ,although it's a far cry from his forties best ,it's less embarrassing than his colleagues Pierre Chenal's and Henri Calef's swan songs.
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