For the first time in the series, Bond’s mission is entirely personal. After CIA agent and Bond’s best friend Felix Leiter is mauled by a shark and Leiter’s new wife is murdered on their wedding day by drug lord Franz Sanchez, M orders Bond to leave the case to the DEA and Hong Kong narcotics. Bond refuses, and when M revokes his “licence to kill” (his 00 status), Bond resigns and goes rogue. He infiltrates Sanchez’s organization, turns his lieutenants against him, and ultimately destroys his drug empire in a brutal final confrontation.
From Dr. No to Safin, James Bond has used that licence over 250 times on screen. But the most important kill is always the first one—the one that earned him the number. 007 licence to kill
The is the greatest superpower in cinema, combined with the heaviest curse. It is not a piece of paper in a wallet; it is a state of mind. It is the agreement between the audience and the screen that for two hours, we accept that killing can be heroic. For the first time in the series, Bond’s