The Greatest
James Bond Girls



Licence to Kill (1989)


See also Greatest Film Series Franchises: James Bond Films (illustrated)

See also James Bond Films - Summary
Greatest Bond Girls in James Bond Films
Title Screen
Film Title/Year/Director, Bond Girl (Actress)
Screenshots

Licence to Kill (1989)
d. John Glen

Miss Moneypenny (Caroline Bliss)

In this film, Miss Moneypenny (Caroline Bliss in her second and final film appearance) appeared even more briefly than in her previous film.

She was criticized by Bond's (Dalton) boss M (Robert Brown) for making typing mistakes, and for being unduly concerned about the agent's well-being after he went missing (following his resignation from the service, and his licence to kill was revoked).

To help in Bond's unofficial one-man vengeance mission to kill villainous Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), she phoned gadgets-master "Q" (Desmond Llewelyn) to come to Bond's aid in Isthmus City.

When "Q" eventually contacted Bond there, he explained that she had traced him there: "She's worried sick about you."

Licence to Kill (1989)

Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto)

In the pre-title credits sequence, the sultry Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto), the mistress of ruthless Latin American drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), was caught sleeping in the arms of a male rival in a Florida residence. For her disobedience, the outraged Sanchez confronted her: "What did he promise you? His heart?" before ordering: "Give her his heart" - the man's beating heart was cut out (off-screen). He then mercilessly whipped the naked back of his errant lover with the tail of a sting-ray.

During the criminals' retreat to a small airport to escape Florida, Lupe was seized by Bond (Dalton), who was helping his ex-CIA ally Felix Leiter (David Hedison), now head of the local DEA agency in South Florida, to attempt a capture of Sanchez.

Later, she was held captive on the WaveKrest, the marine research vessel of Sanchez' associate Milton Krest (Anthony Zerbe), running a front for his massive drug operation. Krest visited her in his own cabin bedroom where she watched television. He blamed her amorous escapades on causing Sanchez to seek her out in Florida, adding expense and leading to the DEA's investigation of his own Key West warehouse ("You cost me a lot of dough...You'd better watch yourself, girlie...I've seen a lot of girls like you come and go"). She was upset with his attitude toward her, for peeking through her windows, and for accusing her of having won in a fixed phony beauty contest.

Soon after, Bond infiltrated onboard the vessel and came upon the seductive Lupe sleeping naked in bed, and threatened her with a knife to keep silent. When he noticed (with disgust) recent bloody whip marks on her lower back as she put on her red robe, she told how she had wrongly made Sanchez angry.

The next morning as Bond witnessed the body of his murdered fisherman friend Sharky (Frank McRae) being brought onboard - horrified, he told Lupe: "You'd better find yourself a new lover." She retaliated: "Don't you men know any other way?" He thought she liked Sanchez' brutality, although she replied: "You know nothing. Please go."

Later, in Isthmus City where Sanchez owned the casino and main bank as part of his drug empire, Sanchez summoned Lupe (in a low-cut red dress) to be the blackjack dealer at Bond's table (she had formerly worked there at the casino) to change his luck - where Bond was betting (and winning) with the villain's stolen drug money. She predicted that he would lose, and concerned about him, warned him to immediately leave Isthmus City. He convinced her to take him to meet Sanchez in his casino office, and eventually convinced Sanchez that he was a trustworthy ex-British agent, while continually and secretly assisted by Lupe.

In Sanchez' villa after Bond was 'hired' to be part of Sanchez drug organization, Lupe came to his bedroom and asked to be rescued from Sanchez ("I ought to be safe with you"). He was skeptical, but kisses and love-making helped to convince him (Lupe: "How can we tell unless we try? I think it's going to work out very well").

The next morning, Lupe warned a jealous Pam Bouvier (see Bond girl below) that Bond was in danger because Sanchez was checking up on him, as she confessed her love for him: "I love James so much."

By the film's conclusion, after Sanchez had been killed, she was freed from being captive by him. She thanked and kissed Bond at a celebratory party where she was the hostess (at Sanchez' villa), and suggested: "You could stay here with me," but Bond proposed instead that she and the republic's President would make a "perfect couple."

He preferred to enjoy a romantic fling with Pam, and rushed off to find her - ending the film with a clothed clinch in the swimming pool with her.








Licence to Kill (1989)

Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell)

Short-haired and tall Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) first met Bond (Dalton) in a brief encounter at the home-office of Florida's DEA head Felix Leiter (David Hedison) during his own wedding reception. She was unresponsive to Bond, and he was unaware that she was getting information to use against ruthless Latin American drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), as a DEA informant (out of nine informants, she was the sole survivor). Leiter assured Bond of their professional association: "Strictly business, my friend."

At about the 50-minute mark in the film, Bond was surprised to meet her again at the raunchy Barrelhead Bar in Bimini (Bahamas) in the West Indies. He only knew that she was a CIA contract pilot, and had familiarity with Sanchez' operation in Isthmus City in the republic of Isthmus. He warned her that since Sanchez had Leiter's files, she was his next target.

She noted the arrival of Sanchez' deadly henchman Dario (Benicio Del Toro) and other thugs in the bar, ostensibly to kill her. She and Bond plotted how to escape, as she showed him her high-powered weaponry hidden under the table. When Dario approached their table and offered her a job as a charter-plane pilot, a brawl broke out that spread throughout the entire bar. They fled in Bond's speedboat, and although Bouvier was shot in the back by Dario, her Kevlar jacket protected her from serious injury. The hard-nosed, feisty and experienced female bickered with Bond about how she had saved his life ("If it wasn't for me, your ass would have been nailed to the wall"). When Bond objected and told her she should "Leave it to the professionals," she was vehement: "I will not have you lecture me about professionalism!"

Their boat cruised to a stop as the sun was rising, due to bullet holes from the skirmish (Pam: "Out of gas. I haven't heard that one in a long time"). He requested help from the tough-as-nails, in-charge resourceful female - to acquire a complete run-down of Sanchez' operation, and to have her fly him in a private plane to Isthmus City for $50,000 (she slickly bargained for a higher fare of $75,000). She thought his plan for the two of them to take on Sanchez was "crazy," but reluctantly was convinced to help. She sealed the negotiated deal by approaching him for a kiss, but Bond complained afterwards: "Why don't you wait until you're asked?" She smiled back: "Well, why don't you ask me?" - and they passionately kissed a second time before going below the deck to make love.

After arriving in Isthmus City, where she reluctantly posed as his "executive secretary Miss Kennedy" (she insisted on the title "Ms. Kennedy"), he attempted to pay her off for her completed task, but she refused to leave - "I won't be safe until Sanchez is dead. Besides, you could use my help." Exquisitely-dressed, she joined Bond at the Sanchez-owned casino blackjack table and watched as he won with drug money stolen from Sanchez, but then was miffed when he strode off with another sexy Bond girl Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto).

The next evening, Bond again vainly attempted to persuade Pam to leave: "Your job's done," claiming: "I work better alone," but she wanted to stay. After he saw Pam in Sanchez' office when he was about to assassinate the drug lord, he suspected her of collaboration with the enemy and confronted her at gunpoint (with her own thigh-holstered gun), but she denied involvement, and claimed her life was in greater danger.

She continued to aid Bond by ramming the bad guys' WaveKrest research vessel (used as a front for drug transport) into an Isthmus City jetty, and by helping Bond in a 'sting operation' to frame one of Sanchez' associates, Milton Krest (Anthony Zerbe), causing his death by head-explosion. Bond again insisted that Pam leave him, feeling safer on his own, but after they separated, she then learned from Lupe that he was potentially in danger.

Pam became madly jealous after learning of Bond's overnight love-making with Lupe (who revealed to Pam: "Last night he stayed with me...I love James so much") - the foul-mouthed Pam thought it was "bulls--t" that Bond had used every means at his disposal to achieve his objectives ("Q's" words).

However, the next day she continued to provide invaluable support, by infiltrating into Sanchez' drug manufacturing/production facility (disguised as a meditation institute run by tele-evangelist Professor Joe Butcher (Wayne Newton)). When Bond set the laboratory on fire and everyone was evacuating, Pam shot Dario, and saved Bond from death, while sending Dario (at first dangling from Bond's legs) into a cocaine-brick grinder-shredder.

She then piloted a crop-duster plane to provide support from the air to help Bond defeat and kill Sanchez and destroy four tankers full of liquid cocaine-gasoline.

The film ended with a clothed Bond and Pam in a clinch in a swimming pool, after Bond declined Lupe's suggestion to be with her (Lupe: "You could stay here with me").

As they were kissing, as they had done earlier, Pam asked: "Why don't you wait until you're asked?" Bond responded: "So why don't you ask me?"










Greatest Bond Girls in James Bond Films
(chronological, each Bond film a separate page)
Introduction | Dr. No (1962) | From Russia With Love (1963) | Goldfinger (1964) | Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967) | On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) | Diamonds are Forever (1971) | Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) | The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Moonraker (1979) | For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Octopussy (1983) | A View to a Kill (1985) | The Living Daylights (1987) | Licence to Kill (1989)
GoldenEye (1995) | Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) | The World is Not Enough (1999) | Die Another Day (2002)
Casino Royale (2006) | Quantum of Solace (2008) | Skyfall (2012) | Spectre (2015) | No Time to Die (2021) | Unofficial Never Say Never Again (1983)

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