Trivia: This was Timothy Dalton's second and last appearance as James Bond. He initially agreed to play Bond for a third time in "GoldenEye" (1995), but resigned from the role in 1994, believing that too much time had passed since "Licence to Kill".
Trivia: When Sanchez is chasing Bond in the trucks, and when he starts to shoot Bond with the Uzi, listen to the ricochet off the bullets. They sound like the James Bond theme tune.
Trivia: 'License To Kill' was originally titled "License Revoked". (You can see on the DVD Special Features a copy of the script with this title). The title was changed at the insistence of MGM, who claimed audiences would not understand what the word "revoked" meant.
Trivia: Not really a mistake, because it's said by a desperate man, but it amused me. Bond's got the DEA traitor hanging over a shark, and the only way the traitor can escape is with Bond's help. He says to Bond, "there's 2 million dollars in that suitcase – I'll split it with you". How stupid does he think Bond is? James can either rescue this bloke he obviously wants to kill and get $1 million, or he can let him die and keep all $2 million for himself. Let me think...
Trivia: When Pam Bouvier is posing as Bond's personal assistant, he gives her the pseudonym of Miss Kennedy - a reference to the fact that former First Lady Jackie Kennedy's maiden name was Bouvier.
Trivia: 'Licence To Kill' is probably the most violent of all the Bond movies in the series. That's according to the UK censors, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Every Bond movie from "Dr. No" to "The Living Daylights," inclusive, carried a "PG (Parental Guidance)" certificate for UK release. Every Bond movie since "GoldenEye" has carried a "12" certificate. But 'Licence To Kill' had a "15" certificate for its UK release. [Debatable, as the 12 certificate was only introduced with the release of Batman, which came out shortly afterwards, but still likely, as otherwise presumably this movie would have prompted the 12.]
Trivia: In the final driving action sequence in Rumorosa, Mexico, the road was actually closed off because of weird occurrences. On the DVD documentary of LTK, it even said that when Sanchez was exploding, a fiery hand was reaching out of the fire. Note: You can probably see this only on the documentary special feature of Licence to Kill on DVD. But even I have to admit that it was pretty amazing.
Trivia: Licence to Kill is the only Bond movie set entirely in North America.
Trivia: "License To Kill" was the last Bond film to see 007 smoking a cigarette.
Trivia: In the scene where Bond resigns from MI6 he says "Well this a farewell to arms." This a joke refering to the scene being shot at Hemingway House. A Farwell to Arms was one of Hemingway's books.
Trivia: One of the characters in this film is President Hector Lopez, named after the production supervisor in Mexico. Lopez was played by Pedro Armendariz Jr., whose father, Pedro Armendariz, played Kerim Bey in "From Russia with Love".
Trivia: Producer Michael G. Wilson's voice is heard in the pre-title sequence, where he advises fellow DEA colleagues to contact Key West enforcement.
Trivia: When James Bond finds Felix Leiter injured at Leiter's house, there is a note on Felix which reads, "He disagreed with something that ate him." This is a chapter title from the original Ian Fleming novel "Live and Let Die."
Trivia: While shooting the final scenes, one of the stinger missiles fired by Franz Sanchez actually hit a telephone repair man up a telephone pole two-and-a-half miles away.
Trivia: Timothy Dalton is the only actor whose Bond never appears nude in any of his films.
Trivia: The rocket fired at the tanker whilst driving on its side was real (not explosive!), with no guide wires being used.
Trivia: The tanker trucks used in the film were highly modified Kenworth W900's. Many had specific modifications done so they could perform extraordinary feats, such as the wheelie Bond performs during the iconic chase scene. This truck had a highly modified rear suspension, steering brakes for additional control, engine modifications for more horsepower and counterweights on the rear frame to help lift the front end. The wheelie truck is the only known survivor of the films and currently resides at Mid-Florida Tech.
Trivia: Franz Sanchez' line, "Loyalty is more important to me than money", was written by Robert Davi.
Trivia: White plastic fishing grubs were used as maggots for the scene at Krest's lab in Key West.
Trivia: Desmond Llewelyn ("Q") has more screen time in this film than any of the other Bond movies he appeared in.
Chosen answer: "License to Kill" is partly based on the novel "Live and Let Die" and the short story "Hilderbrand Rarity". However, it is the first Bond film not titled after a book. While "The Spy Who Loved Me" shares its name with a book, it was the first Bond film not based on a book (though subsequently, there was a novelization of the film.) "Goldeneye" is the first film not based on a book AND not titled after a book.