James Bond targets a vicious Latin drug dealer to avenge the maiming of his CIA buddy. When the DEA zeroes in on International drug king Franz Sanchez, they enlist the help of James Bond and his CIA counterpart, Felix Leiter, as the two of them are on their way to Felix's wedding. After catching Sanchez, Bond and Leiter skydive to the wedding. However, Federal agent Ed Killifer accepts a $2 million bribe to help Sanchez escape. He has Felix maimed by a great white shark and his bride done away with. When Bond finds them, an American law enforcer warns him that the U.S. has laws too.
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M gives Bond a dressing down for not being in Istanbul as assigned. Bond resigns from the Secret Service and takes off with his friend Sharkey to investigate Franz and his partner Milton Krest, but Krest's henchmen kill Sharkey. Bond does, however, confront Killifer and won't accept a bribe from him, instead dropping him into the same shark pool where Felix ended up maimed.
Bond enlists the aid of CIA pilot Pam Bouvier to help take down Sanchez after narrowly escaping one of Franz's goons. They track Sanchez to Latin American country of Isthmus, where Bond applies for a job as Sanchez's bodyguard. Q, the MI6 armourer, shows up insisting on helping Bond and Pam. Bond tries to question Sanchez's girlfriend, Lupe, who panics and tried to get rid of him. Instead, she falls for Bond and tries to warn Pam and Q, which makes Pam jealous.
A British agent comes to collect Bond, who has been detained by Hong Kong Narcotics agents. All of them are killed by Franz's employees.
Sanchez takes Bond to his base, which uses a meditation retreat as a front. Sanchez's scientists can dissolve cocaine in petrol. Sanchez's employee Dario recognizes Bonds and rats him out to Sanchez. Bond starts a fire in the lab and manages to drop Dario into a cocaine shredder when Pam shows up.
Sanchez flees and four tankers full of the cocaine and petrol mixture are taken onto a desert highway. With Pam's help, Bond destroys three of them and finishes off most of Sanchez's men. When the last tanker tumbles down a hillside, Sanchez, soaked in gas, tries to attack Bond with a machete. Bond reveals a lighter given to him by Felix and sets Sanchez on fire, igniting the tanker as Bond flees. Pam drives up in the tractor from one of the tankers and rescues Bond.
At a party at Sanchez's old mansion, Bond gets a call that M wants him back. He rejects Lupe and gets together with Pam.
Best part of story, including ending:
I liked the darker, more violent tone compared to previous Bond movies. The revenge was satisfying, set up by Sanchez's cruel retribution against not only Felix but his bride.
Best scene in story:
The climax. It was consistent with the usual climax of Bond wiping the villain's operation, but the chase through the desert breathed new life into it, and it was a bit reminiscent of "The Road Warrior."
Opinion about the main character:
I like that Bond is suave but always kicks butt. He isn't afraid of anything!