Robert Davi
(Franz Sanchez) images

Robert Davi playing Franz Sanchez

Born in New York, USA on 26th June 1954

Starred In Licence To Kill (1989)

film information

Franz Sanchez played by Robert Davi is the main villain of Licence To Kill. Whilst travelling to Felix Leiter’s wedding James Bond and Felix take a detour when they are informed by DEA agents that Sanchez is in the Bahamas.

After a successful and daring attempt to ‘hook’ Sanchez after going ‘fishing’, Bond and Felix parachute from their helicopter landing at the entrance to the church below.

During Sanchez’s transportation to a prison, Ed Killifer tempted by a $2 million dollar deal, assists the drug lords escape by driving the prison van into the sea, where Scuba divers are waiting to help make their underwater escape. After gruesomely feeding Leiter to a shark, Sanchez gets transportation back to his empire in Isthmus City.

Later Sanchez meets Bond after he does well in the casino where Bond introduces himself as a ‘problem eliminator’. Sitting behind two inches of armoured glass, Bond is delighted when Q appears providing him with the necessary gadgets to kill Sanchez. Using the Rappelling Cummerbund, Dentonite Toothpaste And Detonator and Signature Gun, Bond sets his targets on Sanchez. Just as he is about to pull the trigger however he is ambushed by some Ninjas.

After Sanchez learns that Bond is a former British Agent who helps him learn of the so-called betrayal of Milton Krest, he has Krest eliminated in a very nasty way. Bond is invited along to see the heart of Sanchez’s operation where Dario spots him. Leaving Dario to deal with Bond to make sure he becomes chopped into tiny pieces, Sanchez abandons the plant with Truman-Lodge and various henchmen. After an exciting chase using tankers containing cocaine dissolved in gasoline, Bond manages to destroy all the tankers sending Sanchez’s profits up in smoke. After fighting aboard one of the tankers that crashes down an embankment, Sanchez gains the upper hand. He is just about to slice Bond with a large sword, when Bond catches him off guard showing the lighter given to him by Felix. Bond then ignites the lighter setting the petrol soaked Sanchez alight.

character information

Sanchez is a Central American drug lord running his own empire in the fictitious nation of Isthmus City. Owner of a large luxury estate, protected by an army of henchmen and controller of the city President, Sanchez has either bribed, intimidated or killed most of the city’s officials. Heading an international drugs cartel Sanchez is both ruthless and merciless, yet is cultured, refined and a man of his word. Sanchez rewards loyalty but promises death to anyone who double-crosses him. With paranoid tendencies relating to the loyalty of his men, Bond is able to exploit this weakness to get Sanchez to kill a couple of his own men when Bond convinces him they are cheating on him. §