Tags
007, 1980's, A View to a Kill, Christopher Walken, Desmond Llewelyn, Fiona Fullerton, Grace Jones, James Bond, John Glen, Lois Maxwell, Patrick Macnee, Robert Brown, Roger Moore, Spy, Tanya Roberts, Walter Gotell, Willoughby Grey
Film Title
A View to a Kill
Director
John Glen
Starring
- Roger Moore as James Bond
- Christopher Walken as Max Zorin
- Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton
- Grace Jones as May Day
- Patrick Macnee as Sir Godfrey Tibbett
- Willoughby Grey as Dr Carl Mortner
- Fiona Fullerton as Pola Ivanova
- Robert Brown as M
- Desmond Llewelyn as Q
- Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny
- Walter Gotell as General Gogol
Roger Moore finally bowed out of the role of 007 with A View to a Kill, which was his record seventh appearance as the spy. Whilst there are parts that are entertaining, it isn’t really a worthy farewell to the Moore era. Octopussy would have been a much better swan song for Moore to go out on than this underwhelming effort that ranks as one of the weaker Bond entries.
After discovering a microchip on the body of a fellow agent who was killed in Siberia and narrowly escaping, MI6’s best agent James Bond investigates the case. The chip leads him to Max Zorin, an industrialist with the microchip business as well as horse racing. The seemingly respectable Zorin is actually a psychopath, who along with his loyal but deadly assistant and lover May Day,was the result of a biological test by Dr Carl Mortner, a Nazi doctor . 007 traces Zorin from Ascot, then Paris and for the grand finale San Francisco, where the full extent of Zorin’s scheme comes into a disturbing light. Aided first by fellow MI6 agent Godfrey Tibbett and later by geologist Stacey Sutton, who has history with Zorin, Bond attempts to foil the twisted psychopath’s dastardly plan to flood Silicon Valley and gain a monopoly on the world microchip market.
Coming up against the fearsome May Day and other cronies of Zorin’s along with many life and death situations, Bond knows the mission is going to be far from easy if he is to successfully take down this psychopath.
Part of the problem with Moore’s last entry is the overuse of comedy that detracts from many effective sequences. I don’t mind a bit of humour in the Bond movies, but here it just goes overboard with it and never really recovers. Other entries have successfully combined humour, suspense and action, but A View to a Kill doesn’t fall into that category. John Glen is once again in the director’s chair, but his touch isn’t as assured as it has been and A View to a Kill isn’t glowing in terms of greatness. The fact also is that Roger Moore looks too old for the part now and the suspension in disbelief of him as 007 really waned with this entry, which proved to be his last. With those negatives out of the way, here come the positives. The locations used are once again stunning, from the snows of Siberia, the finery of a French Chateau to the use of San Francisco in sun-bathed glory as Bond attempts to stop Zorin and his plan. John Barry is thankfully on hand to compose the beautiful score, which harks back to the classic Bond feel and succeeds in giving this entry something worthy of praise. Duran Duran provide the electrifying title song, which marries 80’s rock riffs with classic strings and the result is impressive. The title sequence has a rebellious edge, with seductive women sporting Mohawks and neon-body paint.
Although he still has style and panache, Roger Moore is just too old for the role in his last installment. Which is a real shame as he had made the role his own and deserved much better material for his final entry as 007. Christopher Walken is an inspired choice for the role of Zorin and he plays him with unhinged menace, cunning smile and odd sense of humour. Tanya Roberts may be gorgeous to look at but her role isn’t the best example of a Bond girl and the character of Stacey is just not that interesting. It’s hard to take her seriously as a geologist and her constant screaming for help really does become annoying after a while. Far more effective is Grace Jones as the villainous May Day, Zorin’s sidekick and deadly weapon. Jones imbues May Day with an unusually intimidating demeanor, brute strength and an Amazonian glamour, which really makes her an excellent female villain to add to the series. Patrick Macnee contributes old-school wit and upper-crust knowledge as a fellow MI6 agent, but Willoughby Grey is too over the top to be believable as the crazed doctor whose experiments resulted in Zorin and May Day. Briefly appearing but oozing sex appeal is Fiona Fullerton as a KGB honey trap who tries to outsmart Bond on his mission. Robert Brown and Desmond Llewelyn are respectively great as M and Q. Lois Maxwell signs off in style as Moneypenny and her contribution to the series can really be felt in her last outing as the loyal secretary. Walter Gotell is back as Gogol, this time helping MI6 in their pursuit of Zorin as he was once a member of the KGB who has decided to go renegade.
So despite some moments of greatness, A View to a Kill sadly ranks as an unworthy way for Roger Moore to bow out on.
I love this one but mostly just for the hilariously cheesy dialogue.
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It does have that strange guilty pleasure feel to it at times.
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Not entirely going to agree with you here Vinnieh. When this came out I remember liking it a lot more than OCTOPUSSY because that had seemed far too silly (like swinging on jungle vines with the Tarzan cry added to the soundtrack) and this was, by comparison, quite restrained – and Grace Jones is just fabulous too! I am a bit more partial to the old world charm of the Indian adventure now but do still like AVTAK, not least as it’s a remake of my favourite Connery Bond, GOLDFINGER. Also Moore actually looks a lot younger and fitter here than he did in his previous outing (pretty sure he had a face lift – he does look rather startled throughout) but the age discrepancy with the leading lady is very apparent (not to mention Sutton must be one of the dumbest Bond ladies ever!).
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Thanks for your thoughts, always appreciate them. The Bond films always provide interesting discussion points and that’s why they’re so great to review.
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BEST BOND THEME EVER!
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It’s definitely up there with the best.
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It might be an unpopular opinion but I really like the Cornell one.
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I actually really like that one as well. It has a contemporary edge to it but still harks back to the classic Bond sound.
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Totally agree. His voice is awesome on that track too. I cannot stand Adele’s theme, with her “Crumb bowl!”
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A View to a Kill was the first Bond film I ever watched when I was a kid so for me there’s a lot of sentiment for it. Yes not perfect and Moore clearly looking his age but still remains a guilty pleasure of mine. I certainly rate it over Octopussy which was….terrible!
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It definitely has that guilty pleasure appeal to it.
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I’ve actually grown to like A View to a Kill, I feel that it takes itself more seriously than Octopussy which was completely derailed by the overuse of humour and parody!
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Appreciate the comment.
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I’d rank this as the worst Bond film — Moore is far, far too old, the humour is in overdrive, and I can’t stand Grace Jones!
That said, I used to despise Moonraker but now rather like it, so it’s about time I gave AVTAK another spin. At least Duran Duran’s theme is great.
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Definitely a weaker entry to the series to say the very least.
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this is definitely a guilty pleasure for me. love this film despite it being so cheesy! great review
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Always appreciate your comments Rob.
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I have to say I have a soft spot for this 007 entry, I think because I first caught this as a kid, that viewpoint has never really left me. For me he always kept “the british end up”. All that being said he was too old by the time this one came along, even he admits that. He started in his 40’s/later 30’s after Connery came back for one more. I think they all milk the role to a certain extent, once your out your out.
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Nostalgia is always a huge part of any Bond fan’s life.
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Oh yes, couldn’t agree more
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There’s just something magical about these movies that never leaves you. Thanks for all the comments mate, I must sign off now as I’m in desperate need of some decent sleep.
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Another good one Vinnie! Silly Bond, but good for some fun.
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That’s a perfect description of this film David.
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So, assuming you had a ready and worthy replacement, when would you have had Moore bow out of the franchise?
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Probably with Octopussy, that would have been a good swan song.
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With “A View to a Kill” Roger Moore goes out with neither a bang nor a whimper. He goes out somewhere between the two: an ageing gentleman, working hard to save the day with a wink and a one-liner. Though not all elements in the film are able to support his impish heroism, Moore, as always, was in fine form.
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Hi Paul, good to see you read my Bond reviews. This movie had parts I enjoyed, but overall it wasn’t my favourite.
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