A View to a Kill is directed by John Glen and adapted to screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson from an Ian Fleming short story titles From a View to a Kill. It stars Roger Moore, Tanya Roberts, Christopher Walken, Patrick Macnee, Grace Jones and David Yip. Music is scored by John Barry and cinematography by Alan Hume.
Bond 14 and 007 is assigned to investigate millionaire industrialist and race horse owner Max Zorin, who MI6 suspect is selling critical microchip information to the Soviets.
It was touch and go if Roger Moore would carry out his intention to quit the franchise, as it happened he slotted into the tux for one last time. A mistake, for although A View to a Kill is hardly the runt of the Bond litter, it's a very lazy Bond movie, one that desperately tries to hide its laziness with production values. On the plus side is that Bond here is mostly gadget free, meaning he has to use his wits and guile to either save himself and others or further his ends. But the overt humour is all over the tired script, a script that lifts from Goldfinger, thus making a mockery of the claims in some quarters that this is a fresh and imaginative Bond! it also includes one of the worst Bond girls of all time in Roberts' Stacey Sutton. Sexy without doubt, gorgeous too, but the character is nothing but a woman in peril excuse and Roberts' delivery of techno speak laughably lacks credibility.
Elsewhere there are some fine performances. I'm very much in the camp that loves Walken's take on Zorin, looking like he has just stepped out of the Aryan Brotherhood, he is maniacal and callous, but Walken knows when to underplay the role and gives the clearly psychotic loon a degree of charm that underpins Zorin's edginess. Grace Jones is one of the more original Bond girls, a villainess who is highly sexual, strong of mind and a physical threat, Jones does fine work with the role, even if a sex scene with Bond is more funny than sexy. Macnee is a welcome addition, his byplay with Moore a highlight and there's a certain thrill to observing John Steed and James Bond together, even if it as two old stagers. Lois Maxwell makes her final appearance as Moneypenny, and thankfully for a change the makers giver her something to do as she goes out in the field. Fiona Fullerton slips in as KGB agent Pola Ivanova, and leaves a very good mark by paying the role with seductive charm and no little skill, really it would have made sense to have had Fullerton in the Stacey Sutton role. Other performances, though, are either weak (Yip, Willoughby Gray) or superfluous (Patrick Bauchau).
Acton wise there is plenty, though not all of it works. An exciting pre-credits sequence is ruined by the crass introduction of a ski-surf escape backed by the Beach Boys singing California Girls, a "half" car chase in Paris is just stupid beyond belief, while a fire engine chase/escape in Frisco serves no purpose and is blighted by crude back projection. However, film is saved by Bond's participation in a steeplechase sequence, a breath taking leap from the Eiffel Tower (B.J. Worth the stunt man), underground flood peril with a murderous Zorin going bonkers and a quite excellent finale atop of the Golden Gate Bridge, resplendent with stricken airship and hand to hand combat. Hume brings vibrancy of colour at the lovely locations and Barry provides a strong score and oversees a belter of a title song by pop sensations Duran Duran. Worldwide box office cashed in $152 million, a big success but considerably down on Octopussy's take. As with all Bond films, it does have fans, but View to a Kill was fairly well assessed by the critics and Bond purists, it is tired and Moore, as game as he was, only aids the lazy feel of the film.
Moore left the franchise, however, with head held well and truly high. He thought it an honour to play James Bond and during 7 films that garnered sustainable/huge box office takings, he brought his own unique entertaining brand to the much loved secret agent. It should not be forgotten that he had to take over from Connery, a task many predicted would be too much for him, and he often had to contend with silly scripts, but with The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only on his CV, Moore proved to be a very good Bond indeed. Now the producers once again found themselves at a crossroads with the franchise, a new actor was needed for Bond, and would they go in another direction for the new era? 6.5/10
Bond 14 and 007 is assigned to investigate millionaire industrialist and race horse owner Max Zorin, who MI6 suspect is selling critical microchip information to the Soviets.
It was touch and go if Roger Moore would carry out his intention to quit the franchise, as it happened he slotted into the tux for one last time. A mistake, for although A View to a Kill is hardly the runt of the Bond litter, it's a very lazy Bond movie, one that desperately tries to hide its laziness with production values. On the plus side is that Bond here is mostly gadget free, meaning he has to use his wits and guile to either save himself and others or further his ends. But the overt humour is all over the tired script, a script that lifts from Goldfinger, thus making a mockery of the claims in some quarters that this is a fresh and imaginative Bond! it also includes one of the worst Bond girls of all time in Roberts' Stacey Sutton. Sexy without doubt, gorgeous too, but the character is nothing but a woman in peril excuse and Roberts' delivery of techno speak laughably lacks credibility.
Elsewhere there are some fine performances. I'm very much in the camp that loves Walken's take on Zorin, looking like he has just stepped out of the Aryan Brotherhood, he is maniacal and callous, but Walken knows when to underplay the role and gives the clearly psychotic loon a degree of charm that underpins Zorin's edginess. Grace Jones is one of the more original Bond girls, a villainess who is highly sexual, strong of mind and a physical threat, Jones does fine work with the role, even if a sex scene with Bond is more funny than sexy. Macnee is a welcome addition, his byplay with Moore a highlight and there's a certain thrill to observing John Steed and James Bond together, even if it as two old stagers. Lois Maxwell makes her final appearance as Moneypenny, and thankfully for a change the makers giver her something to do as she goes out in the field. Fiona Fullerton slips in as KGB agent Pola Ivanova, and leaves a very good mark by paying the role with seductive charm and no little skill, really it would have made sense to have had Fullerton in the Stacey Sutton role. Other performances, though, are either weak (Yip, Willoughby Gray) or superfluous (Patrick Bauchau).
Acton wise there is plenty, though not all of it works. An exciting pre-credits sequence is ruined by the crass introduction of a ski-surf escape backed by the Beach Boys singing California Girls, a "half" car chase in Paris is just stupid beyond belief, while a fire engine chase/escape in Frisco serves no purpose and is blighted by crude back projection. However, film is saved by Bond's participation in a steeplechase sequence, a breath taking leap from the Eiffel Tower (B.J. Worth the stunt man), underground flood peril with a murderous Zorin going bonkers and a quite excellent finale atop of the Golden Gate Bridge, resplendent with stricken airship and hand to hand combat. Hume brings vibrancy of colour at the lovely locations and Barry provides a strong score and oversees a belter of a title song by pop sensations Duran Duran. Worldwide box office cashed in $152 million, a big success but considerably down on Octopussy's take. As with all Bond films, it does have fans, but View to a Kill was fairly well assessed by the critics and Bond purists, it is tired and Moore, as game as he was, only aids the lazy feel of the film.
Moore left the franchise, however, with head held well and truly high. He thought it an honour to play James Bond and during 7 films that garnered sustainable/huge box office takings, he brought his own unique entertaining brand to the much loved secret agent. It should not be forgotten that he had to take over from Connery, a task many predicted would be too much for him, and he often had to contend with silly scripts, but with The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only on his CV, Moore proved to be a very good Bond indeed. Now the producers once again found themselves at a crossroads with the franchise, a new actor was needed for Bond, and would they go in another direction for the new era? 6.5/10