A View to a Kill (1985)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Glen

Writers:

Ian Fleming (story)
Richard Maibaum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 May 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Adventure Above And Beyond All Other Bonds

Plot:

An investigation of a horse-racing scam leads 007 to a mad industrialist who plans to create a worldwide microchip monopoly by destroying California's Silicon Valley.

Plot Keywords:

Silicon Valley | Microchip | James Bond | Earthquake | Computer

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20	2:30 PM	USA
Tue. July 21	1:05 AM	USA

Cast

Roger Moore	...	James Bond
Christopher Walken	...	Max Zorin
Tanya Roberts	...	Stacey Sutton
Grace Jones	...	May Day
Patrick Macnee	...	Sir Godfrey Tibbett
Patrick Bauchau	...	Scarpine
David Yip	...	Chuck Lee
Fiona Fullerton	...	Pola Ivanova
Manning Redwood	...	Bob Conley
Alison Doody	...	Jenny Flex
Willoughby Gray	...	Dr. Carl Mortner / Hans Glaub
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Robert Brown	...	M
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Walter Gotell	...	General Anatol Gogol

Also Known As:

From a View to a Kill (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | West Germany:12 (cut) (video premiere) | Germany:12 (re-release) (uncut) | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | UK:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1985) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

2201 Broadway, Oakland, California, USA

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

According to Inside 'A View to a Kill' (2000) (V), the color scheme of red , white and green of the Zorin Airship was based on the Fuji Airship logo color scheme. This is because during a location scout actual footage was used from this recce in the finished movie and the long shots had to match the close-ups.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Bond and Sutton are on top of the burning elevator fire burns the cables and it falls down the shaft. In reality a Molotov cocktail can't produce enough heat to burn through heavy steel cables.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Kimberley Jones: I thought you'd never get back.
James Bond: Well, there was a heck of a crowd on the piste!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Kameleon als schokkend doelwit (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Four Seasons

Moore Leaves The Series in High Style

"A View to a Kill" marks the end of an era. Roger Moore says adios to the role that made him a household name. Hardcore fans of the series usually dismiss this movie as one of Moore's less effective films but I found the movie very entertaining (in a popcorn kind of way). It is pure escapism, but a tad more serious than Bond's previous adventure, the engaging and amusing "Octopussy". It is actually a little strange to see that the things that defined Moore as Bond (easy charm, droll humor), are mostly absent from this movie. The tone is more serious and (at least for the first half) action sequences are sporadic, with the plot taking center stage. I don't mean to say that there is no humor, but there are things in the film that makes the story more serious than usual. For example, Christopher Walken's baddie is the most cruel, vicious Bond villain ... ever! He is not an egomaniac, but a mentally disturbed psychopath and his "plan" is equally sick. Goldfinger, Scaramanga, and Dr. No are villains you love to hate, but Walken's Max Zorin is a truly disgusting fiend, which gives the story a dark undertone that no other Bond film has (the violence is also a little more realistic than usual). It is almost as if director Glen wanted to combine the seriousness of "For Your Eyes Only", with the high adventure of "Octopussy". The result is a good, satysfying action movie. Grace Jones cannot act, but the singer's natural charisma makes her May Day a memorable bad girl. I cannot say the same of Tanya Roberts, who is simply atrocious - she is one of the worst Bond girls of all time. I love the Duran Duran song (but then, I'm a fan of the group), but John Barry's usually great score is unmemorable. As for Moore, he is indeed too old for the role. I think he looks terrific for his age, but at this point, it is too obvious that the stunt men are much younger than the leading actor, so suspension of disbelief is hard to achieve. While I love Moore's Bond, it does look like it was time for him to go. Overall, I did enjoy the film (I particularly found the plot interesting and the climax is a lot of fun). This film is a nice bookend to an era.