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A View to a Kill (1985)

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206 comments in total

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30 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :-
Under-rated Bond entry., 2 October 2003
Author: Jonathon Dabell (barnabyrudge@hotmail.com) from Wakefield, England

A View To A Kill seems to get more than its fair share of criticism. Often it is labelled the weakest of the Bond entries, but I don't think this is particularly true. Personally, I don't even rate it as the poorest of Roger Moore's Bond outings, with Moonraker and The Man With the Golden Gun standing out in my memeory as less memorable escapades than this one.

It's Moore's final appearance as 007, and he is trying to prevent a psychotic business magnate, Max Zorin (Walken) from destroying Silicon Valley and cornering the world electronic market all for himself. To make matters worse, Zorin is not your average adversary, since he was born as the result of a Nazi doctor's scientific tamperings resulting in him being hyper-intelligent but also uncontrollably murderous. The mission takes Bond from Zorin's French chateau, to San Francisco, and ultimately to an abandoned mine close to Silicon Valley, where Zorin plans to detonate a bomb which will trigger a cataclysmic earthquake.

The set pieces are memorable, including a parachute pursuit from the Eiffel Tower, a fire engine chase around the hilly streets of San Francisco, and an airship crash on the Golden Gate bridge. Moore looks a bit old for the part, and his sexual humour bears a greater emphasis than usual of the "dirty old man" baggage. However, he still has an easy-going charisma and good comic timing. Walken makes for a good, supremely confident villain, and is well backed by the fearsome Grace Jones. However, Tanya Roberts might be a gorgeous looker, but her Bond girl character is whining and screaming so much in this film that she eventually wears out her welcome. The theme song from Duran Duran is rather too '80s, but the instrumental music by John Barry is stirring and dramatic.

I'm not sure what all the disappointment is about. A View To A Kill is an above average Bond flick with plenty to keep you entertained.

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33 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
UNDERRATED "GUILTY PLEASURE" ENTRY IN THE BOND SERIES, 13 November 2004

Author: megabeady3 from Seattle, Washington

This 1985 Bond film is one of the better entries in the Bond series, even if the story is a bit absurd. It's not quite as good as some of the 1960's classics, and Tanya Roberts is simply awful as the heroine, but Roger Moore is always a treat to watch, and Christopher Walken is solid, if a bit low-key. Some of the scenes in France drag on (the "horse steroids" subplot is tangential to the main story about microchips), but A View to a Kill is still more intelligent than the mindless, over-the-top-action-over-storyline Bonds of the Pierce Brosnan era. Roger Moore is the second-best bond because of his wit alone. If you have to guess who the BEST Bond is, you obviously don't know your Bond history very well.

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25 out of 39 people found the following comment useful :-
Another worthy addition to the Bond series!, 24 April 2004
Author: crawfrordboon from United Kingdom

In Roger Moore's final cinematic assignment as Agent 007, the super-spy must investigate the connection between a Soviet research centre's reproduction of British high-tech blast-proof microchips based and a multi-national industrialist who is hoarding them. With a supporting cast of Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, Patrick McNee, and Tanya Roberts, and locations such as Paris and San Francisco, what you have is another Bond movie with the size and scope to match any of its contemporaries.

To start with the good points, Roger Moore is once again reliable and believable in the role of Bond, and although critics of this movie maintain he was told old by now, this is disputable. The script doesn't allow him as much of his custom wit and repartee, with the writers dropping his usual amiability towards the villain in favour of a disgusted and repulsed tone, which is quite a turn. For those sick of the movies where Bond and his enemies swap endless pleasantries despite efforts to kill each other, check out the Bond/Zorin scenes towards the middle and end of this film. Although not Moore's most memorable turn, he is very solid as 007.

Christopher Walken as Max Zorin, the product of a Nazi genetic experiment who was artificially given both incredible intelligence and psycopathy as a side effect of his mother's treatment in the concentration camps before his birth, gives us an odd-ball but distinctive performance, and is very credible as a single-minded sociopath. Grace Jones plays MayDay, Zorin's bodyguard/girlfriend/personal trainer/hit-woman/seductress and whilst she won't go down as either one of the most beautiful Bond girls or one of his most feared villains, Jones still comes across well with some menace and formidable qualities that even Bond struggles to get to grips with (quite literally!). Both Walken and Jones were odd choices for roles in a Bond movie but both acquit themselves well and gain a respectable place in the pantheon of 007's enemies.

Continuing with the positives, the regulars M, Q, Moneypenny, Frederick Gray, and General Gogol (with Lois Maxwell in her last Bond role) are dependable as ever, and are joined by David Yip as a CIA agent. As in the two previous Bond movies, Moore is joined by a fellow agent on his mission, this time Patrick McNee as Sir Godfrey Tibbett, a horse racing expert affiliated to MI6. In some brilliantly funny scenes, with Bond posing as an owner and Tibbett as his valet, the pair go undercover at Zorin's stables during a horse sale with both hamming it up to distract the guards from suspecting them as impostors. Moore and McNee also appeared together in Sherlock Holmes in New York as Holmes and Watson respectively, as well as The Sea Wolves, and their chemistry is a highlight of the film. Too bad really that Tibbett is assassinated in unusual but chilling fashion by MayDay before the film can make more of his obvious debonair charm.

Also on the plus side, the action is handled very competently, with a Siberian (actually Iceland) ski-chase featuring some extreme-sport pursuits like snowboarding before they became more well-known, an adrenaline-fuelled horse race in which Bond comes under attack from Zorin's henchmen, and a scene in which a Russian agent is fed into a propeller after he is found spying on Zorin. There are also some great stunts, such a base-jump off the Eiffel Tower and in the aforementioned ski scene. For a Bond film the plot is actually fairly logical, although it seems to have borrowed some inspiration from its predecessors. Having said that, which Bond film didn't?

However it isn't all roses. Tanya Roberts is extremely annoying and not at all believable as California's state geologist and a businesswoman whose shares Zorin is trying to buy. Every time it comes to a fight or some action she cowers and whimpers, yelling `Help me James' at the top of her shrill voice, and spends most of the time as some sort of damsel in distress for Bond to save. Apart from Mayday, the henchmen are rather boring this time, with a bunch of caricatures instead of characters: a Texan oil boss, a mad scientist (plus monocle, tweed suit, wild hair, and German accent), and a tall silent type with a facial scar as his single defining feature. Lucky then that Walken is there to bail the movie out and prove, as the tagline suggests, to provide a match for James Bond.

Also, the technically well-done chase sequence in Paris is ruined due to a ludicrous moment in which Bond-s care is hit by another and breaks in half! It looked cool driving on two wheels, but it would have been better in a cartoon. In keeping with some of the less attractive Bond conventions, some of the other action scenes are ruined by an overly-jokey feel - the San Francisco fire truck chase, for example, is played totally for laughs, and, like the Golden Gate Bridge scenes, features so much poor back-projection it is hard not to laugh. Plus, the pre-credits ski-chase is wrecked by an 80's cover of 'California Girls' being played over the action, and Bond's companion and vehicle at the end of this sequence. For all the problems in this paragraph, director John Glen deserves the blame, although he was hardly alone in getting things wrong during 007's 40-year history.

Despite criticisms from some that this is a tired movie with a re-hashed plot and an uninspired screenplay, A View To A Kill holds up pretty well. Most diehard fans of the series don't rank this too highly amongst the others, but for the less demanding viewer there is enough of the Bond formula to appreciate, without a great deal of silliness. There are a few flaws in AVTAK but the positives outweigh the negatives, and while Roger Moore didn't make a great success of his post-Bond career, at least he had a very respectable sign-of from the series with this.

Verdict: 3.5/5: Well worth watching.

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12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
There wasn't anything wrong with this one..., 15 December 2006

Author: diamond_martini from Canada

Despite Roger Moore being a little over the hill for his last Bond film, I still loved it.

The basic premise of this movie is, yes, I admit it, similar to Goldfinger. Christopher Walken who happened to be a product of Nazi experimentation plans to destroy silicone valley and have a monopoly on the computer chip market. This was a great story line, especially in the 1980's when computers were becoming cool.

Tonya Roberts, In my humble opinion was probably the most beautiful Bond girl there was. Her sexy throaty whisper was intoxicating. May Day (Walken's strange and muscular girlfriend) added so much too the story, especially what she did at the end.

Despite what people say about this being one of the worst 007 movies, it had a solid story. An amazing performance by Christopher Walken and a very sexy Tanya Roberts. This movie should at least be somewhere in the middle of your James Bond list. So please give this one a chance, it's one of my favorites. Oh, and we can't forget the theme song, which has to be the best James Bond theme ever, and you can't deny that.

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12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Quite possibly my favourite bond film, 2 January 2007

Author: anthony-hickton from United Kingdom

After reading several not very flattering opinions of this film, I thought it right to add my own opinion to this film. I'd like to discuss a couple of points mentioned in previous comments.

1) Roger's age - I know Roger was in his late 50's when this movie was made but I don't think it really affects the flow of the film. I actually think this is one of Roger's better films.

2). One of the worst bond films of all time - Lot's of comments refer to this movie as being Roger's worst and possibly one of the worst Bond movies of all time. For me the movie has all the essential bond elements a sexy bond girl, a great theme song, terrific bad guy (Christopher Walken) and Roger on top form. The humour is there throughout the film and it just feels like a bond film. Compare this to 'for your eyes only' which never felt like a bond film to me. I feel it is certainly worthy of a much higher rating than 6.0.

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13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Moore Leaves The Series in High Style, 18 April 2005

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

"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.

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Moore was a likable hero who softened the menace saving the world seven times with charm, intelligence, and great dialog…, 7 August 2005

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"A View to a Kill" is a true remake of "Goldfinger." Let's start with the villain and his scheme… The villain, Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), is a true and exact copy of Auric Goldfinger… He owns a stud farm, and wins horse races by cheating... He is the European outsider who plans to wipe out a massive American resource, thus increasing the value of his own stockpiled wealth…His lust for power are greater than his loyalty to a lover…

Disco diva Grace Jones took the role of May Day, Zorin's natural born killer… May Day's leap off the top of the Eiffel Tower is a fine moment in best Bond tradition…This statuesque Jamaican woman—with sharp-cut hair to enhance her profile—is cast as a horse-taming, Kickboxing American who, according to Q, 'must take a lot of vitamins.' Nevertheless, at the film's climax, she retained a few shreds of humanity…

The film opens on an icy Siberian shore, where Bond recovers a microchip from the body of 003, driving back a party of Russian militiamen in his flight back to a British submarine disguised as an ice floe and controlled by blonde compatriot Kimberley Jones (Mary Stavin). The location chosen is both arresting and well-photographed enough to distinguish itself…

Bond is alerted to Zorin's intentions while investigating how the Russians have managed to duplicate a secret microchip resistant to damage caused by the magnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion… The technology has been leaked to the KGB following Zorin's purchase of the research company that developed the chip…

Tanya Roberts—who had joined the cast of television detective series Charlie's Ange1s in 1980—is cast for the role of Stacey Sutton, the beautiful blond geologist and heiress who results a vital assistance to 007 in unraveling the details of Zorin's scheme to detonate a bomb in one of his mines and create a cataclysmic earthquake…

"A View to a Kill" represents the farewell of Lois Maxwell who appeared as Miss Moneypenny for over 20 years of loyal secretarial service, and a unique claim to have featured in every Bond film… The motion picture also concludes Roger Moore's activities for over a decade in Bond adventures…In all his Bond's movies, Moore was a likable hero who softened the menace saving the world seven times with charm, intelligence, and great dialog… However action sequences lost their deadly flavor and took on a madcap flavor… In battles with characters such as J. W. Pepper, Nick Nack, Jaws, and May Day, it was hard to keep too straight a face—and Bond didn't…

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12 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Moore Knew When To Get Out, 10 September 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This was Roger Moore's last James Bond effort. I salute him for doing a fine job replacing a legend in Sean Connery. However, Moore didn't go out with a bang, more like a whimper.

That's the way this movie went: started with a bang with a wild opening. It was still excellent after the first half hour, but then went downhill. After the next half hour, the film was actually boring.

Tanya Roberts was a pretty female lead but her overdone eye makeup made her look cheap. Grace Jones was supposed to be sexy but a woman with flat- top haircut, a ton of makeup and a constant frown on her face was anything but "sexy."

Moore must have known this was a turkey and got out while the getting was good.

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13 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Very good!!!, 9 December 2002

Author: Dave Jones (blakeboyuk@hotmail.com) from Wolverhampton, UK

This is a good Bond film, but sadly is the last with Roger as 007. Despite this, A View to a Kill has one of if not the best Bond bad guys ever. Chris Walken is in fine form as the evil Zorin - a psychopathic mega-lo-maniac with his eyes set on computer domination of the world by destroying silicone valley. I found his devilish laughter, especially just before he dies, one of the best moments in the film. Also his horse related exchanges with 007 are swiftly and enjoyable executed. Obviously Moore does it again with a fine portrayal as JB. The scene with the Iceberg, the fight at Miss Suttons house, the fire truck, the race course are particularly enjoyable. Grace Jones is VERY scary as May Day and certainly one of the most unusual Bond girls. Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton is fine and does what all Bond girls are supposed to do - say "oh James" at the end of the film. With Lois Maxwell and Roger Moore leaving the series its a good swan song for them both. (Also, the title Duran Duran sequence is probably the best of the lot with its colourful 80's imagery and the punchy track from a great band!)

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Lazy. Really Lazy., 22 March 2008

Author: AdnanZ from Canada

"A View to a Kill" begins with a ridiculous teaser which offers a clear view of what's to come. I actually don't know what happened during the teaser because I was trying to figure out if the audio stream on the DVD was off or something because all of a sudden, in the worst use of a pop song out of any movie I've seen recently, the Beach Boys' "California Girls" began playing. Anyway, cut to the theme song, which I have to admit I like. Then horses and some other stuff for an hour. Did I mention Christopher Walken? Like another great Christopher (the Lee variety), he's given a pretty boring character to work with, though he does a good job in the role. Speaking of actors in parts, Roger Moore really shouldn't have been in this movie. He just looks too tired, old, and haggard for the role and lacks any sort of physical presence on camera.

With a lot of Bond films you barely notice the generally paper-thin plot because it's an excuse for several action scenes and the like. In "A View to a Kill" the paper-thin plot is hammered into your head because 70% of the movie actually revolves around it, and Christ, is it boring. If you're going to make a Bond film where there's not a single action scene which is inventive or interesting or different in any way, at least make the screenplay interesting. John Glen offering up some of the laziest directing in the series is only another facet of this failure of a movie. John Barry's score is among his weakest if not his weakest work for the series. Oh, Grace Jones. Grace Jones. Grace Jones. There has never been a more unattractive Bond girl. Terribly shallow of me to say so, but there you have it.

"A View to a Kill", unlike "Moonraker" isn't offensively juvenile or stupid to the point of it resulting in a poor film, it's just absolutely lazy, a lame rehash of old ideas with little inventiveness or energy. It's the nadir of the series because it commits the cardinal sin in film: laziness. At least "Moonraker" tried and failed, it didn't seem that this film even bothered trying.

4/10

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