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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 20.37%
Worth A Look: 16.67%
Average: 44.44%
Pretty Bad: 11.11%
Total Crap: 7.41%
2 reviews, 42 user ratings
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| View to a Kill, A |
by MP Bartley
"The One In Silicon Valley"
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Roger Moore could count himself as unlucky, as it was his tenure as Bond that's the most inconsistent. Some were good, some were excellent, some stank and most of them were silly. 'A View To A Kill', fittingly enough for his finale, sums up his time as Bond - it's silly, smug, but entertaining for the time.The pre-credit skiing sequence here is fairly standard when it comes to similar sequences in the Bond films. Great scenery, but nothing new about it and it's totally undermined by the ridiculous use of the Beach Boys to score the scene. It's redeemed however by Duran Duran's corking theme tune (I love 80's electro-pop).
Bond was skiing to retrieve a missing microchip that is vital to Britain's defences. However it seems that the Russians are producing the same microchips and have a mole in the company that produces them, Zorin industries. Bond is assigned to investigate Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) and his lithe assistant/lover/bodyguard MayDay (Grace Jones).
We should all be grateful that Roger Moore finally took the decision to quit the role here, for no matter how much of a Moore fan you are, it can't be denied that he's looking far, far too old for the part now. He's a wrinkly old man which looks queasy when he's seducing women half his age (a dim and annoying Tanya Roberts here) and when it comes to the action sequences, he practically needs a run up to tackle anyone. And the brown leather jacket is so not a good look for Bond. He works best however with his nicely defined relationship with his assistant Tebbit (Patrick Macnee) which provides one of the films most shocking moments.
Luckily for him that 'A View To Kill' main strengths lie in its action sequences which are certainly the best of any Moore film, and possibly any Bond film ever. Two car chases through Paris and New York are smashingly done and the finale atop the Golden Gate Bridge is a dizzying climax that Hitchcock would have been proud of.
In truth, there's a lot to admire here, it's just hidden beneath an ageing star and tacky dross. It lacks the class, intelligence and style of a great Bond and instead just becomes a very standard entry. Another reason that the film pulls itself up to a decent flick is it's standard of villians. Jones may not be able to actually act but she looks like she's going to kick Bonds arse throughout the film and is one of the more memorable henchmen. Or henchwoman.
But then there's Walken, doing what Walken does best, chewing scenery and acting all over the place. Over the top he may be, but at least he doesn't phone his performance in, and he's never boring to watch in a deliriously nutty and tittering performance. It's highly noticeable that when he disappears out of the middle of the film, it's the films biggest sag. Glen may direct some top-notch action, but the glue inbetween is soggy indeed.
It's not a good film for the regulars however. Brown continues to be an unlikeable M and it'd Q least worthy appearance since 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'. And poor Louis Maxwell, in her last Bond film too, doesn't get the send off she deserves as Miss Moneypenny.There's no sense of loss with Moore deserting the role, as he carried on for too long and was a flimsy presence in the role. Charming he may be, but Bond needs toughness too which he failed to adequately convey. 'A View To A Kill' then can be summed up much in the same way as much of Moore's time in the role can - adequate, but needed toughening up.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1227&reviewer=293
originally posted: 08/10/04 02:06:10
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USA
02-Jul-1985 (PG)
UK
N/A
Australia
02-Feb-1985 (PG)
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