A View to a Kill


Starring: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown, Lois Maxwell
Directed by: John Glen
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
1985

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A criminal mastermind (Christopher Walken) is determined to take out Silicon Valley for his own financial gain. The only man standing in his way and in the way of thousands of innocent deaths, is 007 James Bond (Roger Moore).

Review:

Tim: This movie marks the last outing of Roger Moore as James Bond. I have to say, it was never more apparent that he needed to hang this role up. The writing was on the wall in Octopussy, but I couldn't bring myself to say it or even really think about it. This time, it is impossible not to- Roger Moore was simply too old to play Bond. He was nearly 6- years old when this film came out- and it shows. Moore as Bond is slow, less agile, and just looks tired. Too often, he looked downright silly running around or doing stunts. Moore gave us some terrific moments as James Bond, but there are fewer and fewer here. It is a bit sad, but I had a hard time getting into the story, because Moore was just too old.

It doesn't help that some of the film's action scenes are fairly lackluster. A great deal of time was spent on the fire and the firetruck sequences, neither of which was particularly memorable or exciting. Most of the movie's stunts leave a great deal to be desired, as does every scene where Moore actually has to move. It was difficult to get excited about anything in this movie.

One of the film's few bright spots was Christopher Walken's villainous performance. He makes one of the most quirky, fun Bond villains. I liked him in his role. The character was an interesting, complex one. There are also some decent moments- the ski scene is very good, although it couldn't be more apparent that a stunt double was used. Moore could in no way do even a fraction of those stunts.

I also did not like the character of May Day, played by Grace Jones. She was just so bizarre and her androgynous appearance was a real head scratcher. I appreciate the movie having a strong female, but I just didn't enjoy her at all.

A View to a Kill is one of the weaker 007 films. The film isn't particularly memorable, disappoints in many scenes throughout, features a too-old Roger Moore, and easily stays hidden in the shadows of the much better Bond films. Obviously, fans of James Bond need to see this movie. However, this is not anywhere near the top of the list of Bond movies people NEED to see. I truly appreciate Roger Moore giving us some great movies and great moments over the years, but he stuck around one film too long. It was time for a change.

Rating 1-10

Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Octopussy, For Your Eyes Only, Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me