Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Patrick Macnee, Patrick Bauchau, Willoughby Gray, Robert Brown, Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn
The final outing as 007 for the beloved Roger Moore makes him the second-longest serving actor as Bond after 13 years...
After MI6 agent James Bond (Moore) acquires a microchip from dead agent 003 in Siberia, MI6 link the chip to Zorin Industries, run by wealthy tycoon Max Zorin (Walken) who has ties with the KGB.
With the help of fellow agent Godfrey Tibbet (Macnee), Bond goes undercover to investigate Zorin and his bodyguard, the alluring May Day (Jones) at their private stud farm in France, meeting geologist Stacy Sutton (Roberts) in the process.
Bond unravels a plot by Zorin to destroy Silicon Valley in San Francisco, ending the US dominance of the microchip market. Bond must convince Stacy to help stop Zorin before Silicon Valley is lost forever…
A great and criminally under-rated addition to the Bond series (and Moore films in general), serving as a fitting farewell to one of the most loved, most passionate and iconic 007 actors of all, Sir Roger Moore.
The usual traits are here with fun characters, great action sequences and a fantastic soundtrack. Compensating Moore's age at 57 during filming, he's no spring chicken now but the stunt team make up with some great sequences like the Eiffel Tower chase via parachute and car, through to the San Francisco street chase and city hall fire right up to the Golden Gate Bridge fight to the death between Bond and Zorin.
There’s a nice, steady pace here with a lot more investigative work carried out by Bond, making a refreshing change of pace from the usual action-packed adventure and also letting Moore do that bit more at his age rather than heavy stunt work.
It flows well and is always entertaining, thanks to the actors on screen and the tongue-in-cheek approach to the action but also a great deal of violence and darker moments, usually unheard of for a Roger Moore outing.
Tanya Roberts does suffer from helpless-Bond-girl-itus by her powerful lungs, screaming in most scenes as she faces danger, and this detracts from when she’s not opening her mouth as she is not too bad. The Amazonian stature of Grace Jones lends another memorable female villain of the series, and even if MI6 is populated by OAPs at this time, the cast still know how to deliver good guys and bad guys as required.
This is saved even more by Christopher Walken as Max Zorin who gives a wonderful performance, bordering on smooth charmer and dangerous psychotic, clearly enjoying his time as a Bond villain, from his little laughs of self-amusement that come across so naturally, to his ruthless evil streak.
Also, look for tough man Dolph Lundgren in his first screen role as a KGB agent confronting Zorin and May Day with General Gogoll at the French racetracks.
With one the greatest theme tunes of the series by Duran Duran, Bond still packs the punches as Roger Moore bows out with a fun and memorable entry.
Made greater by Christopher Walken as our psychotic villain, the swan song for Moore reminds us that these lighter, easier watching and simple Bond films continue to be a treasure worth re-visiting over and over.
'A View To A Kill' is an EON Productions production
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