A View to a Kill
Published September 5, 2015
Film info
- Title A View to a Kill
- Director John Glen
- Year 1985
- Run time 2hrs 11m
- Genres Thriller, Action, Adventure
- Tagline Has James Bond finally met his match?
Secret agent 007 must stop a megalomaniacal technology mogul from destroying Silicon Valley in this last appearance by Roger Moore as James Bond. Computer baron Max Zorin is planning to trigger a major California earthquake in order to wipe out his competitors. Bond is assigned to stop him, but first he must do battle with Zorin's statuesque partner in crime, May Day. High-wire confrontations ensue, as Bond battles the villains at international landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and romances an attractive geologist.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:23 | Ooh, more skiing. I was sure Moore’s thing was the boats but he likes his winter sports too. |
| 3:10 | As cool as these stunts are, Bond does appear to have a handbag. |
| 10:40 | Q has a robot! Yay! |
| 14:18 | That’s a grumpy face! Lost-a-lot-of-Moneypenny. |
| 15:14 | “She must take a lot of vitamins.” |
| 28:25 | The case of the disappearing horse. |
| 29:54 | Grace Jones is really scary. |
| 34:53 | I can’t believe I didn’t know Christopher Actual Walken was in a James Bond. |
| 46:09 | Early days but loving the primitive computers. |
| 50:47 | The question is, how many enemies does Zorin have that he needs a murderous steeplechase course like that! |
| 52:43 | Poor Tibbet. This is just like Vijay all over again. |
| 58:41 | Blimp! |
| 1:04:41 | Love Zorin as a boss. “Fix it!” Brilliant. |
| 1:11:08 | Oh wow, cassette tapes being a major plot point. |
| 1:17:33 | That is really not catchy. “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men… won’t do much with that.” |
| 1:24:46 | Just realised Bond does that thing well, where you have to look like you belong and you can get away with so much. |
| 1:29:09 | Oh christ, lift nightmares coming up. This is like Speed. |
| 1:36:27 | This ladder stuff is brilliant! |
| 1:42:20 | That is a genuine bunker! Minetastic! |
| 1:59:55 | Oh Mayday! |
| 2:07:54 | Q has turned into a proper dirty old man. |
Conclusions
After some fairly lacklustre Bond efforts recently, this one came storming back with great actors, great action and for once, a pretty solid story! You can sort of tell that Moore is starting to feel a bit old for this one, but soon that is swept aside in favour of an action-packed blockbuster.
Walken is absolutely incredible, the man does good psycho! And Grace Jones manages a range from absolutely terrifying, to emotional stoicism very well. Her change of heart was so much better than Jaws’ crazy about-turn, it was hard not to feel for the former henchwoman!
I didn’t care so much for the horsey stuff, but that was a means to an end, as the grand plot was eventually revealed. And I did like that although Bond couldn’t stop from entering her bathroom while he thought she was showering, he didn’t actually try and seduce the smart geologist until the very end. She was a pretty solid female character - a little bit screamy when things got tough, but otherwise not bad as Bond girls go.
I thought I’d be sad to bid farewell to Moore, but actually now I’m just looking forward to the Brosnan era to begin!
Rating: 5/5.
Rating: 5 / 5
