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“A View to a Kill” is far from the best Bond movie—but it’s easily one of the most memorable. It’s always held a special place in my heart, even if I can’t quite explain why. Maybe it’s pure nostalgia. I was an ’80s kid, after all, and this film bleeds ’80s from every frame—Grace Jones making a fierce entrance, a plot centered around Silicon Valley, and a Duran Duran theme song that still slaps.
In “A View to a Kill”, James Bond investigates the wealthy and ruthless industrialist Max Zorin, who is secretly plotting to destroy Silicon Valley and gain a monopoly on the microchip market. With the help of CIA agent Chuck Lee and geologist Stacey Sutton, whose family business Zorin has targeted, Bond uncovers Zorin’s plan to trigger a massive earthquake by detonating explosives in California’s fault lines. Facing Zorin’s brutal henchwoman May Day and a deadly chase through San Francisco, Bond must stop the catastrophe before millions are killed and the global tech industry is thrown into chaos.
“A View to a Kill” is a perfectly imbalanced movie—so much so that every terrible element is somehow offset by something equally entertaining. Christopher Walken makes a great Max Zorin, despite being a pretty terrible Bond villain. Grace Jones can’t act to save her life, yet she commands the screen every time she appears. Tanya Roberts isn’t exactly a strong character, but she makes up for it in the looks department. The plot is pure nonsense, but the stunt work is top-tier. By this point, Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee feel more suited to a “Grumpy Old Men” spinoff, yet their chemistry is undeniably charming. It’s a film that manages to be both one of the silliest and one of the most brutal entries in the entire series.
It’s impossible to ignore Roger Moore’s age by this point. He was 57 when “A View to a Kill” was released, and most of the physical action is left to his stunt doubles. That wouldn’t be such a problem if the transitions were seamless, but they’re not—there are plenty of scenes where the stunt doubles’ faces are far too visible, shattering the illusion of Moore as Bond even more than the obvious green screen and rear projection shots. Fortunately, the Bond girls in this outing appear more mature—certainly more so than someone like Bibi in “For Your Eyes Only“—which helps make the romantic scenes a little less cringe-inducing.
Since this is Roger Moore’s final outing as James Bond, he certainly goes out with a bang when it comes to the Bond women. He beds no fewer than four over the course of the film, including Grace Jones. Quite the record for good old Sir Roger.
Stealing every scene he’s in is Christopher Walken as Max Zorin. Walken plays villains effortlessly, and he injects Zorin with all the quirky mannerisms and unsettling charm that would become his trademark. The film could have used more of him, as most of the screen time is dominated by Bond and his usual shenanigans.
“A View to a Kill” mostly plays like a classic, more down-to-earth Bond film—despite kicking off with a snowbound chase involving a boat disguised as a glacier. Things quickly move to Paris, where we get the first of two memorable chase sequences, the second being a wild firetruck pursuit through San Francisco with Bond clinging to a ladder. The Paris chase is a standout, featuring Bond in a car that gradually falls apart with each collision—a genuinely fun set piece, even if the stuntmen are a bit too noticeable. The middle section slows down considerably, taking place mostly at Zorin’s sprawling estate, before the action shifts to San Francisco for a dramatic finale atop the Golden Gate Bridge.
In the end, “A View to a Kill” may not be the most polished or respected Bond film, but it has a charm all its own. It’s a bizarre mix of camp, spectacle, and genuine thrills, wrapped in unmistakable ’80s flair. Roger Moore might have overstayed his welcome, but he still brings a certain charm to the role, and with a scene-stealing villain, memorable set pieces, and that iconic Duran Duran theme, the film earns its place as a guilty pleasure within the Bond canon. Flawed? Absolutely. Forgettable? Not a chance.
