Customer Reviews

A View to a Kill (James Bond) [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

When I first saw this film on its initial release I didn't know what to make of it. It seemed like it got its inspiration from GOLDFINGER and Ian Fleming's Bond novel MOONRAKER. However, it was like a jumble of everything thrown up in the air and played out in the order in which they landed. Actions just seem to turn on a dime in this film. For example: Bond is being chased down an ice-covered slope by Soviet troops in Siberia all to an exciting John Barry score. This is an excellent scene. A gattling gun mounted on a Soviet helicopter blows the ski mobile right out from under Bond. He picks himself up, grabs the runner from the ski mobile and begins to ski board down the slope this time to the musical accompaniment of the Beach Boys' "California Girls." What happened to John Barry's score? The scene and all its dramatic tension are destroyed, yet it seems to work much better today, 21 years latter.

The film looked a bit sloppy. The stunt doubles are not always matched to Roger Moore very professionally. His hair colour seems to go from brown to straw to red. In one scene when Bond is chasing May Day through Paris in a borrowed taxi, there is one camera shot where you can see that it is definitely not Roger Moore. The fight scene where Bond and Sir Godfrey wrap up some of Zorin's guards in the warehouse has to rank at the bottom of the series. The editing couldn't even salvage it.

However, your heart kind of went out for Roger in this one. He didn't have a good outing in this picture and it being his last Bond film, he perhaps deserved better. There were a few memorable scenes that do make this film a good one. After Bond is chased into the woods on horseback and is captured, Bond tells Zorin that there will be retaliation if they kill him. "You amuse me Mister Bond," says Zorin with indifference. "The feeling's not mutual," responds Bond. After that scene I was hoping that Bond would really put this fellow out of his misery. The one image that remains with me from this film is when Bond carries Stacey on his back climbing down the fire truck ladder rescuing her from the burning City Hall. As corny as that scene may have looked it hearkened back to a time in films when heroes really were heroes. Roger did a fine job during his tenure.

After Bonds have come and gone through the years A VIEW TO A KILL somehow still entertains more with each passing year.

Why doesn't anyone like this movie...I love it!
It has a great bond girl in Tanya Roberts(Former Charlies Angel). She can't act, but man is she hot! And Christopher Walken's performance as the bad guy, Zorrin makes up for any bad acting on Tanya Roberts' part. It has tons of action(i love the opening sequence), not to mention the title song by Duran Duran, which is awesome. This is definetly one of Moore's better Bond performances and I think it has a nice comfy seat somewhere in the top 10 Bond films of all time! I Reccomend this movie to bond fans, action fans, and guys who like tanya roberts(and Christopher Walken)

A viewer below mentioned how the scene where Roger Moore carries Tanya Roberts out of City Hall reminded him of a time when heroes were heroes. I could not agree more. "A View to a Kill" is not the best film out there, I admit, but to me, it is more than just a movie. It marks the end of the genre of the classic Hollywood hero. There are heroes today, but those actors also do comedies, dramas, and other types of movies. Roger Moore is the truly the last cinematic hero. Some of his films are not perfect (nobody's are), but his name alone is associated with action and adventure. You see his name in the credits, and you know that you're in for some sort of spectacle. For me, Roger Moore belongs up their with the likes of Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Guys like Pierce Brosnan and Nicholas Cage are good, but I know they're acting. Moore was a natural. He was the last actor that you believed WAS the character. They don't make them like that anymore. That's why I love "A View to a Kill." Not so much for its content, but for what it is.

A View to a Kill is my all time favorite Bond movie. I think Roger Moore gives a great performance in his last Bond film. ...The pre-title ski scene is magnificent, probably my favorite out of all.
The best thing out of this whole movie is Max Zorin's main method of transportation is by blimp, a very interesting aircraft. Very interesting when involved in the finale action scene. Also I must say i was very fond of Zorin's head of security, Scarpine, played by Patrick Baucheau.... One last thing about this movie is that I think it has the best music out of all the Bond films especially what they play during action scenes.

All in all, I'd have to say that this was a below-average Bond film. The girl, Stacy Sutton (Tanya Roberts) threatened to singlehandedly bring the entire movie down herself. She is easily the least interesting off all the Bond girls (a geologist who works at city hall? Pul-Leeeze!), and she did a very poor acting job to boot.

Still, I can't help having a lot of fun every time I watch this. Stacy aside, all the characters are interesting (Zorin, MayDay, Jenny Flex). This film goes all over the place: the Eiffel Tower, aristocratic England, diving scenes, horse races, mining scenes, the Golden Gate Bridge, and finally a blimp (emblazoned with the famous "Zorin" logo of course)!

It's so off the wall that it works. Roger Moore is hitting on girls a third of his age (of course from the looks of it he was 93 when he made this one), there's action all the time, and a far-fetched but interesting plot.

There are many better Bond movies than this, but somehow this is one that I like to watch quite a bit. I really can't defend my liking this, I just do!

The extras are very good. I like the cut scene in the police station. The music video is outstanding.

A VIEW TO A KILL is Roger Moore's last James Bond film and it is one of his best. It is the pinnacle of Roger Moore's irony and contradiction to the James Bond established by Sean Connery and brought to fruition by George Lazenby. Here Roger Moore gives greater depth to James Bond than we have ever seen making his performance one of the most endearing. Guy Hamilton established this approach with GOLDFINGER and honed it with his excellent THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, which was a mixture of action and absurdity at its best.

A VIEW TO A KILL is the most luxurious looking Bond movie. Zorin's magnificent palace and stables are the type of cinematic refinements found in GOLDFINGER, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, MOONRAKER and OCTOPUSSY. Zorin along with Scaramanga, are the best villains of the series. Zorin's a real psycho. May Day, Zorin's right hand, gives a real twisted performance right out of the outrageous 80's.

The opening pre-title sequence is one of the best. Bond is being chased down an ice-covered slope by Russian troops in Siberia to an exciting John Barry score highlighted by the Beach Boys' "California Girls" while he escapes on a ski mobile runner turned ski board. This is an excellent scene full of action and laughs. The Beach Boys' "California Girls" was a stroke of genius. John Barry really knows how to score a Bond movie!

The getaway in a mini sub disguised as an iceberg was another stroke of genius. I was on the edge of my seat. Duran Duran's opening main theme is the best of the series. It was even better than Lulu's THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. Maurice Binder's main titles were his best since THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

This film is just so great. Roger Moore looks young at heart in this one. I never saw him move better. I think these are the most stunts that he ever did in any Bond movie. The fight scene in Zorin's warehouse was one of his best. I like the way he lays out the guard on the conveyor belt and gets automatically wrapped like a corrugated carton.

The steeplechase scene was also great and real suspenseful. I didn't know that Roger could ride a horse like that. When he breaks away into the woods that was really well filmed just like the similar scene in MOONRAKER.

The Eiffel Tower scene where Bond is chasing May Day through Paris in a stolen taxi, is one of the greatest scenes in the series. It was so amusing. When Bond's taxi gets cut in half I thought he was done for. However, he keeps up with her and manages to crash a wedding on a moving barge. Crazy stuff! This kind of thing is what made the 80s so great!

Q had some of his best scenes in this film. The microchip briefing in M's office was good and reminiscent of MOONRAKER and OCTOPUSSY. I liked Q's surveillance machine. That was very innovative. It was also good to see Bond, Moneypenny and M all at the races. General Gogol had some good scenes too. I like when he puts the cassette in the player in his car and it starts playing the Japanese Spa music. That was really funny.

The underwater scenes in this film were excellently filmed. I was holding my breath when Bond taps the tire of the sunken Rolls for air. That was very innovative. Zorin's San Francisco pumping station was also done well. When Bond was underwater I thought for sure he was going to get sucked in by those propeller blades.

The sets in this movie were great. The interior of Zorin's airship was very reminiscent of GOLDFINGER and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. Zorin's mine was one of the best sets from the entire series. Just like SPECTRE, Zorin eliminates undesirables just like they were terminated similarly in THUNDERBALL and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.

Stacey was the best Bond girl since Mary Goodnight. You really feel for her. I almost thought Bond was going to leave her in the elevator shaft the way she was screaming. Bond saves her just in time. She was also great in the fire engine chase and the ultimate battle between Bond and Zorin on top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This film has it all: action, suspense, humor, laughs, terror, set designs, great underwater scenes, car chases, an great John Barry score and one of Roger Moore's best performances.

Growing up in Scotland this WAS my favorite James Bond movie. Roger Moore (in his finale as 007) tones down the outright absurdity of its immediate predecessor (Octopussy) but the larger than life characters, impossible escapes and grand set-pieces are still in evidence here. The stand-outs in this caper (as with most 007 adventures) are the villains, Christopher Walken is over-the-top and obviously having a great time as Max Zorin as is Grace Jones as May Day. The worst actor award here without question goes to Tanya Roberts. the obligatory Bond girl, who (although incredibly beautiful ) just does not convince as a geologist with a personal grudge against the wonderfully psychotic Zorin. Action fans will be delighted with the action scenes here that range from the a heart pounding opening sequence, a pursuit through Paris, a police chase across San Fransisco to a final duel in which both an airship and the golden gate bridge play a part. Judging by the consistently great quality and fabulous features (audio commentaries and documentaries) on the previous two batches of DVDs this promises to be THE deifinitive record of this production. One of the definite highlights of the special features is a previously unseen deleted scene of a policeman going through Bonds personal effects (ie gadgets) at a Paris police station - Zowie!
UPDATE- It should be noted that there is a rerelease of this movie coming up on DVD which will feature a newly recorded scene specific audio commentary by Bond actor Roger Moore. So, it may well be worth holding off on a purchase until these Ultimate Editions are released towards the end of 2006.

"A View to a Kill" was Roger Moore's last Bond film. This film was also Lois Maxwell's (Moneypenny) last Bond film. I believe that "A View to a Kill" was an excellent finish for Moore, and was good way to finish his tenure as Bond.

The principal villain this time is Max Zorin, excellently played as a psychotic by Christopher Walken. Max is out for money and power, aided by a host of very smart people. Grace Jones, who also supported Conan in "Conan the Destroyer," plays Max's sidekick May Day. Dr. Karl Mortner (Willoughby Gray) is Max's father, as well as a kind of mad scientist. All the crazies hang out together. Max has an interesting scheme to cause Silicon Valley to flood and leave Max and his cohorts in possession of the bulk of the world supply of electronic chips. Of course James Bond is unaware of this scheme and spends much of the movie trying to understand what Max's game may be.

The movie begins in the Soviet Union (remembering that this movie was released in 1985), and Bond has found a dead agent with a chip in a locket. After an exciting chase Bond gets to escape in a unique boat. Back in England we learn that Max Zorin has been under investigation, and Bond goes to the Eiffel Tower in Paris to meet an investigator who may have information about Zorin. Unfortunately the investigator ends up hooked on the story, and Bond chases a mysterious woman from the scene of the crime. Bond probably would have caught up with her, but she takes a leap of faith, and even after chasing her in a stolen cab that takes several clever short cuts, is unable to catch up.

The scene then moves to a beautiful estate where Max Zorin is preparing to hold a horse auction. This portion of the movie expands the character of May Day, and provides more information to intrigue Bond as to Zorin's intentions. Patrick Macnee is undercover with Bond as Tibbett, his manservant, though in actuality he is Sir Godfrey. Macnee and Moore have known each other for decades. In the 60s Macnee was in one studio working on "The Avengers" while Moore was nearby working on "The Saint." In this movie Moore deliberately created lines that put down Macnee in a friendly way. Unfortunately Macnee is all washed up in this part of the movie and Moore moves on to San Francisco without him.

Bond goes to San Francisco to follow Stacey Sutton (the stunningly beautiful Tanya Roberts), who he saw at Zorin's estate in France. Bond soon discovers multiple mysteries centered on San Francisco. He also learns that Stacey has nothing to do with Zorin and is just as chagrined with him as Bond is.

The action intensifies as Zorin tries to kill Bond and Stacey, and the pair really feels the heat. After a scenic drive through San Francisco, chased by the local constabulary, Bond and Stacey arrive at the Main Strike Mine where Zorin's plan at last becomes explosively clear.

The final portion of this movie was well scripted and involves the Golden Gate Bridge and a blimp. The special effects and miniatures used to create this portion of the movie are excellent and I often found it difficult to know when I was seeing a miniature and when the real thing was used.

Duran Duran performed the title song for this movie. In an interview in one of the DVD extras, it is explained that "A View to a Kill" was the last song the group wrote together before it broke up. The DVD also includes the Duran Duran video of the song. The video is dated with relatively weak special effects and a cheesy story. However, this theme song was the first to go to #1 in the music charts.

One of the other interesting aspects of this movie is its use of technology. Zorin uses a computer to identify Bond, and computers are used in several other scenes. Welcome to the information age Mr. Bond. This Bond movie also capitalized on product placement to a greater extent than previous Bond movies.

I believe this movie contains other unusual features, such as the first use of a snow board in any movie, and the first Academy Award winner in a villain role. I think this movie is also the first time Bond has any real interest or interaction with horses.

DVD extras, all worth watching, include the "Music of James Bond," a making of documentary, and an audio commentary, which contains a number of interesting tidbits. Several places mention that Maud Adams appears in a crowd scene in San Francisco. I tried to see her and missed her even though I did slow motion my way through most of the San Francisco scenes. She is supposed to be a bystander in a streetcar. I am going to have to try to watch those scenes again. This DVD also contains a deleted scene, the first time a James Bond DVD included a deleted scene.

I thought Roger Moore looked worn out in "Octopussy." In this movie he seems on his game, and looks comfortable in his role. After watching this movie I could have seen him return in yet another Bond film, but likely it was time for Moore to retire. The movie was considered weak commercially compared to other Bonds, earning less than the movie that came before and less than the movie that came after; unfortunate, because I like this movie. This Bond movie is in the middle of the pack, less than the best, but better than the worst. It remains one of my favorites, but, then again, I am not objective about Bond movies.

I was really disappointed how Moore's last outing turned out. It had a good-sized budget, a clever title, came after the great Octopussy, and should have ended The Moore years (which were fairly good) with a bang. This is far from it. View has several good aspects, one being an excellent villain in Christopher Walken, who plays Max Zorin, a German industrialist with a hidden past (which is he is the result of a Nazi experiment) whom embarks on a quest to destroy the microchip -producing Silicon Valley by creating a major earthquake to greatly increase the amount of his own horde. The plot is a basic retread of Goldfinger, yet the microchips are possibly more interesting as is the earthquake but yet more unrealistic. The other good aspects are the pre-title ski chase (yet it isn't as good as TSWLM's), the mine escape, Duran Duran's dynamic title song hit, the car chase through Paris, the Eiffel Tower jump, John Barry's score, the cinematography, and the battle atop the Golden Gate Bridge between Zorin and Bond. However, everything else is poor. Moore gives a wooden performance as OO7 and is very unconvincing as being such a woman magnet. Tanya Roberts is possibly the worst Bond girl as the incredibly annoying Stacey Sutton, a geologist who works at City Hall (PLEASE). Grace Jones does a good job of playing MayDay but is monotonous and has an odd screen presence. Most of the other action is crummy, including a ridiculous and boring car chase through the streets of San Francisco and an unrealistic horse-racing chase. There are about no gadgets, and you barely get to see Q and don't even get to see his workplace. Finally, View is slow-moving and doesn't have a good feel to it. Like You Only Live Twice, View has so much potential and could have been one of Moore's best yet unlike Twice, View squanders its potential almost entirely. Overall, my least favorite OO7 adventure, even slightly worse than The Man With The Golden Gun.

Roger Moore must love skiing coz he's at it again in the pre-credit sequence, complete with a terrible version of "California Girls"(though regardless of this silly part, the film tries to go for a more serious tone like For Your Eyes Only). This movie isn't looked upon so highly by fans. Most complaints seem to be about Bond's age. Sure, Moore looks pretty ancient by this time, but it that's what makes it kinda funny. It's the same campy and fun feeling I get when I see a 64 year old Bronson wiping up the streets of New York with street gang punks in Death Wish 3. In fact, Moore must be getting senile or have cataracts coz he voluntarily has sex with Grace Jones(okay, fine. Maybe I'd do it just to say I did, but keep that under your hats). Anyhow, aren't British secret service agents allowed to be over 50? Anyhow, plotwise it's pretty much Goldfinger with microchips replacing gold. Christopher Walken plays a more psychotic brand of Bond villain. John Steed(Patrick Macnee) himself even shows up in a small role. Tanya "Beastmaster" Roberts looks wonderful, but is pretty much just a screaming damsel in distress. I do like the way she screams, "James!" Kind of makes me wish my name was James. Regardless of it's critics, I think this film is rather fun, and Moore, though older, certainly knows the role and keeps his dignity as Bond. Personally I think he went out with a bang.