Roger Moore’s Farewell As 007!
For those following along, I am reviewing every James Bond 007 film in order – and for official Bond #14, I am reviewing Roger Moore’s last time in the tuxedo – so how did he do?
A quick review of Moore’s tenure as Bond for 7 films, the most of any Bond: after a bit of a rough start finding the rhythm and style for the series, Moore took the franchise to new heights for the last 4 installments, and in my reviews, I pointed out how the series was in a solid creative groove…but it was time for Moore to call it a day.
Here is the trailer for “A View To A Kill”:
Here’s how IMDB.com succinctly describes the plot:
“The recovery of a microchip from the body of a fellow British secret agent leads James Bond to mad industrialist Max Zorin, who is scheming to cause massive destruction, in Sir Roger Moore’s final outing as James Bond 007.”
Right off the bat, the film has an opening credits disclaimer that says: “Neither the name ‘Zorin’ nor any other name or character in this film is meant to portray a real company or actual person”.
It was added after producers discovered a real company run by a person named “Zoran” – oops!
It’s followed by another big “oops” moment:
The previous four films each set a new standard for opening action sequences, and “A View To A Kill” starts out well, with a massive battle sequence in Siberia near the North Pole…but after Bond grabs a piece of debris and begins to use it as a surfboard, a cover version of “California Girls” is played….ouch!
It is cringe-inducing to be sure, but after that tone-deaf error, the film corrects course with one of the greatest Bond themes of all time!
Here is the absolutely terrific theme from Duran Duran:
You see, it has the signature “Bond sound”, and an energy that so many of the themes just can’t nail! And look at this! Duran Duran’s bassist John Taylor was a die-hard fan of the Bond series. At a party, he met Bond Producer Albert Broccoli and drunkedly said, ‘When are you going to have a decent theme song again?’ The rest is history!
Now, to the plot – and one of the most deliciously evil “bad guys” of all time:
Christopher Walken absolutely chews the scenery as Zorin, who owns a company that makes microchips, and after agent 003 is killed, Bond go looking for his killer and it takes him to Walken:
Walken’s a delight, enjoying every scene he’s in – and look at this: his bodyguard is Grace Jones, and she brings a terrifically evil vibe to the role as well:
They really let Jones have fun – like when she dispatches of people this way….it all leads to an early signature action sequence has Bond chasing her up the Eiffel Tower!
At the top, Grace jumps off the Tower by parachute – a really fun sequence…because then Bond drives through the streets of Paris trying to catch her…very well done but it also highlights the fact that you can tell there are many stunt people doing the sequences instead of Moore…
The other “Bond Girl” is Tanya Roberts, who acquits herself nicely. I didn’t remember this film fondly, thinking that Moore was too old for the role at this point: but aside from the “much too-obvious” stunt men in many of the scenes, he does fine and the film is fast paced and full of great action sequences.
Notice that several of the film posters had an iconic bridge in them!
The terrific finale happens at the top of the golden gate bridge in San Francisco – and aside from the stuntman issue, it a great action sequence!
Moore and Walken go toe to toe while Tanya hangs around trying to stay out of San Francisco Bay!
“A View To A Kill” is considered a lesser Bond, but outside of some bad choices for comic moments, it delivers the same style and tone of the previous films, and it grossed over $150 million worldwide, so it was a hit.
At the end of the film, they boldly say JAMES BOND WILL RETURN, but no title is given…
So…a new Bond is on the way…and while Moore’s 007 tenure produced some massive box office hits, there were a lot of changes coming:
Lots to discuss as a new 007 takes over….for Moore, he ended up as one of the most popular Bonds of all…here is my review of his terrific “Octopussy”:
Of course, I said this was #14 of the “official” Bond films, because the original 007 made a renegade version…read here to find out how that happened and how it went:
As I mentioned, Duran Duran’s theme song was one of the best – here are all of them with the best and worst!
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Categories: Action Films, Art, British Cinema, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Movies, Pop Culture, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
I LOVE the Duran Duran song, but then I’m a Gen Xer! Anyhow, I rewatched View recently, and I enjoyed it immensely. Moore looks great (older but still debonair), the cast is excellent (Walken and Jones are great villains), and the climax at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge is exciting. Granted, it has some flaws (the silly jokes don’t belong in such a mean spirited and violent film), but it is a fun Bond movie nevertheless.
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i hasn’t seen it in decades and that’s why i am reviewing in order to give some context – i had a MUCH lower opinion before watching – it it was terrific fun! thanks for reading and commenting much appreciated!
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This was an outstanding review, John. It’s hard to believe it’s the 14th Bond movie. Yes, Zorin was one of the best ‘bad guys’. Even though stunt men did much of the scenes, it was a good movie.
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I have such a fondness for the Bond movies (particularly the ones I got to see as a child). I have not seen A View to a Kill in such a long time, reading this made me want to have a marathon of the OGs!
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Walken must have had a big payday for this nonsense. I was on the verge of losing respect for him, to be honest. And while I do own some Grace Jones records, I think her acting skills are lamentable. But as you know, I am not a Bond films fan! 😊
Best wishes, Pete.
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I don’t think I’ve seen ‘A View to a Kill’. I’ll have to watch that one, but I do prefer Daniel Craig as Bond.
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Jones was great in this film….chuq
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I’m going to have to watch it again, to notice all of the stunt people! Love walken and the duran, duran song – not the best one, but entertaining
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As much as I have always preferred Sean Connery as the “true Bond,” I will concede that is one of the greatest Bond films. It’s not easy to perform against Christopher Walken and Grace Jones, but Moore did it admirably.
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I was always a Connery first person, but Moore’s last run of films were very pop culture entertaining and Ihave to give him credit for that…not changing the world, just providing a couple of fun hours in a theater – thanks for commenting!
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A great summary John. Christopher Walken, Duran Duran, there’s lots to like here. I thought you nailed my issues with the movie. Some of the action scenes and Moore felt unbelievable, but hey that’s the whole idea behind 007. Gotta suspend disbelief! A nice break from reality.
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Thanks for the note and you are right! Which is why I am about to begin review the “next generation” of 007 and oh my – they took a winning formula and decided to “modernize” it! Oops, giving a bit away! Thanks again for your comment always great to hear from you!
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HI John, this film was a great one. I must confess I watched it years ago and didn’t notice the stunt men at all. I liked Roger Moore as Bond. I stopped watching Bond films after his.
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Robbie, I didn’t have the best memory it but watching it again, I was very entertained and Roger Moore went out on a high note…as for what was to follow, you are about to see those reviews and I can only say they decided to go a different direction which is rarely good idea to mess with a winning formula! Thank you as always for reading, commenting and sharing!
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Hi John, agreed, that is also why I stopped watching these movies. They just weren’t the same.
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