A View to a Kill, while not regaining much critical standing, has gained an increased fan appreciation in the years since. With some aspects taken for granted (but still done well) back then that have seen some rough years since, it's unsurprising why many Bond fans have gone back to this one, with its "devil you know" factor written all over it.
Roger Moore as James Bond
Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton
Christopher Walken as Max Zorin
Grace Jones as May Day
Patrick Macnee as Sir Godfrey Tibbett
David Yip as CIA Agent Chuck Lee
Willoughby Gray as Dr. Carl Mortner
Patrick Bauchau as Scarpine
Robert Brown as M
Desmond Llewelyn as Q
Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny
Geoffrey Keen as Frederick Gray
Walter Gotell as General Gogol
Fiona Fullerton as Pola Ivanova
Back when I was making my initial strides in gaining Bond series knowledge in the 2000s, I had never even heard of AVTAK, until seeing a 1986 People magazine ad about its (likely cable) release.
Since that time, however, the film has gained an almost cult status (probably chiefly) for its villains and their iconic, memetic status in pop culture.
Turns out, I had been seriously missing out on some memorable villains.
I had seen AVTAK a couple times before now, but the signs of age and "being hip with them 80s kids" were apparent even the first time I saw it, with one Uncanny Valley example sticking out the most.
The Naked Face (1984)
A View to a Kill (1985)
You know your Bond film is trying way too hard when John Barry's
score switches to a lame cover version of "California Girls".
AVTAK is best described as two tenuously linked, disparate halves: The calmer, "Point A to Point B" first half (with filler horse doping subplot), followed by the second half that everyone remembers.
Even Max Zorin is pretty nonchalant in the first half, quickly figuring out
who Bond is and wasting little time trying to get rid of him permanently.
So it should also be no surprise that the two opposing undercurrents running through the whole film is Bond's advancing age and Zorin's batshit-insanity, both of which keep it from being completely forgettable, if not always for the right reasons.
For audiences in 1985, Moore's new face and the age of Kimberley
Jones (Mary Stavin) likely set them up for the many examples
of cringe that were to follow.
80s or not, those outfits are... something.
Old Bond, old mooks. It's only fair.
Nope!
(Though what follows is another memorable scene, for better or for worse...)
While I can see how Moore wasn't fond of this scene, if any
Bond villain would do this, it's totally Max Zorin.
But from a writer's point of view, the underlying irony of AVTAK is that the script is largely not the problem. Sure, it takes several plot points from Goldfinger, features a villain plan with a terrible flaw (more on that later), pads itself out with the horse subplot, and has more than a few stupid moments (as loud as that explosion is, how does Stacey not hear the big-ass blimp behind her?), but I can't say it's much worse than its immediate predecessors. But keeping the lead (who was then pushing sixty) was unfortunately an overall mistake.
If Moore was still playing Bond, the script would have been far better with two small changes. A) Acknowledge Bond's age and how it affects his work, and B) Pair him with women older than 35 at the least.
Bond tucking Stacey in after dispatching Zorin's goons is one of
the better scenes in the film, with none of the cringe in sight.
But that was not the approach the producers (nor likely the audience) wanted in 1985, so what we got is an unintentional "generation gap" where the leads are mostly over 50 and the villains represent the "MTV Generation".
Though this would have made an excellent NBC sitcom
following The Golden Girls.
Another example of something making less sense in context than out of it.
With Christopher Walken's legendary status since solidified and Grace Jones' trailblazing career better appreciated, giving them the roles of the villains and not reining in their performances was arguably the best decision AVTAK ever made. They're the reasons people come back to it, and will keep coming back to it for years to come.
And that is how you shock even Max Zorin.
I love how even Zorin can laugh at the absurdity of his impending demise.
Believe it or not, I never had a huge problem with Stacey Sutton, if only because the writing doesn't have her do anything extremely unbelievable as a geologist (glammed-up as she is, it was the 80s workforce), realistically showing her as an office worker day-to-day, and having her successfully subdue several mooks with her shotgun and later knock out Scarpine on the blimp.
A rock salt-loaded shotgun is both badass and kind of genius.
Well, okay, there was one thing that irritated me even on first viewing...
He will so not leave you, Stacey! Shut up!
I guess after being nearly burned alive, attacking the villains will look less scary by comparison.
Helping the film's first half is Moore and Macnee's chemistry, where Bond is a total jerk to Tibbett to keep up the charade to Zorin and his men. They're so funny, that it really stinks when May Day kills Tibbett later.
Seriously, we needed these two in an Avengers/Persuaders spinoff.
AVTAK is yet another example of excellent stunt work in the Bond series, and while visible stunt doubles have since become a running gag in making fun of this film, that's not to overshadow the great work by professionals such as B.J. Worth (performing the Eiffel Tower parachute jump below).
I will say, though, that with this many visible stunt doubles for Bond, it's no wonder May Day couldn't recognize him!
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Due to Moore's age, Walken dances circles around him
in the double entendre department.
Roger Moore doing an American accent = Classic.
Punched out by a jump cut! My one weakness!
Achille Aubergine (Jean Rougerie), a Poirot expy who's only in
the film to deliver exposition and get killed, in that order.
(Not to mention, he's distractingly ADR'd the whole time.)
This taxi driver's blustering reaction though.
There's something hilarious about Bond being grabbed by the chefs, of all people.
Dolph Lundgren (Jones' boyfriend at the time) as Gogol's KGB agent Venz.
While these jackets were "in" at the time, looking at it now,
Bond just looks older than he already is.
Real Men Bake Quiche
Kitteh!
While the use of San Francisco City Hall is great, I'm still a bit
disconcerted from remembering what happened there less than a decade
prior, given what happens to Mr. Howe (Daniel Benzali) in this film.
Also, I'm guessing the filmmakers were on a bit of a time crunch,
seeing as Benzali's blood pack fails to burst when Howe is shot.
Zorin and May Day staying to make sure Bond drowns makes
them virtually the smartest Bond villains ever.
Roger Ebert famously pointed out that Zorin's plan to flood Silicon Valley
would decimate his customers, not his competitors.
(Also, where are Otisburg and Teschmacher Peaks?)
And the worst part is, Waiter Grover had nothing to do with it.
Oh hai, 80s token robot!
And Bond just leaves Moneypenny worried and crying about him
while he showers with Stacey. What a prick!
Trust me, I doubt anyone is going to get Zoran Ladicorbic Ltd.
confused with Christopher Walken anytime soon.
Nor will they confuse this dummy for Zorin, for that matter.
TIDBITS AND SUCH
After a few mediocre Bond scores, John Barry's penultimate effort redeems as he borrows a few elements from On Her Majesty's Secret Service and combines it with some serious 80s electric guitar for "Golden Gate Fight", a.k.a. this film's second-best-remembered music.
Copyright © Chynna Moore
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