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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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4
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Roger
Moore appears for the seventh and last time as
007, tackling one of the British superspy's most
psychotic opponents: microchip mogul and Nazi-bred
lunatic Max Zorin (Christopher Walken). Even with
the well-worn Bond machine in serious need of
some WD-40, we might've gotten a solid, if standard,
series entry here... if not for the unbelievability
of the nearly 60-year old Moore as an action hero.
This 007 is more in need of Geritol than Q's high
tech gadgetry.
There are other, relatively
minor sins on display in A
View to a Kill. The plot-relevant pre-title
sequence is ruined with the hokey use of the Beach
Boys' California Girls to accompany a snowboarding
stunt. The poison "butterfly" on a pole
is perhaps the most illogical means of assassination
ever used in a Bond movie. A subsequent car/parachute
chase along the banks of the Seine in Paris is
badly marred by a glaringly obvious shot of a
stunt driver who doesn't remotely resemble Roger
Moore. A love scene between amazonian non-actress
Grace Jones and senior citizen Moore is more horrifying
than anything to be found in Cannibal
Holocaust. It's more than being generous
to say that
former Charlie's Angels alum Tanya Roberts
(Tourist
Trap, The Beastmaster)
— lovely to behold,
with a magnificent posterior —
is less than convincing as a geologist.
A burning elevator escape is pure TV movie-quality
padding. The fire truck chase through San Francisco
might be more appropriate in a Hal Needham-style
demolition derby. John Barry's score, while robust,
is definitely one of his lesser contributions
to the Bond canon.
At this point I'm running out
of film to find anything praiseworthy. But I'll
try...
The rigged steeplechase is
nicely carried off; it's especially effective
in 5.1 Dolby, with the pounding hooves and labored
breathing of the horses adding a tangible sonic
dimension to the action. While Zorin's character
is somewhat of
a generic heavy, Walken's offbeat mannerisms and
delivery imbue the villain with a sense of menace
lacking in the script —
you definitely believe this guy's a psychopath.
Patrick McNee (John Steed of TV's The Avengers)
is a welcome presence as horse-training expert
and amateur spy Sir Godfrey Tibbet. Moore
operates with his customary charm and savoir
faire, helping diffuse somewhat the awkwardness
of Bond's May-November sexual trysts.
But the fact that Moore just
can't be taken seriously in the action scenes
really hurts the movie more than anything else.
The tiredness of A View
to a Kill lies less with its script or
direction (although there are certainly problems
in these areas) than with a leading man who looks
a good ten years too old for the part. With the
younger Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan as Bond,
this entry — other flaws
notwithstanding — would fare much better in
my analysis. Still, it's not the worst of all
possible Bonds. (That dubious distinction belongs
to 1979's Moonraker...
though not by much.)
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While
not a favorite of series aficiandos, collectors
will doubtless snap this one up as well. As always,
the presentation and bonus features of MGM's 007
discs are excellent —
A View to a Kill
is no exception. (The video transfer of the movie
could have used some polishing, however.) Included
are a "making of" documentary, audio
commentary with director John Glen and others,
a scene deleted from the theatrical cut (The
Jailhouse) plus theatrical trailers and TV
spots.
The feature that 007 fans should
most enjoy is the documentary The Music of
James Bond, which traces the soundtracks and
theme songs that have helped cement the Bond franchise
so firmly in the zeitgeist of Western pop culture.
John Barry, naturally, is the main focus.
7/01/01
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| UPDATE
OOP for a couple of years, A
View to a Kill was reissued in November 2006
by MGM. This completely remastered 2-disc edition
(with new, additional bonus features) is part of
The James Bond Ultimate Collection
Vol. 2, which also contains four other 007
films. A Blu-ray edition is slated for 2012-2013. |
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