A View to a Kill

1985 would be Sir Roger Moore's final year in the role as James Bond, something which had began all the way back in 1973, and by this point he felt it was time to pass the torch onto a younger actor. Timothy Dalton was ready to begin but the powers that be decided Moore, now at the age of 57, would come back for his seventh and final appearance in the role in A View to a Kill, something which no other actor in the franchise has surpassed. Would this be a fitting farewell or perhaps another Diamonds are Forever for the third official 007?

Taking just the name from Ian Fleming's 'From a View to a Kill', the story sees Bond on the trail of a murdered British secret agent which takes him to Paris and across the west coast of America as he suspects foul play with a scheming industrialist. There was very little material from Fleming's novel to go on and what was there in the short story I never found to be particularly interesting so this decision made sense.

So an enterprising millionaire up to no good? This is hardly new ground for James Bond's villains but Moore returns offering plenty of that witty charm and still just about looks the part, particularly when aging action stars dominate the genre these days. However, there is a sluggish feel to A View to a Kill in its drab visuals, tedious pacing and so-so action devoid of any memorable moments until the finale, which unfortunately sees this regularly dismissed as one of the weaker films in the franchise.

It is a shame though as there are still fun moments to be had with Moore being paired alongside Patrick Macnee, Grace Jones' striking villain and the punchy opening song by Duran Duran ranks among one of my favourites. The score by John Barry is also great and incorporates much of opening song throughout but I can't help feeling that a song like this would have been better served with a new, younger Bond. Previous Bond songs had become slower, romantic ballads which suited Moore's approach as he aged through the role but then Duran Duran come along with such energy that it just doesn't fit with the film we have here. 

There is still some parts to enjoy for Bond fans but for everyone else, this feels all rather inconsequential and flat. Christopher Walken feels wasted as the main villain, Max Zorin, who just has so little to do other than follow the Bond villain formula to the letter. And the very final scene with Moore's Bond just feels off and is missing the class and charm we had come to expect from his films, making me believe he should have left things as they were in Octopussy. In that film, the story ended with a more age-appropriate Bond girl, the great Maud Adams, all the while in an exotic location but instead we have this.

A View to a Kill sadly misses the mark for me and it's a shame that more wasn't done to make this feel like a last hurrah for Moore, and Lois Maxwell who would also be retiring from the role which she had been a part of since the very beginning in 1962 with Dr. No. Director John Glen still provides some fun moments but the script just wasn't there for this and so it will be for Bond fans only.