A View to a Kill movie review by Larry Novotny

Roger Moore as James Bond in A View to a Kill

James Bond's fourteenth mission A View to a Kill proves once and for all bigger is not necessarily better. This film is a wreck from the precredit sequence right to the bitter end. There are some very good moments in the film but there are way too many stupid jokes.

The precredit sequence borrows several pages from the similar ski chase in The Spy Who Loved Me. It is exciting, thrilling suspenseful until the moment Bond straps a ski from a snow mobile and attacks the Soviet troops to the tune of The Beach Boys "California Girls"!

While Bond is hanging for his life from a zeppelin, director John Glen cannot resist the antenna-to-the-groin shot. There is the homeless drunkard who drops his prized bottle of hooch as Bond desperately escapes a burning building. Topping them all is the extended sequence with Bond hanging from the ladder on top a speeding fire truck! The ladder swings out wide knocking off the top of a parked RV. Inside is a couple having sex. Bond's feet knock off the cowboy hats of two men to show they are bald underneath. Hardy-har-har!! As far as Glen's use of stupid jokes, the sentiment is "never, say never!"

A "00" agent is killed in the Soviet Union before he can make his report. James Bond is sent in to recover a microchip from the dead agent. The microchip is identical to one produced by Max Zorin. Concurrently, there is a world-wide shortage of microchips. MI6 is asked to investigate Zorin for a different reason. Zorin owns several subpar race horses that some how still win races. The racing authorities are stumped. Are the two incidents related? Only James Bond Agent 007 can solve this mystery.

The horse racing incident is solved rather easily. Zorin is using a microchip to implant his horses with a steroid injector. The device is surgically implanted into the horse and then removed before the authorities can discover it. The authorities are also so stupid that they do not notice that the horse underwent surgery. Ouch!

In your typical James Bond film, a simple case turns into something much more diabolical. While investigating Zorin, Bond crosses paths with Stacy Sutton (Tanya Roberts). Sutton is not interested in horses. Bond's curiosity is peaked when he espies Zorin writing out a check to Sutton. What is her connection to the growing mystery?

Zorin is putting together a syndicate to wipe out the dominance of Silicon Valley in the microchip market thus increasing the value of his own stock pile. He is going to cause an earthquake that will result in Silicon Valley being submerged. The only problem is that Silicon Valley is where all the research is performed. Microchips are massed produced in other markets. Zorin is not as smart as he is supposed to be.

Director John Glen has proven he can handle the action sequences. The three signature sequences are the steeplechase chase which results in Bond submerged in his Bently. Bond cleverly uses the air in the tyres to breath. Amazing that Bond does not rely on a gadget from Q.

The next sequence involves Bond spying on Zorin's oil rig offshore from San Francisco. The scene is suspenseful as Bond is almost sucked into the blades of a giant circulation fan. More interestingly still is the Soviets are also spying on Zorin. What is there interest? The Soviets are relegated to the back burner after this scene sets up another stupid joke involving Bond swithching cassette tapes from agent Pola Ivanova (Fiona Fullerton).

The concluding action sequence deep in a mine near Silicon Valley is spectacular. There is danger everywhere as Zorin floods the mine killing all of his support workers. Danger is everywhere and Bond is almost killed several times. He narrowly avoids death through sheer will rather than a stupid gadget.

Ultimately sinking A View to a Kill is the level of acting by the major cast members. Christopher Walken is terrible. He is completely unbelievable as Max Zorin. His accent is phoney. During the finale, Zorin yells something like "Mowah! Mowah powaahh!" Grace Jones doesn't do much with her limited role as Zorin's side kick May Day. She isn't that attractive. Tanya Roberts is an airhead who cannot act. She is a terrible choice to play a geologist working for the state of California. Stacy Sutton gets fired because she is unbelievable as a geologist, not because she stumbled upon Zorin's plans. Even great actor Patrick MacNee, better known for portraying Agent John Steed on television, is just the brunt of several of Bond/Moore's jokes. What a waste of talent!

For A View to a Kill, the few great action sequences do not outweigh all of the bad elements in the film. The film seesaws between spectacular and ridiculous so often as to make the audience dizzy. Die-hard Bond fans will be disappointed. As Zorin might have said, "Fuh ged a bowit!" James Bond will return! Is anyone anxiously awaiting the next film?