007: En la mira de los asesinos

I can say I am a Bond fan, seeing as I own twenty of the twenty-two movies currently on DVD (as of writing this review). So far the only film I haven't enjoyed in the series has been Roger Moore's Moonraker, just because of the over the top silliness and the obvious sell-out to appeal to moviegoers who had just seen Star Wars.

Upon seeing 'A View to a Kill' I instantly was prepared for the worst, and let me tell you this certainly is a bad Bond film. Moore is showing his obvious age, making the relations with his leading ladies undeniably awkward, to say the least. The plot is as simple as they come, and none of the actors are really given any chance with the dialogue they have been given. Moore has very few witty comments in this movie, and most of the other characters are cardboard cut outs.

One thing however manages to make this film better than Moonraker. This is the under-appreciated role of Max Zorin, played by the always wonderful Christopher Walken. I can say without a doubt in my mind that Walken is the single saving grace in this film, exhibiting everything any good Bond villain needs.

Exotic locations: Check! Unique henchmen/henchwoman: Check! Surrounded by beautiful girls: Check Cold and ruthless attitude: Double check! Heartless and chilling disregard for henchmen life: CHECK Walken, with a horrid script (every character in this movie is poorly written) is able to create one of the best Bond villains I've ever seen! The way he talks, the way he acts, everything he does showcases his undeniable talent. So for a movie like 'A View to a Kill' Walken's performance is like shifting through sewage and finding a large diamond ring.

It is because of Walken that I recommend this movie and give it a relatively good rating. Everything else about this film is really forgettable. You'd think a super-strong female henchwoman would make for a memorable moment in the franchise, but this is so poorly handled that she winds up as one of the most forgettable characters in the series, as opposed to one of the best.

Roger Moore, unfortunately, ends his career on Bond in perhaps his own worst performance, which is undeniably sad. It seems that all Bond actors seem to end their careers on the lowest of their films (Connery with 'Diamonds are Forever', Brosnan with 'Die Another Day', and though Dalton was a great Bond, I have to say 'License to Kill' was a weak film) but with those films it has always been more the scripts fault, as opposed to the actor's talent (all three tried their best with the material). Moore is just plain stiff in his last entry! The man seems to have totally lost interest in playing the character by this point.

I consider 1979's 'Moonraker' Moore's worst, but like 'Diamonds are Forever', and 'Die Another Day', Moonraker was more the fault of the script writers; not the Bond actor. In 'A View to a Kill' Moore really shows that he is no longer capable of playing the part, and that is the saddest part of the film (especially seeing Moore seducing girls much younger than himself, with his developing turkey neck becoming quite obvious). Walken makes the movie an enjoyable, B-grade action movie, but as for Bond, this is where it becomes an undeniable fact that Moore has overstayed his welcome as Agent 007.

Moore deserved a better ending, and the fact is that he just shouldn't have come back for this film. Octopussy may have actually been a decent departure, but Moore decided to try one last time and it really is the straw that breaks the Moore Bond's back. Enough was enough, and Moore failed to recognize when he should have cried "when!" I give this film a decent rating for the performance of Christopher Walken, but everything else is very low, and forgettable. Go and see it for Walken, but it is sad to see Moore's finally desperate breaths as he tries to keep the character going one last time.

"A View To A Kill" usually gets a lot of flak, but criticizing a larger-than-life action flick (as James Bond usually is) is like criticizing a hamburger, or any other mass product. It's no Mona Lisa and it's not meant to be. And to be honest, even the Mona Lisa is not the masterpiece it's made to be. -)

OK, so there are serious considerations about the film. And it's not so much that Roger Moore looks old, but rather that he *acts* old. Gone is the exuberance and youthful spirit of previous Moore Bonds. Moore seems tired and unenthusiastic, as if going through the motions, as if he doesn't care anymore. He doesn't convince.

Pace-wise, there's a serious flat spot early on and it lasts for a long time. It simply is boring from the moment Bond enters the Zorin residence trying to find out about any wrongdoings and about until Tanya Roberts enters the frame. It's not helped by the plot either: ex KGB agent/ specimen turned microchip businessman trying to take over the market by blowing up Silicon Valley. It could be better, much better.

What literally saves the film is the two stunning action sequences in the second half. First we got Moore and Roberts' narrow escape, leading to one of the best Bond car-chases ever. In a fire-truck of all vehicles! With Moore hanging from the extending ladder!! And then the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge sequence, brilliantly directed - is it a first for John Glen?

So, among the best Bonds this is not, but a nice farewell from Mr. Moore all the same.

For a lot of people, Roger Moore is usually dismissed from the 'who was the best Bond' argument. For me, he was my favorite, possibly still is. Part of the reasons for this is a pure nostalgia factor in that he was the Bond when I was growing up. His films were the ones that were on television and when there was a new film he was Bond. Another reason he may be my favorite is the movies themselves. His Bond films were an eclectic collection of movies that were usually fast paced and fun. Most of his films featured multiple exotic locations , lots of cool action sequences and an awesome villain. Roger Moore's Bond got to duel with Christopher Lee and in this one Christopher Walken two of the best actors to portray Bond villains. Sure, Octopussy was almost the Austin Power's of its day in that it was almost a parody, but this one reigned in the campiness a bit and while not his best work, still ended his tenure as Bond in nice fashion. Not perfect, mind you, as Timothy Dalton's 'The Living Daylights' would be better, this one is still is a good Bond film that probably did represent the 80's more so than did any other Bond film from its opening featuring a Duran Duran song and lots of neon to the inclusion of Grace Jones as villainous sidekick Mayday.

The story has Bond recovering a microchip from a Russian facility that mirrors one at a plant run by Max Zorin. Meaning that somehow the Russians have gotten a hold of one of these chips. James sets out to investigate Zorin at his horse staples as Zorin seems to also have an unnatural edge in the racing of horses as well. It is not too long before Zorin tries to off Bond and show himself as the bad guy and soon Bond must go to San Francisco where he must try to figure out what Zorin's plans are as Zorin seems to be plotting something large. Bond will be assisted by a lady that Zorin has been trying to pay off and intimidate and together they will find themselves in a cave that is laden with Zorin's men as they plan to do something insane to turn the world of computers and microchips decidedly in Zorin's favor.

Roger Moore was quite old by this time and it was time for him to relinquish the role of 007. That being said, he still did a great job as the one thing you can say about him is that unlike Sean Connery near the end of his run as Bond, Moore still seemed to have fun doing it. In fact, I would say had Moore started as Bond instead of Connery, he would likely have kept the role up to View To a Kill. Here his age is apparent, as he is older than Connery, so one knows that you're mainly getting stunt doubles, but they made it work. Christopher Walken is the main villain of the piece and he is crazy good. Probably one of the more psychotic Bond villains he relishes killing those who work for him and laughs as he faces death. Grace Jones is also in this film and like most of the villains henchmen, she is a formidable opponent. Patrick Mcnee also does a good job as the agent initially investigating Zorin's horses. Now for the main problem with the film, Tanya Roberts. She has the looks, but she just does not seem like a Bond girl to me. She is perhaps, my least favorite Bond girl besides Denise Richards in The World is Not Enough.

So, I think this film was a nice farewell for Roger Moore as Bond. I actually thought Octopussy was good too, but this one was just a better send off as it had less comedic elements than did that film. Like I stated above, that one was nearly a parody in areas. Roger Moore's age does show, but he still carries the film well as he faces off a very nice opponent in Zorin played by Walken. I did not enjoy this one as much when I was younger, but it has grown on me, it is just nice to see so many very well down practical special effects rather than mainly CGI ones that accompany nearly every film released these days. It is also interesting that this is the film that sort of brought snowboarding into the open and made it quite big, so Roger Moore's final Bond film did start something rather big and that is rather cool. So is this film…not even Moore's best Bond movie, but a nice cool entry into the series and a nice farewell to probably the actor who enjoyed being Bond the most.

A View To A Kill commonly comes under as one of Roger Moore's weakest Bond films, however in my opinion, that is completely wrong. It is one of the most best of his films. The action is stronger than many previous films, the music is good and the locations such as France and San Francisco. Roger Moore is great as a Bond actor, especially down to the fact he is 57. Christopher Walken makes a fantastic and one of the very best villains. Overall, there are some bits which are a bit slow, but lots of it is exciting, strong and thrilling.

James Bond sets out to stop a psychopathic business man and a successful horse breeder. Stars Roger Moore and Christopher Walken.

Moore was clearly too old for this role but the film has all the elements of a great Bond film. An excellent villain in Walken, a dastardly plot, beautiful girls and amazing locations.

A lot of fun. Grace Jones is a great henchman.