Movie Review: A View to a Kill (1985)
Has there ever been a Bond actor who didn’t hang on for one film too long? You could argue two in this case, but I think Octopussy isn’t that bad, just okay. This movie is bad. It’s one of the worst of the series, and is certainly the worst of Roger Moore’s outings.
It’s a shame, too. You’d think Christopher Walken could have been a great Bond villain of the more comic variety. I’d love to have seen him in the villain role of The Spy Who Loved Me or Moonraker if he were a bit older, as I think he could have lent those villains some much needed personality.

The movie begins with yet another ski chase, and this time they’re not even trying to convince you it’s Roger Moore in those skis. Sure, I’ve complained about obvious stuntmen with Roger Moore before, but at least the previous movies would have cuts to Roger Moore against a greenscreen. It wouldn’t be a great effect, but I think that kind of thing is necessary, and I never realized how effective those were until this scene, which features none of that.
The ski chase is alright, but when Bond takes up a snowmobile, it gets ridiculous, as “California Girls” plays.
He sneaks away on a submarine disguised as an iceberg, and has sex with a woman half his age. There’s no way around it; Roger Moore is looking old, and I think he had been since For Your Eyes Only. He was nearly three years older than Sean Connery, though he admittedly looked a lot younger when they first cast him. I don’t even want to say he aged poorly. He’s almost 60 years old. He actually looks pretty good for his age, but still way too old to be playing the character.
This movie doesn’t have too much memorable in it, with some mediocre action. I do like Walken as the villain, Max Zorin, but he’s probably not as great as he might have been.
Overall, this is a disappointment, but it’s watchable. It’s not the worst thing ever, despite having the reputation of being possibly the worst of the series.
Rating: 4/10
