|
By
NICK ZEGARAC
Much maligned upon its
theatrical release, "A View to a Kill" (1985)
effectively rounded out Roger Moore's tenure as
James Bond in a flurry of classic clichés and
stunning action sequences. What is perhaps most
regrettable about the film is its attempt to not
so finely balance camp elements (as with Bond
knocking the hats of a couple of cowboys while
clinging to the undercarriage of a fire truck
ladder) with the more serious brevity of saving
the world yet again. John Glen directs once more
with his usual flair for the spectacular; and to
be sure, during two of the film's action sequences
(both the Eiffel Tower jumper stunt and the
climactic Golden Gate Bridge battle of wills) he
masterfully succeeds. And although not nearly as
bad as critics ripped it apart to be in 1985, A
View to a Kill does not live up to the very best
of the Bond franchise.
Bond is assigned to investigate the practices of
Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), a leading
industrialist who is using steroids to win horse
races. Zorin's accomplices are a former practicing
Nazi, Dr. Carl Mortner (Willoughby Gray) and, a
devious woman of means and menace, MayDay (Grace
Jones). What Bond discovers is that fixing races
is only the tip of the iceberg. Zorin plans to
flood Silicon Valley by generating a cataclysmic
earthquake with the detonation of a nuclear
device, thereby ensuring his own supremacy in the
market share of microchip production.
After finagling his way to a weekend retreat as an
English lord interested in stud farming, Bond
meets up with Stacey Sutton (Tanya Roberts), a
geologist who has been paid off by Zorin. But
Sutton isn't really a bad egg. On the contrary,
she's so incredibly naïve that one wonders where
in her head she found the brainpower to become a
geologist in the first place. After Stacey and
Bond attempt to alert local authorities of Zorin's
scheme, they are nearly cooked alive in an
arsonist's fire inside city hall. Eventually, Bond
and Stacey triumph to the crescendo of a sexual
climax inside a steaming shower. But by then the
formulaic plotting of the film has worn quite
thin.
Robert's performance degenerates into shrill
shrieking for help and rescue at every possible
turn, and clueless moments of introspection that
make her one of the most hapless of all Bond
girls. In point of fact, she reminds me of Chrissy
from "Three's Company." As Zorin, Christopher
Walken is a fairly strong villain. But he is
surrounded by sheep in wolves clothing. Consider
the diabolical MayDay. After stabbing a French
police inspector in the neck with a poisonous
butterfly, strangling Bond's chauffeur (Patrick
McNea) in the middle of a car wash, and, making
numerous attempts to murder both Bond and Stacey,
MayDay suddenly regresses to the model of a good
girl when it is revealed that Zorin is not 'in
love' with her. Honestly, is there anything prior
to this revelation that would suggest all MayDay
needed to set her world straight was a little
lovin'? Perhaps then the best that can be said of
A View to a Kill, is that, like Moonraker, it is a
film that begs you not to take its plot or
characters too seriously. On that score, then, A
View to a Kill is one heck of a good thrill ride.
The MGM/UA anamorphic widescreen DVD is fairly
impressive. Though age-related artifacts are
present throughout the transfer, colors are fairly
accurately balanced. Occasionally flesh tones can
seem slightly pinker than one would like. Blacks
are generally solid. Fine details are realized
through most daytime sequences, but less so after
dark. There are NO digital anomalies for an image
that is generally smooth and easy on the eyes. The
audio is 5.1 and, although dated, nevertheless
packs a wallop. Extras include two very
comprehensive documentaries, an audio commentary,
some promotional junket materials and the film's
original theatrical trailer. |
