Roger Moore as relaxed as ever

A VIEW TO A KILL (1985)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Roger Moore took his final bow as James Bond with 1985's "A View to a Kill," and it was well worth the effort. Forget what critics said at the time who lambasted the film - I suppose they found it to be a serviceable Bond with no new tricks. Despite its lack of gimmicky gadgets, this Bond film was more than serviceable - it was laid-back and actually kind of fun. It is self-parodic at times, though not as much as "Moonraker" or "Octopussy."

Bond is now after a typically megalomaniac Bond villain, former KGB agent Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), a psychopath with dreams of cornering the computer chip market in Silicon Valley by essentially destroying it with an earthquake and flooding it with seawater! That is one way to destroy the competition! (There is also some business about a racing scam that is given short shrift). Grace Jones is on hand as his sexy kung-fu girlfriend who has as much spine as Zorin does.

Then we have the Bond girl, this time a geologist named Stacey Sutton (Tanya Roberts), who is about as exciting a female lead as she was in "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle." Her character used to work for Zorin, now she works for the governor of California. There is also Tibbet (Patrick MacNee), Bond's partner and faux limo driver, who is as efficient as Bond, though he forgets to see who may be hiding in the backseat of his limo! Oh, and Bond pretends to be a journalist (and he makes a mean omelet!) Also interesting is the locale - normally American locations American locationswere not used in Bond films prior to "A View to a Kill" (excepting "Diamonds are Forever" with its Vegas location).

In terms of stunts, there are some nifty ones. We get yet another ski chase, this time with Bond using a snowboard and a snowmobile, to the tune of the Beach Boys! There is also Bond driving a car that gets cut in half! Bond riding on a steeple chase in a course set with some traps. A car chase where Bond is hanging from a fire engine ladder. A truly death-defying burning elevator scene! As for nifty and inventive modes of transportation, well, there is an iceberg submarine!

Moore downplays beautifully, and peroxide blonde Walken can be terrifying (with his share of double entendres). There is not much more to report in this 007 outing except it is not as bad as its reputation seems to indicate (and it is a couple of miles ahead of "For Your Eyes Only"). Seen one Bond, seen them all would be the phrase. Still, smirking, witty Moore gives it a lift and makes us glad we are there.