A View To A Kill

Distributed by MGM/UA Home Video

Suave Roger Moore bows out as top British spy James Bond in this 14th adventure. The opening sequence has Bond recovering a microchip in North Eastern Russia and manages to avoid capture by way of ski stunts, Beach Boy music and an iceberg sub piloted by Kimberley Jones ( Mary Stavin - ex-Octopussy girl ). Inside the sub with Union Jack hatch ( see The Spy .. & Octopussy ), James has "only 5 days to Alaska" to get to grips with Miss Jones. Cue pop group Duran Duran with the chart-topping theme song and titles.

The story opens with the usual Bond/Moneypenny chit-chat followed by a lecture by Q about microchips in M's office with the Minister ( Geoffrey Keen again ) in attendance. The group move off to the Ascot Races to see the villain's prize horse. They watch with guided expertise from Sir Godfrey Tibbett ( tv Avenger Patrick Macnee following in Blackman, Rigg & Lumley 's footsteps ). We get a distant view of Max Zorin ( Christopher Walken ) and his aide May Day ( pop singer Grace Jones ) who controls the wild and winning race-horse.

Off to Paris and a meeting in the Eiffel Tower restaurant with the French detective Aubergine who is 'squatted' to death by May Day who escapes 007 by leaping off the Tower. He pursues via a lift, a stolen taxi and a jump off a bridge but he still doesn't catch her. Bond with Tibbett acting as chauffeur go to the auctions at Zorin's stables. On arrival Bond uses a pre-recorded tape in order to have a quiet word with Tibbett, I wondered if 007 got the idea from Dr. Kananga in Live And Let Die. James explains his roving eye for lady contacts "On a mission I'm susposed to sacrifice myself". Later 007 breaks into a lab safe with a stethoscope ! ... makes a change from Q's previous gadgets ( see Moonraker ). They discover the truth behind Zorin's success but alas at the expense of Sir Godfrey - shame as the earlier banter between Moore & Macnee is good. Both end up in the river in a Rolls but 007 escapes to live another day.

What follows is the action switches to San Francisco and Zorin's plans to wipe out Silicon Valley. Watch out for the tv faces of Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton who aides James to beat the psychopathic Zorin, Murder One & NYPD Blue's Daniel Benzali ( with slightly more hair ) as W.G. Howe and ex-Beeb Chinese Detective David Kip as CIA Agent Chuck Lee. Blink and you'll miss Dolph Lundgren's brief appearance as a Russian agent helping General Gogol.

Alas not the best Bond/Moore movie ( don't the mine scenes remind you of Moore's Gold ? ) as Roger leaves us with some happy memories during his reign as 007. John Barry adds another standard score which brain-washes you with different versions of the theme but little else.

Also it's a sad goodbye to Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny who has seen the Bonds come and go. So move over Roger .. Tim's on the way.