Review of View To A Kill, A: Special Edition (James Bond)

Introduction

Roger Moore originally didn’t plan to come back for another James Bond movie after “Octopussy” but was talked into coming back for one final appearance in “A View To A Kill”.

“A View To A Kill” stars Christopher Walken as Zorin, a businessman with a plan to control the supply of the world’s microchips. The pre-credit sequence sees Bond retrieving a microchip from a dead agent before he is chased by the Russian army first on skis, then on a snowboard and finally in a disguised boat. Zorin is also a horse racing enthusiast and the movie starts off in France - we see Bond at a spectacular chateaux for a horse sale. The French scenes also see Patrick McNee starring as Bond’s assistant. Next we move to San Francisco where Zorin’s plan for world domination is being put into action. Bond teams up with ex-Charlie’s Angel Tanya Roberts to save the day, culminating in a spectacular climax on top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Video

Following the wider-than-usual 2.45:1 aspect ratio used in “Octopussy”, the video for “A View To A Kill” reverts to 2.35:1. The picture is anamorphically enhanced and as with the other discs released in this series, is good quality. There is no sign of dirt, grain or any compression problems on the picture, which is stable, and colourful at all times.

Visually, this film is classic Bond with good use of famous locations and lots of crazy stunts. Of particular note is the Eiffel Tower sequence which sees a parachute jump from the top of the tower onto a riverboat, a mad car chase through Paris, an even madder fire-engine chase through San Francisco and a final battle on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. The pre-credit sequence is also very entertaining.

In general the special effects are good, and the set designs are terrific (as always). One let down however is the rear projection on the fire-engine chase and Golden Gate Bridge sequences which looks pretty suspect in places.

Audio

My major gripe about “Octopussy” was the Dolby Digital surround soundtrack and thankfully “A View To A Kill” has been given a remix into Dolby Digital 5.1. The film sounds so much better through the use of 5.1 channels and this is emphasised at the start when Duran Duran’s theme tune blasts out of your speakers.

Elsewhere in the film, good use if made of the available channels for gunfire, flybys, music and effects, creating a good atmosphere for Bond’s antics.

Dialogue is always clear and understandable, however the centre channel is fairly quiet and had to be adjusted to watch comfortably.

Features

The “Inside A View To A Kill” documentary runs for 37 minutes and like most of the others in the series is very interesting. Patrick McNee doesn’t narrate this one as he of course features in both the film and documentary! One of the reasons for this documentary being so good is that the film contains some excellent set piece stunts such as the jump from the top of the Eiffel Tower and Golden Gate Bridge sequences – these are all discussed at length.

There’s also a “The Bond Sound” documentary looking at the music of Bond through the years, a Duran Duran music video, a deleted scene, trailer, commentary and TV ads.

As usual the accompanying booklet is informative and contains some good background information.

Conclusion

Many commentators consider that Moore should not have come back after “Octopussy”, but I would say that “A View To A Kill” is a more entertaining movie. The movie’s success is down to the spectacle and locations – the sequences in Paris are very entertaining, and the chateaux scenes are fabulous due to the humour between McNee and Moore. When the story moves to San Francisco we are treated to the fire-engine chase, mine sequence and closing battle on the bridge. There’s a slight lull when Bond first arrives in San Francisco, but the tempo is quickly restored.

Looking at the cast, Moore does a good job despite clearly being too old for the role – this is perhaps the reason for the very low romantic interest in the movie. Patrick McNee is wonderful and his relationship with Bond is really amusing – it’s a shame his character couldn’t have been retained for future movies. Christopher Walken is his usual creepy self and his girlfriend Grace Jones has a unique style that personally I find repulsive and although she makes a good villain for a Bond movie, I would have preferred, someone (anyone!) else. The gorgeous Tanya Roberts despite being cast as a geologist is basically a screaming blonde bimbo for most of the movie and it’s hard to imagine why Bond would require her assistance as her has to spend most of his time rescuing her.

The video and sound quality are both good and the Dolby Digital 5.1 remix is very welcome. As usually a good range of extras is included – all of which are good quality. Whilst not the best Bond movie, “A View To A Kill” is entertaining. Overall, this DVD is a good package and well worthy of its place in the collection.