The Spy Who Loved Me: A Roger Moore as James Bond retrospective

A matte shot of English actor Roger Moore as 007, hanging from a fire engine ladder in a publicity still for the James Bond film ‘A View To A Kill’, 1984. The background has been composited in hand, to simulate the front projection effect used in the film. (Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images)

A View to a Kill

Moore’s last James Bond film, A View to a Kill, has Bond foiling Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) in his attempt to destroy Silicon Valley, California.

The last Bond film to star Roger Moore is very ’80s.  With Christopher Walken in a blond wig trying to sink Silicon Valley to gain a monopoly on the microchip industry, and plenty of explosions and large-scale set pieces, the movie plays like a James Bond movie should. Though critical reception was fairly negative, Walken’s villain, Max Zorin, received high praise.

The film starts with Bond again investigating the assassination of a fellow MI6 agent.  In the process, he finds a microchip made by Max Zorin’s company.  Bond goes to California and, as usual, leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.

Bond tries to stay under cover, but Zorin quickly finds out who he is and tries to have The Female Character, May Day (played by Grace Jones) assassinate him.   Bond escapes and finds out that Zorin is former KGB, though now he’s gone rogue.

Bond finds out Zorin’s plan to use underground bombs to activate the Hayward and San Andreas faults causing an earthquake big enough to sink Silicon Valley.  May Day and Bond wind up trapped in a mine beneath the faults with the bomb.  May Day realizes Zorin has betrayed her and sacrifices herself to get rid of the bomb, dumping it out of the mine.

The climactic fight between Zorin and Bond takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge and ends with Zorin falling to his death.

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Which of Moore’s Bond movies is your favorite, and which are you planning to rewatch?