A View to Kill
(John Glen, UK/US 1985, 131 min., 35mm)
Celebrating James Bond. Roger Moore makes his final appearance as James Bond 007 in A View to a Kill, which is also notable for its insidiously catchy and hugely successful theme song by Duran Duran and for Christopher Walken’s portrayal of hyper-intelligent villain Max Zorin. The plot features 007 facing off against Zorin to stop him from crippling the American technology industry and dominating the microchip market, again highlighting the Bond series’s predilection for playing on popular trends. Moore makes his exit after a stretch of twelve years and seven films, an unparalleled body of work in the Bond annals. Also taking her exit bow is unsung hero Lois Maxwell, who had played MI6 secretary Miss Moneypenny in each of the fourteen Bond films that had been made to date.