A View To A Kill, when it came out, was quite well received, if I remember correctly.
More recent, on one website or another, it has got quite vitriolic reviews.

There is something about A View To A Kill, I really love.

This is my view: Roger Moore did 5 brilliant films as 007. And 2 good, perfectly serviceable comedy action thrillers – Octopussy and A View To A Kill.

The last two, with the most minimum of editing, ‘a fan’s cut’, so to speak, cud be elevated a little higher to ‘classic Bond. Octopussy is easy: You just remove the ill conceived ‘Tarzan’ yell while Sir Roger swings thru the trees. You DON’T remove the swing itself. Just replace the yell with a ‘bit of Barry’. Then, to my mind, you have a near perfect actioneer.

Before I go on, imagine Roger Moore’s last 2 Bonds as Simon Templar films. All of a sudden: They look a little better. This helps you, as a Bond Connoisseur proper, get Sean Connery out of your head. As well as Roger’s best 5 turns as 007. A wine connoisseur, in between tastings, has to spit out previous wines, however excellent, then rinse his mouth out so as not to affect his palate. As one good tasting wine mixing with a different good tasting wine can have a chemical reaction non too pleasing.
i.e. Don’t follow apple pie and custard with chocolate pudding. Or vice versa.

A view to a kill is slightly more involved, but with literally NO MORE than 30 seconds of editing, it can be made into a leaner surprisingly meaner animal.

The main problem is Christopher Walken. A good actor, and especially good villain in other films, is, in places absolutely dire. I cud speculate til the cows came home, as to why if seems to be doing such a careless performance, but instead I’ll concentrate on the fix.

All the places he laughs while he’s shooting his employees, in the climactic mine destroying scene. There are about 6 laughs. About 2 seconds each. Edit those out. Of suddenly you are NOTICING the spectacular set and it’s mighty destruction. And NOT a well respected actor doing his best impression of Bugs Bunny.
The same goes for the final for the next scene with the airship. Again, cut out each time he laughs. 5 or 6 times. And then you got a hair raising ending RIGHT TO THE THE VERY END.

The fire engine scene suffers only from being a little too long. Just after Bond swings over and knocks the two blokes hats off, cut to the ladder swinging back into position. And then continue.

The only other bit I’d cut, is where Roger is hanging off rope, and the rooftop aerial is about to hit him in the privates. I wud cut it just before the aerial connects. So you don’t see it. It’s a lot funnier that way.

Point to be made here. The rope 57 year old Roger Moore is hanging off may be in a studio, or outdoors but on the pinewood backlot, but that’s still some upper body strength for a man of any age.
Talking of which, c theheck out Roger carrying Tanya Roberts up the staircase of San Francisco city hall. Much has bee n mentioned of the stuntmen used in Roger’s tenure, but check out just how many of the stunts he did in his last film.
And they were used just as many with Connery. In both cases, a lot of times because the actor wasn’t available, or for safety and insurance reasons. Connery DID do a lot of his own stunts. But so did Moore.
The stunts, simply, had become far more extravagant by the time Moore entered the series.

Also check out the backward, left hand uppercut Moore delivers to a villain’s jaw in Tracy Sutton’s furniture-less house.

For those who say Roger looks too old, ask yourself this: Which is more likely.. former Miss World Maria Stavin snogging a 57 year old Moore…or a former Miss World snogging a 30 year old you?

There’s also this: From 1973 on to 1985 we’d been on a fantastic ride with Roger Moore’s Bond. The first 5 were the man at his peak. We’d aged with him, and those of us who were true 007 fans, had two more two hour films to see our favourite action hero go out fighting. And to say a fond farewell.

A Bond Farewell.

And for that you need moments. And that’s the true beauty of A View To A Kill. The moments with Patrick Macnee being the prime example.

Life is amorphous. And interconnected. Most film series don’t getting beyond the 1st sequel. Moore did 7 007s. Each making more and more money. After 8 previous Bond films had been made.

I don’t think who the best Bond is will ever be settled.

But the best actor? Roger Moore. He is 2 years older than Connery. Indeed the similarity in age helps provide a tacit continuity between Sean’s and his. For the age of Roger Moore to not even become a question till A View To A Kill… shows you just how good a 45 to 57 year old man was at convincing us Nobody Did It Better.

The Spy Who Loved Me is regarded as many as the best James Bond film. Not just the best Roger Moore did.

He was 50 years old in that.

And managed to convince us he could fight a 7 ft 2 giant with metal teeth.

Sean Wroe.