A VIEW TO A KILL (1985) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"A View To A Kill" Plot
A madman (Christopher Walken) looks to destroy Silicon Valley in an effort to corner the silicon chip market.
Whiskey Lore Review
This movie was the first Bond film I ever saw. In fact, I didn't see any of the Connery Bond's until around 2007. That is why, for the longest time, I liked Roger Moore, although not as much as Pierce Brosnan. How times have changed, now that I've seen all of the films in the series multiple times.
I now refer to this film as an "average" Bond film - mainly because it's not great in any way, but it's also not bad. Believe it or not, they wanted Roger Moore back for another movie after this, but he said he'd had enough and looked too old for the role. Grace Jones is a unique villain and one that I've grow to like. Christoper Walken is basically Christopher Walken.
Best of the movie: Oh wait, there is one "great" thing in this film, the theme song as performed by Duran Duran. I heard someone say it is dated - it probably is, but as big a fan as I am of the Power Station and those heavy Tony Thompson drums, it will never grow old. And it is punchy, like a Bond theme should be. It's just outside my Top 5 favorite themes, it also plays well as the melody of the orchestrated score. The skiing scene at the beginning of the film is actually pretty good, except when he breaks the skis and uses them as a snowboard to the sounds of California Girls. Campy. Yet, it did help a little known sport catch fire.
Memorable: Grace Jones' jump from the Eiffel Tower. They didn't get permission to do that jump and got into some trouble. It is highly dangerous. One gust of wind and it could be quite deadly. Still, they pulled it off and it makes for a fantastic scene.
Where it goes wrong: The car chase in Paris is absolutely ridiculous. The car is sliced in half - what happened to the gas tank? And then Bond ends up falling into a wedding cake. Love the scenery, but it just slides into silliness. Also, Lois Chiles' seems like she's acting, rather than being believable, and for being in the CIA, she seems more the damsel in distress - not a favorite Bond girl.
Paired Whisky: Bladnoch Samsara Lowland Single Malt Whisky
I matched this with Bladnoch's Samsara, a Lowland Scotch that is aged in Bourbon casks and California red wine casks (the movie ends at the Golden Gate Bridge).
Whiskey Lore Rank: #18 (Score 5.65) > Next Movie
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