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Roger Moore's swansong in his seventh appearance as 007, and the 14th in the EON James Bond series, is a respectable enough effort. Director John Glen pushes all the usual buttons, and does a valiant effort of trying to present us with Moore's 58-year-old superspy, only encountering numerous slight hiccups but no amazingly disastrous problems in a recognisable 1980s Bond setup. This is a passable yarn, showcasing a pedestrian Christopher Walken as Max Zorin, the extremely intelligent, and yet psychotic microchip industrialist Bond has to sabotage at the final hurdle. May Day, Zorin's hench(wo)man, is played with great annoyance by Grace Jones, and even though she pulls off the vampish villainess role for a while, one cannot help but feel robbed when she doesn't have a showdown with Bond to cause her demise รก la Rosa Klebb. Stacey Sutton is standard fare for a Bond girl, and even though Tanya Roberts is on the same level as Barbara Bach in terms of acting ability, the American has to be one of the most attractive heroines of the entire series. Patrick Macnee, Willoughby Gray and even Dolph Lundgren (in a cameo) do their best jobs to sell the flimsy plot although screenwriters Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum are more to blame for the lack of convictive ammunition in terms of dialogue and action.
The locations are stunning and are some of the best from the entire franchise, but Zorin's scheme about flooding the San Andreas Fault and monopolising the microchip market, even though relatively interesting at the time, is probably the most forgettable and most contrived proposal in 007 history. The plot is very similar to Goldfinger (1964), and even though the scenario works well 20 years earlier, producers had to do more than simply updating gold with microchips to pull off an almost identical story. One thing the plot does incorporate terrifically though are the world famous landmarks, the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge - stunts on and off both are sensational. The Chateau de Chantilly and pre-credits ski chase are also very good, even though the latter contains a very unnecessary inclusion from the Beach Boys with "California Girls".
Most people are of the opinion that Moore was too old in the role by this record-breaking seventh appearance, but ridicule is not needed. The Englishman's last couple of features were more to do with producer Albert R. Broccoli wanting him to continue rather than him delaying his retirement. His legacy included the previously unheard of addition of Bond venturing into space and the arrival of computer technology in a revolutionary twelve years. Despite the tongue in cheek manner of the films, dated visuals, and substandard plots Moore had to contend with, his era will never be forgotten.
The extras
The first commentary on Disc One is jam-packed with John Glen and his cohorts and is very detailed. Moore again does a sterling job with his personal conversational commentary. The new stuff on Disc Two is fairly barren. The "Butterfly Test Footage" is nothing special at all, but "Film '85 BBC Report" is a neat look at production with the normal laid-back cigar-smoking Moore mannerisms. "The Streets of San Francisco" is talked about vividly by Glen as he presents us with deleted scenes for more detail. Some are viewable with extended, alternative and expanded sequences. The "Paris Police Station" is very Pink Panther-esque as Glen states but is relatively humorous and wouldn't be out of place in a Moore effort. Moore also swears after the pathetic scene between Stacey and her boss which is quite funny and epitomises Moore's sarcastic view of the material. Rosemary Lord (instead of Patrick Macnee) narrates the standard "Inside" featurette and we are treated to more points of note, unfortunately without a Walken interview. The fact that the secondary stuntman jeopardised the whole film by doing an unauthorised jump of the Eiffel Tower is hilarious. Moore also makes us aware that the Mayor of San Francisco preferred Roger to Connery in the role and consequently very willingly gave Broccoli the necessary permits to shoot nearly anywhere in San Francisco, including the City Hall. A nice montage of Moore's appearances as Bond ends the worthwhile 40 minute package. "The Bond Sound" is a great 20 minute look at the soundtracks of the series, including a deserved focus on John Barry's outstanding contributions. Nancy Sinatra, Carly Simon, and of course Shirley Bassey add more insight, as well as the other composers, including David Arnold from the most recent era. The Duran Duran music video is tame, along with the theatrical archive and image database. The film does look and sound stunning though.
The summary
Great thrilling stunts are ultimately diluted by many flaws and a poor main narrative. Moore displays his charm for a final time and it's such a shame he isn't complimented with villains possessing enough menace to elevate the script above the mundane.
