Of all the actors who have playedJames Bond,Roger Moore’s tenure as the characteris one of the most interesting. Althoughhis debut in 1973’sLive and Let Diesuggested that Moore could take the franchise in an inventive, original direction, his subsequent films grew increasingly silly and unfocused.Bond managed to go to space inMoonraker, skate down a mountain inFor Your Eyes Only, and dress up as a clown inOctopussy.By the time that Moore made his last appearance as 007 inA View to a Kill, the film felt closer to aZucker brothersparody than an actual Bond entry. Often regarded as one of the worst entries in the entire series,A View to a Killnearly featuredDavid Bowieas the main villain.
A View to a Kill
The recovery of a microchip from the body of a fellow British secret agent leads James Bond to a mad industrialist scheming to cause massive destruction.
Who Is Max Zorin in ‘A View to a Kill’?
While the majority ofIan Fleming’s original Bond novels had already been adapted by the end of Moore’s run as the character,A View to a Killis based on a short story from the 007 anthology novelFor Your Eyes Only. After a secret mission to Siberia duringthe film’s pre-title action sequence, Bond is assigned to investigate the ruthless government contractor Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), who has amassed a series of powerful weapons in his private blimp. Zorin is a crazed industrialist who was created through a Nazi scientific experiment.Aiming to cripple the American economy, Zorin wants to destroy Silicon Valley so that he can monopolize the financial market with his microchip inventions.
Although the series hasits fair share of memorable antagonists,Zorin is by far the silliest villain in the entire Bond franchise. The notion of a genetically enhanced genius with a personal vendetta against American investors feels plucked right out of acamp classic, and reflects how significantly the Bond franchise had strayed from its original source material. While they had their elements of superficiality, Fleming’s original novels had attempted to depict a fairly realistic version of espionage that reflected the real tensions between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Zorin, with his elaborate evil schemes and strange technology, felt like a parody of Fleming’s original work.
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Although the film itself isone of the least rewatchable entries in the series,Walken’s amazing performance makesA View To A Killmore entertaining. Instead of trying to take the character seriously, Walken leaned into the campiness of the material, bringing the signature idiosyncrasies that he had perfected throughhisSaturday Night Liveperformances. While the franchise would go on to create memorable antagonists likeGoldenEye’s Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) andSkyfall’s Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who have deep-seated motivations for their violent actions, there’s no underlying complexity to Zorin. He’s one of the rare villains who simply enjoys being evil, and Walken’s comic charm succeeded in helping the film become a “so bad it’s good” classic.
Why David Bowie Didn’t Want To Play a Bond Villain
Although casting an actor of Walken’s magnitude proved to be a masterstroke,the role ofZorin was originally intended for Bowie. While he was best known for his outstanding career as a musician, Bowie was a burgeoning actor who showed he could shed his stage persona and play memorable characters in genre films. While many famous musicians seek cameo roles in order to increase their popularity,Bowie’s sensitive performance in the war classicMerry Christmas, Mister Lawrencesuggested that he harbored greater ambitions for his film roles. The role of the main antagonist in one of the most popular franchises of all-time certainly would’ve exposed his acting talents to a wider audience. It also would’ve given audiences a reason to take interest in the franchise once more after the underwhelming critical reception toOctopussy.
Having just completed a recent worldwide tour, Bowie’s schedule was free during the summer of 1984, which saw the production ofA View to a Kill. Despite his initial enthusiasm about the project, Bowie dropped out of the production, with the quip that he“didn’t want to spend five months watching my stunt double fall off cliffs.”Although the casting directors briefly tried to getStingto play Zorin after his performance inDavid Lynch’s adaptation ofDune, Walken was selected as Bowie’s replacement.
‘A View to a Kill’ Changed the Bond Franchise Forever
Despite the entertainment value thatWalken had brought to the role of Zorin,A View to a Killwas a critical disappointmentthat raised serious concerns about the future of the Bond franchise. With its extensive special effects sequence, significant collateral damage, and general lack of intelligence or wit,A View to a Killsuggested that the Bond franchise had become old and out of touch. MGM aimed to retool the series withPierce Brosnancast as Bond, but the casting fell through due tothe actor’s obligations to theRemington Steeletelevision series.Timothy Daltonwas cast in his place for 1987’sThe Living Daylights.
The Living Daylightsbecame a much darker Bond film in response to the campiness ofA View to a Kill, reflecting the more somber tone of Fleming’s original source material. AlthoughThe Living Daylightsstill had its moments of comedy,Dalton’s second Bond filmLicense to Killessentially turned the franchise into a gritty revenge thriller. When Brosnan eventually did obtain the role forGoldenEye, the franchise managed to find a tone that honored both the intensity of Fleming’s novels and the more comical touches that Moore had added to the character. Although the Bond franchise has certainly featured some eccentric villains in recent installments, it remains unlikely that it will ever feature a character like Zorin ever again.
A View to a Killis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
