Christopher Walken’s Bond villain Max Zorin turns 40!

“Intuitive improvisation is the secret of genius” isn’t just one of the most memorable lines from A View to a Kill, it also doubles as a philosophy for the actor who spoke the words: Christopher Walken. And it’s been 40 years since he gave one of the most fun performances in the James Bond franchise.

A View to a Kill, celebrating its milestone birthday today, was Roger Moore’s seventh and final turn as 007. It’s not the best (that’s For Your Eyes Only) and it’s not the silliest (that’s Octopussy), but what A View to a Kill has going for it is an outstanding cast.

In addition to returning players like Moore as Bond, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Robert Brown as M, Desmond Llewelyn as Q, and Walter Gotell as the head of the KGB, A View to a Kill boasts The Avengers‘ Patrick Macnee as hale and hearty horse trainer Sir Godfrey Tibbett, and Tanya Roberts, hot off The Beastmaster and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, as this entry’s “Bond Girl.” There’s also a blink-and-you-miss-him appearance of Dolph Lundgren as a Russian goon, and singing the theme was one of the hottest bands of the 1980s who still fill out arenas today, Duran Duran. (Watching the music video again now, 40 years later, one sees how they cavalierly gave away the big climax of the movie.)

But what really makes A View to a Kill sing are the baddies, starting at the top with the Nazi-bred, ex-KGB, genetically altered microchip tycoon, horse breeder, and airship enthusiast Max Zorin, played with characteristic flamboyance by Walken.

The Astoria, Queens, native, who initially trained as a dancer, was already an Academy Award winner (for The Deer Hunter) by 1985, and was leaning into his inherent weirdness at this stage of his career. His previous two films were the ill-fated (but far better than remembered) Brainstorm, a psychedelic science fiction thriller forever marred due to its co-lead Natalie Wood’s tragic death during production, and a dark masterpiece, David Cronenberg’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dead Zone.

Though both were intended for mainstream audiences, they were serious films, so stepping into the 007 universe when it was at its most campy was something of a swerve.

Initially, director John Glen wanted David Bowie for the part, and when that didn’t happen, Rutger Hauer was approached. But rub some peroxide in Christopher Walken’s hair and you’ll end up with something greater than either.

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Max Zorin’s dossier reads something like this: his birth was the result of Nazi medical experimentation on pregnant women. Though the specifics are vague, he was given some kind of super serum that killed most of the other subjects, but left him with a hypercharged brain, along with a sociopathic streak. (Yes, this definitely makes him perfect for the tech industry.)

Though German, he was raised in France, then later trained in Russia with the KGB. Why does he have an American accent? Don’t ask so many questions! All you need to know is that he eventually slips away from the KGB’s influence to become a microchip mogul and also an equine breeder. His horses always win because he keeps them doped up, but doesn’t activate the drugs until they are midcourse. Smart! (And also it makes for better cinema.)

His evil plan is to conquer the microchip market by creating earthquakes and floods that will destroy most of the San Francisco Bay area. (He may have gotten the gist of the idea from Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie.) He reveals his crazy plan to would-be partners in the most badass way possible — aboard his own private blimp! Of course, we in the audience don’t know it’s a blimp at first, but it is revealed to us in the most dramatic way possible.

In the above clip, you surely noticed his second-in-command. This is May Day, played by none other than Grace Jones. She is his henchwoman, his lover, and his literal sparring partner, as you’ll see in this very memorable moment.

May Day, whom Bond also seduces (or does she seduce him?), is one of those Bond antagonists who turns good at the last minute, much like Jaws in Moonraker and Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. And she’s such a great henchwoman, she actually has her own henchwomen, including Alison Doody (later seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) as Jenny Flex, and Papillon Soo Soo (later seen in Full Metal Jacket and, unfortunately, heard for years in an ignoble 2 Live Crew song) as Pan Ho.

Zorin initially dispatches May Day, in ninja gear, to assassinate a guy who is giving Bond information (with a poisoned prop butterfly on a fishing hook?), and then escapes by running to the top of the Eiffel Tower, parachuting off, then landing in the Seine, where Zorin picks her up in a speedboat. This is a duo who does things their own way!

But even with slick hair and unpredictable speech patterns, Max Zorin is no match for James Bond. The big finish comes on the Golden Gate Bridge. (And when we say on, we mean really on!) The final fight takes the Zorin zeppelin to the very highest spans, where Bond and Zorin duke it out with an axe. Not surprisingly, the man who thought he could outwit the world almost seems unperturbed when he meets his doom.

Of course, everyone has their own favorite Bond villain. Dr. No probably has the coolest name. Auric Goldfinger gets the best line. Hugo Drax’s plans to colonize space are a little less far-fetched now as they once were. But for elan and panache, few can top Max Zorin.

The next time we rig a horse race and/or try to destroy California, we’ll think of you, Max!