Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane)
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Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky played by Robbie Coltrane
Born in Rutherglen, Scotland on 30th March 1950
Starred In Goldeneye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Profile
After meeting up with Jack Wade in Goldeneye, he takes Bond to meet Zukovsky at an old warehouse, where he might have some information about the Janus group. Bond enters and as Zukovsky walks through a door, he holds a gun to the back of his head. Zukovsky amusingly quips "Hmm, Walther PPK, 7.65mm, only three people I know use such a gun, I believe I have killed two of them". After convincing Zukovsky that they can be mutually beneficial to each other, Zukovsky arranges for Bond to meet with Janus.
In The World Is Not Enough Zukovsky has a much larger part. Now a rich owner of a casino and caviar factory in Eastern Europe, Bond pays a visit to meet him. After showing Zukovsky a patch of material taken from the parahawks, Elektra King enters the casino where Zukovsky invites her into a private room, where she looses one million dollars, a payment for services provided.
Later in the film Zukovsky drives to check things are proceeding well at his caviar factory on the Caspian Sea. After thinking all his dreams have come at once when he meets Dr Christmas Jones seductively sitting on a sofa, Bond appears confronting him about his connection with Elektra King. Moments later the warehouse becomes under attack from King's chainsaw helicopters, leaving Zukovsky trapped in a vat of his own caviar. Before Bond assists him, he gets Zukovsky to confess his involvement with Elektra.
Later Zukovsky provides the location of Elektra's hideout from a radar listening station, and comes to Bond's aid when he is strapped to Elektra's torture chair. Zukovsky is sadly killed when Elektra shoots him with a gun concealed behind a sailor's hat. In his final moments, he manages to use his walking stick to shoot one of Bond's leg cuffs, rather than kill Elektra. A cunning plan by Zukovsky, this allows Bond to escape from the chair, kill Elektra and eventually stop Renard in his tracks.
About
Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky is an interesting and charismatic character that proves to be the unlikely ally of Bond. Bond and Zukovsky's paths have crossed before. Whilst working as an KGB agent, Bond shoots Zukovsky in the knee giving him a permanent limp, rather than killing him, showing professional courtesy. In Goldeneye Zukovsky is a Russian Mafia boss with various dubious dealings, who constructs an uneasy alliance with Bond based on information for Bond and money for Zukovsky. Things have changed somewhat for Zukovsky in The World Is Not Enough when he becomes a rich casino owner in Baku, along with his own caviar. Here Zukovsky is more refined, relaxed and the alliance with Bond is more secure. Zukovsky however does find it most amusing when Elektra's helicopters destroy Bond's BMW Z8.
Like many allies before him, Valentin Zukovsky proves to be an excellent ally, and unlikely friend of Bond. Joining the ranks of the few true charismatic and fascinating allies Bond has had, Zukovsky is resourceful, brave and shows great courage. However, he does suffer the fate of some of those previous allies, when he is killed by one of the films main villains, Elektra King. Zukovsky cleverly dislodges one of Bonds leg restraints putting events into motion that allows him to stop Elektra and Renard's plan in its tracks. §
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