Review of Live and Let Die (1973) by I Don't Know W — 10 Jun 2011

The cinematic adventures of James Bond reached a turning point in 1973. Superstar Sean Connery had declined the opportunity to continue on in the role and his one-time replacement, George Lazenby, wasn't well received by critics or fans. Enter Roger Moore: a popular television star who had been rumored to be up for the titular role since his success as Simon Templar in "The Saint." Moore's tenure as James Bond would prove to be enduring as he occupied the role for 12 years. Live and Let Die was Moore's first foray into the James Bond world and, while not nearly as effective as Thunderball or Goldfinger, was still promising enough to signal that Bond had survived losing Sean Connery. Up until this point, Bond films had always featured a nice element of wit. Strangely, Moore's films became increasingly more and more steeped in pure camp. Fortunately, Live and Let Die avoids most of the silly pitfalls that plagued Moore's later films and presents a solid and entertaining James Bond adventure.

When James Bond is dispatched to the United States to investigate the deaths of three MI6 agents, he encounters a shadowy underground figure by the name of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto). Big has a mysterious connection to Dr. Kananga, the dictator of a small Caribbean island and the subject of the dead MI6 agents' investigation. Bond will, again, work with his CIA counterpart Felix Leiter (David Hedison) as he traverses the unfamiliar American landscape. A lucky encounter with psychic tarot card reader, Solitaire (Jane Seymour), emboldens Bond's quest to foil Kananga's diabolical scheme to distribute tons of Heroin around the world. Kananga's ruthless henchmen, Tee Hee Johnson (Julius Harris) and voodoo doctor Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder), on the other hand, have other plans for Bond.

Live and Let Die was the first of the Bond films that focused on more common criminals and less on world domination. It's a throwaway episode the remains enjoyable in its execution, but never achieves the grandeur of Mr. Connery's previous efforts. 1973 was the height of the Blaxploitation era and Live and Let Die revels, from beginning to end, in its nuances. Bond has always been a symbol of the times - a sexist alpha male during the Connery era, a rouge who was at odds with political correctness during the Pierce Brosnan years and an unaffected killing machine in the series' latest incarnation with Daniel Craig. Unfortunately for Moore, he's the Bond who wore leisure suits, battled killer pimps and fought off voodoo attacks. His sense of the Bond character seems to reside in an overwhelming devil may care attitude. Moore's Bond has always struck me as being lighthearted with a reluctant propensity for violence, whereas Connery's Bond was a serious man with a quick wit who had no qualms about killing. There are as many opinions as to what makes the best Bond as there are Bond fans. I was raised on the Roger Moore films, so I do have fond memories of seeing them whilst growing up. However, in the shadow of what Connery and Craig have achieved, Live and Let Die is just a little on the soft side.

Live and Let Die does have its positives, however. Paul McCartney's exceptional title song is one of the best in the history of the franchise. George "The Fifth Beatle" Martin builds on themes from McCartney's opener and crafts a suspenseful and rollicking score. It's a fantastic 1 - 2 punch and is amongst the best Bond musical experiences in the series. Jane Seymour's Solitaire ranks as one of the most beautiful and sympathetic Bond girls of all time while Geoffrey Holder's Baron Samedi is effectively creepy. Live and Let Die has a lot of excellent parts that just happen to add up to a mediocre Bond adventure. Live and Let Die will, no doubt, be enjoyed as a throwback by Bond fans. It's the newcomers to the series that will left wondering.

Even though Live and Let Die is one of the better Roger Moore Bond films ever produced, it still manages to be a weak entry into the long-standing series of James Bond adventures. I've never been particularly fond of Roger Moore's portrayal of the legendary spy, but this is one of his better attempts.