Review of Live and Let Die (1973) by Naische F — 12 Jan 2009

Sir Roger Moore's debut as James Bond. I watched this in the new remastered Blu-Ray edition and the picture and sounds are stunning! This was a departure at the time in the look of Bond. The picture is very reminiscent of the early 1970s Blackxpoitation films and has that feel throughout.

But for what it is, it certainly works! Yaphet Kotto is charming as the villain(s). Jane Seymour makes her screen debut as the tarrot-card reader Solitaire and looks gorgeous in an HD remaster! Clifton James makes a great southern Sheriff, so good that he returned in the next installment (his last quip at Bond as a doomsday machine is very memorable in HD).

And David Hedison played a sympathetic Felix Leiter (who later returned in Timothy Dalton's 'License To Kill'). The picture moves quickly and Moore fits into the role with ease, despite at times finding it off to shake off the characters and mannerisms of Connery, Simon Templar or Brett Sinclair.

This is Bond v/s villains with spooky magic and the fantasy level is quite high here. My only complaint in this movie is that there are many indoor sets at times which take away from the realism of the other splendid outdoor scenes.