Live and Let Die (1973)

I can't understand why some other people didn't like it. Actually this is the first Bond movie I've seen, it made a big impression on me and it still does. I found this movie being one of the most colorful Bond movies. There were few colorful villains, lots of action, some humor, and of course - Roger Moore who is my favorite James Bond. The story isn't typical for James Bond movies, it's more mystical this time, but I liked that. Of course nowadays when you watch this movie it may look cheesy in some scenes, but the action sequences where very exiting. Another reason why I liked this movie was the main theme song - Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die, which is yet my favorite James Bond theme.

Fmovies: "Live and Let Die" (1973) is the eighth James Bond movie in the official series. It takes its name from the second Ian Fleming book, but aside of that has relatively little to do with the book. It is directed by Guy Hamilton, his third Bond movie, and stars for the first time Roger Moore as the secret agent. The opening theme is by Paul McCartney.

Three different secret agents are killed and James Bond is sent to New York to investigate. Bond becomes convinced that Dr. Kananga, prime-minister of small Caribbean island, is involved in the killings. Bond follows Kananga to his island where he finds that Kananga uses an old voodoo cult to keep the superstitious locals from finding his heroin fields. Bond also meets Solitaire, a young priestess working for Kananga.

"Live and Let Die" used to be one of my favorite Bond films as a kid and it's a good start for the Roger Moore era. It's got plenty of action starting with Bond trying not to get killed in Harlem, then trying not to get eaten by alligators and having a nearly epic boat chase scene. Looking this film now, years later, however does make me realize that it is a bit longer than would really be needed. Still it's a pretty entertaining movie and not as silly as the previous "Diamonds Are Forever".

Roger Moore's take on Bond is one of those things that people seem to either hate or love. Some people complain that Moore made Bond too comical, too humorous, even a joke. While it's true that Moore does bring more humor to the character than any other actor I've seen, he's by no means bad. Moore's Bond is still charming, witty and always ready to take action.

In other roles we have young Jane Seymour as the priestess Solitaire, a potentially interesting but ultimately rather forgettable Bond girl and Yaphet Kotto seems to be having fun playing the villain Kananga. Clifton James has a funny little role as the redneck sheriff who thinks of Bond as the enemy of humanity number one.

All in all, "Live and Let Die" is not a bad Bond movie, it just doesn't reach its full potential either. It's still a good watch and a fine opening for the Roger Moore era. Above average.

As an avid fan of 70s horror and exploitation, I have no problem at all with Live and Let Die's voodoo plot elements and many blaxploitation trappings: as far as I am concerned, they only serve to make this a very unique debut for Roger Moore as cinema's greatest secret agent, setting it well apart from everything Connery did as Bond.

In addition to superstitious mumbo jumbo and jive-speaking soul brothers, this adventure also benefits from a kick-ass theme song from Paul McCartney, an appearance by big-breasted Hammer babe Madeline Smith, the casting of a hot-as-hell Jane Seymour as sexy Tarot reader Solitaire (so called because, until meeting Bond, she'd only played with herself?), and some classic, corny quippery from an impossibly suave Moore.

Unfortunately, despite all of this, the film must be considered something of a disappointment, suffering as it does from a weak storyline/script, dreadful pacing and sub-par action, including a soporific, overlong speed boat chase, during which we are introduced to Clifton James' irritating Sheriff J.W. Pepper, surely the most ill-advised character of the whole Bond franchise.

Live and Let Die fmovies. Various agents MI6 have dead . M (Bernard Lee) sends 007 (Roger Moore , he was forty-five when he made this his debut as Bond) with license for kill to investigate it . Suspicion lead to Doctor Kananga (Yaphet Kotto at 33 as Big/Dr. Kananga is the youngest actor to play a main Bond villain) whose public image is a humanitarian person who defends his country in the United Nations . He governs tyrannically the island of San Monique . There lives Solitaire (Jane Seymour) , being totally submitted from infancy by Kananga. She is a tarot-cards reading psychic and doesn't know about life and acts as a marionette , craving her own way of life. His tutor (Kotto) believes that her virginal state originates to her a sixth sense and he trusts this quality as an expert guesser to dodge the law enforcement . Others characters appear in the film are the followings : Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) . He's a Voodoo's chaman who controls the San Monique people for executing the Kananga's orders . He takes his name of death's Voodoo God . The villainous Tee Hee (Julius Harris) , a giant killer , posteriorly copied in other Bond films (Richard Kiel in ¨Spy who loved me¨) . He deeply enjoys murdering with his steel arm that hooks the victims . Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) is an explosive and sexy CIA agent who brings to Bond towards the lush jungle of the perilous island. James Bond will confront numerous dangers , odds ,risks , as the taking on starving crocodiles located on a breeding place where there's a poster captioning : ¨Trespassers will be eaten¨. Besides, a breathtaking speedboat pursuit by leaps and bounds , developed on everglades (in New Orleans , Louisiana) , including intervention a headstrong sheriff (Clifton James) who pursues them by a police car . As always , 007 will use several gadgets delivered by ¨Q¨ (Desmond Llewelyn) , such as : a prodigious as well as magnetic wristwatch , Roger Moore's personal favorite , and air bombing cartridges, both objects with special importance in the film.

Sir Roger Moore as a new James Bond is cool , lacked coldness and toughness characterized by Sir Sean Connery ; however , earning in irony , suavity and smoothness . Sean Connery turned down the then astronomical sum of five and a half million dollars to perform James Bond. Sean Connery gave Sir Roger Moore his personal seal of approval for inheriting his character , calling him "an ideal Bond¨ and making him the oldest actor to do so. The youngest was George Lazenby , who was twenty-nine in 007 On Majestic's secret service (1969). It contains spectacular and exciting final confrontation between Bond and enemies in the underground cave that was paced in moving and stimulating manner . Agreeable and catching title song sung by Paul McCartney and his band Wings , and sensational musical score by George Martin. Colorful and brilliant cinematography by Ted Moore. The movie was well directed by Guy Hamilton who also made other James Bond films.

Several British agents are killed in America and in the Caribbean. Despite the difference in how the murders occur they seem linked together by drugs. Bond begins to investigate and finds links between the American drug dealer Mr Big and the mysterious owner of a Caribbean island Kananga. While investigating Bond falls foul of both despite gaining the affections of Kananga's beautiful mistress Solitaire.

Roger Moore's first Bond is one of his best. The film wisely steps away from those regular bad guys the Russians and gets a new feel by actually having non-white main characters. The plot is pretty good and doesn't have the usual `take over the world' feel to it. There is plenty of silly stuff of course but the stunts are quite good and Bond has a new line in `eyebrow raised' humour.

Moore will never be the best Bond but he did make the role his own – adding an element of self-deprecating humour to the role. Yaphet Kotto is a good actor and makes a good bad guy. Jane Seymour isn't convincing as the mystic property of Kananga – she really should have been played by a black actress and it shows a lack of bravery on the side of the producers that they went with a white face as the lead Bond girl. Julius Harris is good as Tee Hee and Clifton James adds some comedy value as J.W. Pepper.

Overall this is one of Moore's best Bond movies and certainly stands out from previous films with numerous Russian baddies. Also the theme music is a really fun song from Wings.

Roger Moore's debut as 007 was a bit wan but, in retrospect, probably his best outing. He looked pretty lean and mean for a 45 year-old. For a British audience, Moore (The Saint, The Persuaders) was the natural successor to Sean Connery.

Director Guy Hamilton makes this an expertly staged but somehow lacklustre affair. While the background voodoo theme is suitably bizarre, the main McGuffin about drugs smuggling is rather under-whelming for a Bond movie. Yaphet Kotto is a potentially strong baddie but has too little to do amid the familiar carnage and boat chases. And the introduction of the series' first out-rightly comic character in Sheriff JW Pepper presaged the self-defeating lapse into self-spoofing the films would increasingly take.

Nor does a heavy-handed score by Beatles producer George Martin help. Unlike regular Bond composer John Barry's music, Martin's is ponderous, overlaid onto the action rather than organic to it.

Still, Paul McCartney's blistering title-song really jolts Bond into the 70s. And Live and Let Die does have one of the best jokes in the entire series, in the opening sequence when a CIA agent, watching a New Orleans jazz funeral, innocently asks a nondescript fellow bystander: "Who's funeral is itÂ…?"