Live and Let Die (1973) United Artists/Action-Adventure RT: 121 minutes Rated PG (language, violence, sexual situations) Director: Guy Hamilton Screenplay: Tom Mankiewicz Music: George Martin Cinematography: Ted Moore Release date: June 27, 1973 (US)/July 12, 1973 (UK) Cast: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James, Geoffrey Holder, Julius Harris, David Hedison, Gloria Hendry, Lois Maxwell, Bernard Lee, Tommy Lane, Earl Jolly Brown, Lon Stanton, Roy Stewart, B.J. Arnau, Ruth Kempf. Opening Song: “Live And Let Die” by Paul McCartney and Wings Box Office: $35.3M (US)
Rating: ****
Let’s all extend a warm welcome to the new James Bond, actor Roger Moore (The Saint). He crushes it his first time out. Live and Let Die, the eighth film in the series, is my favorite of the Bond movies. Admittedly, there is some bias on my part as it’s the first one I ever saw. I watched it on TV one night (a school night, no less) with my parents when I was 12. It’s the one that got me interested in the character.
I didn’t realize it then, but Live and Let Die is a blend of two distinct genres, the British spy movie and blaxploitation. The latter was very popular at the time and incorporated into the plot of the film which differs greatly from Ian Flemings’ original 1954 novel. Elements from it would later be used in For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Licence to Kill (1989).
The movie opens with the killings of three MI6 agents in New York City, New Orleans and the small Caribbean island of San Monique, all within the space of 24 hours. Bond is ordered by M (Lee) to investigate. His main target is Kananga (Kotto, Alien), the corrupt PM of San Monique who has dealings with a Harlem crime boss known as “Mr. Big”.
It would appear the villains are expecting 007. Kananga has a network of spies all through Harlem who keep him apprised of the secret agent’s every move. He follows Kananga to a soul food restaurant that serves as Mr. Big’s base of operations. That’s where he meets Solitaire (Seymour, Somewhere in Time), a tarot card reader who can see into the future. She acts as Kananga’s psychic advisor. Mr. Big appears and orders his guys to kill Bond. Obviously, they fail.
The CIA, represented as usual by Bond’s buddy Felix Leiter (Hedison, The Fly), also has an interest in Kananga’s criminal activities. One of their agents, beautiful bad ass Rosie Carver (Hendry, Black Belt Jones), poses as 007’s wife when he goes to San Monique to investigate Kananga further. Whatever he’s doing, he keeps the locals at bay by exploiting their fears of the occult. It’s on Bond to uncover what he’s up to and put a stop to it.
I’m glad to see the lead actor is the only thing producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli changed in Live and Let Die. They retain all the good stuff like the gadgets created by Q who’s absent from this entry. He leaves it to M to present Bond with his latest invention, a combination wristwatch/super-magnet capable of deflecting bullets should the need arise (and you know it will). The suave agent still sleeps with every female he encounters except for Miss Moneypenny (Maxwell) with whom he still shares a flirtatious but chaste relationship.
Then there’s the action. It is NOT in short supply in Live and Let Die. The centerpiece is a chase through the Louisiana bayou involving speedboats, cars and a bumbling, big-bellied redneck sheriff, J.W. Pepper (James, Superman II). This is after Bond escapes a death trap by stepping on the backs of hungry crocodiles. There’s also a chase in San Monique involving a double-decker bus. All of it is exciting and well mounted.
Kananga is a pretty good villain. He’s not one of the greatest Bond baddies. World domination doesn’t factor into his nefarious scheme involving the sale and distribution of heroin. However, he is a memorable villain in the context of blaxploitation. The late Kotto was a great actor who always brought his A-game. He certainly does so in Live and Let Die. He also has a colorful collection of henchmen like Tee Hee (Harris, Super Fly), a one-armed man with a deadly prosthesis that can bend gun barrels, and a portly, soft-spoken fellow named Whispers (Brown, Black Belt Jones). I must admit I did miss SPECTRE, but the criminal organization headed by Blofeld had to be retired from the movies due to the lawsuit over the rights to Thunderball.
As much as I love Sean Connery, Roger Moore is my favorite James Bond, but only by a slim margin. Again, there is some bias on my part due to Moore being the first Bond I ever saw. He takes a lighter approach to the role. He’s tough, but not without a sense of humor. He has an amusing quip for every occasion. Like his predecessor, he’s suave and sophisticated not to mention charming with the ladies. He’s a fun and funny Bond. He was the right choice to take over for Connery, something he’d prove over the course of six more movies.
The Bond Girls are great in Live and Let Die although I would have liked to see more of Hendry’s character. She exits too soon. Seymour, on the other hand, sticks around for the long haul. She’s good as Solitaire, a woman with a gift that depends on her staying abstinent. If she’s not, she loses her psychic abilities. Seeing that James Bond is on the job, it’s a safe bet this will happen sooner or later, more likely sooner than later.
There is one other thing missing from Live and Let Die, composer John Barry. Although we get to hear his iconic theme, the score is handled by George Martin, commonly referred to as “the fifth Beatle” for his extensive involvement with the Fab Four. The opening song by Paul McCartney and Wings is the best Bond theme of all. Paul really rocks it! And that opening credits sequence by Maurice Binder, I can only say “WOW!”
All films are subjective. This is definitely true of the James Bond movies. Everybody has their favorites and least favorites. Mine happens to be Live and Let Die. Directed by Guy Hamilton, who also did Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever, it’s a great action movie that isn’t hard to follow making it an ideal choice for a preteen’s into to the iconic British spy. Never mind that it’s extremely dated. Not every action movie has to be a $200M extravaganza. I love the relative simplicity of the early Bond films. I also love the addition of blaxploitation elements. It makes for a great time. That’s why Live and Let Die is my favorite.
