Live and Let Die

mythrenegade · December 2006

I decided that I haven't watched my way through the franchise in a while. By the same token, every time I do that, I typically watch Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger and then stop. Thunderball is low on my list, and I usually wait a while and eventually forget where I was and start over with Dr. No...

So this time I decided to watch the Moore bonds as a result of the "Was Moore a rubbish bond?" thread. I started with Live and Let Die.

There is a reason this is #6 on my list of Bond films. Moore looks really good in the part, and he has all of the elements he became famous for right off the bat. I really like this film from start to finish. The only elements that really bother me are the fake snakes and the ludicrous death of Mr. Big/Dr. Kananga. Both of those are special effects issues essentially. Although improbable the death would have been ok if it wasn't so obviously a blow up doll... They tried hard to make the green rubber snakes scary, but it just didn't work either.

But this movie is far too strong to be brought down by a few little things like that. This is truly one of the highpoints of the series, and only TSWLM outshines this effort for a Moore bond film.

Joel

blueman · December 2006

I think it's my fav Moore Bond film, which is funny because it used to bug me. But I'm pretty much in line with your comments above: Moore was lean and mean, the whole blaxploitation thing rocked, the Baron, the boat chase (even with Pepper)...although Kananga blowing up never bothered me as much as Whisper toppling into one of those container thingys--dude shoulda been shark meat.

For Fleming with a twist, they did alright with that one. {[]

Number24 · December 2006

I think Moore is the weakest Bond because of his limited range as an actor and atlethe. I read somewhere one of the directors saying that he looked so silly when he ran they tried to avoid showing it or use stuntmen!
But he could deliver quips better than anyone, looked the part and could act well enough for most of the material he was given. I think LALD and FYEO are his best Bond movies, and I enjoy seeing them from timwe to time.

Mark65 · December 2006

This was the first Bond film I saw in the cinema when I was a kid and I still think it's great. Often poor comparisons with the Sean Connery films, and indeed OHMSS, distract from the fact that LALD is a very strong film in its own right and is very much a film of the 1970s. The speedboat chase in particualr is genuinely spectacular.

I would agree with the comment that only TSWLM is a better Roger Moore 007 film.

Cheers,

Mark

Steed · December 2006

It's a great, fun film. I prefer the pretty much perfect Spy Who Loved Me, the more sombre For Your Eyes Only and the superbly paced Octopussy of the Moore era, yet this is still a darned good film. Unlike the Kung Fu tie in for the next film, the blaxploitation one, though dated now, works quite well. Kananga is a great, sinister villain and I'd say this film more than any other has Roger Moore's very best lines. Solitaire is just gorgeous and the theme tune is first class. There are flaws though- the boat chase goes on far too long with some laboured comedy from Sheriff Pepper, and the action finale is quite disappointing- this affected the previous film and even more so the next one.

I don't think I've ever watched them all in sequence. I would get to the point where I don't think I would want to watch Thunderball too often either- it's definitely the weakest Connery era Bond film, imho. It's not anywhere near the bottom rung anyway but that film is WAY too long and plodding.

Moore Not Less · December 2006

I will always have a soft spot for LALD as it was my full introduction to James Bond, aswell as Roger Moore's debut. Having said that, pick any of the other five Bond actors for this film and I would still love it. Roger is just the icing on the cake.

The blaxploitation/voodoo theme really works for me. Kananga, Tee Hee, Baron Samedi, Quarrel Jr, etc are a great bunch of characters wonderfully portrayed by their respective actors. Jane Seymour's Solitaire is one of my favourite Bond girls and David Hedison is my favourite Felix Leiter. Even J. W. is good in this film, with the exception of his spitting.

There's also some very good action scenes, most notably when Bond steps over the crocodiles backs, the boat chase and the double decker bus chase. Other highlight's include Paul McCartney's wonderful title song and George Martin's wonderful score.

The blaxploitation theme clearly dates LALD, but for me that only adds to it's charm.

La Curandera · March 2007

LALD is my favorite of the Moore era... Moore managed to keep the camp that pervaded the later films, and as mentioned before, the Blaxploitation style ruled.

Lazenby · March 2007

I don't like LALD as much as some of the later Moore movies. It definitely has its awesome qualities (the score, the girl, Yaphet Kotto), but overall I couldn't get into Moore's performance. Bond is supposed to have been recruited out of the Navy and into the secret service, Moore's Bond in LALD, with his leather gloves, cheroots, impeccable manners and tailored suits, strikes me more as a tennis pro recruited out of the Playboy club than anything. One might object and say that all that just adds to the film's charm, at which point I'll just agree to disagree.

Live and Let Die

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