Main Cast: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James, Julius Harris
Release Year: 1973
Country: UK
Run Time: 121 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Roger Moore makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (Jane Seymour in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while Geoffrey Holder is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Roger Moore's debut as James Bond has action and style to spare, but sadly falls short in the areas of story and pacing. Tom Mankiewicz's script creates an interesting villain in Kananga and starts off with an exciting barrage of action scenes, but seems to lose its way as it hits the midway point, failing to come up with an inspired motive for Kananga's villainous actions and neglecting to create set pieces that live up to the excitement of the first half. A bigger problem is that the story deviates too far from the usual Bond story line to create a mish-mash that borrows too heavily from the popular genres of its time. The drug-smuggling angle of the script could have come from any blaxploitation film of the era and a lengthy New Orleans-set boat chase in the second hour abruptly and unconvincingly detours the film into goofy Smokey and the Bandit territory (complete with a silly redneck sheriff). Despite these problems, Live and Let Die remains watchable thanks to efficient direction from Guy Hamilton that makes the most of the script's action opportunities. The best moment in this vein is a hair-raising scene where Bond has to escape from a tiny sandbar that is surrounded by a squad of hungry alligators. Live and Let Die further benefits from the committed work of a game cast. Moore brings an appealing dry wit to the character of James Bond and Yaphet Kotto delivers an appropriately forceful performance as Kananga. In the end, Live and Let Die is probably a bit too dated and inconsistent for the casual viewer, but offers enough inspired moments to make it worthwhile for the hardcore James Bond fan. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Geoffrey Holder - Baron Samedi; B.J. Arnau - Singer; Earl Jolly Brown - Whisper; Michael Ebbin - Dambala; David Hedison - Felix Leiter; Gloria Hendry - Rosie; Ruth Kempf - Mrs. Bell; Tommy Lane - Adam; Bernard Lee - M; Lois Maxwell - Moneypenny; Lon Satton - Strutter; Arnold Williams - Cab Driver; Joie Chitwood - Charlie; Madeline Smith - Beautiful Girl; Roy Stewart - Quarrel
Credit
Stephen Hendrickson - Art Director, Syd Cain - Art Director, Geoffrey Holder - Choreography, Julie Harris - Costume Designer, Derek Cracknell - First Assistant Director, Alan Hopkins - First Assistant Director, Guy Hamilton - Director, Bert Bates - Editor, Ray Poulton - Editor, John Shirley - Editor, George Martin - Composer (Music Score), Linda McCartney - Songwriter, Paul McCartney - Songwriter, John Harris - Camera Operator, George Bouillet - Camera Operator, Sidney Cain - Production Designer, Ted Moore - Cinematographer, Stephen F. Kesten - Production Manager, Albert R. Broccoli - Producer, Harry Saltzman - Producer, Rick Baker - Special Effects, Derek Meddings - Special Effects, Ken Barker - Sound/Sound Designer, John W. Mitchell - Sound/Sound Designer, Roger Moore - Stunts, Bill Bennett - Stunts, Bob Simmons - Stunts, Eddie Smith - Stunts, Joie Chitwood - Stunts, Tom Mankiewicz - Screenwriter, Don Lusher - Musical Performer, Ian Fleming - Book Author
