Live and Let Die

With the new Bond came a commendable new concept to keep the old man's finger on the pulse of the times. And given the blaxploitation boom at the time, it was decided that Agent 007's next trouble would be solved in the pimp bars of Harlem and the jazz clubs of New Orleans. The move worked, especially because of the contrast of the dry British old-timer with the wildly dressed swinging blacks, who strip the whole film of its otherwise quite proffered decrepitude. The latter is carefully represented here by the central duo, with Roger Moore acting as a dummy who fires off a dry line in a robotic voice at the touch of a button, and the terrifying Jane Seymour, who gives such a good impression of a wooden plank here that depriving her of her virginity feels like Bond's most decidedly challenging mission yet. The amusing scenes built on contrasts like "the well-dressed James Bond goes into a seedy Harlem bar to discreetly find out information about a drug lord" then work mainly in the way that you can imagine how good and proud they looked on paper before Moore's performance let them implode into his woodenness. In any case, the approach of producers Saltzmann and Broccoli in not repeating the same successful formula installment after installment and continually renewing the spirit of the series (apart from the bad guys, for example, they insisted on limiting Bond gadgets here, so we only rarely see Q) should be framed by the producers of today's blockbuster franchises instead of their annual bonuses. (07/28/2019)

Embarrassingly wannabe experimental 1970s full of voodoo, Harlem, crazy costumes, period hits, with a hopeless attempt at modern visuals. It all comes off as a farce, and Roger Moore in the lead role is a step back compared to Sean Connery and George Lazenby, a woefully unremarkable actor. Only Jane Seymour as the Bond girl is nice to look at. Unfortunately, even the action scenes have suffered a noticeable qualitative decline – where are the raw fights with Connery on the train (From Russia with Love)? After all those years, progress is warranted. (04/26/2014)

007__#8__This film does have a few clever scenes (the crocodiles, the boat chase), but they are not incorporated into the story in such a way as to create a compact spectacle that is not boring and the whole does not feel so confusing. Personally, I consider Hamilton one of the weakest Bond directors (except for his Goldfinger). But we can say with satisfaction that the character of Agent 007 has a worthy successor after Connery. And the boorish Sergeant Pepper irritated me to no end with his overacting. (10/02/2005)

Roger Moore's first Bond film didn't quite work out. Moore was trying to be as tough as Connery in the early Bond films, the script was trying to pretend it was better than it was, Jane Seymour was trying to look like a virgin, and Gloria Hendry wasn’t trying to do anything at all, so the result was as lackluster as you’d expect. (08/03/2016)

Moore's first Bond deserves about 3.5 stars. It has a great beginning (I love the scene with the "black" funeral), but then it gets a bit long-winded. The McCartney song is really one of the best, but outside of that the film lacks proper music. Plus, I wasn't charmed by any of the dumb Bond girls. Why should you see Live and Let Die? Apart from the fact that Moore takes the reins from Connery quite professionally, this Bond film is mainly a long (but certainly not boring) scene that starts on a crocodile farm and continues with a chase on motor boats, then a practical demonstration that even a double-decker bus can be skidded, then a slightly unconventional flying lesson and a pretty decent ending, which is spoiled by an awkward "inflatable disposal of the main villain. P.S. I kind of missed Q, although I know that Live and Let Die isn't the only Bond film he hasn't appeared in. But the fact that he was talked about didn't make up for a visit to his crazy department this time. (04/11/2010)