Alright, let’s address the controversy right up front: this is a film that takes a lot of elements from Blaxploitation and casts exclusively black actors as its villains. The hero and main love interest are both white, and one of the only two good black characters is killed with little characterization. If ever a Bond movie could be called problematic, it’s this one. That said, I’m not black. I can’t speak for black people. I can only speak for myself. Is the film racist? That isn’t for me to judge. That’s for people who are actually part of that group to decide.
So with that out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff. Thankfully there’s a lot of it in this movie. To start off, we get a solid pre-credits sequence that sets up an intriguing mystery while showcasing some unique environments. Then we launch into one of the absolute best Bond theme songs of all time. I haven’t mentioned the music in my reviews so far, but it can’t be overstated just how good a job Paul Mc Cartney and Wings did with this one.
After that, we get our first scene with Roger Moore as Bond. It’s notable how little fanfare Moore’s introduction receives. The MI 6 regulars come to Bond’s apartment where he’s in bed with a woman (though that last part is probably redundant). He hides her away, is given his assignment, and off he goes. It seems that after the tepid response to On Her Majesty’s the filmmakers decided to take a ‘business as usual’ approach. It’s an interesting tactic, and makes one wonder whether they were so confident in Moore that they believed he needed no special fanfare to stand out, or if they were so nervous about him that they figured the best approach was to act like everything was normal. Whatever the case, Moore plays it all very confidently. He gets little actual fighting to do, but he does get some solid vehicle action sequences.
The rest of the cast is also solid. Jane Seymour is stunning, and again Nikki Van der Zyll and the editors do such a good job dubbing her that I had no idea Solitaire was dubbed for the longest time. She isn’t the strongest female character this franchise has seen, but she does have a bit more of a character arc than most of the previous ones. The actor playing Felix Leiter this time, David Hedison, is probably the best one since Jack Lord.
As for the villains, Yaphet Kotto is wonderful as Dr. Kananga, and I have to say that I was impressed with the makeup job done for him as Mr. Big. It fooled me the first time.I also want to praise Arnold Williams, who turns in a memorable performance as Bond’s unnamed cab driver. He has an infectious charm that makes him fun to watch even as he betrays Bond. But far and away, the biggest scene stealer of the movie is Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi. He’s the best kind of ham whenever he appears, and his appearance in the final shot of the movie is a treat.
Overall, Live and Let Die is a fun movie. It’s a good introduction to Roger Moore’s Bond, and lets us know that the series is here to stay.
We have a Roger on a New Bond
Alright, let’s address the controversy right up front: this is a film that takes a lot of elements from Blaxploitation and casts exclusively black actors as its villains. The hero and main love interest are both white, and one of the only two good black characters is killed with little characterization. If ever a Bond movie could be called problematic, it’s this one. That said, I’m not black. I can’t speak for black people. I can only speak for myself. Is the film racist? That isn’t for me to judge. That’s for people who are actually part of that group to decide.
So with that out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff. Thankfully there’s a lot of it in this movie. To start off, we get a solid pre-credits sequence that sets up an intriguing mystery while showcasing some unique environments. Then we launch into one of the absolute best Bond theme songs of all time. I haven’t mentioned the music in my reviews so far, but it can’t be overstated just how good a job Paul Mc Cartney and Wings did with this one.
After that, we get our first scene with Roger Moore as Bond. It’s notable how little fanfare Moore’s introduction receives. The MI 6 regulars come to Bond’s apartment where he’s in bed with a woman (though that last part is probably redundant). He hides her away, is given his assignment, and off he goes. It seems that after the tepid response to On Her Majesty’s the filmmakers decided to take a ‘business as usual’ approach. It’s an interesting tactic, and makes one wonder whether they were so confident in Moore that they believed he needed no special fanfare to stand out, or if they were so nervous about him that they figured the best approach was to act like everything was normal. Whatever the case, Moore plays it all very confidently. He gets little actual fighting to do, but he does get some solid vehicle action sequences.
The rest of the cast is also solid. Jane Seymour is stunning, and again Nikki Van der Zyll and the editors do such a good job dubbing her that I had no idea Solitaire was dubbed for the longest time. She isn’t the strongest female character this franchise has seen, but she does have a bit more of a character arc than most of the previous ones. The actor playing Felix Leiter this time, David Hedison, is probably the best one since Jack Lord.
As for the villains, Yaphet Kotto is wonderful as Dr. Kananga, and I have to say that I was impressed with the makeup job done for him as Mr. Big. It fooled me the first time.I also want to praise Arnold Williams, who turns in a memorable performance as Bond’s unnamed cab driver. He has an infectious charm that makes him fun to watch even as he betrays Bond. But far and away, the biggest scene stealer of the movie is Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi. He’s the best kind of ham whenever he appears, and his appearance in the final shot of the movie is a treat.
Overall, Live and Let Die is a fun movie. It’s a good introduction to Roger Moore’s Bond, and lets us know that the series is here to stay.