Live and Let Die's flaws are apparent, but it's still a solid adventure, and Moore fits smoothly into the role of Bond. Cheers Geoffrey Holder, though to be fair, he is superb in the role, as is Julius Harris as steel-clawed bad guy Tee Hee. It was given a rating of 70% "Live and Let Die" is the ninth James Bond picture, and not exactly the best. A." Movie title: Live and Let Die. “Live and Let Die,” the movie, was my introduction to James Bond. Its characters and settings are rather unusual for a James Bond movie, not to mention the trifling with voodoo culture. Even though the Blu-ray is a simple reissue of a disc first released in 2008, it still looks pretty good and has a compelling selection of bonus features. Welcome to Shaken, Not Stirred, a website for movie fans and enthusiasts. It has all the necessary girls, gimmicks, subterranean control rooms, uniformed goons and magic wristwatches it can hold, but it doesn't have the wit and it doesn't have the style of the best Bond movies. The violence includes the death of many minor characters, with a little blood shown, and some minor, scary/creepy images involving a "zombie" during a ritual dance. Why Are Women Dissed and Dismissed in the Film Industry? A theory was born on a road trip...Is the first Bond movie of each Bond actor their best? Live And Let Die is a confident debut and arguably the most interesting – if not the best – film of Moore’s entire tenure. but do you get the same notion I do, that after nine of these we've just about had enough? It has the girls. And even in his first 007 adventure, at the age of 46, Moore was too old for the role. "Live and Let Die" is the ninth James Bond picture, and not exactly the best. Bond, we've been expecting you . Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Live And Let Die was Roger Moore’s first stint playing James Bond and his second best film in the series. The speed-boat chase is mind-boggingly good. The star wouldn't really hit his stride for another couple films. A very good theme song from Paul McCartney and Wings and speedboat chase through Louisiana bayou are some of the few good things about this movie. Read movie reviews and various articles related to movies and TV shows, learn about upcoming movies and watch trailers. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Shaken, Not Stirred is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Five Unforgettable Rising Actresses of 2020, Let’s Start Talking: On the Powerful A Concerto is a Conversation. The theme song by Paul McCartney and the Wings is easily one of the best in the series, Moore is great for… Directed by Bond veteran Guy Hamilton, who made Connery’s best (Goldfinger) and worst (Diamonds Are Forever) 007 movie, Live and Let Die proves that he got lucky with Goldfinger. The fun doesn't last due to the interference of the flimsy plot, centered … In the past, Bond has conquered evil scientists bent on enslaving the world. Posted on January 19, 2021 January 21, 2021 by Mike Brooks. This may have something to do with the substitution of Roger Moore for Sean Connery as 007. Dr. Kananga's henchman, Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) is eerily menacing with his terrifying deep laugh and lurid association with the arts of voodoo. AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman [+] A strong case could be made for Live and Let Die as Kool G Rap & DJ Polo 's crowning achievement. As for the movie itself, 'Live and Let Die' makes a decent introduction for Roger Moore, but is among neither the best nor the worst of the franchise. First of all, Solitaire's ability to foretell the future in her Tarot Cards is apparently real. "Live and Let Die" has been especially well photographed and edited, and it makes clever and extensive use of its good title song, by Paul and Linda McCartney. Live and Let Die isn't always the white-knuckled thriller that Casino Royale was, but it's a solid book. Live and Let Die review by 511Andahalf - Pretty alright movie overall. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Then there's a shot of a vast underground cavern, which is filled with uniformed functionaries who hurry about on mysterious scientific errands. He plans to create a global threat using self made heroin. And it does, to give it credit, have the one basic Bond scene that always seems copied from the previous Bond movie: The penetration of the underground citadel. It is one of the most exciting sequences in all of film. The plot this time begins in the usual way, with the disappearance of what are inevitably described as "three of our best men." (They're black, but the movie's ads mercifully refrain from promising they've got a plan to stick it to the man, maybe out of deference to Bond's British origins. It was reviewed by Maff Evans and Kati Hamza. While very problematic, it redeemed itself somewhat by turning racist stereotypes on their head. Movie description: James Bond is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organisation and a reliable psychic tarot card reader. This scene always begins with Bond pressing a bidden lever or discovering the secret door. "Live and Let Die" is the theme song of the 1973 James Bond film of the same name, performed by the British–American rock band Wings. One died in New York, one in New Orleans (during a funeral that turned out, alas, to be his own) and one in the Caribbean. did you know that he wasn’t the first actor who played James Bond? 'Live and Let Die' may be a middle-of-the-road James Bond adventure, but it's a fair enough introduction to the Roger Moore era. Live and Let Die, the eighth film in the series produced by Eon Productions and the first one with Roger Moore as James Bond is, unfortunately, one of the franchise’s worst entries. We have finally reached the Roger Moore era of James Bond and to ease the actor into the role the producers took the safe route with a wholesome plot that lacks any controversy. He played agent 007 in five movies and left the series after completing You Only Live Twice in 1967, so he was replaced with an unknown Australian model and actor George Lazenby for 1969′ On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Like I said for its predecessor, Diamond Are Forever, just skip it. Live and Let Die is a Roger Moore’s first James Bond movie and the eighth film in the series produced by Eon Productions. It has all the necessary girls, gimmicks, subterranean control rooms, uniformed goons and magic wristwatches it can hold, but it doesn't have the wit and it doesn't have the style of the best Bond movies. It’s very interesting because it’s a blaxploitation flick. At seventeen tracks, Live and Let Die runs a bit long especially since there isn’t much of a thematic variety but Kool G Rap’s lyricism and delivery are astounding, this is one of the best albums by one of the best rappers ever that unfortunately was overlooked because it was out of print for about fifteen years. 2.0 out of 5 starsTaut adventure, constricted worldview. And then . Started in 2017, Shaken, Not Stirred, named by James Bond quote :), is maintained by a 34-year-old movie fan who just loves to watch and write about movies and TV shows. amzn_assoc_linkid = "f94392d031fabfae2d806aef480f865f"; So search for a new Bond actor began. OPI Live and Let Die is the 3rd mini nail polish I have to show you from the OPI Skyfall Collection. It was marketed as being an ‘almost black’ shade, haha, and if you’ve been reading my reviews for a little while, you’ll know that I’m not the biggest fan of near blacks. amzn_assoc_asins = "B07KYWQ2G8"; OPI Live and Let Die Swatches & Review. "To Live and Die in L. With Bond entering the 70s he was struggling to feel relevant in what was a … amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "shakennotst0b-20"; To make things even worse he isn’t cool and doesn’t leave an impression of a dangerous and capable spy. It has a spectacular chase (this one involves speedboats, but isn't as much fun as the great ski chase two Bonds ago). I enjoyed myself, and the look back at 50's America is fascinating. ." This is, after all, Discover America summer.). So he is unconvincing in fight scenes or as a killing machine and he is unconvincing as a big womanizer. The bad guys, indeed, are a little banal. It’s unspectacular and boring without memorable villains and Moore can’t hold a candle to Connery. Live and Let Die is a 1973 spy film and the eighth film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond.It was directed by Guy Hamilton and produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, while Tom Mankiewicz wrote the script. As a whole, "Live and Let Die" is a pretty peculiar Bond film. Live and Let Die review from Zzap 46 (Feb 1989). 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Mr. Big is played, I guess, by Yaphet Kotto. It's an enjoyable film, and that's really all you could ask for. But Connery was always able to invest the role with a certain humor, a sense of its ridiculousness. Live and Let Die isn't the best of the series by far, but it's not the worst either. Bond is tasked with investigating Prime Minister Karanga (Yaphet Kotto) of the mythical Caribbean country of San Monique. Let’s get it out of the way – I was never a fan of Roger Moore as James Bond because he is completely unconvincing in the role. The Annotated Table of Contents for Women Writers Week 2021. Live And Let Die was Roger Moore’s first stint playing Roger Moore and his second best film in the series. seems to know a lot about counterfeiting and also about the interior policies of the Secret Service. 22 Replies. Bond is tasked with investigating Prime Minister Karanga (Yaphet Kotto) of the mythical Caribbean country of San Monique. James Bond (Roger Moore) is investigating murders three agents, and then closes in on a new target, who is a powerful leader, Kananga. Played by Clifton James, he was supposed to be a comic relief character but in the end is one more annoying and badly acted character in the Bond series, who unfortunately also appears a year later in The Man with the Golden Gun. amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; Live and Let Die was a solid way to bring Roger Moore in as the new man to play Bond, and is yet another pretty good movie in the series. Live and Let Die has an incredible action sequence at its centre. The movie was a commercial success, received mostly positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Who can really say for sure if the controversy surrounding the cover artwork -- which shows the duo feeding steaks to a pair of rottweilers, in front of two noose-necked white men -- clouded a proper consensus? Oct 08, 2020 in Action, Reviews, Thriller. The pre-credit scene is also one of the worst in the series and the sooner we forgot about redneck Sheriff Pepper the better. He doesn’t have the looks, physique, or the charm for the role of 007. It has a spectacularly destroyed villain (he swallows a capsule of compressed air and explodes). It opens, of course, with a meeting with M and the faithful Miss Moneypenny. Live and Let Die is one of the most thrilling in the Bond series. Needless to say, a string of coincidences link the murders and they seem to lead to Mr. Big. They went full Blaxploitation. Live and Let Die is also the first entry to emphasize the importance of supporting villains. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Oh, and just when I thought Live And Let Die couldn’t be any more terrifying, there’s Baron Samedi, the voodoo high priest responsible for terrifying five-year-old kids on holiday. As Lazenby agreed to star in one movie only, producers managed to convince Connery (with a hefty paycheck) to return one more time and star in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and after finishing that movie Sean Connery left the series for good (until starring in the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again in 1983). Live and Let Die (1973) – Review. Full Review amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; The dialog here is always the same, something like "Come in, Mr. Bond veteran Guy Hamilton was chosen as a director so shooting began in October 1972 and Live and Let Die premiered in 1973. It’s very interesting because it’s a blaxploitation flick. Even it’s locations are not that attractive and the whole movie has this low-budget feel like the producers didn’t have much faith in the first Roger Moore 007 adventure. I finally got that spy/thriller vibe I was looking for and was happy to see Bond in some more unfamiliar territory. Not that it matters; the movie doesn't have a Bond villain worthy of the Goldfingers, Dr. Nos and Oddjobs of the past. Genre: Action, Thriller. However, the result is not bad. But this time, all the bad guys are doing is growing a billion dollars worth of heroin in order to take over the illegal dope industry from the mob. Moore has the superficial attributes for the job: The urbanity, the quizzically raised eyebrow, the calm under fire and in bed. . However, it is the crocodile run that makes me dive for the TV remote to watch it over … Your email address will not be published. There is no main henchman, as there would be in future entries and films, but there is a wide variety of villainous characters ranging from Mr. Big’s Harlem lieutenants to The Robber in St. Petersburg. I mean, give him a wig and put a little makeup on him and the guy looks like someone’s aunt. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. A couple of actors were considered for the role, like Burt Reynolds, Adam West, Julian Glover, and Michael Billington among others but in the end, Roger Moore got the part. Here is my review of Live and Let Die (James Bond #2): The Good: What lacked in “Casino Royale” is made up for in “Live and Let Die”. A blaxploitation inspired adventure: Live and Let Die! Required fields are marked *. Nah, just kidding. Sean Connery was the first actor to portray James Bond on the big screen (but did you know that he wasn’t the first actor who played James Bond?). Parents need to know that Live and Let Die is the eighth official James Bond film, and the first to feature Roger Moore in the lead role. Bond slips unobserved from one hiding place to another; is discovered; eludes his pursuers; watches as six hired goons hurry past; and then goes through another door and unexpectedly finds the villain waiting there for him. Having read the source material, I … The film isn't just about cops and robbers, but about two systems of doing business, and how one of the systems finds a way to change itself in order to defeat the other. . In this episode I discuss the Bond film that saw Roger Moore in his debut as James Bond Agent 007. There are a few elements every Bond movie absolutely must have, and "Live and Let Die" has them. Spiced with the awful 70s fashion, "Live and Let Die" is fun to watch. This may have something to do with the substitution of Roger Moore for Sean Connery as 007. Based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name from 1954, Live and Let Die follows agent 007 who is sent to New Orleans, to investigate the mysterious deaths of several British agents and discovers that a man behind it is a dangerous and powerful drug lord known as Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto). I have to guess because either I wasn't listening or it was never quite explained whether Kotto was fronting for Big or was really Big all along and just pretended to front for him.