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Live and Let Die (1973)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
A flabby entry into the Bond series, Live and Let Die looks good but lacks a unifying focus. When 3 British agents are killed on the same day in seemingly unrelated incidents, M (Bernard Lee) knows that it's time to see 007 (Roger Moore). Waking him at an unseemly hour, with Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) in tow, M explains that one agent was watching the Prime Minister of San Monique in the UN, the second was helping the CIA in New Orleans and the last was engaged in undercover investigation in the Caribbean. The problem facing Bond is how to tie these incidents together, perhaps uncovering a deeper plot.

Jetting into New York, Bond manages to contact his old friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison), who is maintaining surveillance upon Dr.Kananga (Yaphet Kotto) and his embassy. Unfortunately an attempt is made on Bond's life before he even reaches Felix, drawing him to a voodoo shop near the Embassy. This is merely a front though, which allows Kananga to slip away unnoticed with his burly henchmen Tee Hee (Julius Harris) and Whisper (Earl Jolly Brown). The entourage are heading into Harlem, leaving Bond with no choice but to follow, where he sticks out like a sore thumb. This doesn't really matter though since his movements are being traced by Solitaire (Jane Seymour), mistress of the Tarot cards.

The action soon moves on to San Monique, where Bond hopes to have better luck confronting Kananga. In the land of black magic and fetishes he needs all the help he can get, provided by CIA agent Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) and Quarrel (Roy Stewart). The cards are still falling against 007 though, requiring a certain sleight-of-hand on Bond's part.

The very first excursion by Moore, Live and Let Die suffers as he tries to settle into the recently vacated role. Such a changeover is always difficult, but here Moore is doubly hampered by a weak screenplay (which means that Moore spends most of his time on the run). There are manifold holes in the story, though the greatest problems are the lack of some decent villains and an uninteresting basis for the evil plan. Kananga is both unmenacing and rather stupid, which inevitably means that he keeps underestimating 007 yet never appears likely to actually kill him. His two lackeys are nasty enough but they just don't have the presence of someone like Jaws. Hence, without strongly drawn opponents, Bond himself becomes diluted.

Where Live and Let Die scores highly is in the great locations and a number of well-staged chase sequences. The Caribbean islands look quite alluring with their combination of sun and swaying palms, in contrast to the murky Louisiana bayous. However, the latter is a fine place for an extended speedboat race, which is a lot of fun even if it does lack a certain impetus. A welcome addition to these scenes is the apoplectic figure of Sheriff Pepper (Clifton James), a direct injection of frustrated humour.

Tighter editing would have vastly improved Live and Let Die though, bringing out the central story. Watching 007 bed a succession of women just isn't enough, no matter how charming his primitive behaviour is. Even worse, Q and his wacky gadgets fail to make an appearance, a tragic loss. Ultimately, Live and Let Die isn't dreadful, it's just well-rooted in the 70s and drags on rather too long.

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