Roger Moore’s time as James Bond is both loved and hated by the 007 faithful, but my favorite Moore film should have been so much better. Roger Moore had a big tuxedo to fill as the superspy, and though George Lazenby inherited the role from Sean Connery for one movie, it was Moore who stepped into the part permanently.
His movies had a noticeably sillier tone with a lot more jokes and a plethora of clever quips from Bond himself. Though the changes weren’t always welcome, Moore’s long career as James Bond continued the franchise’s success and brought it to new heights as bona fide blockbusters.
I grew up in the Pierce Brosnan era, but I always enjoyed the Roger Moore Bond films the most. I loved their intentional camp and globetrotting adventure, and I especially loved how overwhelmingly suave Moore was as 007. He didn’t need his fists when he often outsmarted his foes and dispatched them with a delightfully groan-inducing pun.
My favorite of Roger Moore’s movies is divisive, and it represented a major shift in the franchise. Not only did a new actor don the tuxedo, but it set the tone for the next decade-and-a-half. Other Bonds had more auspicious debuts, and Moore’s first film is usually overshadowed. This is largely because his debut film was such a missed opportunity.
Roger Moore’s First Bond Film Was An Opportunity For A New Direction
It Could Have Gone Gritty But It Went Campy Instead
After a handful of classic films starring Sean Connery (and one with George Lazenby), a pattern began to emerge in the James Bond franchise. 007 was charming and cool, but he was also a tough customer who could go toe-to-toe with any burly henchman or vile villain.
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Before Daniel Craig’s reboot, Roger Moore’s first James Bond movie Live and Let Die took great pains to distance itself from Sean Connery’s 007.
The movies themselves also had a perfectly balanced tone, one that prioritized action but had laughs too. Connery and Lazenby’s movies refined that tone with only a few stumbles, but the Roger Moore era was the first time that the franchise had the opportunity to really hit the reset button. A new decade meant a new James Bond could begin.
Live and Let Die was only partially inspired by the book of the same name by Ian Fleming, but the 1972 hit softened a lot of the novel’s grittier elements and toned down the overt racism too. The movie kept the framing, but was also a patchwork of ideas from other books. Sadly, this is where it missed its opportunity.
it went for the other side of the established Bond formula, and relied almost exclusively on camp to get by.
Roger Moore’s debut could have leaned more into the darker side of its story, accentuating fierce action and harrowing violence. Instead, it went for the other side of the established Bond formula, and relied almost exclusively on camp to get by. All of Moore’s succeeding films would follow suit, getting sillier and sillier until Octopussy finally pushed things too far.
Live And Let Die Is A Movie Filled With Contradictions
Every Good Decision Is Undercut By Bad Decisions
One of the reasons I love Live and Let Die so much is that it reminds me of classic Blaxploitation films like Shaft or Coffy. It’s such a novel concept to take the debonair British spy and place him in a world he’s wholly unfamiliar with, and it intentionally borrows common themes and tropes from the explosive cultural subgenre.
Paul McCartney’s title song was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
Blaxploitation films dealt with issues like racism, street crime, and drugs, and except for a few comedic takes, usually handled their subjects with deadly seriousness. It was a smart idea to take Fleming’s problematic book and filter it through a Blaxploitation lens, but Live and Let Die continuously contradicts itself.
It explores issues like street crime and drugs, but it also involves voodoo and an over-the-top international villain with a bespoke evil lair. Bond is nearly fed to hungry crocodiles in a scene that could have been gruesome, but all the tension is erased by one of the goofiest stunts in the entire Bond franchise.
I have no problem with Bond’s sillier side, and later Moore movies don’t even try to hide their campiness. However, Live and Let Die offers a frustrating glimpse at what could have been, only to reverse course. It’s as if the filmmakers wanted to commit to a darker tone, but changed their mind at the last minute.
A More Serious Bond Would Have Improved Live And Let Die
Connery Or Dalton Would Have Been A Better Fit
As much as I love Roger Moore, I think that a different James Bond would have helped make Live and Let Die a better film. I can’t help but feel as if many of the humorous moments were added to cater to Moore’s strengths, since he was not the rough-and-tumble Bond of Connery’s era.
Had Live and Let Die been one of Connery’s movies, it could have been grittier because the Scotsman could pull off the darker side of Bond.
Had Live and Let Die been one of Connery’s movies, it could have been grittier because the Scotsman could pull off the darker side of Bond. What’s more, the style of Connery’s era would have allowed for a more balanced film that didn’t get too sidetracked by ham-fisted attempts at humor.
Better yet, Timothy Dalton would have been an even more logical choice to headline Live and Let Die, especially since he proved so deft in Licence to Kill. Had the former been made with the same violent tone as the latter, it might be one of the greatest Bond movies of all time.
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Licence to Kill was a dark and gritty James Bond film that pointed the way for the future of the franchise, too bad it was released way too soon.
Ultimately, Live and Let Die still ranks highly among my favorite James Bond movies because I can see through all the mistakes and appreciate what works. Even in its imperfect way, Roger Moore’s debut 007 movie is still a strong film. It hits all the beats that a Bond movie should, and it can never be accused of being boring.
Live and Let Die
- Release Date
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June 27, 1973
- Runtime
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121 minutes
- Director
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Guy Hamilton
