Say goodbye to Sean Connery and say Hello to the Real James Bond! Roger Moore stepped into the role of Bond without any difficulty whatsoever, and boy, did he do a good job! He brought to the character a quality that was only partially there with Connery-Humanity. I'll be the first to say that Sean Connery was very good, but he was always trying to be some kind of super hero that the role just didn't call for. A more down-to-earth and humorous was found in Moore's performance. In a sentence......Connery was too serious. He should have shown more enjoyment in the role he was playing, like Moore did so well. That's not to say that Moore's performances were not sincere and serious. When the time came to be serious, he delivered. Great examples of that can be found throughout his Bond career and especially here in Live and Let Die and in 1981's For Your Eyes Only.
Hear Moore's introduction! (Special thanks to Sakke)
Bond is sent to investigate any connections involving three murders of threee fellow agents, and as the plot is cleverly exposed, he finds a connection between these killings and the powerful Kananga, known around the streets as "Mr.Big" (Yaphet Kotto. Kananga's plan involves millions in self-produced heroin and he relies on his taro card reader, Solitare (Jane Seymour), to bring him news of what the future holds. As he gets closer to the truth, Bond complicates matters when he meets Solitare and promises to rescue her from the evil confines of Kananga's hold over her. In order to do this and bring an end to Mr.Big's plans at the same time, Bond is forced to face the dark powers of Voodoo; with which come henchmen like the Baron Samedi and Tee-Hee, a metal-armed maniac who has Bond #1 on his hit list.
What makes this movie so great? Well, take Roger Moore and put him in a high adreneline action movie with impressive actors and exciting locales, and you can't go wrong! The plot is very well presented, and unlike some previous films in the series, there is a new charisma and humor to Bond that keeps the audience interested and more importantly, entertained throughout. Not only is Live and Let Die filled with action and excitement, but it also introduces Jane Seymour-The Best Bond girl in the series hands down. She is beautiful and intelligent, and she seems so comfortable portraying her character in front of a great cast....which is always a plus! She is the true essence of what a Bond girl should represent. The ending is so spectacular, and one scene involving a knife cut on the arm without saying too much, expresses the incredible acting skills of Roger Moore as James Bond and why he is THE man for the role! An aspect of this film that is often overseen is how well George Martin scored the music.He did a remarkable job, and I only wish that modern Bond movies would have more supeseful scenes hightened by pulse-pounding music like this one did. There is only one problem with this movie. There is no Q! His presence would have made this film even better.
Live and Let Die is perfect! As are the performances, action, suspense, and so many other elements that add up for a great movie like this. Everything is in synch so well and it proves to the Bond world that there is life after Connery.....and Oh what a better life it is!
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