Roger Moore’srun in theJames Bondfranchiseis seen by many fans as the worst of them all, but if we’re going off of his first movieLive and Let Die, there’s an argument to be made that he’s one of the best. This movie has Bond-isms in every bit of its presentation, bearing beautiful locals, fun action, and music that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat (is “Live and Let Die"thebest Bond theme ever? Probably!), but it also changes things up a bit. Moore is a much more personality-based Bond than anyone who had come before, riding his performance on clever wit more often than his strength and physicality. This approach would eventually go too far and come back to bite him, but the degree that he takes it in his first film is perfect. Unlike other actors' first performances as Bond, Moore’s first doesn’t act as a real promise of what’s to come. Moore’s movies would only becomegoofier and less self-awareas they’d go on, makingLive and Let Dieeven stronger in retrospect.
By the timeLive and Let Diecame around in 1973, there had already been seven Eon-produced Bond movies, two actors, over a decade of already classic material to live up to, and two decades ofIan Fleming’sbooks.Sean Conneryplayed the part in six Eon films, initially playing Bond in five films from 1962 to 1967. He momentarily retired from the role, making way for the second Bond actor,George Lazenby, to be ushered in withOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service, a stellar and massively underrated 007 film. Conner returned once more for 1971’sDiamonds Are Forever, but that would be the end of the road for him. James Bond was firmly rooted in the consciousness of popular culture, leaving Roger Moore no room to screw anything up. Connery came back from hanging up the role once — don’t make him do it again, Roger!
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Roger Moore Was a Perfect Fit for James Bond
Thankfully,Live and Let Dierocked so hard that Moore was a shoo-in for the next twelve years. The film was directed byGuy Hamilton, a Bond vet who had directed classics likeGoldfingerand the previously mentionedDiamonds Are Forever. The film follows Bond investigating the murder of three fellow agents, leading him to become the target of a worldwide crime lord named Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), also known as Mr. Big. Bond’s investigation leads him down a rabbit hole of crime, drug dealing, and the occult, all at the hands of his latest foe.
The Bond movies had seen theirfair share of campby this point, and whileLive and Let Dieisn’t exactlyA View to a Kill, it’s definitely a bigger step in that direction than ever before. With this film alone, the level of cheese that is delivered ends up being way more charming than harmful. Whenever there ends up being any eye-rolling moments, they only come from our lead. Moore enters this series in a vacuum, while everything else manages to operate along the lines of a Connery or Lazenby flick. He does manage to sneak in two foul puns toward the end, but otherwise, this is a sinless performance.
Roger Moore Is the People’s Bond
Moore’s performance as Bond leans harder on his words and posture than beating up bad guys. While most James Bonds are fun to watch because of their ability to kick insane amounts of ass, they’re not quite the big macho action heroes of the 1980s. An actor is required to have a good bit of personality to get the job, and honestly, Moore might have everyone beat in that capacity. He’s funny, laid back, nothing is ever too daunting for him, and he even seems more cultured than those who came before and after him. There’s one shot that tells you everything you need to know about this Bond where he’s seen smoking a cigar and idly hanging from a hang glider, waiting to strike on his enemies. If there was ever a 007 that you’d want to grab a drink with, it’d be Roger Moore’s. He’s easily the chillest Bond.
Guy Hamilton Might Be the Quintessential Bond Director
All of this to say, if you’re going to play James Bond, you still have to get in a couple of fights. Any time we see this version of 007 throw hands with enemies, it’s never exactly thrilling. All of Moore’s punches are thrown slowly, he’s rarely seen performing any stunts of his own, and even when he is, he seems to be moving in slow motion. There are some really fun action scenes here, particularly a boat chase scene down a Louisiana bayou, but the success of these scenes has less to do with Moore and mostly with the man behind the lens. Guy Hamilton has the perfect eye for Bond. He understands the scope of massive stunts, knows how to crank up the tension, and also can film an exotic local like no other. The scene in whichBond has to evade an army of alligators and crocodilesis bound to put anyone on the edge of their seat, only for you to kick back and relax while our hero fishes off the back of a boat as a rich, blue ocean fills the horizon. Like Hamilton’sGoldfinger,Live and Let Dieis one of the best-looking Bond movies.
‘Live and Let Die’ Has a Stellar Supporting Cast
As for the supporting cast,Live and Let Dieboasts a pretty great crew of heavy hitters. Kananga, Mr. Big, whatever you choose to call him, is a really fun Bond villain. His plan to distribute his self-produced heroin all over the world isn’t exactly the most riveting, but Yaphet Kotto is such a great physical presence that you don’t care. Boxes are also checked with Kananga having physically striking henchmen, particularly with the robot-armed Tee-Hee (Julius W. Harris) and the face-painted voodoo cult leader Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder).
This film’s main Bond girl, Solitaire (Jane Seymour), is one of the more interesting in the entire franchise. Her ties to the occult and use of Tarot cards make her fascinatingly unconventional, but unfortunately, like many other Bond girls, she isn’t given much room for any depth. Much of the same goes for Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), Bond’s other (brief) love interest. There are some attempts at giving her more interesting character moments, but she’s also a ditzy CIA agent who shrieks uncontrollably at the sight of a snake. Where she makes up for the usual Bond girl shortcomings in actually having character development, she falls flat in being stereotypically helpless.
How Does Roger Moore’s Debut as James Bond Compare?
So, how doesLive and Let Diecompare toother Bond actors' first films? Roger Moore’s first outing promises a pretty strong run to come but ends up falling flatter and flatter as his films go on. His run almost perfectly mirrorsPierce Brosnan’s, both in performance and in the quality of the movies. They both start out with a killer debut, go on to have some cheesy and/or boring sequels, then go out on a ridiculously cheesy but very entertaining capper (Die Another Dayrocks and sucks all at the same time). That being said, Brosnan was infinitely better in his action scenes than Moore.Live and Let Dieis definitely a better movie than Connery’sDr. No, but Connery is better in that movie than Moore is in this. Not only that, Connery’s quality of performance and movies only get better as they go on — the complete inverse of Moore’s series trajectory.
Timothy Dalton’sdebut,The Living Daylights, acts as a hard resetfrom where Moore’s run ended up taking the series, coming two years afterA View to a Kill. It’s a shame that he only ended up playing the part twice, but given that, he does have the best batting average of anyone to play 007 more than once (sorry Lazenby).Daylightsnot only fulfills itspromise of a darker Bondbut also predatesDaniel Craig’scritically acclaimed, gritty approach inCasino Royale. That film, in particular, isn’t only thebest debut for a Bond actor, it just might be the best movie in the entire series. As for Lazenby, well, he’s fantastic in his first… and only Bond movie. Like Dalton, it would have been fun to see him play the part more. Lazenby played Bond as a somber and emotionally damaged character well before the Vesper Lynd arc of the recent movies. He was great, if only for one release.
Live and Let Dieis easily Roger Moore’s best James Bond movie. It has great action, a fun cast of characters, a beautiful Western-hemisphere trotting plot, and a more charming Bond than ever. Its strengths are what make its follow-ups a tough pill to swallow. If only the rest of Roger Moore’s run was as good as the way it started. It’s a debut that promises a stretch of great sequels, only to stand high and above the decade to follow. We got the people’s Bond out of it though — a fun, easy-going take on 007, all thanks to Roger Moore’s bang-up performance.
