LIVE AND LET DIE (1973) - Review

Live and Let Die

Action/Adventure/Thriller
2 hours and 1 minute
Rated: PG

Written by: Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli & Harry Saltzman

Cast:
Roger Moore
Yaphet Kotto
Jane Seymour

Roger Moo7re is James Bond

For a large generation of James Bond fans, Roger Moore is in fact James Bond. His seven film run as Ian Fleming's famous secret agent ran from 1973 until 1985, and as far as the Eon produced Bond films are concerned, holds the record for most appearances as the tuxedo-clad secret agent (Connery also played Bond seven times but only if one includes the non-Eon Bond movie Never Say Never Again). For Roger Moore, and producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, Live and Let Die was the film that would either make or break the entire franchise.

Live and Let Die is a motion-picture that is deeply rooted within the 1970s. Coming from a time when blaxploitation cinema was on the rise with American audiences, the film plays up to this popular movement of cinema by incorporating a plethora of references to the subgenre as a whole. Not just African-American principle actors being cast - a feat largely unheard of at this time in most mainstream movies - but the inclusion of urban, predominantly black settings (Harlem, New Orleans, the Caribbean, etc.) as well as an outstanding soundtrack composed by George Martin that probably would have felt just as at home within one of blaxploitation actress Pam Grier's movies. Paul McCartney's rock-oriented opening theme song also gives the impression that this is a movie that could only have been made in the 1970s.

Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz has to be commended for his dedication of sticking to the source material of Fleming's novel and keeping Bond's villains within Live and Let Die black characters. While some have argued that the film tends to toe the line of racism in regards to this, the general disagreement seems more reasonable, in that during a time when most mainstream movies were not offering major roles to black actors, Live and Let Die had the courage to do so.

Yaphet Kotto gives a credible performance as Bond-villain Kananga, but unfortunately in the annals of the Bond canon, Kananga remains a less-than thrilling villain. He lacks the sinister qualities that almost all of the more memorable Bond villains. Kotto himself is a fine actor and has proven so over the course of his lengthy career (just look at the films Across 110th Street and Alien and you will be impressed), but in Live and Let Die he was obviously given the direction by Guy Hamilton to not take the role too seriously, and have fun playing it. The real sinister villain of the film is Julius Harris' portrayal of henchman Tee Hee. His moments on screen with Roger Moore are some of the more entertaining ones within the film, and his final brawl with Bond on board a moving train is possibly the most exciting fight sequence within the movie.

Jane Seymour is a decent enough Bond girl, proving she has just enough skill to play the damsel in distress. It would have been interesting if her part had been given to Diana Ross, as was the intention of Mankiewicz. It does seem a tad ridiculous that a white, British, female character is a high priestess of voodoo, who is capable of seeing into the future with her deck of tarot cards. Nevertheless, Seymour is far from being the worst Bond girl ever portrayed.

As for Roger Moore, his portrayal of Bond in Live and Let Die effectively sets in place the tone of the Bond movies to follow over the next decade of the franchise. Arguably, this tone had even been set in place prior to Moore's involvement with Sean Connery's final Eon Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever. Bond has moved away from a man of action, and has become a refined, English gentleman, who can win over any woman with a mere smile, and still manage some sort of comedic quip after having just disarmed the bad guy. Moore's comedic style is either a godsend or a tragedy depending on one's specific opinions, but it is a shocking deviation from the way Bond is written within Ian Fleming's novels. It could also be that director Guy Hamilton is responsible for creating this "comedic" Bond, simply due to his having directed Moore's first films and Connery's final film in the Eon series where they all showcase a Bond of this nature. Understandably, there was pressure on Moore to differ from Connery (as there had been with George Lazenby, too), so the upping of the comedic elements may have been in regards to this. In Live and Let Die, Bond feels like a completely different man than he was in the previous films. He no longer drinks vodka martinis, but instead bourbon with no ice. He's exchanged his cigarettes for cigars, his Walther PPK for a .44 Magnum (hello, Clint Eastwood), and his physicality for comedy. Is Moore's interpretation of Bond different and entertaining? Sure. Is it anywhere near the Bond that was established by Ian Fleming. Absolutely not.

Like any James Bond movie Live and Let Die includes some truly impressive action sequences and stunt work. A record breaking speedboat jump is the centerpiece of a truly breathtaking chase sequence through the swampy bayou of Louisiana. Despite Moore being less physical than his predecessor, he does have several hand-to-hand combat sequences that are exciting. And of course, Bond's impressive stunt of escaping an island surrounded by crocodiles by running across the creatures' backs to the safety of the shoreline (a stunt that was performed five times and unluckily enough injured the man performing it with a nasty bite to the foot). All of these moments are what keep Live and Let Die an entertaining movie. There are sheer moments of absurdity though that more than often occur within any of Roger Moore's Bond movies. The crocodile sequence would be one if it were not for the impressiveness of the stunt itself. But specifically, it is Bond's killing of Kananga that is just so asinine one has to wonder if it was a last minute write-in and why the hell did producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli approve it? In the sequence, Bond has Kananga swallow a gas-filled bullet, causing the villain to literally inflate like a balloon, float to the ceiling, and explode. Stupid. Ridiculous. Unbelievable. 

Despite being riddled with the pie-in-the-face humor of Roger Moore's portrayal of James Bond, Live and Let Die is an entertaining entry to the James Bond franchise that has enough thrilling action-sequences to keep any fan of the films ultimately happy with its content.

 7/10

Ranking among other Bond films: 17 out of 26

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (1987) - Review

The Living Daylights

Action/Adventure/Thriller
2 hours and 10 minutes
Rated: PG

Written by: Richard Maibaum & Michael G. Wilson
Directed by: John Glen
Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson

Cast: 
Timothy Dalton
Maryam d'Abo
Joe Don Baker
Art Malik
Jeroen Krabbé

This BOND is dangerous

Dangerous indeed. Before there was Daniel Craig, James Bond's darker moments were expressed on the silver screen by veteran Shakespearean Welsh actor Timothy Dalton. Dalton was first offered the role in the late 1960s after Sean Connery stepped out (for the first time) and turned it down surprisingly feeling he was too young to play the part. Nevertheless, he must have made a strong impression upon Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, and in The Living Daylights it's easy for us all to see why.

After the seventh and final Roger Moore James Bond film A View to a Kill in 1985 it was beginning to seem as if James Bond had become a joke. Sean Connery recalls Moore's Bond as having all the subtlety of a "pie thrown in the face". Upon Moore's exiting, the franchise's producers - Albert R. Broccoli and his stepson Michael G. Wilson - had two concerning questions to tackle: first and foremost, who would be the next James Bond? And second, what direction did they need to take the franchise in now that the absurd Roger Moore-era had come to an end? Regarding the first question, Pierce Brosnan was originally cast to play James Bond in The Living Daylights, but had to drop out of the role due to a prior commitment to his Bond-esque TV show Remington Steele. Dalton ultimately was asked again to play James Bond and this time around he didn't let the opportunity pass him by. In regards to question number two, it was actually Dalton who had stipulated that if he were to play Bond he had no intention of portraying him any other way than how he is written in Ian Fleming's novels. Dangerous, dark, mysterious - these are all words to encapsulate Fleming's Bond and it was what Dalton and the producer's went for in The Living Daylights.

In order to obtain the serious tone set within Fleming's novels, the screenwriters used one of Fleming's short stories as the jumping off point for the film's plot. Following the supposed defection of a Soviet general, Bond and his superiors are told about a secret operation by the KGB to eliminate Western spies. As the story unfolds, things are not as they seem - revealing double-crossings throughout, and a back story set against the Soviet/Afghan War. While this dates the film, it still functions as an effective period piece. This is certainly a more serious plot than the megalomaniac themed stories of the previous Bond films. Even Bond's enemies in The Living Daylights seem more human than possibly ever before - a lot of this contributed to strong dialogue.

The dialogue can only sell the movie to a certain degree, and it is the performances within The Living Daylights that ultimately do the trick. Dalton portrays Fleming's Bond so expertly that he is perhaps only rivaled by Daniel Craig in regards to which actor portrayed Bond the closest to how he appears within the novels (at least Dalton looks the way Bond is supposed to, as opposed to the blond-haired, machismo Craig).  Maryam d'Abo does a good job as the love interest, but she often feels like a character whom Bond has to drag along for the ride out of pure obligation. More impressive are Bond's villains and allies. John Rhys-Davies is excellent as the head of the KGB - pulling off what may be the perfect impression of a communist bureaucrat. Jeroen Krabbé plays the role of the supposed defector with all the sly sleaziness you'd expect for such a part, and finally Joe Don Baker's amusing portrayal of a military-obsessed arms dealer is so great that one can't help but want to see more scenes with his character as the focal point.

The film contains some strong action-sequences, and many are extremely impressive given Dalton's physicality. While Connery previously also participated in most of his stunts, Dalton's commitment to doing so is a breath of fresh air given Moore's almost non-committal attitude towards action sequences (the man didn't even run in his movies - he had stunt men do it). The film's opening sequence (involving Dalton jumping on top of a moving Jeep), a gadget-laden Aston Martin, a gun fight at a Soviet air base and Bond's final confrontation with Joe Don Baker's character Brad Whitaker are some of the standout action sequences. Also to be commended is the return of Bond-composer John Barry who conducts the music throughout. Barry also helped collaborate with 80s band a-ha who did the film's catchy rock title song. This would be Barry's last time around composing music for any Bond film.

Less impressive are the film's throwback moments to Roger Moore-era comedy. While they are small in comparison to Dalton's more serious scenes portraying Bond, these comedic and kitsch moments threaten the dark overtone that the producers were going for. One such moment - the most absurd throughout the entire movie - involves Bond and Bond-girl Kara Milovy escaping Soviet troops by sledding down a snowy mountain ... in a cello case. This stunt would certainly feel more at home within Octopussy or The Man with the Golden Gun, but in The Living Daylights it just seems uncomfortable. Other awkward moments include Dalton delivering the kitschy one-liners that were often the bulk of Roger Moore's dialogue.

In the end, The Living Daylights is a highly impressive Bond movie despite its bit of transitional awkwardness. The realistic storyline and characters all set the mood that this is an era of a darker, more serious James Bond. Timothy Dalton and his costars deliver outstanding performances, the film is scored with an excellent soundtrack throughout, and the impressive action sequences remain some of the most memorable within the Bond canon.

9/10

Ranking among other Bond films: 4 out of 26