1973's LIVE AND LET DIE was not only the first James Bond movie with Roger Moore. It was my first exposure to 007 as a 12 year old boy. It was amazing and I was hooked immediately! I have great memories of my Dad and I seeing every Bond movie we could find after 1973, it was our favorite thing to do together. I remember them all vividly. Moore brings a lighter touch to Bond in this, the first of his seven films in the role. It's very much rooted in the early 70's and you can see the huge popularity of Blaxploitation films of 1972 like Shaft and Superfly influencing the story. Yaphet Kotto plays Dr Kananga, a Jamaican diplomat with lethal ties to Mr. Big and millions of dollars in heroin. Jane Seymour debuted as Solitaire, a tarot reading Bond girl for the ages. The first 45 minutes sets up the story and the last hour plus is one action set piece after another, all brilliantly executed by 007 stunt teams. Live and Let Die features a 20 minute boat chase, Clifton James as Southern sheriff JW Pepper, Bond escaping from planes, alligators, cars without drivers, shark filled tanks and the clutches of many bad guys.
It's very 70's, very dated and still very fun. This still holds my lifetime record for the movie I saw the most in the theaters at a whopping 13 times. Did I tell you that this turned a 12 year old boy into a lifelong James Bond fan?! Still an A after all these years. And how about that Bond poster, still my favorite artwork of all the 007 films.
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