Live and Let Die (1973)

Directed by Guy Hamilton. Starring Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, David Hedison, Gloria Hendry, Clifton James, Julius Harris, Geoffrey Holder, Roy Stewart, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Madeline Smith, Earl Jolly Brown. [PG]

OK James Bond picture finds Moore taking over as 007 (even though he was actually older his first time out than Sean Connery was after making six movies in the series) and uncovering a major heroin operation designed to overthrow the Mafia’s control of the drug trade. Devoted to outlandish gimmicks and a broader style of comedy, the film also nudges into blaxploitation territory, and thanks to the fashion, hairstyles, and vehicles on display (especially in the scenes set in New York City), is one of the franchise’s most dated productions. Despite Holder’s memorable laugh and Harris’ smiling metal-clawed henchman, the villains are sub-standard overall, and not particularly ambitious either—the drug kingpin angle would be done much more effectively in License to Kill. Does feature a memorably atypical opening scene, the series’ best title tune as performed by Paul McCartney & Wings, and some great boat chase stunts…but even those are undermined by sequence overlength and intercutting comic-relief-in-name-only from James’ hackneyed southern sheriff caricature. The only official James Bond outing (between his first and last appearance) in which Desmond Llewelyn doesn’t appear as Q.

61/100