Blaxploitation films were popular in the 1970's and Bond took a cue from this, in this, the 8th film in the franchise.
Although it contains dated stereotypical characters and dated ethnic slurs (largely at Bond's expense), this was, at the time, quite forward thinking with a largely black cast and a black Bond Girl. Gloria Hendry is very good as Rosie Carver, a junior CIA agent in San Monique. One of the first major interracial film relationships.
Roger Moore is good (in his first appearance as Bond) but he's also a little stilted, with often fun but cringe-worthy tongue in cheek dialogue to say.
Set pieces include an impromptu open top bus, a thrilling speedboat chase (which feels a little staged, it is) and best of all, a Crocodile jump (poor stunt man!)
Live and Let Die has a great Oscar Nominated Theme Song performed by Paul McCartney and Wings and one of the best title card sequences, but it's uneven. It takes a while for the plot to get going, in a film that is entertaining but undeniably dated. Mr Big (Yaphet Kotto), a corrupt Caribbean Prime Minister who doubles as a drug lord is the villain, as Bond finds himself trapped in a world with voodoo and gangsters.
70's Bond film is still interesting (and unique) but flawed.
FG FG FG
DIRECTED BY: Guy Hamilton. SCREENPLAY BY: Tom Mankiewicz . BASED ON: Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming. RUNNING TIME: 121 minutes. CERTIFICATE: PG. UK / USA.
