Live and let die (3 Stars)

This is the eighth James Bond film, made in 1973, two years after "Diamonds are forever". It's the first film to star Roger Moore as the main character. Unlike George Lazenby, who did his best to imitate Sean Connery, Roger Moore gives the Bond character his own style. He plays the role with a light, seemingly careless air.

The film's big villain is Yaphet Kotto as President Kananga, the ruler of a small Caribbean island. He's the smallest of the big villains so far. Rather than wanting to rule the world or get rich fast, he has long term business plans. He's producing heroin in large quantities on his island. He wants to give away two tons of heroin free of charge in America. This will put all other drug dealers out of business, but it will also double the number of addicts. After this he'll sell heroin for a high price in America, unopposed because he'll have a monopoly. Would that work? It's difficult to believe that the other drug dealers would disappear so easily. After the free gift has been exhausted, they'd have supplies ready to be sold. Or does heroin have an expiration date?

The film's Good Bond Girl is Gloria Hendry as the rookie CIA agent Rosie Carver. Or is she really good? It's hinted that she's a double agent working for Kanaga, but this isn't followed up.

She doesn't have much meat on her bones, but James seems to like her.

When James Bond turns on the charm, she collapses into his arms. As you can see, the big afro in the previous pictures was just a wig that she takes off in intimate settings. She wanted to look more like a Blaxploitation star.

The Bad Bond Girl is Solitaire, played by Jane Seymour. She's inherited psychic powers from her mother and her mother before her. Kanaga uses her powers to warn him of any danger. There's only one problem. The powers only remain as long as she's a virgin.

How long can she remain a virgin when James Bond has his eye on her? That depends on how fast she can take her clothes off. Like most of the Bad Bond Girls, after one sexual encounter with him she changes sides and works against her former boss.

Madeline Smith also appears in the opening scenes. She doesn't have enough screen time to be classed as a Bond Girl. It depends on your definition. She plays an Italian secret agent called Miss Caruso, but in the credits she's listed as "Beautiful Girl". That's appropriate. She was one of the most beautiful actresses of the 1970's.

There were several publicity photos for the film with Madeline Smith, but her fans must have been disappointed when they at in the cinema and realised that she was only in the film for a few minutes. She deserved a bigger role.

Roger Moore asked for Madeline to have a part in the film after working with her on a television programme. She must have left a lasting impression on him.

So James Bond slept with three women in the film. The only woman he didn't drag into bed was Miss Moneypenny. Come on, James, give her a chance!

Despite the assortment of pretty women, I consider this to be the weakest James Bond film. I mentioned Blaxploitation above. The film features black communities in New Orleans, Harlem and the Caribbean. What I don't like about the film is that almost every black person in the film is evil. This gives the film a racist flavour that I find unpleasant.

On the positive side, the film features spectacular chases scenes. The over-the-top car chases are what characterised the Roger Moore Bond films. In one scene he's chased while driving a bus, in another he's chased in a motor boat that sometimes jumps out of water and skids across the ground. It's ridiculous and infeasible, but highly enjoyable.

Success Rate:  + 21.1

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