LIVE AND LET DIE (1973) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"Live and Let Die" Plot
Kananga aka. Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto) wants to give away free heroin to hook a nation and become rich.
Whiskey Lore Review
This is definitely a movie that was awkward for its time and the overall theme hasn't aged well - but they were trying to take a book full of degrading stereotypes and make it something acceptable (the book was actually revised for American markets because of it).
The way Roger Moore and the writers tried to overcome the script was through humor - and while this may have been a good intention, this takes all the edge off of 007 and turns him into Groucho Marx in a double breasted suit. As a Bond girl, Jane Seymour is attractive and plays the role well, but she's not a strong character. She is basically there to serve Bond's pleasure once he tricks her into sleeping with him. And what is the point of Rosey Carver? She's a trained agent whose special skill seems to be wearing a bathing suit and being scared out of her wits!
I've learned to watch the Moore movies as strictly entertainment. There is no real attempt at substance in most of them.
Best of the movie: I like to say, this movie starts with such great promise and then devolves soon after the opening credits. The saving grace is the music. Talk about getting an all-star pinch hitter in George Martin's score. Add to that a Top 5 Bond theme in Paul McCartney and Wings "Live and Let Die" and you've got a killer soundtrack that helps elevate this film. Funny thing is, Guy Hamilton didn't like the song, but used it anyway...because it was Paul McCartney.
Memorable: While I think the humor is overdone in this film, I love the scene where Bond has to jump on the alligator's heads to escape.
Where it goes wrong: Did we really need so much of Sheriff J.W. Pepper? It also has no car - just a double decker bus for comedic effect. Filming locations aren't great and the supporting cast is one of the least impressive of the series.
Paired Whisky: Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
At first, I struggled a bit trying to find a pairing for this movie, but then Bond orders a bourbon at the Fillet of Soul bar in New Orleans and Felix Leiter reprimands him, ordering two Sazeracs and telling Bond to live a little!
Whiskey Lore Rank: #24 (Score 4.41) > Next Movie
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