Binge-watching Bond part 8: 'Live and Let Die'

Roger Moore as 007

This was the movie that made me fall in love with James Bond when I was a little kid.

My father and older brother swore by Connery, but Roger Moore was my man.

He was suave, debonair and really damn funny. And after all these years, he's finally started to get appreciated more for the great 007 he was.

In the same way that the Batman character needed new life when Christopher Nolan came on the scene, it was clear after Diamonds Are Forever that Connery's take on the character had run it's course.

Enter Moore, who always seemed to be the most British of the Bonds and the most self consciously silly. He was the perfect 007 for the '70s and early '80s, and even when the films were imperfect, they are almost always undeniably fun.

Gloria Hendry

But let me talk more about Live and Let Die, and why it was always such a childhood favorite of mine.

The theme song is epic -- Paul McCartney in full rock star mode. The setting, style and flavor is blaxplotation, urban and feels much more hip and modern. Jane Seymour is seriously sexy as the sweet tarot-card reading Solitaire, and I appreciated that this was the first 007 film to feature a legit black Bond girl -- the beautiful Gloria Hendry.

The plot is a whole lot of nonsense involving some huge heroin conspiracy, but nevermind that. It's a real trip to see Bond out of his element, mixing with black folks, facing off against a terrific Yaphet Kotto as the villain.

The action also ramps up in this one compared to Diamonds Are Forever, there are a couple terrific chase scenes -- one with a double decker bus and another with speedboats -- that are showstoppers. As is a spectacular stunt involving crocodiles and the use of evocative locales like Harlem and New Orleans.

This film also has some dynamite comic relief in the form of a ludicrous side character -- a walking Southern sheriff stereotype -- J.W. Pepper. I can't tell you how much this buffoon cracked me up when I was a kid (and still does). Of course, Bond purists would argue he has no place in an espionage film -- but no matter, the Moore era was all about Bond having a good time, and the joy is infectious.

Moore will never be ranked above Connery, or Daniel Craig most likely, but he had a better facility with humor than Pierce Brosnan and wasn't too heavy handed like Timothy Dalton. And in his debut he knocked it out of the park

My rankings so far:

1) From Russia With Love
2) Goldfinger
3) Live and Let Die
4) Dr. No
5) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6) You Only Live Twice
7) Diamonds Are Forever
8) Thunderball

Liz's take: I think Roger Moore is a great James Bond, very charming and very cool under pressure -- with some very blue eyes. I appreciate his ability to infuse humor into the role in a way that Connery didn't. I also thought the film was very evocative of the '70s in every way from the look to the wardrobe and the music.

This was the height of blaxploitation cinema and I was worried that the film was going to be very offensive. But even though the black characters are villains they are never caricatured and made to look like foolish. It was refreshing to see a movie of that time targeted at a general audience that had so many black actors in it.

I thought Jane Seymour was a very unique Bond girl. Most of the others seemed very jaded or hardened in some way, and she was definitely the most innocent of the group to date.

The action here lived up to what you expect from a Bond film. Sometimes I lose interest in chase scenes, but the speedboat one featured here was really exciting and well shot. And the gator scene is even more impressive after you realize how they did it.

Live and Let Die ranks pretty high for me. I want to see what else Moore has to bring to the character. I think it was smart of him to set himself apart to not be another Connery.

Liz's rankings:

1) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2) Goldfinger
3) Dr. No
4) Live and Let Die
5) You Only Live Twice 
6) From Russia With Love
7) Diamonds Are Forever
8) Thunderball