Live and Let Die - 1973
Three agents are murdered and Bond is sent to find the connection. The trail eventually leads to Mr. Big a Harlem gangster and his drug supply network which it seems are under the actual control of a Caribbean island diplomat named Kanaga. All of this is protected by a voodoo threat which seems to scare of all but 007 himself.
Roger Moore's first effort as 007 has remained my personal favourite since I saw it in the theatres almost 30 years ago. The movie was very closely based on Ian Fleming's novel which is arguably the best of the bunch and definitely the most controversial. Roger Moore did the "impossible" and filled the shoes of Sean Connery by creating his own Bond. The script was one of the strongest and took advantage of Moore's personality and sense of humour.
Along the way Bond battles and snake in his bath water , a runaway cab in New York City , a swamp full of alligators but the movie is best remembered for "the boat chase". Still the best boat chase ever put on film it is arguably one of the greatest Bond sequences period. The boat jump was an original stunt and immediately made the Guinness Book of World Records.
In this movie which introduced Roger Moore as Bond we do not see M's office ( they meet at Bond's flat ) , Q does not appear , James Bond does not wear a hat during the opening sequence and he smokes a cigar. The movie stops in New York City , New Orleans ( and the bayous ) and the fictional island of San Monique ( filmed in Jamaica ). The tension in the film is wonderfully offset by the humour especially during the long boat chase when we meet Sheriff J.W. Pepper of the Louisiana State Police.
Most people point to either this film or THE SPY WHO LOVED ME when they mention Moore's best film. For me this one tops them all.
