10 Controversial James Bond Movie Moments That Couldn't Exist Today
1. JW Pepper (Live And Let Die, 1973/The Man With The Golden Gun, 1974)
After the heinous caricature of Sheriff JW Pepper very nearly ruined one of the greatest cinematic boat chases ever in Live and Let Die, they inexplicably brought him back (by unpopular demand!) for the following film The Man With the Golden Gun.
Such a character would have no place in the modern era for two reasons. Firstly, his abrupt appearance in LALD was so jarring in tone that viewers could easily have been forgiven for thinking the film had randomly switched to Smokey and the Bandit. It’s wholly unlikely that Bond films nowadays would devote so much screen-time to a minor character; well, unless the scene was sponsored by Heineken.
More crucially, his entire role in TMWTGG amounts to little more than a sketch of a racist buffoon hooting and hollering at all the perceived oddities of South Asia, from the pointy hats of the locals to their outfits. It’s hard to imagine such antics in a major blockbuster today, and it’s hard to argue for their inclusion.
Modern day PC version: For starters, JW Pepper wouldn’t exist; his role in the story would likely be played by M, or even better, Moneypenny. The stars aren’t being paid the beaucoup bucks to sit in an office, you know.