9. Live and Let Die
Its not the last time well see Moore in the list, but whilst the Bond girl is lame, Mr. Bigs disguise is very cheap & noticeable, and the speedboat chase is not as good as I remembered, youve got to understand the context of the time. This was the first true reinvention of Bond, and without this, I reckon Bond may have puttered out. Love him or hate him, Moore gave us a new type of bond, and a type of bond film wed never seen before. It was bold, it was brave Like with Goldeneye, Casino Royale, The Living Daylights and Dr. No, Moore is James Bond from the get-go. You feel like he has been doing this for years, and hes very natural in carving out his own portrayal. I may have mentioned before Im a sucker for animals, but Im also a massive, raging fan of Blaxploitation, so that may be another reason this is so high up. Its got a damn good soundtrack, and Moore looks so wonderfully out of place in amongst the cool cats- just look at his reaction to names is for tombstones, baby! Its got two great henchmen, and importantly it succeeds in trying to . And it featured the second-best interpretation weve had of Felix Leiter, so much so he returned in Licence To Kill. The opening is exciting, as we dont see Bond, but realise death is all around us from the start. His introduction is classic Bond now, but was new Bond then. Its all a bit jumbled, but its held together by one of Bonds best villains- Dr. Kananga is sharp, charismatic, but flawed in his ego and jealousy. We wouldnt see a villain of such a strong calibre again until Franz Sanchez. In addition, the film owes much to Dr. No, and deserves credit from Licence to Kill and Skyfall, so it is a vital part of the DNA of the franchise.
Oscar Harding
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Aspiring Director, Screenwriter and Actor. Film is my passion, but I indulge in TV, Theatre and Literature as well! Any comments or suggestions, please tweet me @IAmOscarHarding
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