Roger Moore as James Bond

Whereas Sean Connery was the suave and sophisticated James Bond, Roger Moore added a completely different style of humour and while embodying many of the aspects of Sean Connery’s Bond, he created a unique version of the character. Roger Moore is a close second behind Connery in terms of my favourite Bond, but he does boast two of my favourite Bond films of all time. Sadly, the Bond films in this era started to get a little bit too silly, but nonetheless, the Roger Moore films are, mostly, classics.

His first film, Live and Let Die, was immediately one of my favourite films. I absolutely love the plot. Bond is trying to stop a large batch of heroin being distributed, and goes to San Monique to try and figure out what’s going on. Before long, we are treated to gangsters, voodoo and crocodiles. There are some excellent scenes in Live and Let Die, most notably, the boat chase, which is thrilling and magnificent to watch. Jane Seymour stars alongside Roger Moore as Solitaire, the Bond girl for this movie. She is the source of the voodoo and reads cars for Mr. Big, the heroin kingpin. She is one of the most underrated Bond girls for me, and despite being quite a weak character, she is absolutely stunning. When Mr. Big inevitably catches Bond for the first time, he is left in the middle of an island with crocodiles closing in on him. The henchman, Tee Hee, is immensely sinister, and his detachable arm is a source of tension in nearly every scene he is in. The climax of the film sees Bond confront and apparently kill the Voodoo chief and save the day in true Bond fashion (things explode and such). I don’t really know why I like Live and Let Die so much. I think it manages to get the balance between plot, action and comedy absolutely spot on. It also boasts an incredible theme song, some excellent filming and some unforgettable scenes.

Live and Let Die was a hard act to follow, but The Man with the Golden Gun gave it a good shot (if you’ll pardon the pun). For me, this is where the Bond films start to get a bit too light hearted. On its release it was widely criticised for being too comedic, but I still think it is a good film. Bond has been earmarked by a famous hitman, Scaramanga, and tries to hunt him down and kill him before he is killed himself. Christopher Lee appears opposite Roger Moore in this film, and is dazzling as Scaramanga. I think if it wasn't for Lee then The Man with the Golden Gun would be a terrible film. The problem with it is not that the plot is unfeasible but that it seems assured of its success. The henchman is a dwarf who is about as sinister as a banana. We also see Bond take on a martial arts school, and the re-appearance of Sheriff J.W. Pepper, who was in Live and Let Die. I think his character is meant to be funny, but he just isn't  Nonetheless, Christopher Lee is the perfect opposition to have and instead of trying to kill Bond when he arrives at his island, he makes him comfortable and challenges him to a relatively fair fight. The most unforgettable scene in this movie is the corkscrew car flip. I think I read somewhere that it was done in one take, which is incredible. The only problem is that someone has added a stupid ‘whistle’ sound effect to the sequence, and this is just a drop in the ocean of how cheesy The Man with the Golden Gun is.

Thankfully, The Spy Who Loved Me brings the James Bond stock back up a bit. I think the theme song to this is my favourite of the classic Bond songs. Bond is up against a megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world and begin again underwater. It sees Bond collaborating with a Russian agent to stop Stromberg from completing his slightly implausible plan. This film also sees the introduction of one of the most iconic Bond villains, Jaws. With his incredibly strong metal teeth and his seeming immortality, he is truly terrifying. The classic Bond moment that this film is famous for is probably the cub/submarine scene. This car runs the Aston Martin DB5 very close for the title of ‘Coolest Car’. The Spy Who Loved Me is a refreshing hark back to the more serious Sean Connery films, with a genuine plot, a touch of comedy, and some twists and turns along the way to Bond’s inevitable victory. It seemed to restore many people’s confidence in James Bond after the unmitigated disaster that was The Man with the Golden Gun at the time of release, and yet many people seem to forget about it. It is one of my favourites and for me, it was the last Bond film before Goldeneye that was really enjoyable, rather than silly, annoying or implausible.

Moonraker was a mistake. It is often voted as one of the worst Bond films ever, and it is easy to see why. It sees Bond initially investigating the theft of a space shuttle, and then investigating Hugo Drax who manufactured the shuttle, and then, naturally, in space. In fairness, where the actual film is terrible, the visual effects are very impressive for the time, but this is the only real positive that I can draw from it. Jaws makes another appearance and, once again is sinister and terrifying, but the filmmakers completely deflate this at the end, when he finds a girlfriend (who is actually tiny) and falls hopelessly in love. If there is one thing that a sinister villain should not have it is a love life. You don’t ever see Blofeld getting gooey with an ‘Angel of Death’ do you? Apparently, the filmmakers received letters from children asking why Jaws couldn't be a goodie, and so they decided to listen to the opinions of children. Even the name of the Bond girl screams of how ridiculous this film is. Now granted Pussy Galore is a blatant innuendo, but Holly Goodhead? At least Pussy Galore is imaginative. The less said about Moonraker the better.

Sadly though, it doesn't pick up after this. The next three films are all as silly and disappointing as before. The only saving grace across these films is Roger Moore, who still has his roguish James Bond charm thankfully. In For Your Eyes Only, Bond helps out a woman who is investigating the death of her parents. It is incredibly clichéd, and incredibly forgettable for me. There’s a parrot that talks to Margaret Thatcher though, and this is one of the better moments of the film. Sadly you have to sit through nearly two hours of film before. For Your Eyes Only is quite enjoyable, but in the context of the Bond films that came before it, it is a couple of metres down the slippery slope to comedy. Octopussy cements this further, and sees Bond trying to investigate the death of 009, stop a bomb and do something with a Faberge egg. The villain, Kamal Kahn, is quite sinister, but never actually threatening. However, the serrated spinning wheel thingy that is used to kill people is quite scary. The problem is that in just don’t believe in the story with Octopussy. At one point, Bond bursts into a circus tent, dressed as a clown, shouting about a bomb. It is too silly and has too much of a focus on the comedy aspect rather than creating what could have been a classic Bond film.

Finally in Roger Moore’s collection is A View to a Kill which sees Bond trying to stop Max Zorin (played masterfully by the incredible Christopher Walken) from blowing up Silicon Valley. In my eyes, this shouldn't have been made by Roger Moore. He looks noticeably older in this film, and generally slower too. Grace Jones makes an appearance as the henchman (or henchwoman) in this film and is absolutely terrifying. However, this isn't a credit to her acting skills, more she is cast in a role that just scares me. A View to a Kill at times seems to be dragging Bond up a notch from where the previous two films left it, but then with a poor character name (such as the French detective Achille Aubergine or the English gentleman James St. John Smythe), the revelation that Zorin is the result of Nazi medical experimentation or a chase through San Francisco in a fire engine it drops it right back down. Once again, Roger Moore shines through as a charming and witty James Bond, and Christopher Walken creates a classic Bond villain, but the film is another one that should be dropped on the scrapheap.

It is strange that, despite having roundly criticised the Bond films of Roger Moore, he is my second favourite. There is no doubt in my mind that Sean Connery is the best, and Daniel Craig will be second best soon enough (if they are all as good as Casino Royale and Skyfall), but Roger Moore makes an excellent Bond too. This may be more to do with the failings of the other actors though, which I will get on to in the next Bond related post. If there was one film I’d advise you to watch from Roger Moore’s time as James Bond it would be Live and Let Die. I think that is the most enjoyable and the least laughable of all his Bond films.