---
title: "Live and Let Die"
year: 1973
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/live-and-let-die"
fi1m_score: 66
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 12
published: "2026-09-20T21:14:35.431990+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-20T21:14:58.301855+00:00"
region: "GR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Live and Let Die (1973)

Directed by Guy Hamilton · 2h 01m · Adventure, Action, Thriller

**Fi1m score: 66** · Critics 64 from 12 reviews

*In a sentence:* Bond cheats at tarot, jogs across crocodiles and still gets upstaged by a laughing man in a top hat

> Roger Moore’s first turn as Bond is smooth, cheerful and light on menace, and Guy Hamilton hangs it on three or four set pieces worth anyone’s evening. The villains deserved a better film around them, and the last half hour is a shrug.

## Synopsis

James Bond (Roger Moore) is sent after Dr Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), who runs a small Caribbean island and whose interests reach the streets of Harlem, where a gangster called Mr. Big does business from the back of a restaurant. Kananga keeps a tarot reader, Solitaire (Jane Seymour), whose cards have never been wrong, and a household of heavies: Tee Hee (Julius Harris), who has a steel claw for a hand, Whisper (Earl Jolly Brown), who does exactly what his name says, and Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder), a grinning man in a top hat who presides over the island’s voodoo ceremonies. Bond has Felix Leiter (David Hedison) and a jittery CIA agent, Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), for company. The trail runs through Harlem, New Orleans and the Caribbean, and involves heroin, sharks and crocodiles.

## Review

Sean Connery has gone, and the producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman have replaced him with Roger Moore, first seen in a dressing gown, making coffee, faintly put out at being disturbed. It is a good first scene for a new Bond and a fair summary of the film: domestic, unhurried, amused. *Live and Let Die* is relaxed where the earlier films were tense, and it gets by on a handful of set pieces, one good villain it does not know what to do with, and a leading man who never looks as though anything could go wrong.

Moore plays Bond as a man who has already read the script. He gets Solitaire into bed by stacking her tarot deck with nothing but Lovers cards, and the film thinks this is charming and, mostly, so did we. What he does not do is frighten anyone. When Tee Hee bends his pistol into a hook, Moore looks mildly inconvenienced, as if a waiter had brought the wrong wine. Tom Mankiewicz’s screenplay is pitched there, one quip per exit, and Moore lands nearly all of them.

Guy Hamilton, who directed [*Goldfinger*](https://film.one/film/goldfinger) (1964), knows how to stage a thing so you can see it. The crocodile farm is the best of it: Bond stranded on a scrap of ground in a pool, the animals closing, the escape done in one long shot by what looks like a real man on real crocodiles. We held our breath and did not let it out until he reached the bank. Ted Moore shoots the Louisiana bayou in flat, bright afternoon light, so the speedboat chase has nowhere to hide; the boats leave the water, cross roads, land in a wedding and a swimming pool. The editors, Bert Bates, Raymond Poulton and John Shirley, keep the first stretch tight. Then Clifton James’s Sheriff J.W. Pepper takes it over, and it runs five minutes past the point where we stopped laughing at him.

Yaphet Kotto is the film’s real find and its real waste. His Kananga is soft-spoken, and Kotto gives him a stillness that makes everyone else on screen look busy. Around him: Julius Harris’s Tee Hee, all teeth and a steel claw; Earl Jolly Brown’s Whisper, who does what his name says; Geoffrey Holder’s Baron Samedi, who laughs from the bottom of his lungs and is the one person Bond cannot explain away. The film uses them as obstacles, one per location, and then puts them back in the box. Kotto gets perhaps three real scenes in two hours.

The film borrows from *Shaft* (1971), and what it borrows is mostly surface: the Harlem restaurant, the suits Julie Harris puts on the heavies. In its Harlem every doorman, cab driver and shoeshine man is on Kananga’s payroll. We winced at the voodoo ceremonies, which are staged as spectacle and filmed as savagery. Gloria Hendry’s Rosie Carver, a CIA agent who screams at snakes, is written as the butt of the joke; Hendry plays her with more warmth than the script gives her.

George Martin’s score is the freshest thing here. The title song, by Paul McCartney and Wings, is a proper rock single, and Martin threads its riff through the chases on brass and guitar, so the film sounds louder and younger than it looks. Jane Seymour’s Solitaire has a gift that depends on her virginity, which the film treats as a plot point, and once Bond has dealt with both she has nothing to play but fright. Julie Harris dresses her like a tarot card, in high collars and heavy embroidery, which is lovely and does not help.

*Goldfinger* built to a set piece inside a vault; this one builds to an ending we will not describe, except to say that Hamilton loses interest a reel before the credits, and the last half hour is the flattest in the film. It runs 121 minutes and carries a PG, which tells you how much of the menace is real. Watch it for the middle hour and forgive the rest.

*Fi1m score 66, published 20 September 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Live and Let Die worth watching?**

*Live and Let Die* is worth watching for the middle hour, and we scored it 66. Roger Moore's first Bond is cheerful and light on menace, and Guy Hamilton stages the crocodile farm and the bayou speedboat chase well enough to earn an evening. The villains deserve more than they get, and the last half hour is flat.

**How long is Live and Let Die, and what is it rated?**

*Live and Let Die* runs 2h 01m. It is an adventure and action film.

**Where can I watch Live and Let Die in Greece?**

*Live and Let Die* is available to rent from Apple TV from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Live and Let Die, and is it suitable for children?**

*Live and Let Die* carries a PG certificate and most of its menace is stagey rather than real. There are sharks, crocodiles and snakes, a heavy with a steel claw and voodoo ceremonies staged as spectacle, but Moore's Bond never looks in danger. Older children will be fine; younger ones may find the voodoo scenes and the crocodiles frightening.

**How does Live and Let Die compare to Diamonds Are Forever?**

*Live and Let Die* is the livelier of the two, though neither is among the best in the series. Diamonds Are Forever has Connery going through the motions and a script that loses its own plot; this one has a fresh leading man, a stronger villain in Yaphet Kotto and better set pieces. Both go slack before the end.

**Is Live and Let Die based on a true story or a book?**

*Live and Let Die* is based on the Ian Fleming novel of the same name, not on a true story. Our review does not measure it against the book, and knowing the source is not necessary; the film's pleasures are its set pieces, George Martin's score and Moore's unhurried manner. It also borrows, mostly at surface level, from *Shaft*.

**Do you need to have seen the other James Bond films before Live and Let Die?**

*Live and Let Die* stands on its own and is a reasonable place to start, since it introduces a new Bond in Roger Moore and expects nothing of you. Nothing in the plot depends on earlier films. It is not the series at its best, so newcomers should not judge Bond by its flat final half hour.

**What order should I watch the James Bond films in?**

Release order is the safe choice for James Bond, and it is the order our collection page lists them in. *Live and Let Die* is number 9 of the 26 James Bond titles on Fi1m; before it comes *Diamonds Are Forever* and after it *The Man with the Golden Gun*. [The full order.](https://film.one/collections/james-bond.md)

### Reviews we read (12)

- **Radio Times**, Tom Hutchinson (4/5): Roger Moore's first Bond outing pits 007 against voodoo and Yaphet Kotto, with Jane Seymour as love interest. It delivers Saturday-matinee thrills and splendid action sequences including a record-breaking speedboat leap, though adversaries are as mechanical as Moore himself. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-56ink9/live-and-let-die/)
- **Empire**, Ian Nathan (75/100, inferred): The critic finds it good quality Bond that successfully updates the formula for Roger Moore with a lighter, more playful touch, particularly praising the Caribbean locations and voodoo elements, though noting it lacks an explosive finale. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/live-let-die-review/)
- **IndieWire**, Jim Hemphill (70/100, inferred): The critic argues that Live and Let Die demonstrates Roger Moore as the best James Bond. The film blends spy thriller elements with blaxploitation and establishes the tone for Moore's decade-long tenure in the role. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/live-and-let-die-roger-moore-best-james-bond-1235214170/)
- **The New York Times**, Roger Greenspun (70/100, inferred): The latest Bond adventure takes nerve in its premise and insolence toward pieties but delivers with clever pacing, photography, editing and effective use of its theme song. It features a phlegmatic but handsome Roger Moore as 007 amid grotesque killings and chases. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1973/06/28/archives/the-screen-live-and-let-die-opensthe-latest-james-bond-fights.html)
- **Variety** (65/100, inferred): Roger Moore makes an okay replacement for Sean Connery as Bond in a comic-book plot filled with hardware production numbers, chases and hazards like sharks and crocodiles. The film introduces a new direction for the series with voodoo and heroin schemes. [Read](https://variety.com/1972/film/reviews/live-and-let-die-1200423004/)
- **The New Yorker**, Penelope Gilliatt (60/100, inferred): The film is an accumulation of clever tricks and stunts with a funny amphibious speedboat chase but little else of substance or fright. It succeeds through buffoonish flamboyance and a benign view of the material rather than depth or snobbery. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1973/07/09/the-wits-vs-the-nitwits)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (40/100, inferred): The film has all the necessary girls, gimmicks and stunts but lacks the wit and style of the best Bond movies. The substitution of Roger Moore for Sean Connery contributes to a more superficial take on the role. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/live-and-let-die-1973)
- **Sight and Sound** (40/100, inferred): The critic likens the film to old Saturday matinee serials full of cheap melodramatic perils like snakes, voodoo and shark pools. While the chase sequences are crisply filmed, the Bond formula feels expensively diluted and the verbal exchanges are ponderous and predictable. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/features/ultimatefilm/chart/details.php?ranking=69)
- **Film Stories**, Mark Harrison (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film one of the series’ all-time bangers for its mix of gangsters, horror, and smut, crediting Roger Moore with establishing a more cynical and mean-spirited Bond who still lands witty lines. They single out Moore’s performance and the film’s successful Blaxploitation-influenced modernization for praise. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/live-and-let-die-and-the-making-of-roger-moores-james-bond/)
- **Den of Geek**, Max Williams (75/100, inferred): The critic views it as nearly a classic and one of Moore’s best Bond films, praising the memorable villains, Solitaire, crocodiles, and voodoo elements, but notes the final half hour and boat chase fall flat. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/live-and-let-die-revisting-roger-moores-first-james-bond-movie/)
- **Paste**, Kyle Turner (60/100, inferred): The critic explores how Live and Let Die positions Bond as an outsider confronting legacies of colonialism and race in America through its blaxploitation influences. It highlights the film's focus on death and rebirth as fitting for Moore's debut, while noting the unresolved tensions in its cultural depictions. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/james-bond/james-bond-live-and-let-die)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (50/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a sleazy affair that falls short of its predecessors but still delivers for action fans due to its pivotal place in Bond history. They single out the stunts, supporting performances from Hendry, Holder, and Hedison, and the theme song for praise while faulting Moore and Seymour’s leads. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/live-and-let-die-1973-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

## Details

- **Director:** Guy Hamilton
- **Director:** Guy Hamilton
- **Screenplay:** Tom Mankiewicz
- **Novel:** Ian Fleming
- **Cinematography:** Ted Moore
- **Editor:** Bert Bates, Raymond Poulton, John Shirley
- **Music:** George Martin
- **Costume design:** Julie Harris
- **Producer:** Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
- **Cast:** Roger Moore as James Bond; Yaphet Kotto as Kananga/Mr. Big; Jane Seymour as Solitaire; Clifton James as Sheriff J.W. Pepper; Julius Harris as Tee Hee; Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi; David Hedison as Felix Leiter; Gloria Hendry as Rosie Carver
- **Runtime:** 2h 01m
- **Release (Greece):** 22 December 1973
- **Genres:** Adventure, Action, Thriller
- **Part of:** [James Bond](https://film.one/collections/james-bond.md) · 9 of 26
- **Budget:** $7 million
- **Box office:** $126 million

## Where to watch in Greece

- Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy €9.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-18.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Spy Who Loved Me* (1977), Fi1m 77: Moore’s best Bond: same lightness, a villain and a finale that actually turn up — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-spy-who-loved-me.md)
- *Shaft* (1971): The Harlem thriller this film borrowed from, with the swagger done properly
- *I Walked with a Zombie* (1943): Caribbean voodoo treated with dread and respect, in seventy quiet minutes
- *Angel Heart* (1987): New Orleans, occult, sweat and a detective far more frightened than Bond
- *OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies* (2006): A French spy exactly this pleased with himself, and the film knows it

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/live-and-let-die