Plot: With charm, wit and deadly assurance, Roger Moore steps in as the suave, sophisticated - and lethal - Agent 007 in a 'thrilling, high-powered' (Time) showdown with an infamous drug lord who's determined to eliminate Bond and conquer the world!
Firsts: Roger Moore as Bond, seeing Bond's home, African-American Bond girl, African-American villain
Gadgets: Magnetic watch with saw, compressed air bullet
Girls Bond slept with: Miss Caruso, Rosie Carver, Solitaire
Elaborate murder attempts that Bond escapes: Death by snake, left in an aligator pit, and lowered into a tank with sharks via a slow-moving dipping mechanism.
Personal review: Similar to Diamonds Are Forever is truly rooted in the 70s. But that's where the similarities end. This a much more entertaining and enjoyable film than Connery's last outing. Moore is not without his flaws in his portrayal of Bond, but I always enjoyed the more comedic approach he took to the role.
Yapphat Katto is decent as villainous Kanaga, but I wish the character and his evil plan would have been developed a bit more. I felt they wasted an interesting angle with him also being Mr. Big by revealing that too early. But where Kanaga's development might have been lacking, they make up for it by surrounding him with a whole host of cool henchmen (Tee Hee, Whisper, Baron Samedi). I certainly appreciated seeing such a diverse cast, but I am a bit surprised that they would choose to make Moore's first Bond film so Afro-centric. It seems like it would turn away a certain portion of the audience at a time when you're trying to get as many people as you can to accept a new Bond. One last note about the African-American cast, I thought it was an odd bit of continuity to have 'Quarrel Jr.' show up here.
I would be remiss, of course, if I didn't mention Jane Seymour as Solitaire because she is hot, hot, HAWT in this movie. Her acting leave a little to be desired, but that isn't a necessity when it comes to Bond girls. I also have to commend Paul McCartney for creating an awesome Bond theme that people still remember today. As for some negatives, I felt the motorboat chase scene near the end went on a bit too long. I also don't care for the J.W. Pepper character and was annoyed to see him return again in another film. Overall, this falls into the trap of many other Bond movies (too action-oriented, stupid criminals, etc.), but it is entertaining enough. For Moore's first outing, this is a solid effort and one I can easily watch over and over again. 8/10
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