Bond. James Bond.

I just finished re-watching Live and Let Die. Frustrating movie. I like the characters. I like the humor. I like the action scenes. Paul McCartney! But the plot is the very definition of an Austin Powers joke. Just shoot the guy! The whole movie is the bad guys setting up elaborate death traps for James Bond. Seriously. The whole fucking movie! Shooting the driver. The snake. The double crossing CIA agent. The plane. The alligator/crocodile pit. The sharks at the end. Just shoot the fucking guy!

I enjoy The Man with the Golden Gun. It has its faults but it's generally well done. Roger Moore is a bit more serious but still has charming moments. I like the gags and action scenes. The story has more grit but makes room for the outlandish. One of the better Roger Moore movies.

The Spy Who Loves Me loses its specialness if you're doing a marathon. Live and Let Die and Golden Gun have their flaws but they have their quirks and personality. Spy is just You Only Live Twice with submarines instead of spaceships. But it is nice to see James Bond return to the big leagues after two relatively small-scale films. There's big sets, big action scenes and big stunts. It's a tad mainstream but the silly end-of-world plot and the henchman Jaws give it that James Bond feel. Roger Moore is capable as a blockbuster star. He gets the reputation of being "the funny Bond" but he knows when to be dramatic and a man of action.

It's also interesting how he caters his performance to the needs of each movie. In Live and Let Die he plays up the British charm to contrast with the stereotypical Black American villains. In Golden Gun he balances seriousness and humor for a story about assassins and giant laser beams. In Spy he grounds himself against the spectacle but still winks at the audience from time to time.

Of the three movies I'd say he's best in Golden Gun. There's just more for him to do there. In Spy he's too vanilla and the reason people tend to favor Sean Connery - an actor that defined the badass elegance that audience came to associate with James Bond. He wears a tuxedo but he'll also murder you and then sleep with your wife. Roger Moore never captured that. His essence was the proper British gentleman who could win a bar fight - with a judo chop. That's not necessarily bad, and is what the franchise needed in the 70's, but it doesn't do a movie like Spy any favors.