Roger Moore's seven James Bond movies ranked from Live and Let Die to A View to a Kill.
(Image: GETTY)The legendary actor sadly passed away in 2017, aged 89, after a short battle with cancer, and tonight is honoured with a new documentary film on BBC Two at 9pm.
From Roger Moore with Love, which includes Bond girls and Pierce Brosnan as talking heads, looks back across the witty actor's epic film legacy.
For all his roles, he'll forever be best known for his record seven official James Bond movies from 1973 to 1985, in which Sir Roger played 007 and is remembered for his lightheartedness, comic touches and camp humour.
Following Sean Connery and George Lazenby, he started his tenure as Bond with Live and Let Die. With some entries considered better than others, here's our ranking of Roger Moore's James Bond films.
7. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
What makes this entry the worst Roger Moore Bond movie? It’s just pretty boring, even with the lead actor’s charm. The plot of a sunk British ship containing a nuclear submarine control system may sound Cold War-tastic as superpowers race to find it. However, For Your Eyes Only’s more serious tone, following the sci-fi fun of Moonraker, just doesn’t quite work for Roger Moore. The dull action isn’t helped by Aris Kristatos' Greek smuggler villain. Where’s his evil volcano lair?
(Image: GETTY)6. A View to a Kill (1985)
It seems to be the norm for every Bond to end their tenure with their silliest outing and A View to a Kill is certainly that for Roger. Not only was this his seventh, but the star entered this adventure at an incredible 57-years-old. Nevertheless, Christopher Walken’s Max Zorin, a role almost played by a rock star, steals the show as Bond sets out to stop him from destroying Silicon Valley.
(Image: GETTY)5. Octopussy (1983)
While it’s the best of Roger’s 1980s entries, Octopussy is a bit of a mixed bag. A strong entertaining first hour, which including 007 amusingly disguised as a clown, sets Bond off tailing a general who's been stealing precious relics and jewels from the Soviets.. However, when 007 finds Kamal Khan and Octopussy, everything slows down a bit too much, letting the film down somewhat after a fun beginning. James Brolin was cast as Bond in this movie before being left devastated when Roger returned, as shared in our exclusive interview with the Westworld star.
(Image: GETTY)4. Moonraker (1979)
This one really splits Bond fans, which is probably why it’s right in the middle. It may seem like something of a gamble to send James Bond into space, but with the success of Star Wars just two years earlier, it was a risk producers were willing to take. Although it received mixed reviews upon release, it was the highest-grossing Bond film until 1995’s Goldeneye. Moonraker saw Bond take on Hugo Drax, a classic Bond villain bent on wiping out the world’s population and creating a master race – a step away from serious Cold War antics. If not taken too seriously Moonraker is tons of fun, only aided by the return of Richard Kiel’s Jaws. It's just a shame about Shirley Bassey's theme song, which Quentin Tarantino once confessed gave him a headache.
(Image: GETTY)3. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Roger’s second entry might have one of the worst Bond theme tunes, as admitted by its singer Lulu herself, but the movie still holds up today. Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton took the reigns in a story that featured two of the most notorious Bond villains: Christopher Lee’s Scaramanga and Herve Villechaize’s Nick Nack. In an interview before his death, Roger claimed that Herve was ‘a diseased sex maniac with unnatural lusts’. The Man with the Golden Gun is essentially tons of fun, aided by the colourful characters Bond meets across the exotic locations he ventures across, like Thailand and Hong Kong.
(Image: GETTY)2. Live and Let Die (1973)
Roger’s first film kicked off his tenure as Bond with a bang. Apart from Paul McCartney’s iconic theme and Hamilton’s direction, Live and Let Die also featured some memorable baddies and scenes. The villainous Dr Kananga, Tee Hee and Baron Samedi, are the centre of a drug-fuelled plot, which 007 sets out to end. Roger was also joined by one of the best Bond girls, Jane Seymour’s Solitaire, and saw the introduction of Clifton James’ hilarious Sheriff J W Pepper. As for the best scene, it has to be when Bond escapes being eaten by alligators by stepping on their heads.
(Image: GETTY)1. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
This absolute classic is a fan favourite across 60 years of Bond films. The story follows Bond villain Karl Stromberg – who lives in his Atlantis lair – as he sets out to destroy the world and start a new one under the sea. Teaming up with Soviet spy Anya Amasova, 007 sets out to stop the baddie, avoiding the clutches of Jaws, while introducing his iconic submarine car. Nominated for three Oscars, pure Bond doesn’t get much better than this.
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