The Man With The Golden Gun in Review...

Roger Moore's stint as secret agent James Bond 007 began inauspiciously. His debut in the role, 'Live and Let Die', made a respectable introduction for the actor, if little more. The film allowed Moore to confidently tailor the character to his own screen persona, but otherwise was a rather bland and derivative adventure, lacking the innovation or larger-than-life thrills that made Bond such an icon in the 1960s. Unfortunately, his second entry, 1974's 'The Man with the Golden Gun', represented more of the same.

By Bond standards, 'Golden Gun' is a low-key and small-scale affair. The story pits 007 against Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), an elite assassin renowned for charging his wealthy clientele $1 million a hit. Scaramanga has never been caught or even identified. Scaramanga, it turns out, admires Bond greatly, and challenges the agent to what he considers a battle of equals. Of course, Bond has to find him first.

Director Guy Hamilton had previously been responsible for both one of the best Bond pictures ('Goldfinger') as well as one of the worst ('Diamonds are Forever'). His work here is more or less a duplication of his efforts on 'Live and Let Die', falling somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, neither great nor terrible in any distinct measure.

(Joshua Zyber)

...And you can be the man with the golden pen, or keyboard rather, by writing your review here.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - 4/10
Upon viewing The Man with the Golden Gun, I was surprised to find that I actually disliked it more than previously thought. Apart from Christopher Lee’s fine portrayal of Scaramanga, nothing in the film works. Starting with the plot: it’s a mess. It has to do with the monopolization of solar energy...I think. And while Scaramanga was a bad person, was his mission really all evil? If I heard right, he was to shake down the gas companies with his solex device and sell solar power. And the result? Maybe he’ll increase the world’s gas bill by a few bucks. Oh my God, what a travesty. The Man With the Golden Gun’s plot is easily the sloppiest, least interesting plot in a Bond film. (Leagues under Quantum of Solace.) Roger Moore has actually gotten worse since LALD; he tries to be menacing in scenes, (the trigger-less rifle scene and twisting arm scene) but he just doesn’t sell it to me. Some of it even comes off as stiff and near amateurish acting. And oh yeah, J.W. Pepper returns. And oh yeah, Bond gives a sumo wrestler a wedgie. And oh yeah, that slide whistle with the car jump. (The worst moment in Bond film history.) There are so many lame scenes in Golden Gun with not one, single memorable scene to counteract. The result is the lamest, dullest and worst James Bond film ever made. I don’t think they even tried with this one.

The Good: Roger Moore. He really shines in this one. Probably his best performance. Most Connery-like, even. Maud Adams was good, if underused. The locations are wonderful. Christopher Lee is superb.

The Bad: the annoying J.W. Pepper, the inept Goodnight, the moment ruining whistle with the car flip, the pacing of the movie in the second half. Something just goes wrong and it slows to a crawl.

Indifferent: Nick Nack - I don't like or dislike him. M, Q, and company being on site - I don't really care for this but it's not a big deal.

I just can't get in to this movie. I really did try. I thought I'd change my mind this time. I just didn't. This movie bores.

I can't think of a more retarded Bond girl than Goodnight. At least Jinx killed somene, Goodnight just pushed someone into liquid nitrogen, which caused the whole place to blow up.

Makeshift Python wrote:

I can't think of a more retarded Bond girl than Goodnight. At least Jinx killed somene, Goodnight just pushed someone into liquid nitrogen, which caused the whole place to blow up.

My Bond-Bubblehead award goes to Rosie Carver. One wonders how she passed her CIA entrance exams and yet couldn't even take off the safety catch from her gun.

*waves the Queen of Cups*

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

Makeshift Python wrote:

I can't think of a more retarded Bond girl than Goodnight. At least Jinx killed somene, Goodnight just pushed someone into liquid nitrogen, which caused the whole place to blow up.

My Bond-Bubblehead award goes to Rosie Carver. One wonders how she passed her CIA entrance exams and yet couldn't even take off the safety catch from her gun.

*waves the Queen of Cups*

I agree, she's worse. As far as those that are supposed to be agents and fail miserably...

Jinx might be even worse, though..... It's all a very tough, sad, contest...

If this had been another movie rather than a Bond one and if it had more in the way of gritty action in it like the cop movies of that era, I am sure it would have been a roaring success, but as it is, it wasn't, although I do enjoy Roger's performance in it. The scene where he threatens to shoot that arms seller smacks of Connery, but Moore comes across more charming. The fight scene in the dressing room was another pure Connery moment.

I'll be watching Gun in about 2 1/2 weeks. I think it's a bit underrated. It's got plenty of flaws, of course, but it's also got some of the Benign Bizarre and flashy charisma that makes DAF such a mesmerizing film. And blimey but I envy Sir Rog in the scene with Saida. What a rump that lass had!

:bounce:

The Man with the Golden Gun 7/10

11/22. With the last update (9 May 2009) i swith the movie with Octopussy from the 10th to 11th place.

10. Octopussy
11. The Man With The Golden Gun
12, Diamonds Are Forever

This movie is 7 to 5 ranks higher then Yolt and there be somethings i like a lot or a small bit more. TMWTGG music is from the les worse score the better followd by DAF. Some simalars things from Yolt and DAF are also good in this movie and then kind of contuned Live And Let Die.. If you whant you can see The Man With The Golden Gun is Roger Yolt or/and mix of DAF and Yolt. I like it David Arnold based part of the QOS music on TMWTGG.

Titlesong. I like it a lot. It infect the whole score and it working this time. Title song helps the scores also working in Twine and CR.

Nick Nack not realy a fan from. First i whas also not realy a big fan of Scaramanga.


One of the best scene's of the movie. Lazar.

The gunbarrel scene isn't one of my favorite and for a part this also count for the end climax. But the end climax i like more then the one from Yolt and DAF. The start from Yolt i like and the first part of the beginning from DAF is very good. Of course the start of OHMSS is dificult to beat.

Convincing nastiness from Moore's Bond, still unrivaled in the series. Though I've got no love for the disturbing scene with Maud Adams.

Some of Ken Adam's best work (the funhouse, Scaramanga's boat and penthouse, the solar power plant, and especially the Queen Elizabeth MI6 set); what is without a doubt Bernard Lee's best performance as M; a simultaneously affable and sinister turn by Christopher Lee; a good performance by Maud Adams; a healthy dose of the absurd with Nic Nac, Fat's compound and the Karate School Girls; some fine direction from Guy Hamilton, and the tracking shots are particularly nice to look at. The scene at the boxing match is particularly good; a script that, IMO, has the best of both Mankiewicz and Maibaum on show.

Ekland is the weak link, but the bikini and the fun characterisation make up for it. She's dumb but she's supposed to be.

Moore blends the humour and sinister fairly well. He's not as likeable as Connery when being nasty, but I'd say that probably makes him more intimidating, if anything.

I think it's very underrated. The Solex macguffin-turned-plot does feel tacked on but despite it's technical lunacy, remains a viable and relevant plot trigger.

Forgot to mention that Gun's PTS is my personal fav. Bond's absence doesn't bother me like it bothers so many.

Vesper wrote:

Some of Ken Adam's best work (the funhouse, Scaramanga's boat and penthouse, the solar power plant, and especially the Queen Elizabeth MI6 set)

Production design was Peter Murton, not Ken Adam.

Sharky wrote:

Vesper wrote:

Some of Ken Adam's best work (the funhouse, Scaramanga's boat and penthouse, the solar power plant, and especially the Queen Elizabeth MI6 set)

Production design was Peter Murton, not Ken Adam.

Ah, my bad. Didn't read the credits. Always assumed Adam did every one up till Lamont took over.

Vesper wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Vesper wrote:

Some of Ken Adam's best work (the funhouse, Scaramanga's boat and penthouse, the solar power plant, and especially the Queen Elizabeth MI6 set)

Production design was Peter Murton, not Ken Adam.

Ah, my bad. Didn't read the credits. Always assumed Adam did every one up till Lamont took over.

Nah. Syd Cain did three of them - FRWL, OHMSS, and LALD.

TMWTGG is more "Bondian" than any post-TLD film. Yes, I went there.

The current crop could learned a thing or two from GUN's infusion of exoticism, panache, and humour.

CJB wrote:

TMWTGG is more "Bondian" than any post-TLD film. Yes, I went there.

The current crop could learned a thing or two from GUN's infusion of exoticism, panache, and humour.

What good does all that do if the film drags like molasses in the second half?

Or am I the only one who feels that it does? I really can't put my finger on why, so much....And that bugs me....

Sharky wrote:

Vesper wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Vesper wrote:

Some of Ken Adam's best work (the funhouse, Scaramanga's boat and penthouse, the solar power plant, and especially the Queen Elizabeth MI6 set)

Production design was Peter Murton, not Ken Adam.

Ah, my bad. Didn't read the credits. Always assumed Adam did every one up till Lamont took over.

Nah. Syd Cain did three of them - FRWL, OHMSS, and LALD.

Ah. Probably explains why there aren't any sets in those early ones that I find overly impressive.

(Maybe Piz Gloria)

Barry has said this was his least favorite Bond score that he composed. But I like the many cues of the main melody throughout the film, especially the Saloon-style honky-tonk piano variation during the Al Capone/fun house scene in the PTS.

This film feels like being on a Fantasy Bond island--no pun intended either. I almost feel like I'm at some James Bond theme park rather than watching a Bond film: the story and plot often comes across as too farcical at times for me to take it even slightly seriously. The locations are gorgeous and as mentioned above, Goodnight's main role really seems to look good in a bikini. When I want a good escapist adventure, TMWTGG does the trick.

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that Goodnight denies Bond during their first encounter over a bottle of Phu Yuck? Bond really got dissed in this scene. I feel like Moore's Bond should have been better able to charm her on that first encounter.

Nah, I kind of felt like Bond got his deserved comeuppance in that one. He laid on the flowery stuff pretty heavy and still fell on his face. Hey, even Bond's gotta get a black eye every now and then.

:)

It's Goodnight of all people though, which is why maybe it feels like insult to injury

FG Wells wrote:

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that Goodnight denies Bond during their first encounter over a bottle of Phu Yuck? Bond really got dissed in this scene. I feel like Moore's Bond should have been better able to charm her on that first encounter.

Welcome FG Wells :)

In regards to the last comment, in a way, he hadn't missed the chance. Goodnight appears in the room only minutes afterwards, as she admits to playing "hard-to-get". Bond's charm did work.

That girl was so dumb she probably walked in his room accidentally, was too foolish to keep up any pretence of professionalism and just decided to try and sleep with him.