The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

Must See Movie...

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The early movies of Ian Fleming's stories of the arch british agent James Bond, were all badly acted slapstick movies for children. Only when Timothy Dalton took over, the novels cool wit and class finally came through. Pierce Brosnan made it even more believable, and Daniel Craig gave us chills down the back for his gritty realism, without losing any of the former. But this one, alas, only shows how embarassingly bad 70's movies could be. But back then people baught it! Myself included :)

What a film Roger Moore at his best my favourite Bond girl Maud Adams what a film so funny at times all star cast the sheriff brilliant my childhood Kung fu sexy chicks

James Bond is called in to help find a solar device that, in the wrong hands, could potentially turn the sun's rays into a lethal weapon. To do so, Bond must deal with a highly paid assassin named Scaramanga. When one of Scaramanga's gold bullets shows up an MI6 headquarters with Bond's name engraved on it, Bond is convinced he's Scaramanga's next target. But what if he can find Scaramanga first? It's off to Macao, Hong Kong, and Thailand to find a potentially dangerous device and an assassin. As much as I love the James Bond franchise, I admit that all Bond films are not created equal. The Man with the Golden Gun is what I call a lesser Bond film. It has its share of strong points that I really enjoy, but there's too much that doesn't work for me to list it among the best. Instead of the normal comments I write, here a laundry list of what does and what doesn't work for me:What works for me:Christopher Lee – In a better Bond film, he would most certainly be remembered as one of the best super-villains that Bond faced. He's got the presence, size, and acting ability to pull it off. Instead, he's forced to play a guy in track suit with three nips who kills people in a carnival funhouse. Nick Nack – Despite his stature, Nick Nack makes for an excellent baddie. He seems to delight in causing harm to others. Maude Adams – I can't think of an actress who played a Bond-girl who did a better job of acting. You can see the fear, hatred, and resentment in her eyes when she's with Scaramanga. It's an outstanding performance. She's easily the standout in the film for me.It's fun – At the end of the day, this is still a James Bond film. Despite all the issues I have with it, The Man with the Golden Gun is still a fun movie that provides some degree of entertainment. It's not perfect, but I still enjoy it.What doesn't work for me:Sheriff Pepper – Why in God's name did they bring him back? Once was bad enough. The comedy – There's way too much comedy (or attempted comedy). Bond's quips are cringy, the school girls defeating the trained karate dudes is stupid, and Britt Ekland's bumbling Goodnight is annoying. (By the way, I really hate that this was the role Britt Ekland was given in the James Bond series. I would have loved to see her given a more traditional Bond girl role.) Ruining a great stunt – The car jump in The Man with the Golden Gun is legendary. Why did they decide to use a slide whistle sound effect as the car jumps the river? Why let a cheap sound effect ruin an uber-cool moment?The plot and flow – I'm going to have trouble explaining this, but here goes – More so than in any other Bond film I can think of right now, the solar device is a true McGuffin. Watching the film again last night, I had to ask myself on several occasions, "what's the point of all this?" The main plot line is never really clear. And, the film changes pace about a dozen times. One minute it's a karate movie, while the next it's a madcap chase film. It's jarring.If I had a list of favorite Bond movies (and I'm not sure why I don't'), I'm guessing The Man with the Golden Gun would place in the bottom five or so films. I still rate the movie an above average 6/10, but by Bond standards, that's pretty poor.

It was a good surprise for me to discover that this Bond is set in Asia as those faraway locations are really a bit forgotten! Now that i have seen 5 of Moore movies (the other actors don't really interest me, especially grumpy Craig), i finally get the formula: while i expected the franchise to be realistic spy movies, i realize that they are not really serious, especially with Moore attitude! This fact accepted, this one is really interesting: The supporting characters are really original: Goodnight is funny and cute, Lee is great as an expert killer and the dwarf prefigures one of X-men greatest villain, Arcade! The plot, even if highly unbelievable is a change from the world evil. The movie has aged well because it smells good the 70s and we can see the change in those islands! For me, it's one of the best Bond ever and now i have only 2 left to watch: live and let die & Moonraker...