The Man with the Golden Gun

1974 "The world's greatest villains tried to kill James Bond...now it's Scaramanga's turn to try!"
6.7| 2h5m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 20 December 1974 Released
Producted By: United Artists
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://www.mgm.com/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun
Synopsis

Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.
bensonmum2 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.
leplatypus 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...
FilmBuff1994 The Man with the Golden Gun is a great movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a talented cast. It stands out from other Bonds as being one of the only ones where the villain really steals the spotlight. Christopher Lee is outstanding as Scaramanga, both charismatic and thrilling. Moore brings in incredibly witty dialogue and his scenes with Lee are the films highlight.There is a large lack of gadgets, which I found to be the weakest factor. I find the new machinery to be one of the funnest and most unique aspects of every Bond film, and not bringing in any this time around left me underwhelmed.The story is also extremely by the numbers, there is no plot point that is unexpected or exciting, it feels as if it's all going through the motions.More so than the action, the performances are what stand out in The Man with the Golden Gun, and I feel that is the main thing that makes it a worthwhile watch, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good adventure film. Bond searches for a missing solar device and finds himself the target of a dastardly assassin. Best Performance: Christopher Lee
Filipe Neto Directed by Guy Hamilton and with a script by Tom Mankiewicz and Richard Maibaum, this is the ninth film in the 007 franchise and keeps Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli as co-producers for the last time. In this film, the second where Roger Moore embodies 007, the main subject will be the energy crisis and the advent of so- called green energies, issues that were very present at that time, due to the oil crisis and the beginning of ecological concerns in society.In this film, the British agent is threatened by an assassin called Scaramanga, famous for using a pistol and bullets made in gold. Discretely, Bond decides to set off in pursuit of his new enemy, with the permission of M. The clues lead him to Beirut, to the Portuguese colony of Macau and finally to Hong Kong, where Scaramanga kills Gibson under Bond's nose. Gibson was a scientist who invented a way to harness solar energy and alleviate the world's dependency on oil. Bond must now recover the stolen technology and goes to Thailand where, after many adventures, will join forces with his colleague Mary Goodnight, an English spy who is both beautiful as stupid. Finally he meets Scaramanga. The chase takes Bond to the island's villain, which takes the final confrontation, full of surprises.In this film, Roger Moore will continues the formula started in "Live and Let Die": sarcastic and calm in any situation, his Bond is also a natural seducer, kind and gentle, contrasting to the rudest posture of Sean Connery, while not giving any value to women who seduces and which quickly drops when it suits his mission. A curious note: the mechanism created by Scaramanga in his island for the use of solar energy, despite the science fiction touch, is very similar to solar panels we have today but I don't know if this was a "jules- vernian" stylish prediction or if, even then, we could logically predict the course of technology in this field. One of the most famous scenes of this film is the gold-covered woman, in a probable homage to "Goldfinger", an earlier franchise film where this scene first emerged. Another memorable scene is the car chase where Bond, to cross a water channel, makes a dangerous 360° rotation with the car, similar to Evel Knievel shows, a popular icon from these time.In addition to James Bond and Mary Goodnight (Bond-girl played by the Swedish Britt Ekland), the film brings again J. W. Pepper, which was a big hit in the previous film and works here just as comic element. The villain, Scaramanga, was played by the immortal Christopher Lee, whom the seventies ran particularly well thanks to vampire movies. His helper, the francophone dwarf Nick-Nack, was taken by the talented and funny Hervé Villechaize. The also Swedish Maud Adams embodied Andrea the second bond-girl of this movie, the only 007 movie (I think) with two bond-girls interpreted by actresses from the same country.