The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) United Artists/Action-Adventure RT: 125 minutes Rated PG (language, violence, sexual content) Director: Guy Hamilton Screenplay: Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz Music: John Barry Cinematography: Ted Moore and Oswald Morris Release date: December 20, 1974 (US & UK) Cast: Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Herve Villechaize, Clifton James, Richard Loo, Soon-Tek Oh, Marc Lawrence, Lois Maxwell, Marne Maitland, Desmond Llewelyn, James Cossins, Chan Yiu Lam, Bernard Lee. Opening Song: “The Man with the Golden Gun” by Lulu Box Office: $20.9M (US)
Rating: ***
I wasn’t looking forward to rewatching The Man with the Golden Gun because I remember not liking it the last time I watched it. Much to my surprise, I found myself enjoying 007’s ninth adventure this time around. It’s good but it’s not one of his best. The plot is fairly slim, but the action scenes and vehicular chases compensate for the lack of substance. PLUS, the bad guy is played by horror legend Christopher Lee who played Count Dracula in several Hammer films as well as the Mummy and Frankenstein’s Monster. He was AWESOME!
Lee plays Scaramanga, a former KGB agent turned assassin for hire who charges a cool $1M for his services. His weapon of choice is a golden gun that fires solid gold bullets, one of which is sent to James Bond (Moore) with the number 007 engraved on it. Perceived as a threat on the agent’s life, M (Lee) orders him to stand down temporarily until they find Scaramanga which won’t be easy because nobody knows what he looks like outside of having a third nipple on his chest. Being who he is, Bond takes it on himself to locate the elusive baddie who might be involved in the disappearance of a solar energy scientist.
His investigation leads him to Andrea Anders (Adams, Rollerball), the mistress of Scaramanga. The suave spy uses his charms to persuade her to lead him to his target. What she actually does is lead him right into a trap set for the missing scientist who has in his possession a device called a “Solex Agitator”. It’s what the rest of us call a “McGuffin”. It doesn’t really matter what it is or what it does. Its true function is to set the plot in motion. Everybody wants to get their hands on it as it will potentially solve the world’s energy crisis. Bond’s job, of course, is to retrieve it before Scaramanga can put it to use for something nefarious.
The previous Bond film Live and Let Die added blaxploitation to the formula and it worked beautifully. This time, director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger) adds kung fu to the mix. Yes, The Man with the Golden Gun is, in part, a martial arts flick. At one point, Bond is captured and held in a martial arts academy where he’s expected to fight somebody to the death. It’s obviously a nod to the Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon (1973). Fortunately, he’s saved in the nick of time by Hong Kong cop Lt. Hip (Oh, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning) and his two teenage nieces, all of them black belts of course.
As usual for the series, the action scenes are right on point. The centerpiece, this time, is a chase through the streets of Bangkok with Bond chasing Scaramanga and his diminutive flunky Nick Nack (Villechaize, Fantasy Island) who have his lovely MI6 assistant Mary Goodnight (Ekland, The Wicker Man) in the boot of their car. Bond “borrows” a car from a dealership to pursue them. That’s not all; he a familiar passenger. Remember J.W. Pepper (James, Superman II), the big-bellied redneck sheriff from Live and Let Die? He’s there on vacation with his wife when who should he run into but the secret agent from England. He’s only too glad to assist in the chase much to Bond’s mild annoyance.
In his second outing as the main character, Moore does great work. He’s getting more comfortable in the role, but why shouldn’t he be? He was born to play James Bond. He brings some welcome levity to the proceedings, not that the Bond movies are serious to begin with. Ekland is HOT as Goodnight, the lady agent always the victim of foreplay interruptus. She and Bond barely get started before something happens that forces them to hit pause. Adams is good as the mistress who might or might not be loyal to her man. Villechaize has some funny moments as the evil little sidekick.
As I already stated, Lee is great as the villain. Would you expect otherwise? He’s one of the more interesting Bond baddies who isn’t Blofeld. He lives on a private island in a mansion that’s more like a deadly carnival funhouse with the hall of mirrors and life-size wax dummies, one of them a likeness of 007. Then there’s that golden gun. What a cool weapon.
The Man with the Golden Gun is good James Bond, not great James Bond. It’s fast-paced and funny. It has plenty of action and a goofy plot right out of a comic book. It has a few pacing issues here and there, but nothing that can’t be fixed by Moore’s playful attitude.
