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| Man With the Golden Gun, The |
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  (4/10)
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Runtime: 125 |
| Public Rating: 7.09 (11 votes) |
Director: Guy Hamilton |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action adventure |
Year: 1974 |
| Writer(s): Ian Fleming (novel); Richard Maibaum, Tom Mankiewicz |
| Reviewed by: Le Apprenti |
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Sir Roger Moore’s second Bond venture puts him on centerstage with Christopher Lee in a classic hero vs. villain “mano-a-mano” duel. If there is anything more to “The Man With the Golden Gun”, it is relegated to smaller roles relative to the onscreen clash between “two titans”: Moore as Bond, and Lee as Scaramanga.
As the title indicates, the “The Man With the Golden Gun” centers around one character – Francisco Scaramanga. A professional assassin whose only tool of trade is a golden gun with bullets made out of gold, and his price is one million dollars a hit. He owns an island off mainland China on which he makes his home, complete with a mistress Andrea Anders (Maud Adams) and a diminutive butler Nick Nack (Hervé Villechaize). He also has a gunplay room where he match his wits and marksman skills against an opponent of Nack’s choosing, with deadly results. One of Scaramanga’s trademark bullet winds up in Bond’s hands, prompting him to travel to Indochina region of Asia to track down Scaramanga before Scaramanga kills him first. Scaramanga’s dossier is also sung by Lulu in the title song.
Unlike the Bond films before and after, the story takes a different turn from the usual serious dramatic action. The tune becomes a campy satire that seems to spoof classic comic book heroes and their dim-witted partners. If that is not felt, the title song reinforces the campy mood. Like a typical comic book hero, Bond has to tangle with preliminary distractions en route to Scaramanga, and a brainless assistant who keeps fouling things up everytime she tries to be helpful. In place of Felix Leiter is Hong Kong field operative Hip (Soon-Tek Oh), who is best remembered for his two katate-proficient nieces. Scaramanga’s client Hai Fat (Richard Loo), a local crimelord, provides a ensemble of diverse martial arts exponents – including sumo wrestlers and kickboxers –for Bond to take on. Returning for comic relief is Clifton James as J.W. Pepper vacationing in Thailand when he coincidentally bumps into Bond during a car chase. Additional comic relief is provided by Villechaize whose presence always evokes a laugh even when he does not say anything. His one-on-one match with Bond results in Bond locking him inside a suitcase!
Little can be said about Adams’ first run as a Bond girl. She is dull, and does not sizzle one bit even when she is in a swimsuit – but memorable enough to be brought back for “Octopussy”. Playing up to the camp is Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight, Bond’s sexy female sidekick who epitomizes the stereotypical blond bimbo in every aspect. She is not bright, foils Bond at every turn with her goofs, and is gorgeous in a bikini. It is no wonder Ekland is perfect for the role. She shares a distinctive quality with her character – the absence of any real talent. But she boasts a stunning figure even though she was two months pregnant at that time.
Moore is settling into the role of 007. More tongue-in-cheek oneliners, delivered with wit and charm. However, his character is terribly downplayed, limiting his flexibility to carve his own niche. The lights-ups come from Lee, who breathes life into Scaramanga. Apparantly he does not need much of his own charisma as assistance is provided by lackluster performances of the remaining cast members. On many occasions, he outshines Moore. Q (Desmond Llewelyn) returns after being absent in “Live and Let Die”, joining Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell as M and Moneypenny respectively.
Sadly, nothing about “The Man With the Golden Gun” is memorable, save for Lee’s commanding performance, Ekland’s bikini-clad adventure, and Villechaize’s diminutive-oriented material. If you’re expecting Bond to be brandishing state-of-the-art gadgets and operating a fully-armed car, be prepared to be disappointed. Scaramanga gets them all. Bond, at least, still has Goodnight.
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