Review of The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) by Mark S — 08 Oct 2010
The Man with the Golden Gun in many ways goes hand in hand with Live and Let Die - both are directed by Guy Hamilton, star Roger Moore as 007, ill-advisedly include the now very-dated Sheriff J.W. Pepper, and reflect popular crazes of their time (in this case kung-fu).
Whereas Live and Let Die has a far superior theme tune, The Man with the Golden Gun has a much stronger Bond villain. In fact, Christopher Lee's Scaramanga is arguably one of the best, most three-dimensional villains there have been in the series.
He doesn't really rely on quips, seems genuinely threatening, has an interesting back story, and at times can appear mild-mannered yet psychopathic. A lot of credit should go to Lee for his performance in the role, and it's a shame he could only be used in one Bond film, and that that Bond film would not be one of the better ones.
There's an impressive car stunt, some interesting locations and Britt Ekland in a bikini, but Moore's Bond isn't that memorable in this addition to the series and without Lee's Scaramanga this would be very much a two-star film.
This review of The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was written by Mark S on 08 Oct 2010.
The Man with the Golden Gun has generally received mixed reviews.
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