Review of The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) by Finnur E — 21 May 2009

Instant sequel to Live and Let Die, hastily written to cash on Roger Moore's success in the role of James Bond, which was a gamble for the producers especially since George Lazenby failed to impress audiences and critics with his sole forey into the role four years earlier.

This proved to be the dullest Bond film to date, however, and remains one of the all time lows of this mostly successful series. This film's biggest problem is that it is uniformally bland - everything from camerawork to casting reeks of half-heartedness.

Even the otherwise beautiful oriental locations don't seem to deliver their intended impression through the camera lens. Adding insult to injury, failed attempts at comedy abound in excess, from the unwelcome return of redneck Sheriff Pepper in one of the film's central chase sequences, to the film's shamelessly unfunny midget henchman Nick-Nack (even the character's name falls flat on it's face).

The film's only saving grace is the presence of Christopher Lee, as the bad guy, and John Barry's always stellar musical score.