I watched The Man with the Golden Gun and I really liked it! 4/5
Opening Shot: Duel of the Spies
The Man with the Golden Gun feels like a Bond movie stripped down to its simplest premise, what if 007 had to go one-on-one with a guy who might actually be better than him? No armies, no evil corporations, no global doomsday devices (well, until the third act). Just two assassins circling each other, each waiting for the perfect shot.
This one’s a 4 out of 5 for me. I really liked it. It’s not the most polished Bond film, and the tone wobbles between pulp thriller and slapstick farce, but Christopher Lee’s Scaramanga is such a stellar villain that he lifts the whole film with him. When it’s good, it’s great. When it’s dumb, it’s still kind of charming.
Plot: Sun Guns and a Death Match Invitation
Bond gets pulled into a deadly scavenger hunt when he’s sent a golden bullet with “007” engraved on it, Scaramanga’s calling card. He’s a legendary hitman who charges a million dollars a kill, and apparently, Bond is next on the list. The chase leads to Hong Kong, Bangkok, and finally Scaramanga’s private island, where the world’s weirdest boss fight is waiting.
Oh, and somewhere along the way there’s a solar power subplot involving a “Solex Agitator,” which gives the third act an energy crisis twist. It’s very 70s and mostly just a way to raise the stakes. But the real draw here is the duel.
Roger Moore: Leaner, Meaner, Still Polished
Moore dials back the silliness here, and it works. This is a more serious, more focused Bond than the one we saw in Live and Let Die. He’s still smooth and stylish, but he gets to show a darker, colder edge. There’s a great moment early on where he twists a guy’s arm and threatens him with real menace, it’s a reminder that Moore’s Bond can bite when he wants to.
It’s one of his more balanced performances, and you can tell he’s having a good time matching wits with someone who actually feels like a worthy rival.
Scaramanga: The Anti-Bond
Let’s talk about why this movie works, Francisco Scaramanga. Christopher Lee is magnetic from the first frame. Tall, suave, intelligent, and lethal, Scaramanga isn’t just another eccentric megalomaniac. He’s Bond’s mirror image. He has the gadgets, the charm, the taste for the high life, but no conscience.
What makes him fascinating is that he’s not out to rule the world. He just wants to prove he’s the best. There’s something intimate and unsettling about that. He doesn’t need armies or hostages. He wants Bond, in his crosshairs, and nothing else matters.
His island lair—complete with a funhouse training arena, killer mirrors, and the world’s most underpaid henchman—is pure Bond spectacle, and the final duel is everything you want it to be.
Nick Nack: Pint-Sized Chaos Agent
Hervé Villechaize as Nick Nack is one of the more unique henchmen in Bond history. He’s Scaramanga’s manservant, bodyguard, and maybe heir? It’s not totally clear. What is clear is that he’s a chaotic little wildcard who adds a weird but memorable energy to every scene he’s in.
Is it all played for laughs? Yes. Is it dated and borderline offensive at times? Also yes. But Villechaize brings a certain wild-eyed intensity that sticks with you.
Bond Girls: One Note and One Great Line
Maud Adams as Andrea Anders brings a melancholy sophistication to her role as Scaramanga’s mistress, and she has one of the best “shaken, not stirred” moments in the franchise. She’s layered, sad, and caught in a trap she can’t escape.
Then there’s Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight, one of the most aggressively ditzy Bond girls ever. She means well, but she’s written as comic relief more than an actual character. She’s constantly in over her head, and the film spends a lot of time giggling at her incompetence.
Still, Ekland sells the charm, and there’s something undeniably fun about her chemistry with Moore.
Action and Stunts: One Epic Flip
The actionin The Man with the Golden Gun is mostly solid, but the standout is the AMC car flip over a broken bridge, complete with a literal 360-degree twist. It’s a real stunt, pulled off flawlessly—and then immediately undercut by a slide whistle sound effect. It’s such a perfect encapsulation of this movie’s identity crisis. Something genuinely cool, immediately sabotaged by its own need to wink at the audience.
Other scenes, like the karate school brawl and boat chases, feel a little padded, but they’re lively enough to keep the momentum going.
Final Verdict: Imperfect but Irresistible
The Man with the Golden Gun is far from perfect. It’s tonally uneven, occasionally sexist in a way even Bond can’t get away with, and features some truly questionable comic beats. But it’s also got one of the best villains in the entire series, a memorable climax, and a performance from Moore that balances charm and steel.
It’s uneven, but when it hits, it hits golden.