The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)
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The Man With the Golden Gun (1974)
BOND#9: Super Secret Agent vs. the Supreme Assassin
starring CHRISTOPHER LEE co-starring BRITT EKLAND as Mary Goodnight * MAUD ADAMS
HERVE VILLECHAIZE as Nick Nack * CLIFTON JAMES as J.W.Pepper * RICHARD LOO * SOON-TEK OH
BERNARD LEE as M * LOIS MAXWELL as Moneypenny * DESMOND LLEWELYN as Q * Directed by GUY HAMILTON
So far, we're seeing lame attempts to copy better elements from previous Bonders, and this continues throughout most of the movie. Bond makes his standard entry into M's office, but instead of being given a new mission, he's taken off one, due to his being apparently targeted by the Scaramanga character. Bond, of course, prefers being on the offensive and decides to track down his opponent (with M's tacit approval) rather than waiting around to be shot. This quest takes Bond to Beirut, Macau, Hong Kong, Bangkok and, eventually, off Thailand, to an island where Scaramanga has set up a really nice home base for himself.
On the downside, this film also followed the previous film's negative aspects; the last one emulated the blaxploitation trend in movies at this time; this one parroted the martial arts craze of the same time (Bruce Lee and so on) by including a few silly scenes of such fighting. Even worse, there's a ridiculous battle with a sumo wrestler - and it didn't have to be. The filmmakers seemed to be ridiculing their own superspy concept in these scenes, piling on the stupidity by returning the redneck sheriff of the previous film, who happens to be vacationing in Bangkok. Even Bond, or is it Moore, says 'oh, no...' when he sees this guy, mimicking the thoughts of the audience.
Worst of all, though, is that the middle hour of this film, during which Bond seeks his nemesis, is rather boring, with such bad elements as mentioned above acting as filler to expand the story to two full hours. There are two femme fatales here - one is another clumsy agent (again repeating an element from the previous film) and the other is the villain's love slave. The latter makes more of an impact, containing tragic elements similar to Bond's love interest in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The other one, Bond's ally, comes across as somewhat silly and not very flattering in terms of depicting female agents.
The main villain (played by tall actor Lee, best known for his Dracula portrayals in Hammer films, the sorcerer Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings" films and one of the villains in the last two Star Wars pics) could have been one of the great Bond adversaries. He's presented as Bond's opposite number, the dark version of Bond, if you will, with the same skills but none of the compunctions or morality. But, the best the story could do with such a potentially interesting opponent is give him some kinky aspects (he makes love only just before a kill) and an exotic deformity (a third nipple). Lee seems to downplay all the dark aspects, coming across as too cheerful and normal in his scenes; they even dressed him in dull clothes, squandering the chance to show off his lean, towering figure. His henchman, of course, is even worse; he can be amusing and irritating, sure, but these are not the characteristics of a good henchman in a Bond thriller.
Bond himself is a bit more ruthless than in Live and Let Die, as if Moore was instructed to act a bit tougher (or, more like Connery), and he actually gets a bit bloodied in one fight scene (not the martial arts one), so we can't say he waltzed through without a scratch again. After most of the film as straight espionage/hunting, we do see some impressive sets unveiled at the villain's home during the climax, an exotic setting, with some hi-tech wizardry. The final duel is not very impressive, lacking any suspense, as if the filmmakers were at a loss and just got it over with. There is an impressive car stunt in the middle of the film, ruined by, what else, silly sound effects. Bond would return in The Spy Who Loved Me.
BoG's Bond Scores: Bond:8 Villain:7 Femme Fatales:6 Henchman:3 Fights:6 Stunts/Chases:8 Gadgets:5 Auto:6 Locations:7 Pace:6 overall:6
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Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: Semi-Science Fiction Films :: Super Agents - James Bond and his ilk
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