"Not from where I'm standing."
James Bond (Moore) receives a golden bullet with his 007 carved in it. Golden bullets are used by renowned assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Lee), who also carries a golden gun. MI6 believe the bullet is meant to intimidate Bond, so he is removed from his current case. Bond decides to find Scaramanga and follows the trail to Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, he finds Scaramanga's mistress Andrea Anders (Adams) and gets some help from agent Mary Goodnight (Ekland) and Lieutenant Hip (Oh). They learn that Scaramanga and his assistant Nick Nack (Villechaize) are behind the disappearance of a solar weapon. Can Bond find and stop Scaramanga?
This is the 9th James Bond film. It is the second to feature Roger Moore as Bond, and the 4th (and final) time for Guy Hamilton to direct (Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die).
Once again Moore is matched with an interesting and sinister villain. Christopher Lee is great as Scaramanga, and this was Lee's favorite role. The Bond girls were both Swedish models. Maud Adams was a Bond girl again in Octopussy. This film features an extended cameo with Clifton James' Sheriff J.W. Pepper. Pepper was annoying and over-the-top in Live and Let Die, and that doesn't change in this film. He is unnecessary and irritating.
Moore's previous Bond outing was a blaxploitation film, while this film brings in martial arts. There are sumo wrestlers and much of the film takes place in Hong Kong (again reflecting popular genres of the time period).
The theme song "The Man with the Golden Gun" was written by John Barry and performed by Lulu. It is universally disliked and is the only Bond theme song that didn't chart as a single. It is also the raunchiest theme song of the series.
It is an ok Bond film... not the best, but not necessarily the worst.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) 125 minutes
Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Roger Moore as James Bond
Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga
Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight
Maud Adams as Andrea Anders
Herve Villechaize as Nick Nack
Richard Loo as Hai Fat
Soon-Tek Oh as Lieutenant Hip
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