I’ll never forget Bond flying that plane over Scaramamga’s island while the TMWTGG score plays. So epic. Perfect for fans of the fantastical side of Bond movies.
A couple of great lines from this movie: Bond: "Who would pay a million dollars to have me killed? " M: "Jealous husbands, outraged chefs, humiliated tailors. The list is endless." Bond (acting surprised, to Andrea): "Ms. Anders! I didn't recognize you with your clothes on!"
the one thing i loved about Bond was the film posters, i used to stare at the poster outside the cinema for ages in awe, and sometime you could buy the poster art inside the venue....any chance of a vid (unless you have already done one) on the artworks and who did them and what is your guys favourite ?....GOLDEN GUN for me !!
Seeing JW in Thailand isn’t that weird. There are a lot of married men who go on vacation with their wives and they probably hate the location but are going anyway because the wife told them too.
You should see how popular James Bond Island is now in Phuket. It's so busy, with boat-after-boat of tourists lining up to dock there and see where TMWTGG was filmed. It's so busy there that you only get to spend roughly 20 minutes wandering around before your boat departs, allowing another boat-load of tourists to dock. Anyway, great videos.
Scott makes some great calls in this video. Very underrated Bond. The 'silly' moments that all Bond films have are incidental and doesn't detract from the plot like they do in Skyfall for example
TMWTGG has some good moments that's for sure. I like it but there are some ppl think this is Roger Moore's best Bond film and I tell them, stop it. And you have David and Calvin who ranked this film higher than For Your Eyes Only and it just makes me scratch my head.
TMWTGG, was one of my favorite Moore Bond films growing up. Although, I know it's not one of the most well regarded, I find it to be a fun light adventure film. I do find it interesting that in the 70's the franchise was chasing trends at the time. In LALD it's Bond meets Black Exploitation and in TMWTGG it's Kung-Fu films.
Except Karate films, a dominant theme in the script it was based on the 1973 energy crisis. Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in December 1974 (Wikipedia ''The Man with the Golden Gun'').
I have a soft spot for this film. It was the first Bond film that I got to see at the cinema as a kid. Christopher Lee is a great villain and almost steals the show from Moore. Roger is clearly enjoying himself in the role and it has some really great action scenes/locations.
I agree with Joes Ranking of the film.. i watched this movie in July.. as it’s also one of my least watched bond films.. sadly I’ve watched Die Another Day more, but yes Christopher Lee is one of the all time bond villian greats.. the old EA bond games really liked him enough to have him in a few games too. I really wish that deleted cut scene of the duel was available to view on the special features.. hopefully one day
I’m the biggest Bond movie critic there is. But this movie has always been one of my favorites. It’s a fun movie, lighthearted. Never takes itself seriously. Watched it several times.
I feel that from dr.No to moonraker, all the bond films felt like bond films, had the right tone and were fun. From for your eyes only onwards, they lost that old hi-tone and have become a grind to watch.
I did the same, as the commentator, before VHS I recorded the audio on cassette tape for many of the films and would fall asleep to them. These 2 guys are legit fans and qualified to review these films. Well done!
Never liked this movie but I just watched it after 15 years or so since seeing it last. I actually enjoyed it, some corny parts but overall I thought it was a fun watch
One thing I find wierd is why Sherrif Pepper would look for a car to buy while on vacation in Thailand. Was he planning to boarding it on a plane or something?
Wow Scott I did the exact same thing-taping the Bond movies on audio cassettes when they were on the abc Sunday night movie!! (I thought I was the only guy who thought of that!) Because of this I know the movie very well as you do and I enjoy it too! Great memorable villains -2 super beautiful Bond girls-Kung fu-Sheriff JW Pepper-plus some great lines and a harder edged Roger Moore. Not his best Bond of course but still light 1974 007 fun!
you're not the only one I also did that back in the 70s and I've come across quite a few others who have also done it pre VCRs. How else could we relive the movie?🙂
Scott when you confessed to audio recording the movie you had me. Because I did the same with many films. I like you am more forgiving of the weaker entries especially Diamonds are Forever! And you know of course that if J.W. Pepper vacationed in Thailand he would go to the local AMC dealer to test drive a car!
Please be clear how you explain. You said that they wanted Jack Palance in the role as the man with the golden gun but he pass vs saying he passed on the role.
My favorite part of the movie by far is the kickboxing match when Maude Adams' character has been killed but is still sitting up frozen in place. Very creepy scene and made Scaramanga feel genuinely dangerous unlike the rest of the film. Not crazy about the idea of remakes but if they do one eventually, this would be the movie I choose because it's a great idea... just executed very poorly
Without the proper ending to You Only Live Twice they could never have this movie be close to the novel. IMO Man With the Golden Gun could have been done much closer to the novel with a Craig style more brutish Bond. The idea of the Secret Service putting a hit on a hit man to try and get Bond back in the saddle and prove he is over being brain washed and the death of his wife is a BA story but not for Moore.
This is my guilty pleasure bond, I love how now this film is so politically incorrect. It makes it even more amusing for me. "Goodnight, that dress is tight in all the right places!"
My guilty pleasure too. This couldn't be made today due to non pc aspect yet it paradoxically has the lowest death count of any bond film which made it a refreshing change.
The first 45 minutes are great, also the last 45 minutes. Pretty much from the kickboxing arena to the end. At the end, Bond does something highly strategic to defeat villain. And then there’s the 8-hr boat trip with Mary Goodnight of sex and romance, what’s not to love! ♥️
JW Pepper's wife made him go to Bangkok. And why would anyone go? It's the ugliest city bond ever visits. Worst parts are: the fake third nipple, Bond wedgies a sumo wrestler, Bond gets captured and instead of killing him the bad guys enroll him in a karate dojo.
I love The Guy wearing Black .Will Make a Statement in the form of a Question." Isn't that Ian Fleming's Last Novel as well". The man is a Walking Encyclopedia . I think he does this to not come across as a Know it all. Good Take . And Good way to Hold a Conversation!!
According to the Everything or Nothing Documentary Christopher Lee is a Cousin of Ian Fleming himself so he really Captured the Bond Villan as Scaramanga to Perfection!!
It was a selling point. They just act as if he had a bigger role, which we all know wasn't really the truth. But I'd like to see a "buddy cop" movie with JW and Bond where he has a bigger role. Unfortunately that will never happen as both actors have since passed.
This was the last Bond movie Collaboration between BROCCOLI and SALTZMAN Probably because the film did poorly at the Box office on it's release. However, as a Schoolboy back then I Still Found the film entertaining. Today Not one of my Favorites But still Entertaining the Late Christopher Lee gave a Master performance as Francisco Scaramanga. I give it 8 out of 10
Baldwin Collins Saltzman and Broccli also had a falling out during filming and it was a enough time cause Saltzman to sell his share. Broccoli became sole producer for The Spy Who Loved Me
TMWTGG was one of my firsts, and my folks, who lived in Japan around then, had a tourist guide to HK which had a few pictures of the “bottoms up club,” a real place, and one of my first boyhood forays into seeing nudity. The “solex” is a pretty lame plot device, but love Herve and Christopher, and holds up to the novel a bit, and remains one of my favorites next to the Dalton era (in theaters when I was able to see, b. 1980.) ☮️
If Diamonds Are Forever and Live and Let Die didn't convince you that the movies were headed straight to cartoon hell, there's this masterpiece of children's theatre.
1975. Shame on you. They wanted a quickie follow up to cement Moore as Bond after LALD's success. However the rush job showed & it's a below par Bond. The public may have also been bored with two Bond films in two years & it showed in the box office. Cubby Brocoli wisely took his time with TSWLM.
For me this movie goes down as one of 2 Movies that I had seen as a adult that was told for years by word of mouth was it's reputation for it to not be what I experienced. The other movie was 'The Exorcist' which for me was 'meh', I liked 'The Omen' better. The thing about this movie that I don't think it got the best release date- Dec. 1974. IF this movie we released in a late Spring/Early Summer 1975 it would have worked better with the carnival funhouse set design.
I class Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun as the budget Bonds. The producers didn't quite know what to do with the franchise and it seemed to me they all had weaker plots with less spectacle than what had gone before which was thankfully remedied in the next movie.
@@SimonBaldock I don't think it was a coincidence, in my opinion Guy Hamilton's only gem was Goldfinger but his three 1970's showed none of the style or wit of his first outing. Live And Let Die was okay but DAF & TMWTGG were definitely subpar.
@@BigMack1959 The series was going through an identity crisis. The spy craze was dead, UA did not want to invest a great deal of money into a franchise that may not be around much longer, so Guy Hamilton and the producers figured Bond could still survive as comedies that were aware of popular trends in film. This was not unlike Hammer's final days when the writers started inserting Kung Fu into vampire films so it was genuinely surprising to see Bond making a come back with The Spy Who Loved Me.
@@ricardocantoral7672 I agree, Cubby Broccoli once he became the sole producer decided to risk everything to make the Bond film he thought the public wanted and I think The Spy Who Loved Me is the movie that saved the franchise.
This is truly an odd film. On the one hand, it's so campy; but on the other hand, it has this hard edge in many scenes. It's clear that the producers didn't know where they were going. Sir Roger is fine; in fact I think he's pretty good in the tougher scenes. Christopher Lee is an all-time great. He deserved a better film. The car stunt is of course amazing, but the martial arts scene ends stupidly. Mary Goodnight is a poorly written character. It's not one of the first films I'll go to when I want to watch a Bond movie, but I don't dislike it.
Nice work, guys! I enjoyed the review. There are some really fine things about The Man with the Golden Gun - Lee's delicate touch as Scaramanga, Maud Adam's haunting performance, and some genuinely chilling and suspenseful sequences - that represent the best of Bond, but then there's cheeseball stuff - J.W. Pepper and the karate sequence - that represent the worst. Broccoli and Saltzman should've given Hamilton and his creative team more time to craft the film.
TMWTGG is one of the best Bond novels and IMO has a basic plot that I wish they would use more often: a simple "go kill this guy." Because that's essentially what Bond is. I remember saying it years ago that they should have given Brosnan CR as his final film and kept it super basic -- the only major criticism of CR I had was that it was a plot for a more mature Bond who was weary. This time around I kind of wish Bond 25 would be that simple "go kill this guy" plot because it's a lot of that tangential stuff that has gotten Craig's films into some trouble. His Bond is the most assassin-y since probably very early Connery, and after Spectre I think he could use the most basic plot possible.
Actually the novel is one of the worst, if not the worst in the series. However it is not Fleming's fault. He died before he could revise, polish and add the rich detail he always incorporated after he had completed the first draft. Glidrose Productions finished the book for him and released it posthumously in 1965.
A great plot, let down with some 70s silliness. Get rid of that, the annoying American sheriff, the misogyny by which Moore always has the grace to look embarrassed, and you could have a great, very dark movie.
HOWARD WEBER says ----- Joseph was saying how rough the Roger Moore (Bond) fight was in the room of the belly dancer. Well, if you watched The Saint back in the 60`s, that`s what the fights were like. Roger`s fights in the Saint were always better than his Bond fights.
It's a notch down from the previous two. But there had only been a 1 year wait since 'Live & Let Die'. Moore is fine. Britt Eckland annoying. Christopher Lee good. Film not spectacular but more down to earth.
I’ve come to the conclusion lately that I just don’t like Guy Hamilton’s direction. DAF and TMWTGG are my 2 least favorite Bond films. Even LALD and Goldfinger I believe could have been better with someone else at the helm. I find this film to be kind of boring. Scaramanga, Nick Nack, and Andrea Anders pretty much save the film. And nothing against Clifton James, but Sheriff Pepper is an irritating and overused character even in LALD where at least his involvement makes sense. His appearance in this film on the other hand is unnecessary and implausible. I also find Lt Hip to be one of the very weakest Bond allies. It’s ridiculous he shows up with his nieces to save Bond from the martial arts school just to leave him behind during the escape. Seriously? This is also my least favorite performance of Bond by Moore. Yes, even more than AVTAK. This film still has some enjoyable moments though and I will watch it when it is on tv. By the way, I love that you guys are doing these in depth reviews/analysis of the films. You are doing such a great job. Look forward to the next.
I agree. I like Terrence Young and believe he did an excellent job with Dr No, FRWL, and Thunderball. While Goldfinger is not as high in my ranking as yours, I think it is a very good entry in the franchise.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Absolutely Terrence Young would have definitely made the movie better, as it stands Goldfinger is a decent film and really not one of my favorites.Oh if only...
@@kovilanmoodley7464 disagree Hamilton did a great job. Terence Young was good for the harder edge Bond stuff but Thunderball turned out to be a bit of a slog. Hamilton brought the gilt edge to the series and Goldfinger as is is a classic not only of the series but of cinema in general.
Like others I have a soft spot for this movie borne from nostalgia growing up. You guys have hit pretty much on all its strengths and weaknesses especially the reappearance of JW Pepper (bad enough to have had his character blight LALD). I would add Nick Nick as one aspect I was less impressed with - ok as a Man Friday maybe, but as a henchman no. The karate school sequence was also too slapstick for my taste. However - Britt Ekland can do no wrong in my book! You might have mentioned as an anecdote that Christopher Lee and Ekland worked together a year earlier on The Wicker Man (Ekland's role having helped win her the part of Goodnight). You are I am sure aware also of Lee's family connection to Ian Fleming and his work in British Intelligence. Finally you touched a lot on the movie's raciness (for its time) whilst missing the obvious open goal that is the innuendo in the title song! 🙂 TMWTGG gets a 7 from me. Another enjoyable review fellas.
I've been re-watching these films with you guys, and I must say TMWTGG is for me one of the best Bond movies. I like that this isn't a mission but is personal for Bond: that danger is what makes it exciting to watch. The plot works wonderfully because it is simple but delivered so well. Moore's acting is fantastic, alongside Lee and the support actors. The locations are fabulous. The humour is brilliant, mainly because Moore is perfect for this style. The soundtrack is brilliant too. The film allows you to settle into the plot and to focus on the fantastic acting on display- which makes you feel more emotionally invested- as opposed to being distracted by gimics and a frantic, poorly constructed plot (You Only Live Twice, Diamonds)
I actually love this movie! For me it ranks number 4 in my listings. I usually most enjoy the movies that make me laugh, and I have to admit that I find JW Pepper hilarious! I also like the Kung Fu sequence up until the point when Lieutenant hip leaves Bond behind. I don't get why people weigh the Kung Fu part of the movie so heavily as it's really a very small part of the film. My least favorite part of the movie, aside from the lieutenant hip thing that I previously mentioned, would be the whole solex agitator business. I understand why it's included, because they needed to give bond a reason to go after scaramanga once he realized but he wasn't a target of his. But scaramanga already lives comfortably and seems to genuinely enjoy what he does, so it's a little odd from a character perspective, that he feels the need to monopolize the solar energy Market. But overall this is one of my favorite films!
I love this movie. I didn't know that it was so divisive, I thought everyone loved it?! But that's just my bubble. Thanks for putting together a slickly edited (in the end) review. Had no idea about the cut sequence in the duel, nice one Scott. I'm lucky enough to have been to James Bond Island and it's just a stunning destination. Your affection for the film grows when you walk in the footsteps of Bond. Locations like that, which I believe one of the scouts found in a travel brochure on a flight, will never be dug up again. QUICK NOTE: The capsized Queen Elizabeth boat in the harbour is no longer there. Even the wreckage has gone because it was screwing up the flow of the harbour so they removed it from the sea bed. I think they up-cycled the scrap metal into Parker pens. My point is this movie has managed to capture and interpret moments of history for our pleasure. Don't get me started on JW Pepper. He is a riot! I think he's fantastic and the chase is still bad ass with him in it. OK I'm done. Great work Joe, Scott, catch you on the next one. PB
Great villain, great locations an underrated theme song and a very good plot too which exceeds the novel on some occasions. If The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only are Roger Moores´ two best movies, this has got to be Roger Moores´ third best film. I actually like the minimalism of the film and the fact that there are no gadgets. The movie has a good pace and a good structure and the solax agitator subplot works very well too. Even Q and Moneypenny adds to the plot quite What are the bad things here...? Obviously JW Pepper and hence the action scenes. Its a pity that the action isn´t better in a movie which doesn´t have an awful lot of action scenes in general. Goodnight should also be smarter. I love that Bond is not in the pre title sequence. It´s actually very much like the opening of From Russia With Love and establishes the villain before showing Bond. I like that Bond is as tough as he is and that he isn´t seen with a girl the first time we see him. That gun is the coolest gimmick ever made for a movie. It probably even exceeds every single gadget Bond has ever had.
The scene with him roughing up Maud Adams is just horrible, and that you'd start beating up the villain's girlfriend for information is closer to a gangster than a heroic spy. Just yuck.
James Bond originally wasn't supposed to be heroic. The later Moore movies tend to gloss over his more questionable character traits, but they've been there since Dr. No.
@@gregmize01 But he’s always represented a male ideal as well and that doesn’t cut it for me. I’m much more comfortable watching Bond fall in love with women than casually beating them up. (I think that’s why I like TWINE so much because it psychologically tests him in a way I hadn’t seen prior to that.)
Maud Adams is the best Bond Girl ever ... TMWTGG and Octopussy ... she's a class act. She has the beauty, for sure, and the screen presence. She was always very 3 dimensional as a character, too, despite the script. She played it all as a presence, a strong woman, a smart person, and she had a certain beauty that wasn't just "sailor wanna hump hump" but a very deep and enticing sexuality. I think she (Maud Adams) was one of the sexiest Bond Girls. Cheers
Observe if you will, the inconsistency of the Moore era. Somehow, one of my favourite Bonds of all time got followed just one year later with my least favourite Bond of all time! The basic concept wasn't that bad but....ooooh...smell that cheese...the kung fu just looked cheap, the girls were stupid, NikNak was just crass...if someone gave me this film on DVD, it would go in the microwave! 3/10!
The Man With the Golden Gun is, in my opinion, the weakest of Roger Moore's Bond films. It is a mediocre movie in every way. This is the "meh" Bond movie for me. But there are certainly much worse Bond movies (e.g. Quantum and No Time to Die). The three Bond films from the early 1970s dated the worst, in my opinion (Diamonds, Live, and Golden Gun). These three films feel very old fashioned and outdated today, whereas Dr. No and From Russia with Love paradoxically feel fresher somehow and not as badly dated.
@@greatwuta - Yes, definitely. A Bond film is only as good as its villains, and View has better villains. Hell, we find out halfway through the movie that Scaramanga isn't even gunning for James Bond. The threat is almost immediately neutralized. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are much cooler villains, much more entertaining.
@@erikdolnack2737 For me, Walken was a tremendous let down. He didn't do much beyond going through the motions. I never felt he really shined as Zorin sans maybe a few brief moments. Little things he did like the slight laugh he made when he read Bond's profile and laughing before his own death were memorable.
Loving these reviews, even when I disagree (here - a lot.) Sorry about your laptop blowing up. Perhaps it gave out because even it knows GOLDEN GUN is a terrible, weak, lame movie - hearing all the positive, nostalgia-based plaudits fried its circuits.
I don't like the movie or Moores thuggish , charmless woman beater portrayal of Bond in this movie ! Probably the screenplay and the Direction to blame ! I think Moore was just finding his feet in his 2nd Bond too ! That's just my opinion folks ..sorry . 1/10 ..the 1 is for Lee ! TSWLM is my favourite Bond movie ! Moore at his peak , his Bond is well balanced and Broccoli wasn't held back by Saltzman ! Much better than today's more sombre , dark , depressing Bonds imho !
Wow Scott giving both Diamonds are Forever and The Man with the Golden Gun 7's. Two of the worst films in the series - and Joseph giving more reasonable 1 and 5 :) Loving the series guys - keep it up :)
because Scott gets them, they are just fun 70's Bond movies, both better than the Daniel Craig slogfests. I always said when they bring character development to the Bond movies they will be finished, and they are as far as I'm concerned.
@@SimonBaldock yes, they need to get back to the more fun Bonds, not totally ridiculous like Moonraker but a good mix of drama, action with some humorous bits thrown in.
I think Golden Gun deserves a low rating. Diamonds felt like a self parody and it, by and large, aims what it was heading for. Golden Gun on the other hand seemed more ambitious but failed at everything it aimed for. The high stakes of solar energy is shoe horned in, the rivalry between Bond and Scarmanaga was not given enough attention, and Christopher Lee is a great presence but his role is largely pedestrian. I think it's a "4". As for Diamonds, it's a "6".
My all time favourite Bond movie
James bond island is one of my favorite Bond villain lairs. Absolutely gorgeous.
I visited there, easy to get to but very crowded and a bit ruined by so many vendors. Worth seeing though if you get the chance!
Instablaster.
My Mom's favorite base, and I do like it.
I’ll never forget Bond flying that plane over Scaramamga’s island while the TMWTGG score plays. So epic. Perfect for fans of the fantastical side of Bond movies.
A couple of great lines from this movie:
Bond: "Who would pay a million dollars to have me killed?
"
M: "Jealous husbands, outraged chefs, humiliated tailors. The list is endless."
Bond (acting surprised, to Andrea): "Ms. Anders! I didn't recognize you with your clothes on!"
Mckenswick did do the original draft Scott. Tim Mckenswick was one hell of a screenwriter.
I like that they played the theme song music and cuts throughout the movie
The Man with the Golden Gun is my guilty pleasure Bond film. I absolutely love it!
I really like your summaries in the beginning of these movies btw. So concise but dense.
Thanks!! I try to refresh people's memory's before we start reviewing.
Scott here..That's all Joe! He does ALL the heavy lifting! And every damn one of those summaries hits the bullseye!
the one thing i loved about Bond was the film posters, i used to stare at the poster outside the cinema for ages in awe, and sometime you could buy the poster art inside the venue....any chance of a vid (unless you have already done one) on the artworks and who did them and what is your guys favourite ?....GOLDEN GUN for me !!
That damn slide whistle!😬
Seeing JW in Thailand isn’t that weird. There are a lot of married men who go on vacation with their wives and they probably hate the location but are going anyway because the wife told them too.
The Energy Crisis and Martial Arts make this a very 1974 film
You should see how popular James Bond Island is now in Phuket. It's so busy, with boat-after-boat of tourists lining up to dock there and see where TMWTGG was filmed. It's so busy there that you only get to spend roughly 20 minutes wandering around before your boat departs, allowing another boat-load of tourists to dock. Anyway, great videos.
Great Job! I always look forward to watching these. I really love your insights, especially Scott's historical facts.
Scott makes some great calls in this video. Very underrated Bond. The 'silly' moments that all Bond films have are incidental and doesn't detract from the plot like they do in Skyfall for example
I agree perfectly with a 7.
Really enjoying these review videos
I did the same thing in the 80's recording movies on tape. Top Gun . I can still recite the lines today.
TMWTGG has some good moments that's for sure. I like it but there are some ppl think this is Roger Moore's best Bond film and I tell them, stop it. And you have David and Calvin who ranked this film higher than For Your Eyes Only and it just makes me scratch my head.
TMWTGG, was one of my favorite Moore Bond films growing up. Although, I know it's not one of the most well regarded, I find it to be a fun light adventure film. I do find it interesting that in the 70's the franchise was chasing trends at the time. In LALD it's Bond meets Black Exploitation and in TMWTGG it's Kung-Fu films.
@Stephen McNiff Very True.
Except Karate films, a dominant theme in the script it was based on the 1973 energy crisis. Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in December 1974 (Wikipedia ''The Man with the Golden Gun'').
Another name of the man with the golden gun is Ballistic.
Christopher Lee was also related to Ian Fleming, besides being offered the role of 007 James Bond!
I love how he sleeps in one scene alone in his Bed like dracula
This film is in my bottom 3 along with quantum of solace and live and let die
Christopher Lee was good but I bet Jack Palance would have been even better as Scaramanga!
I like Bond reply to M in the end " Goodnight Sir " ☺
I have a soft spot for this film. It was the first Bond film that I got to see at the cinema as a kid. Christopher Lee is a great villain and almost steals the show from Moore. Roger is clearly enjoying himself in the role and it has some really great action scenes/locations.
Well 2 and a half of them are sailed off to the sunset
🤣🤣🤣
I agree with Joes Ranking of the film.. i watched this movie in July.. as it’s also one of my least watched bond films.. sadly I’ve watched Die Another Day more, but yes Christopher Lee is one of the all time bond villian greats.. the old EA bond games really liked him enough to have him in a few games too. I really wish that deleted cut scene of the duel was available to view on the special features.. hopefully one day
I’m the biggest Bond movie critic there is. But this movie has always been one of my favorites. It’s a fun movie, lighthearted. Never takes itself seriously. Watched it several times.
as a Bond Movie: It's not the best, but the first 5 Minutes is always recognizable, unlike many other Bond Movies
I feel that from dr.No to moonraker, all the bond films felt like bond films, had the right tone and were fun. From for your eyes only onwards, they lost that old hi-tone and have become a grind to watch.
I did the same, as the commentator, before VHS I recorded the audio on cassette tape for many of the films and would fall asleep to them. These 2 guys are legit fans and qualified to review these films. Well done!
Never liked this movie but I just watched it after 15 years or so since seeing it last. I actually enjoyed it, some corny parts but overall I thought it was a fun watch
The best part of this movie is the end of it
One thing I find wierd is why Sherrif Pepper would look for a car to buy while on vacation in Thailand. Was he planning to boarding it on a plane or something?
Wow Scott I did the exact same thing-taping the Bond movies on audio cassettes when they were on the abc Sunday night movie!!
(I thought I was the only guy who thought of that!)
Because of this I know the movie very well as you do and I enjoy it too!
Great memorable villains -2 super beautiful Bond girls-Kung fu-Sheriff JW Pepper-plus some great lines and a harder edged Roger Moore.
Not his best Bond of course but still light 1974 007 fun!
you're not the only one I also did that back in the 70s and I've come across quite a few others who have also done it pre VCRs. How else could we relive the movie?🙂
Thank goodness it was '74....I was born in '75
Aside from the wonderful actors, locations and title singer the storyline cringes me...
Scott when you confessed to audio recording the movie you had me. Because I did the same with many films. I like you am more forgiving of the weaker entries especially Diamonds are Forever! And you know of course that if J.W. Pepper vacationed in Thailand he would go to the local AMC dealer to test drive a car!
Please be clear how you explain. You said that they wanted Jack Palance in the role as the man with the golden gun but he pass vs saying he passed on the role.
I thoroughly enjoyed your rapport with each other. You pointed out things I had missed. Keep your reviews coming.
My favorite part of the movie by far is the kickboxing match when Maude Adams' character has been killed but is still sitting up frozen in place. Very creepy scene and made Scaramanga feel genuinely dangerous unlike the rest of the film. Not crazy about the idea of remakes but if they do one eventually, this would be the movie I choose because it's a great idea... just executed very poorly
Fun Fact... Roger Moore also plays the Gunfighter mannequin that comes out of the fun house saloon in the pre title sequence.
Jaws would be the Center.
Scaramunga would be the Small Forward.
Odd job the Power Forward
Nic- knack the point guard
Red Grant the off guard
Without the proper ending to You Only Live Twice they could never have this movie be close to the novel. IMO Man With the Golden Gun could have been done much closer to the novel with a Craig style more brutish Bond. The idea of the Secret Service putting a hit on a hit man to try and get Bond back in the saddle and prove he is over being brain washed and the death of his wife is a BA story but not for Moore.
If you want to introduce your kid to Bond, show him this film.
Christopher Lee is 6' 5"
Great review! I totally agree with you about the spoilers as well.
Least Favorite Part - Hip drives off leaving Bond behind. To paraphrase Dutch Bond Fan: Hip...is a moran
This is my guilty pleasure bond, I love how now this film is so politically incorrect. It makes it even more amusing for me. "Goodnight, that dress is tight in all the right places!"
My guilty pleasure too. This couldn't be made today due to non pc aspect yet it paradoxically has the lowest death count of any bond film which made it a refreshing change.
Chew Mee - lol
Come come Mr Bond you disappoint me. You derive as much pleasure from watching this movie as I do so why don't you admit it. 😁
It was released in late December 1974 so many cinemagoers might have first seen it in early 1975.
The first 45 minutes are great, also the last 45 minutes. Pretty much from the kickboxing arena to the end.
At the end, Bond does something highly strategic to defeat villain. And then there’s the 8-hr boat trip with Mary Goodnight of sex and romance, what’s not to love! ♥️
I loved you in TMWTGG and Octopussy.
JW Pepper's wife made him go to Bangkok. And why would anyone go? It's the ugliest city bond ever visits.
Worst parts are: the fake third nipple, Bond wedgies a sumo wrestler, Bond gets captured and instead of killing him the bad guys enroll him in a karate dojo.
I love The Guy wearing Black .Will Make a Statement in the form of a Question." Isn't that Ian Fleming's Last Novel as well". The man is a Walking Encyclopedia . I think he does this to not come across as a Know it all. Good Take . And Good way to Hold a Conversation!!
Why was sherrif J.W Pepper in the car anyway???
He was gonna buy a car on vacation in Thailand and drive it back to the U.S????
He was just checking it out with the intention of buying when he returned home.
@@moodyguymick ok......., so he was doing something that nobody ever does on vacation... ok....
According to the Everything or Nothing Documentary Christopher Lee is a Cousin of Ian Fleming himself so he really Captured the Bond Villan as Scaramanga to Perfection!!
What's funny, is that in the theatrical trailer, they excitedly announce, "Sheriff Pepper is back!" As if it was a huge selling point, lol
@@DasKame Lol, good point. There is a slight resemblance!
JW Pepper is awesome! I wish he returns in future films!
It was a selling point. They just act as if he had a bigger role, which we all know wasn't really the truth. But I'd like to see a "buddy cop" movie with JW and Bond where he has a bigger role. Unfortunately that will never happen as both actors have since passed.
bond x scaramanga the bigest duel 007 movies.
i like this film actually
This was the last Bond movie Collaboration between BROCCOLI and SALTZMAN Probably because the film did poorly at the Box office on it's release. However, as a Schoolboy back then I Still Found the film entertaining. Today Not one of my Favorites But still Entertaining the Late Christopher Lee gave a Master performance as Francisco Scaramanga. I give it 8 out of 10
Saltzman sold his shares of the series because he needed the money in order to pay off his debts.
Baldwin Collins Saltzman and Broccli also had a falling out during filming and it was a enough time cause Saltzman to sell his share. Broccoli became sole producer for The Spy Who Loved Me
TMWTGG was one of my firsts, and my folks, who lived in Japan around then, had a tourist guide to HK which had a few pictures of the “bottoms up club,” a real place, and one of my first boyhood forays into seeing nudity. The “solex” is a pretty lame plot device, but love Herve and Christopher, and holds up to the novel a bit, and remains one of my favorites next to the Dalton era (in theaters when I was able to see, b. 1980.)
☮️
If Diamonds Are Forever and Live and Let Die didn't convince you that the movies were headed straight to cartoon hell, there's this masterpiece of children's theatre.
Goldfinger?
@@tuco1099 Goldfinger was still within the realm of a thriller.
Also my least watched Bond film, plays more like a TV movie, lacks the spectacle of others.
1975. Shame on you.
They wanted a quickie follow up to cement Moore as Bond after LALD's success. However the rush job showed & it's a below par Bond. The public may have also been bored with two Bond films in two years & it showed in the box office.
Cubby Brocoli wisely took his time with TSWLM.
This review is sponsored by Phuyuck
For me this movie goes down as one of 2 Movies that I had seen as a adult that was told for years by word of mouth was it's reputation for it to not be what I experienced. The other movie was 'The Exorcist' which for me was 'meh', I liked 'The Omen' better. The thing about this movie that I don't think it got the best release date- Dec. 1974. IF this movie we released in a late Spring/Early Summer 1975 it would have worked better with the carnival funhouse set design.
Great Video Guy's
I saw it at the cinema last night at 4K screening and it looked awesome plus I enjoyed the film far more than I have ever done. Underrated.
1962: Dr. No
1963: From Russia With Love
1964: Goldfinger
1965: Thunderball
1967: You Only LIve Twice
Jesus Christ, no wonder Connery got pissed off.
I class Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun as the budget Bonds. The producers didn't quite know what to do with the franchise and it seemed to me they all had weaker plots with less spectacle than what had gone before which was thankfully remedied in the next movie.
Yeah I agree completely with this. You can see it in the camera angles and cinematography.
Coincidence that they were all written and directed by the same people ?
@@SimonBaldock I don't think it was a coincidence, in my opinion Guy Hamilton's only gem was Goldfinger but his three 1970's showed none of the style or wit of his first outing. Live And Let Die was okay but DAF & TMWTGG were definitely subpar.
@@BigMack1959 The series was going through an identity crisis. The spy craze was dead, UA did not want to invest a great deal of money into a franchise that may not be around much longer, so Guy Hamilton and the producers figured Bond could still survive as comedies that were aware of popular trends in film. This was not unlike Hammer's final days when the writers started inserting Kung Fu into vampire films so it was genuinely surprising to see Bond making a come back with The Spy Who Loved Me.
@@ricardocantoral7672 I agree, Cubby Broccoli once he became the sole producer decided to risk everything to make the Bond film he thought the public wanted and I think The Spy Who Loved Me is the movie that saved the franchise.
Love the karate school fighting scene, maybe the best part the movie
Christopher Lee is also the step cousin of Ian Fleming
With the Midget as his Sidekick, Scaramanga could be perfect played by Ricardo Montalban
A true Bond fan would never get the year of a film wrong - except No Time To Die of course.....
This is truly an odd film. On the one hand, it's so campy; but on the other hand, it has this hard edge in many scenes. It's clear that the producers didn't know where they were going. Sir Roger is fine; in fact I think he's pretty good in the tougher scenes. Christopher Lee is an all-time great. He deserved a better film. The car stunt is of course amazing, but the martial arts scene ends stupidly. Mary Goodnight is a poorly written character. It's not one of the first films I'll go to when I want to watch a Bond movie, but I don't dislike it.
Nice work, guys! I enjoyed the review. There are some really fine things about The Man with the Golden Gun - Lee's delicate touch as Scaramanga, Maud Adam's haunting performance, and some genuinely chilling and suspenseful sequences - that represent the best of Bond, but then there's cheeseball stuff - J.W. Pepper and the karate sequence - that represent the worst. Broccoli and Saltzman should've given Hamilton and his creative team more time to craft the film.
The Man With The Golden Gun is my guilty pleasure Bond.
Same here. It also has a very low body count for a bond movie. They cant be massive scale extravaganzas all the time!
21:49 and Chu Me in the swimming pool lol...
TMWTGG is one of the best Bond novels and IMO has a basic plot that I wish they would use more often: a simple "go kill this guy." Because that's essentially what Bond is. I remember saying it years ago that they should have given Brosnan CR as his final film and kept it super basic -- the only major criticism of CR I had was that it was a plot for a more mature Bond who was weary. This time around I kind of wish Bond 25 would be that simple "go kill this guy" plot because it's a lot of that tangential stuff that has gotten Craig's films into some trouble. His Bond is the most assassin-y since probably very early Connery, and after Spectre I think he could use the most basic plot possible.
Actually the novel is one of the worst, if not the worst in the series. However it is not Fleming's fault. He died before he could revise, polish and add the rich detail he always incorporated after he had completed the first draft. Glidrose Productions finished the book for him and released it posthumously in 1965.
A great plot, let down with some 70s silliness. Get rid of that, the annoying American sheriff, the misogyny by which Moore always has the grace to look embarrassed, and you could have a great, very dark movie.
HOWARD WEBER says ----- Joseph was saying how rough the Roger Moore (Bond) fight was in the room of the belly dancer. Well, if you watched The Saint back in the 60`s, that`s what the fights were like. Roger`s fights in the Saint were always better than his Bond fights.
The only good thing about TMWTGG is Christopher Lee as Scaramanga. The rest of the movie is lackluster and dull. But it's not the worst Bond film.
It's a notch down from the previous two. But there had only been a 1 year wait since 'Live & Let Die'.
Moore is fine. Britt Eckland annoying. Christopher Lee good.
Film not spectacular but more down to earth.
I’ve come to the conclusion lately that I just don’t like Guy Hamilton’s direction. DAF and TMWTGG are my 2 least favorite Bond films. Even LALD and Goldfinger I believe could have been better with someone else at the helm.
I find this film to be kind of boring. Scaramanga, Nick Nack, and Andrea Anders pretty much save the film. And nothing against Clifton James, but Sheriff Pepper is an irritating and overused character even in LALD where at least his involvement makes sense. His appearance in this film on the other hand is unnecessary and implausible. I also find Lt Hip to be one of the very weakest Bond allies. It’s ridiculous he shows up with his nieces to save Bond from the martial arts school just to leave him behind during the escape. Seriously? This is also my least favorite performance of Bond by Moore. Yes, even more than AVTAK. This film still has some enjoyable moments though and I will watch it when it is on tv.
By the way, I love that you guys are doing these in depth reviews/analysis of the films. You are doing such a great job. Look forward to the next.
It's a fucking Bond movie...NOT Shakespeare
Goldfinger is my second favorite Bond film but me thinks Terrence Young would have done better.
I agree. I like Terrence Young and believe he did an excellent job with Dr No, FRWL, and Thunderball. While Goldfinger is not as high in my ranking as yours, I think it is a very good entry in the franchise.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Absolutely Terrence Young would have definitely made the movie better, as it stands Goldfinger is a decent film and really not one of my favorites.Oh if only...
@@kovilanmoodley7464 disagree Hamilton did a great job. Terence Young was good for the harder edge Bond stuff but Thunderball turned out to be a bit of a slog. Hamilton brought the gilt edge to the series and Goldfinger as is is a classic not only of the series but of cinema in general.
At 32:00 JW is saying 'pajamas'
Ohhh yeah, some people hoarded toilet paper back then...
Like others I have a soft spot for this movie borne from nostalgia growing up. You guys have hit pretty much on all its strengths and weaknesses especially the reappearance of JW Pepper (bad enough to have had his character blight LALD). I would add Nick Nick as one aspect I was less impressed with - ok as a Man Friday maybe, but as a henchman no. The karate school sequence was also too slapstick for my taste. However - Britt Ekland can do no wrong in my book! You might have mentioned as an anecdote that Christopher Lee and Ekland worked together a year earlier on The Wicker Man (Ekland's role having helped win her the part of Goodnight). You are I am sure aware also of Lee's family connection to Ian Fleming and his work in British Intelligence. Finally you touched a lot on the movie's raciness (for its time) whilst missing the obvious open goal that is the innuendo in the title song! 🙂 TMWTGG gets a 7 from me. Another enjoyable review fellas.
This movie bit. An AMC Matador? C’mon.
Product placement.
I've been re-watching these films with you guys, and I must say TMWTGG is for me one of the best Bond movies.
I like that this isn't a mission but is personal for Bond: that danger is what makes it exciting to watch.
The plot works wonderfully because it is simple but delivered so well. Moore's acting is fantastic, alongside Lee and the support actors. The locations are fabulous. The humour is brilliant, mainly because Moore is perfect for this style. The soundtrack is brilliant too.
The film allows you to settle into the plot and to focus on the fantastic acting on display- which makes you feel more emotionally invested- as opposed to being distracted by gimics and a frantic, poorly constructed plot (You Only Live Twice, Diamonds)
I actually love this movie! For me it ranks number 4 in my listings. I usually most enjoy the movies that make me laugh, and I have to admit that I find JW Pepper hilarious! I also like the Kung Fu sequence up until the point when Lieutenant hip leaves Bond behind. I don't get why people weigh the Kung Fu part of the movie so heavily as it's really a very small part of the film. My least favorite part of the movie, aside from the lieutenant hip thing that I previously mentioned, would be the whole solex agitator business. I understand why it's included, because they needed to give bond a reason to go after scaramanga once he realized but he wasn't a target of his. But scaramanga already lives comfortably and seems to genuinely enjoy what he does, so it's a little odd from a character perspective, that he feels the need to monopolize the solar energy Market. But overall this is one of my favorite films!
I love this movie. I didn't know that it was so divisive, I thought everyone loved it?! But that's just my bubble. Thanks for putting together a slickly edited (in the end) review. Had no idea about the cut sequence in the duel, nice one Scott. I'm lucky enough to have been to James Bond Island and it's just a stunning destination. Your affection for the film grows when you walk in the footsteps of Bond. Locations like that, which I believe one of the scouts found in a travel brochure on a flight, will never be dug up again. QUICK NOTE: The capsized Queen Elizabeth boat in the harbour is no longer there. Even the wreckage has gone because it was screwing up the flow of the harbour so they removed it from the sea bed. I think they up-cycled the scrap metal into Parker pens. My point is this movie has managed to capture and interpret moments of history for our pleasure. Don't get me started on JW Pepper. He is a riot! I think he's fantastic and the chase is still bad ass with him in it. OK I'm done. Great work Joe, Scott, catch you on the next one. PB
Great villain, great locations an underrated theme song and a very good plot too which exceeds the novel on some occasions. If The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only are Roger Moores´ two best movies, this has got to be Roger Moores´ third best film. I actually like the minimalism of the film and the fact that there are no gadgets. The movie has a good pace and a good structure and the solax agitator subplot works very well too. Even Q and Moneypenny adds to the plot quite
What are the bad things here...? Obviously JW Pepper and hence the action scenes. Its a pity that the action isn´t better in a movie which doesn´t have an awful lot of action scenes in general.
Goodnight should also be smarter.
I love that Bond is not in the pre title sequence. It´s actually very much like the opening of From Russia With Love and establishes the villain before showing Bond. I like that Bond is as tough as he is and that he isn´t seen with a girl the first time we see him.
That gun is the coolest gimmick ever made for a movie. It probably even exceeds every single gadget Bond has ever had.
The scene with him roughing up Maud Adams is just horrible, and that you'd start beating up the villain's girlfriend for information is closer to a gangster than a heroic spy. Just yuck.
James Bond originally wasn't supposed to be heroic. The later Moore movies tend to gloss over his more questionable character traits, but they've been there since Dr. No.
Bond has always been an anti hero
@@gregmize01
But he’s always represented a male ideal as well and that doesn’t cut it for me. I’m much more comfortable watching Bond fall in love with women than casually beating them up. (I think that’s why I like TWINE so much because it psychologically tests him in a way I hadn’t seen prior to that.)
Maud Adams is the best Bond Girl ever ... TMWTGG and Octopussy ... she's a class act. She has the beauty, for sure, and the screen presence. She was always very 3 dimensional as a character, too, despite the script. She played it all as a presence, a strong woman, a smart person, and she had a certain beauty that wasn't just "sailor wanna hump hump" but a very deep and enticing sexuality. I think she (Maud Adams) was one of the sexiest Bond Girls. Cheers
P.S. She was strong without being the fake strong thing we get in TWINE or something. She balanced it all out.
Observe if you will, the inconsistency of the Moore era. Somehow, one of my favourite Bonds of all time got followed just one year later with my least favourite Bond of all time! The basic concept wasn't that bad but....ooooh...smell that cheese...the kung fu just looked cheap, the girls were stupid, NikNak was just crass...if someone gave me this film on DVD, it would go in the microwave! 3/10!
Thanks to sorta.app I got this film ranked #17 out of 24
The Man With the Golden Gun is, in my opinion, the weakest of Roger Moore's Bond films. It is a mediocre movie in every way. This is the "meh" Bond movie for me. But there are certainly much worse Bond movies (e.g. Quantum and No Time to Die). The three Bond films from the early 1970s dated the worst, in my opinion (Diamonds, Live, and Golden Gun). These three films feel very old fashioned and outdated today, whereas Dr. No and From Russia with Love paradoxically feel fresher somehow and not as badly dated.
You like A View To A Kill more than TMWTGG?
@@greatwuta - Yes, definitely. A Bond film is only as good as its villains, and View has better villains. Hell, we find out halfway through the movie that Scaramanga isn't even gunning for James Bond. The threat is almost immediately neutralized. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are much cooler villains, much more entertaining.
@@erikdolnack2737 For me, Walken was a tremendous let down. He didn't do much beyond going through the motions. I never felt he really shined as Zorin sans maybe a few brief moments. Little things he did like the slight laugh he made when he read Bond's profile and laughing before his own death were memorable.
Loving these reviews, even when I disagree (here - a lot.) Sorry about your laptop blowing up. Perhaps it gave out because even it knows GOLDEN GUN is a terrible, weak, lame movie - hearing all the positive, nostalgia-based plaudits fried its circuits.
I don't like the movie or Moores thuggish , charmless woman beater portrayal of Bond in this movie !
Probably the screenplay and the Direction to blame !
I think Moore was just finding his feet in his 2nd Bond too !
That's just my opinion folks ..sorry .
1/10 ..the 1 is for Lee !
TSWLM is my favourite Bond movie !
Moore at his peak , his Bond is well balanced and Broccoli wasn't held back by Saltzman !
Much better than today's more sombre , dark , depressing Bonds imho !
Great villain, great review, highly disappointing Bond movie...
Wow Scott giving both Diamonds are Forever and The Man with the Golden Gun 7's. Two of the worst films in the series - and Joseph giving more reasonable 1 and 5 :) Loving the series guys - keep it up :)
because Scott gets them, they are just fun 70's Bond movies, both better than the Daniel Craig slogfests. I always said when they bring character development to the Bond movies they will be finished, and they are as far as I'm concerned.
@@chrisdellier2993 i 100% agree about Craig and his vomit-inducing tenure. The franchise and character and dead and wrecked almost beyond repair.
@@SimonBaldock yes, they need to get back to the more fun Bonds, not totally ridiculous like Moonraker but a good mix of drama, action with some humorous bits thrown in.
I think Golden Gun deserves a low rating. Diamonds felt like a self parody and it, by and large, aims what it was heading for. Golden Gun on the other hand seemed more ambitious but failed at everything it aimed for. The high stakes of solar energy is shoe horned in, the rivalry between Bond and Scarmanaga was not given enough attention, and Christopher Lee is a great presence but his role is largely pedestrian. I think it's a "4". As for Diamonds, it's a "6".
Woo I can stop harassing you on Facebook now 😂
Ah I don't mind! ;)
Good points. The least spectacular Bond. Then again one of the most realistic. An assasin wanting to kill Bond.