While he may be known as the campiest person to ever don the 007 title,Roger Moore’s stint as James Bonddid have its fair share of tense and engaging moments. While Roger Moore’s career as Bond is goofy on the whole (especially that one time he ventured into outer space inMoonraker), some of Moore’sBondfilms are more self-serious than others. Among these are the fan-favorite entries ofThe Spy Who Loved MeandFor Your Eyes Only, as well as the film most relevant to today’s conversation –The Man with the Golden Gun.
The Man with the Golden Gunwas released in 1974 and was directed byGuy Hamilton– a veteranBondfilmmaker who previously worked on the universally belovedGoldfinger,Sean Connery’s final officialBondfilmDiamonds Are Forever, and Roger Moore’s first everBondfilmLive and Let Die. On the whole,The Man with the Golden Gunis generally regarded as one of the weakerBondfilms, with many even calling it a “so-bad-it’s-good” entry in the long-running franchise. That may be the case, but there are still some very strong elements in Guy Hamilton’s lastBondmovie, including a tense and riveting finale.
The Man with the Golden Gun
James Bond is pitted against the world’s most expensive assassin, Francisco Scaramanga, who uses a distinctive golden gun. Bond’s mission to retrieve a crucial solar energy device leads him to a deadly duel on Scaramanga’s private island, where he must outsmart and outshoot the lethal adversary.
What Is ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ About?
In Roger Moore’s second time playing James Bond, Agent 007 is tasked with tracking down Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) - a notorious assassin who is one of the few individuals in theBondfranchise who could be considered Bond’s intellectual and physical equal. Nobody knows Scaramanga’s true identity, as his only known feature is a third nipple…we told you this movie was goofy. Along with his partner Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland), Bond hopes to stop Scaramanga before he kills again and takes an experimental solar device along with him.
SinceThe Man with the Golden Gunis immediately followingLive and Let Die,which is the first and onlyBondfilm to feature an overtly supernatural element via voodoo, Roger Moore’s sophomoreBondeffort continues to set the goofy, campy tone for this era ofBond. Believe it or not, a supposedly covert assassin using a bright gold-plated gun is not the most ridiculous thing about this fun but flawed James Bond adventure. This two-hour spy escapade also features cars with wings, solar-powered guns, and what could very well be one of the most absurd yet elaborate villain hideouts in any action movie. We also have to mentionThe Man with the Golden Gunloses points for bringing back Officer J.W. Pepper (Clifton James) fromLive and Let Die, commonly referred to as the Jar Jar Binks of theBondseries.
Scaramanga’s Base in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ Is a House of Horrors
Curiously enough, one of the most unique things about Francisco Scaramanga as a character is not his third nipple. It’s how much he doesn’t really feel like an assassin. Compared to otherBondrivals that could be seen as his equals, such asRed Grant (Robert Shaw) inFrom Russia with Love, Scaramanga carries himself more as a mastermind who has others do his bidding. On one hand, this doesn’t seem consistent with a character that’s supposed to be a ruthless assassin and marksman. On the other, someone who doesn’t fit that standard description would make for the perfect covert operative.
It seems pretty clear thatThe Man with the Golden Gunwas at the very least somewhat of an inspiration for the massively popular anthology series,Fantasy Island, which premiered a few years afterThe Man with the Golden Gunin 1977. Not only didHervé Villechaizeappear in both as a major supporting character, but much likeRicardo Montalbán’s Mr. Roarke inFantasy Island,The Man with the Golden Gun’s Francisco Scaramanga is also a charismatic and mysterious individual with an affinity for white suits. Even more so, both characters call an elaborate island their home, and Scaramanga’s island in particular is filled to the brim with all manner of sinister surprises.
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In the cold open ofThe Man with the Golden Gun, we see a gangster arrive on Scaramanga’s island, with secret aspirations to kill the legendary assassin and take home a reward. It initially looks like the gangster is being assisted by Scaramanga’s faithful butler, Nick Knack (Hervé Villechaize), and while that’s technically true, it’s all part of a sick game Scaramanga and Nick Knack play with each other. While he’s faithful to his master, Nick Knack is openly trying to kill Scaramanga by hiring the world’s best killers to assassinate him. However, the assailants are only a small part of Scarmanga and Nick Knack’s games, asNick Knack also puts together an ever-changing fun house maze in Scaramanga’s own home.
In what almost looks like a creation of The Joker from theBatmanseries, the maze Scaramanga and his would-be assailant traverse is remarkably eerie. First, Nick Knack tricks the gangster into shooting a screen with Scaramanga’s face on it, resulting in some incredibly creepy maniacal laughter. Then, Nick Nack sends in some lifelike and armed animatronics to keep the gangster on his toes. In the end, Scaaramanga wins his latest battle with Nick Nack’s mind by killing the gangster, but not before Nick Nack reveals Scaramanga has a wax model of James Bond himself in his home, thus implying Bond is the big fish that Scaramanga wants to ensnare one day.
James Bond Is Trapped in Scaramanga’s Fun House in the Intense Finale of ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’
The grand finale ofThe Man with the GoldenGunsees James Bond and Francisco Scaramanga come face-to-face. This also serves as the most intense scene of Moore’s tenure as Bond, particularly thanks to the foundation the movie’s openin scene provided.While the movie has its problems, this tense final battle between our hero and villain reigns as one of Roger Moore’s bestBondmoments. Just like at the beginning of the film, Scaramanga hunts his rival in his dreaded maze, but despite his desire to test himself against James Bond, he may be disappointed by the outcome.
The sequence plays much like it did earlier, with Bond being confronted by Scaramanga’s fun house mirrors and his lifelike animatronics. The journey through the maze ends in the room with the wax replica of Bond, but with a twist. What Scaramanga doesn’t realize is that Bond has replaced the figure and is able to get close enough to deliver the killing blow, thus finally putting an end to the notorious “Man with the Golden Gun”.
The Man with the Golden Gunis available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.
