The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
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Agent James Bond must track down a mysterious assassin known as the "Man with the Golden Gun" to secure a breakthrough energy technology.
The story
In the wake of a global energy crisis, MI6 agent James Bond is tasked with locating the Solex Agitator, a revolutionary piece of technology. His mission leads him into a dangerous game of cat and mouse against Francisco Scaramanga, a deadly assassin known as the "Man with the Golden Gun." Bond's journey takes him across various international locations, including Thailand and Hong Kong, as he attempts to uncover Scaramanga's plans and secure the technology before it can be used for nefarious purposes. The conflict intensifies as Bond must navigate a series of deadly traps and martial arts challenges to outmaneuver his formidable adversary.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After receiving a mysterious golden bullet, James Bond is tasked by MI6 to find the Solex Agitator, a breakthrough in solar energy. He tracks the item through a series of international locations, including a tryst in Beirut and a confrontation with a gun maker in Macau. In Hong Kong, Bond encounters Scaramanga's girlfriend, Andrea Anders, and eventually faces the assassin's midget assistant, Nick Nack. The hunt leads Bond to Thailand, where he infiltrates a martial arts academy to confront the wealthy entrepreneur Hai Fat. After a series of skirmishes and a high-speed car chase involving a vehicle that can transform into a plane, Bond eventually tracks Scaramanga to a remote island in the Red Chinese waters. There, the two engage in a tense standoff. Bond ultimately outwits Scaramanga in a deadly funhouse, secures the Solex unit, and escapes the exploding facility with his assistant, Mary Goodnight.
- First release year
- 1974
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guy Hamilton
- Writers
- Richard Maibaum · screenplay; Tom Mankiewicz · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Roger Moore · James Bond; Christopher Lee · Francisco Scaramanga; Britt Ekland · Mary Goodnight; Maud Adams · Andrea Anders; Hervé Villechaize · Nick Nack; Clifton James · Sheriff J.W. Pepper; Richard Loo · Hai Fat; Soon-Taik Oh · Lieutenant Hip
- Genres
- spy film; action thriller
- Themes
- energy crisis; martial arts
- Tone and mood
- action; suspense
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; martial arts; technological thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ian Fleming's 1965 novel of the same name
- Franchise connections
- James Bond
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who described it as the lowest point in the canon up to that time. While it was profitable, it was the fourth lowest-grossing film in the series.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 40% · scale: percentage · review count: 52; Metacritic · score: 43 · scale: 100 · review count: 11
- Production trivia
- The 'Golden Gun' prop was one of the most memorable in the series.; The film was the last Bond film to be co-produced by Harry Saltzman.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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