The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

James Bond is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin, while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology that is being sold to the highest bidder.

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay by), Tom Mankiewicz (screenplay by)

Stars:

Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Moore	...	James Bond
Christopher Lee	...	Scaramanga
Britt Ekland	...	Goodnight
Maud Adams	...	Andrea Anders
Hervé Villechaize	...	Nick Nack (as Herve Villechaize)
Clifton James	...	J.W. Pepper
Richard Loo	...	Hai Fat
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Hip (as Soon-Taik Oh)
Marc Lawrence	...	Rodney
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Lois Maxwell	...	Moneypenny
Marne Maitland	...	Lazar
Desmond Llewelyn	...	'Q'
James Cossins	...	Colthorpe
Yao Lin Chen	...	Chula (as Chan Yiu Lam)

Storyline

Scaramanga is a hitman who charges one million dollars per job. He becomes linked to the death of a scientist working on a powerful solar cell, and James Bond is called in to investigate. As he tracks down Scaramanga, he realizes that he is highly respected by the killer, but will this prove to be an advantage in the final showdown?

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Plot Keywords:

assassin | mission | secret agent | female martial artist | cult film | 

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Taglines:

He never misses his target, and now his target is 007.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adolf Hitler had a gold plated Liliput pistol, a very small semi-automatic pistol, with beautiful engravings. Although this golden gun was in a standard caliber, the Liliput was more famous for its now obsolete 4.25mm Liliput rounds (the smallest mass produced center fire rounds of the age). While Q and his staff are checking out Scaramanga's ballistics, they tell Bond that it is a very rare 4.2mm, which would be about the size of the little Liliput. However, the insert shot of the box of shells given up by the gunsmith in this movie were much larger.

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Goofs

When Bond gets ready for the jump over the water in the car, a light along with the light guy on a ladder is seen in the car window.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Francisco Scaramanga: Nick Nack! Tabasco!
Nick-nack: Right away, Monsieur Scaramanga.

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Crazy Credits

THE END of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN James Bond will return in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

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Alternate Versions

In the theatrical version and some home releases up to 2006, the opening gun barrel dots were a baby blue. In the 2006 Ultimate edition, they were changed back to white.

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Connections

Featured in 60 Minutes: Aleppo/Coming Home/James Bond (2012)

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Soundtracks

The Man with the Golden Gun
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Don Black
Performed by Lulu

User Reviews

Bond #9: Scaramanga turns on the light

The killer Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) uses a special golden gun for his assignments and has a rare birthmark on his chest. That's about the only things the movie has in common with the novel which played in the Caribbean region whereas the movie takes us to Thailand where Scaramanga secretly works with solar energy. Casting Herve Villechaize was an attempt to create a sidekick for Scaramanga like Oddjob had been to Goldfinger - a bit too silly in the end. Being a child of its time, "The Man With the Golden Gun" couldn't resist some kung fu - you see better martial arts in Hong Kong productions, though. Somehow parts of the movie seem too artificial, especially the mirror labyrinth where Scaramanga likes to practice the art of killing. But the beautiful islands will stick to your memory, and there is the most fabulous car stunt so far! There's an interesting promo photo for the movie, by the way: Lee and Moore back to back, gun in hand. This is not just a duel, this is also illustrating the idea of Scaramanga being a "dark Bond", his mirror image as a bad guy with the same skills, but different ideology. "We have so much in common, Mr Bond", Scaramanga says. "Ours is the loneliest profession."

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Thai Cantonese

Release Date:

20 December 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ian Fleming's The Man with the Golden Gun

Filming Locations:

Andaman Sea, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$20,972,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,972,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono 3 Channel Stereo (London premiere print) Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1