The Man with the Golden Gun

The Man with the Golden Gun isn't generally considered to be a good film but I enjoy it despite its many flaws.

This was an unfinished work by Ian Fleming. So there was even more leeway than usual. However, that matters little to a viewer. This 007 film is very different than any others, because Bond doesn't battle a big organizaiton. He's battling basically one man, the man with the golden gun. The "golden gun" of Christopher Lee is a specially made weapon, and Bond is told he is to be a victim of this assassin. He later learns he wasn't intended to be the victim. Meanwhile, he does venture into the Orient and gets into a fight with an entire karate school. He runs away. Good man. And he meets the red neck sheriff of a previous film, who provides great comic relief. I said in the review of that prior film (Live and Let Die) that at the time, the red neck sheriff was a horribly trite cliche, but today it is a fresh bit of humor, and so this film has aged very well. I don't think the scenery is quite as exotic or beautiful as in most Bond films, but it passes. While this film pales in comparison with most 007 films from its era, it is still better than almost all of the 21sth century Bond movies. It just isn't as dull. There is a lot of action and adventure.

I write this with the understanding that I am not supposed to like it. It's one of the movies that, in serious Bond fandom, you aren't supposed to like. And, that is because, yeah, the script sort of really sucks... and I'm not going to defend it. They could have done a far better job. However, it's still a fun movie. It's Moore era silly Bond and one of the big reasons people don't like this is because the Moore Era silliness went a little bit too far didn't it? Think Pigeons. But, I laughed. I laughed up until the end when it started trying to be an actual 007 movie again instead of a spoof of a 007 movie... and that's where it lost me. It doesn't really deserve 10 stars, but I do 10 or 1 in a thumbs up watch it, or thumbs down don't watch it kind of vote with little in between. And it certainly doesn't deserve 1 star, because it is watchable and entertaining. Just realize that the people that hate it in the 007 fandom have good reason to hate it... and the people that don't, well, it's still a fun and entertaining movie to watch and one that you probably shouldn't skip in the franchise.