The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Review

Title: The Man with the Golden Gun
Year: 1974
Director: Guy Hamilton
Country: UK
Language: English

The 9th film in the James Bond Franchise, and the fourth and final 007 film to be directed by Guy Hamilton, The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) brings the ever charismatic Roger Moore back in a role that received mixed reviews at the time. Indeed, the film is one of the lowest grossing features in the franchise and represented a low point in the series. Christopher Lee's menacing portrayal of the villain Sacarmanga was the only part of the picture that critics universally praised. 

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

Similar to how Live and Let Die (1973) dabbled with the Blaxploitation genre, Man with the Golden Gun (1974) has a vested interest in the martial arts craze that was sweeping the world at the time. Hong Kong films - most notably those of Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon) - were huge commercial hits overseas. In order to capitalize on the success of this genre, Bond's villain would have to hail from the orient. 

Man with the Golden Gun also touches on a big political issue in the West; the energy crisis of the 1970's. Essentially there was a conflict between Arab Countries and Israel known as the Yom Kippur War. To punish countries who supported Israel, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries implemented a total embargo of oil. This caused an immediate recession & crippled many countries' economies. The main McGuffin in this film is important because it is supposed to solve this crisis. 

My biggest issue with this film is that I don't think Roger Moore is fully comfortable in his Bond role yet. His approach, especially his aggression towards women,  comes off as too much like he's trying to imitate Sean Connery. Moore would get better and make this Bond unique in future films. 

I enjoyed The Man With the Golden Gun because it's fun, absurd and bombastic. We see Bond get into a fight with sumo wrestlers & chase a wine bottle throwing midget on a boat. Scaramanga is a remarkable, iconic Bond villain. The Bond girl, Goodnight(Britt Ekland), is breathtaking. I also love the cinematography of the beautiful on-set locations. 

Live and Let Die (1973) Review

Title: Live and Let Die
Year: 1973
Director: Guy Hamilton
Country: UK
Language: English

In the early 1970's, the movie industry underwent a boom of films featuring African American leads and stories about their experiences. Starting with Shaft (1971), the era catapulted the careers of newfound stars like Pam Grier, Richard Pryor and Morgan Freeman. Live and Let Die (1973) would maintain the relevancy of the Bond franchise by participating in this change in cinema culture. 

James Bond (Roger Moore) is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate (Yaphet Kotto) armed with a complex organisation and a reliable psychic tarot card reader named Solitaire (Jane Seymour).

Around this time in history, the media popularized the  infamous term "the war on drugs". This was based on American president Richard Nixon's public statement about how drug abuse was "public enemy number one." The main villain's scheme revolving around heroin addiction was essential in bringing the Bond franchise into the 1970's. 

Live and Let Die (1973) is the first Bond film for Roger Moore. The producers initially wanted Burt Reynolds, but he refused, saying that Bond should be played by an English actor. Moore was a great casting decision. I've stated before that he is my favourite Bond. Speaking of casting; Geoffrey Holder steals the show as the evil Baron Samedi. He is full of charisma and has a personality that leaps off the screen. This is easily my favourite henchman of the series. 

Live and Let Die is an incredible entry into the 007 franchise that oughted to be viewed with the same admiration as Goldfinger. There is so much from this film that is imitated and satired; modern films owe a lot to this Moore flick.