The Man With the Golden Gun | In-depth Movie Review

[@SolomonPleasent]

Car stunt: "I'm ahead of my time" Slide Whistle: "I'm about to end this whole scene"

[@davidjames579]

Two years spent planning that stunt, achieved on the first and only take.

[@davidjames579]

@Jay Ess kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2fMnKaBibqFoqM

[@pathevermore3683]

@@davidjames579 and yet, everytime i see that scene i cringe at that stupid slide whistle.

[@liveac3694]

I wish someone would add that sound effect to all the Fast and Furious films XD

[@Ben_Kirkham]

My finger is on the mute button for that few seconds of the film now.

[@Betta66]

That bit at the martial arts school was very clearly the filmmakers going "Yes, we liked Enter the Dragon. Why do you ask?"

[@davidjames579]

In Bond's defence, Enter The Dragon is a very good Bruce Lee film but it's also a rip off of a Bond film. Even John Saxon in it looks like Connery!

[@Betta66]

David James Yeah, the villain even has a white cat

[@JustinCase99999]

@Albert Ohayon Always trendsetters? Debatable, especially in the Moore era. Karate in Golden Gun, Star Wars in Moonraker, Indiana Jones in Octopussy (jungle chase, complete with spider's webs, wild animals and old temples) and even Jaws in TSWLM in a way, lol. And even Craig's Bond and its gritty approach look a lot like Jason Bourne movies...

[@JustinCase99999]

@Albert Ohayon Oh, "before that film", yes. There were lots of "Bond-like" films then. Our Man Flint and so on.

[@jamessellers408]

I s

[@McLarenMercedes]

15:53 Not just any sunken ship. It's the original "Queen Elizabeth". When she was launched in 1938 she was the largest passenger ship ever built and she actually kept that record for 56 long years after. She served well as a troop transport ship in WWII and carried a total of 750,000 troops. In 1972 the era of grand ocean liners were well over and she was sold to a shipping magnate in Hong Kong who intended to turn her into a floating university. A fire broke out onboard and fireships trying to put the fire out sunk her in Hong Kong harbor. There she remained until finally scrapped in 1975. I think it's fair to say the producers of the film probably wanted to give the famous ocean liner one last time in the limelight albeit as a wreck. Ship enthusiast often mention that RMS Queen Elizabeth was seen in the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun". Trivia:Ian Fleming's 1956 novel "Diamonds Are Forever" has its climax on the Queen Elizabeth so it seem Fleming himself was quite fond of the ship.

[@JC-zj5xr]

I always got the impression that Scaramanga had that mannequin of Bond because he idolized him. I think Scaramanga speaks the truth when he says he doesn't have a problem with Bond--it's more a case of deep admiration & respect for a worthy adversary. He's giddy when Bond comes to his island because he finally gets his shot to prove he's the best by defeating the best.

[@sashaking1115]

That’s very interesting!

[@taklampan650]

Exaxtly what I've always been thinking

[@breenmcgeough806]

100%!

[@ericross5048]

I agree completely. I always saw Scaramanga as a hunter, and that Bond was the equivalent of a prized game animal. Hunters don’t have anything personal against their prey (except Ahab), and so I also believe that he doesn’t have anything personal against Bond.

[@rogerrambo4172]

Wow that's a brilliant summary. I agree. If they ever begin to remake Bond movies I would LOVE them to consider TMWTGG because of Scaramanga & all the reasons you've just presented.

[@patstahl6849]

Fun fact: the german dubbing tried to fix a bit of the lazy writing you mentioned, with Hip saying "I need to get my nieces to safety" while driving off. And Scaramanga eyplaining: "The rock, that looks like a mushroom... like a morel". It also added a last line for Hai Fat: "You... are ... fired"

[@lopezfan24]

41:56 Considering Bond and Goodnight are in Scaramanga’s boat, how the hell does M have Scaramanga’s phone number? How is M able to call Bond?

[@calvindyson]

Lol I know, all throughout the film M is like "We have no idea what he looks like or where he lives" and at the end "I'll just call him up then"

[@davidjames579]

​@@calvindyson Plot twist: M is the real villain! Yeah Man With got there 46 years before No Time To Die! Bond's real response should be: Why are you phoning Scaramanga, Sir? But to his credit, something big had just come up.

[@TheBlockerNator]

Nick Nack was in on it and working with MI6

[@leeboy26]

They played Bridge together.

[@djtforever1414]

Yes, and the island is supposed to be in China - which would have been tricky to call a phone on a boat in the '70s.

[@PokeTips]

These videos are so underrated, just started watching the bond series a few months ago and I'm really enjoying your reviews on them. Keep up the great work!

[@calvindyson]

PokeTips thanks for much for this! Glad you’re enjoying them and much appreciate the kind words 😁😁

[@squemps1]

I’m never a fan of tinkering with movies years after release (ahem George Lucas!) but if they released a version of tmwtgg without the slide whistle (replace it with engine noise or repurpose some of the score!) it would finally show one of the best stunts in movie history it’s due!

[@davidjames579]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2fMnKaBibqFoqM

[@nigelinasia2088]

There is a French dubbed version that I saw in the theatre that did not have the slide whistle.

[@JustinCase99999]

@@nigelinasia2088 I have the french DVD and the whistle is there in the dubbed version.

[@Brinta3]

*its due

[@souldreamer9056]

Well, I’m gonna step up and defend the slide whistle. I love it for two reasons: 1: Bond movies are for kids, not adults, and as a kid I loved the slide whistle. My friends and I thought it was the height of comedy genius and it led to side splitting laughter on every rewatch. 2. As an adult it brings me lots of joy to see others adults get annoyed at it. It is as if these people think that the whistle ruins the seriousness of this cerebral political thriller. It’s just like adult star wars fans who complain that “jar jar makes Star Wars look like a children’s movie” - guess what, it IS! And so is this movie.

[@TheMellowFilmmaker]

I remember being disappointed when the plot turned out to not be about Scaramanga trying to kill Bond. I feel like an assassin going after Bond specifically is a very interesting and different idea for the series.

[@royrayburn1503]

I grew up with Connery as Bond, and I never buy Moore.as bound. Moore seemed to be the Saint with a license to kill, he was alright with the suave stuff but I never bought him.as a dangerous Bond.

[@michaelnally2841]

@@royrayburn1503 and even then the suave got kinda creepy as time went on

[@michaelnally2841]

Although I dunno if this was the plot of any of the novels but a big villain with a bone to pick with James Bond puts a bounty on James Bond dead or alive and many assassins trying to kill bond for money or in some cases revenge

[@jaspalkaeda7437]

​ Hello Gael I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and I am sorry to hear from you again for the information and guidance and coaching center of the day I will be home from work and I will travel to the office today and tomorrow is my favorite person in the morning and I hope you are well and ❤

[@sashaking1115]

Yes I quite agree. If the film had left out all the solar energy stuff, and just had Scaramanga as a simple assassin, then it would have been better and more interesting

[@BenCol]

One of my biggest bugbears with the final showdown is this: Bond is climbing on the scaffolding under the funhouse. But he drops his gun - it clangs on the pipes as it falls. Cut to Scaramanga, who reacts to the sound. So not only does Bond have to waste time climbing down to get it, but now Scaramanga is alerted to where he is. What will Bond do? Uh... he’ll teleport to the topside, gun in hand, just in time to get into position and shoot Scaramanga. What, you wanted both set-up *and* pay-off? That’s mighty greedy of you.

[@calvindyson]

It's a really odd moment, isn't it? I suppose it distracts Scaramanga for long enough so Bond can go and chases places with the waxwork? But the lack of any sense of geography in the fun house makes it hard to track where anyone is at any one moment.

[@jonathanshaw8123]

Doesn’t Bond not use the ppk from the mannequin.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Bond found a warp zone, duh !

[@taylorcostello4129]

The most logical explanation was that Bond dropped that gun and killed Scaramanga using the PPK on the mannequin, which is illogical that he would keep a loaded weapon around, let alone it being a real handgun at all.

[@BenCol]

I suppose Bond taking the gun from the mannequin makes sense - but if that’s supposed to be the case, it’d be nice to actually see it. You never see Bond move the mannequin out the way and take its gun, which is why it feels like cheap storytelling to me. And I never even considered the possibility that Bond took the gun from the mannequin because I always assumed that was a prop gun. As Taylor said, what need is there for it to be both a) real and b) loaded?

[@cqtaylor]

31:47 Fun fact - Sheriff Pepper also appears in "Superman II," which was co-written by Tom Mankiewicz, the screenwriter of this film. So it can be argued that James Bond and Superman share the same universe.

[@pieterbezemer766]

I believe Roger Moore initially refused to film the scene where Bond assaults Maud Adams, but was eventually persuaded to do it by Guy Hamilton. Moore still doesn't look comfortable performing the scene, and I don't blame him, it's grim.

[@spittinvenom9671]

To be fair, she did pull a gun on him

[@sashaking1111]

Yes, he said that his Bond would have charmed the info out of her, as his Bond was a lover and a giggler. I agree with him

[@DokkaChapman]

At least he had more sway when it came to For Your Eyes Only.

[@dreamawake2670]

Isn't that why they suck up Daniel Craig?

[@colinluckens9591]

It's bringing Bond back to the more ruthless self he was previously, under Connery, that's all....

[@mattpicton9512]

I personally think it's more interesting seeing Scaramanga with his own personal desire to kill the world's greatest secret agent in James Bond than the actual solar power plot line itself which really bogs down the film for me

[@davidjames579]

It was a Guy Hamilton trope that Bond is so well known in the spy and villain world. Even Lazaar is honoured to make bullets for him! Moore himself would later criticise it, and as for what Johh Le Carre and other people with experience of the espionage world said.......

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@davidjames579 Tiffany Case: "You just killed James Bond !".

[@3dcomrade]

@@ricardocantoral7672 DAF works better if you see it as a comedy movie

[@blasterman789]

Scaramanga didn't want to kill Bond and let him go initially. No thrill in an easy kill and likely mutual respect. Bond persisted and that's when Scaramanga put him in his fun house.

[@sashaking1115]

I’ve never really understood the whole solar power sun thing

[@イギリスの男]

What amuses me here is that one niece speaks Chinese, the other speaks Taiwanese. Apparently neither one understood what the other was saying to each other!

[@jonathancampbell5231]

No wonder Hip didn't know he'd left Bond behind then. Also, their father teaches the "karate" school- Karate is Japanese. Bizarre family.

[@davidjames579]

E O Explained at last! I knew there had to be a very good reason for this. Turns out there is.

[@knocklinks]

One is Chinese, the other Thai.

[@ninjabluefyre3815]

If that's intentional, it's hilarious. If it's an accident, did they do any research?

[@Lichtenhammer]

In the German dub at least, there is a (stupid) explanation for why Hip drives off without Bond. As he starts up the car, he yells something along the lines of "Sorry, Bond, gotta get my nieces to safety!". Which still makes him look like a total ass, of course.

[@calvindyson]

Seriously?! I had no idea about that! I love that even the people dubbing the film knew that it was a problem and they tried to fix it!

[@robinanwaldt]

@@calvindyson They also added to the line of the rock at the end looking like a mushroom by specifying "like a morel", which I guess fits better?

[@AndorRadnai]

I can confirm that the line in the dub doesn’t alleviate the confusion in that scene whatsoever. But the morel part is definitely more sensical.

[@postersandstuff]

@@AndorRadnai i also enjoyed Soon Tech in Death Wish 4 , MASH , MacGyver (Mac is the yank version of 007 kinda or maybe hes more like Tintin when i think about it)

[@AndorRadnai]

@@postersandstuff Mac really is a mix of Tintin and James Bond! That’s a good analogy!! ^^

[@celticcursegaming4277]

This is one of my favorite Bond movies despite all the problems. I really like the idea of Scramanga being a dark reflection of Bond, I love the way Lee played him and I really like the idea of Bond having to deal with someone who can outshoot him. We see a few guys who Bond will lose to if they throw hands, but Scaramanga is I think the only villain who is shown to be a better marksman than Bond. Also, I really love the golden gun. The idea of the gun using a round so small that it has no stopping power and only Scaramanga can make it work because of his perfect accuracy is an idea that has stuck with me for years.

[@gatekeeperboxing5898]

Scaramanga was indeed brilliant, one of my favourite villains of the series.

[@Betta66]

Seems weird for the movie to end with Bond tapping the same ass that almost killed him.

[@calvindyson]

HAHA! This produced genuine audible laughter from me in public, brilliant!

[@Betta66]

@@calvindyson Thank you so much.

[@jonathancampbell5231]

It's not like he's ever let that stop him before...

[@davidjames579]

Bond can see the best in anyone.

[@postersandstuff]

@@davidjames579 reminds me of Melrose when Amanda gets together with Peter , yknow the man that once tried to KILL her on purpose with an un-needed operation , lol

[@garybryant1501]

Scaramanga's funhousd is probably a throwback to his circus days so fits his character

[@trickstick84]

Those large viking figures (3:40) must have been crafted for some film made at Pinewood studios in the 1960s, and then left lying around. They can be seen (painted with other colours) in episodes of the TV series "UFO" (1970) and "The Sweeney" (1974). UPDATE: I've just discovered they were made for the Bond spoof "Deadlier than the male" (1967)

[@LardGorth]

The Viking statue seen next to Scaramanga at the funhouse in the pre-title sequence was actually a robot chess piece prop created for the 1967 spy film Deadlier Than The Male. The same prop(s) turned up in episodes of UFO and The Sweeney....and probably other Film and TV.

[@davidjames579]

Funny that Deadlier Than The Male is something of a Bond rip-off/cash-in.

[@wwb16]

christopher lee was the best thing about this

[@davidhughmiller]

Will Brock Don’t forget the girls, damn they were both gorgeous 😍😍

[@TheSchaef47]

Christopher Lee is the best thing about anything with Christopher Lee

[@williamdavies9634]

@@TheSchaef47 that's the damn truth

[@hamburgareable]

Christopher "Dracula" Lee, Soon Taek Oh and the girls are the only good things about this film, but the main plot coupled with Sheriff Pepper and wacky editings, those are best left forgotten.

[@Roboshi2007]

pity he couldn't save the willy wonka remake

[@Big_Red200]

The Man with the Golden Gun is one of my all time favorites. I love the concept of a highly skilled hit man going after 007 way too much. The scene where the villain assembles his gun before using it is my favorite part, when I was a kid I just found it to be the coolest thing in the world.

[@christophertaylor9100]

It has a ton of potential and some great ideas, but the execution was clunky and feels tremendously dated

[@nebularain3338]

@@christophertaylor9100 Completely disagree. I find it infinitely more watchable and fun than Live and Let Die, Thunderball, and a bunch of the other films in the series. Lee is a great villain, and the locations are stunning!

[@gatekeeperboxing5898]

I thought the same it was in my Top 10 at one point, but it has gone down a little in my estimation, but I would still rate it better than alot of the other films though.

[@solwogan5356]

shall we initiate sexual congress? "Sir, this is a stationery store and I'm pretty sure you are still barred."

[@WhiteJarrah]

8:54 I never understood the whole point of Bond tracking down the bullet that killed 002. They've got one of Scaramanga's golden bullets literally sent to them in the mail, why not just have Q analyze that one?

[@davidjames579]

Bond was desperate to shag a Lebanese Belly Dancer.

[@BungleBare]

The bullet sent to MI6 was assumed to be from Scaramanga. Getting hold of another one that reports into 002’s death suggested was also one of Scaramanga’s bullets would allow for cross-checking, and probably add to their pretty thin file on Scaramanga too. Plus at that point, it was probably the only lead Bond could follow. So not much point in recovering the bullet that killed 002, but there was some. Plus it allowed Bond to jet off to somewhere Scaramanga was unlikely to follow him, whilst doing something vaguely useful, and hopefully get one step ahead of his supposed stalker/assassin. Returning back to London with the bullet could be seen as another plot hole though, as any assassin wanting to kill Bond might just stake out his place of work.

[@ianstubbs1175]

The inscribed bullet wasn't one of Scaramanga's: wrong calibre. But 002's death was only assumed to be by Scaramanga so it might still have led to a wild goose chase.

[@crakatoot5480]

The Roger Moore era is criminality underrated. Some of the most memorable stuff from the Bond series that isn't Bond himself comes from his era. Baron Samedi, Jaws, Nick Nack, The Golden Gun, The Lotus Esprit, Mayday and the Union Jack parachute. All from the Moore era.

[@Thatguy55595]

A lot more than that but good list of highlights bro

[@jasontaylor500]

Its funny. Your saying it is criminally underrated but then when you analyze your comment you realize that everything you mentioned does not have to do with Bond himself. The fact is the stories and plots were below average and Roger Moore was only mediocre. So that's the reason why they are rated below average because the plots and main character where not that memorable.

[@crakatoot5480]

no real Bond fan would say that about the Moore era

[@SJKPJR007]

@@crakatoot5480 The Moore era? I thought Jason Taylor was talking about the Craig era!

[@SJKPJR007]

@@jasontaylor500 If it wasn't for Sir Roger Moore there wouldn't be a James Bond movie franchise now. Even if it has resulted in Daniel Craig!

[@Stroheim333]

This is the Bond movie with two Swedish women as Bond girls. They were amazed when Christopher Lee began to talk Swedish with them -- a language he learned during his time as a secret agent... Christopher Lee was the step-cousin of Ian Fleming, for that matter.

[@mohammedashian8094]

If I remember correctly, in an interview he said that Fleming based or named the “heavies” (as Christopher lee says it) or villains if you like after people that he severely disliked and scaramanga was one of them. So the thing that kinda cracks me up is how he reacted when he read the novel or watched the movie and saw that his name was used for a villain

[@reloadpsi]

"You're that secret agent! That English secret agent from England!" is an iconic line to me honestly.

[@IcePakOG]

I'm a big fan of TMWTGG. I know it has a lot of problems, especially in the second act, but I'm able to overlook these and ride along with the silliness because I enjoy the darker moments when Bond is hunting for Scaramanga at the beginning and the duel at the end of the film. I agree that the film needed another six months worth of development though.

[@ammosophobia]

Calvin, *you* are better than a computer. 😍

[@ammosophobia]

@Floyd1504 James Bond : Moneypenny, you are better than a computer. Moneypenny : In all sorts of ways! But, you never take advantage of them. - _The Man With the Golden Gun_

[@rossomac21]

I perceive that Nick Nack's attempt at vengeance is foreshadowed/explained when he tells Bond "if you kill him, all of this is mine" but he's left with nothing as Bond (and Midnight) destroyed the facility. Love the vids and your passion for this series/character. Thank you for your efforts.

[@rafachrzaszcz6997]

His vengeance on Bond makes much more sense than Wint and Kidd 😂 they were just hired killers and... uh bringing the bomb in the same ship they were sailing? 😂

[@jamesatkinsonja]

True but given the previous two films also ended in the surviving heavies attacking Bond and the girl in the coda it does feel a bit forced doing that again and the fight feels a bit flat and rushed.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@rafachrzaszcz6997 In fairness that seems to be inspired by the novel [where Wint and Kidd follow Bond+ Tiffany on there Atlantic crossing] but makes less sense in the film and the bomb is very silly.

[@rafachrzaszcz6997]

@@jamesatkinsonja yes, this ending maybe was shocking in 1971 (or to me as a kid in 1997) but at least in the movie it makes no sense.

[@campbellsoup93]

I agree with your assessment of Andrea. It really felt like she didn't want to do Bond but was going to go along with it because she felt it was the only way to get him to help her which is, unfortunate to say the least. As for Scaramanga I felt that he saw Bond as the only person who comes close to being his equal and as a professional he hoped to get the chance to pit himself against Bond one day to see who was truly the best but he didn't have anything _personally_ against Bond. Like, if they never came up against each other that would be perfectly fine with him.

[@50TBRD]

This has always been one of my favorite bonds. I like how you deal with films that you either aren’t personally fond of or don’t think are particularly good in one way or another. You’re critical while the overall review still comes out as one that’s positive.

[@calvindyson]

Thanks very much for this, Tony! I really appreciated reading this. Honestly I'm glad that comes across. I love this franchise/series more than any other kind of media and I get a lot out of every film in the series (even the ones that I don't like as much as some of the others). I'm aware that I'm often quite critical and nitpicky but I'm glad the positivity still comes through. This was my favourite film in the whole series for a while when I was younger and I still have a lot of fondness for it and know many Bond fans who love it as well. Thanks again!

[@50TBRD]

Calvin Dyson My grandfather loved the early Bond movies but passed away before Pierce Brosnan took over. I had access to most of the movies as a child and made sure to watch them all. I watched your 2019 ranking even though The Living Daylights and Man with the Golden Gun ranked low, I think you were accurate in their flaws. Thankfully we agree that Goldeneye is the highlight of series. I’ll be going through your videos to see your in-depth feeling of the nuances of each video. Thanks.

[@yyling91]

bond's strangely horrible behavior all makes sense, Scaramanga said it himself, the two of them are very much the same people

[@calvindyson]

That actually makes a lot of sense!

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Well it would have made sense if Sean Connery was playing Bond [There very much going for that with Red Grant] but with Moores Bond it just feels out of character and out of Moore's comfort zone.

[@yyling91]

@@jamesatkinsonja 20,000 Bahts buddy

[@Maximillian200HP]

Good take, I hadn't thought of that. I wonder if that was intended by the writers or not.

[@rynehall9990]

The bad behavior highlighted Bond's desperation to save his job and was an irrevocable break from The Saint.

[@McCorck29]

This movie is like a high budget episode of The Saint. I also feel this one feels like Bond vs the creator (Christopher Lee playing Ian Fleming)

[@billkoenig1552]

Tom Mankiewicz did uncredited work on The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, but this was indeed his last credit on the series.

[@peanut1001x]

Moonraker is for 2 year olds

[@theevildalek5425]

I’ve noticed that in this film, Bond kills only 1 person, Scaramanga.

[@gethinjenkins-jones8666]

He kills well over 100 in the pre-title sequence in Octopussy alone!

[@theevildalek5425]

gethin jenkins-jones Well he needed to make up for the lack of kills in this film

[@sgtfrozty]

And despite the issues in this film, that fact is that makes this unique to the rest of the films in the series in my opinion. Kinda mindblowing when you sit down and think about at it.

[@machtrebel]

That TMWTGG is bad, does not diminish my love for it. It looks amazing

[@golrush007]

TMWTGG was one of those Bond films that I adored on first viewing, but steadily slipped down the rankings on subsequent viewings. It's very near the bottom now, which is a shame because it had potential. Possibly the rush to get it out after LALD was a factor, and the fractious relationship between Broccoli and Saltzman obviously didn't help. Still, there are fine moments here. I think my single favourite element is having the MI6 Hong Kong base on the wreck of the Queen Elizabeth. A novel idea, which works really well on screen, I think. There's something mysterious and spooky about shipwrecks, and this makes a wreck a very cool place for a secret headquarters - plus the angled set designs make a memorable visual feature.

[@postersandstuff]

way too short prod time : LALD summer '73 and then TMWGG x-mas '74 , just 1.5 yrs later , holy deadline Batman :/

[@Maximillian200HP]

It was my favorite when I first got into Bond a decade ago, it's still high for me due to Christopher Lee, Nostalgia and Christopher Lee.

[@Betta66]

"Just because Bond treats women badly doesn't mean the movie has to." Agreed. That's exactly what Phoebe Waller-Bridge said BTW, but this being the Internet...well...

[@joeydancer]

yes. completely agree.

[@davidjames579]

I don't know if I'm being dumb, but I grew up liking Bond, and I know my Mum did too, because he's a suave cheeky fellow, who doesn't hang around too long, but gives women a quality time while he does. He's the archetypal charming rogue drifter. I know some of his behavior from Fleming and in Connery and Moore's depictions is misogynistic but I take that as normal for the time. It's not the defining characteristic. They're just rogues. The sexist elements were eased off obviously in later times, but the charming rogue aspect remains, and this is why Bond is always so alluring to a lot of Straight women and Gay men.

[@jamescarlile4279]

She clearly showed she has no idea what she's talking about. The Bond franchise (generally) treats women very well, only batty feminists who have never actually watched the series seem to think otherwise.

[@Betta66]

@@jamescarlile4279 The previous movie had Bond enter a widow's home uninvited and assault her for information. Goldfinger, the movie everyone thinks of when they think of the Bond movies, turned a woman named Pussy Galore good by having Bond force himself onto her. I'm sure the moviegoing public will agree that's indicative of a franchise that treats its women well.

[@mrcritical6751]

Also to add to that in the book Pussy was pretending to be gay and only went back to her actual sexuality after Bond banged her

[@Jim-iz3oy]

That scene in which Scaramanga slowly assembles his pistol while Hai Fat ridicules him will always stick with me.

[@davidjames579]

Scaramanga is so cool, in assembling it in front of him. And so quick. Lee plays him as a vain sociopath, but damn is he lovable!

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Oh so agreeable with his victim until the last minute.

[@spittinvenom9671]

A brilliant scene.

[@postersandstuff]

@@spittinvenom9671 Hais brother was gonna be named Lo Fat , i kid you not......theres an italian movie poster which depicts the golden gun taken apart , its cool

[@Maximillian200HP]

His composure and smile the whole time while he's quietly about to murder the man who's ridiculing him is one of my favorite moments in the whole film, just shows how cold he was inside.

[@wild_sergeant716]

That "Who wants to be a millionaire" segment threw me into a laughing fit, like oh my God that and the "Can I phone a friend please Jeremy" definitely from the new ITV version with Clarkson I presume.

[@calvindyson]

Hahaha the first time I did that I said "Chris" and then I thought, come on Calvin be current, and changed to Jeremy instead!

[@BenCol]

Calvin Dyson Chris will always be the best though.

[@davidjames579]

@@calvindyson And for a tenuous link: it's Clarkson's DB5 that Pierce drives in GoldenEye.

[@LardGorth]

Wouldn't Bond have got the same lead had he instructed Q and Calthorpe to analyse the engraved golden bullet that was sent to MI6? That would have rendered the entire Beirut trip unnecessary.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Beirut sequence was a late addition/part of a re-shoot to get a Bond fight scene in early [or just pad the film out] as it's unnecessary and as Calvin rightly says the sets looks really cheap.

[@davids736]

34:13 "Goodnight's Q dress"....? You're absolute right there Calvin dear - until now I'd never heard of it!!! LOL! 😆🤣

[@Fixxer315]

I love the martial arts school scene. In particular, I always smile at Bond taking out the first student when bowing, only to have the second student always keep his eye on Bond during his bow. That just cracks me up.

[@postersandstuff]

i think Bruce Lee wouldve chuckled had he seen this scene , lol.....

[@str.77]

The mushroom-shaped issue is actually fixed in the German dub, where Scaramango doesn't say "Pilz" (mushroom in general) but "Morchel" (morel). The rock indeed looks a bit like a morel.

[@goldengunfilms9513]

Although I love Sheriff Pepper, I'm glad he was only in two films. I feel like he could have easily out stayed his welcome. Two or three films feels plenty. Such a shame the actor died not long ago.

[@rynehall9990]

I wish he'd been in Moore's last Bond.

[@joshslater2426]

I mean hey, why not promote J.W Pepper to the head of the San Francisco police department in place of that random sherrif in A View to a Kill.

[@johnv7317]

I would have wished that Sheriff J.W. Pepper and his wife had a role in Octopussy.

[@EntropicDecayGaming]

It's interesting...When I was around 9-10 years old and just getting into the series, I probably would've cited TMWTGG as my favorite Bond film. Now, some 20+ years later, it's solidly in the bottom half of my rankings (around 17 or 18). I'm not the biggest fan of Moore as Bond anyway (sorry Calvin) and trying to make him Connery 2.0 in this film was a HUGE mistake. The script overall is just "meh". Maud Adams, though good here, would end up better suited for the Octopussy character and to be honest, if it weren't for Christopher Lee, TMWTGG would probably rank even lower than it already does for me. Definitely my biggest flip of opinion of ANY Bond film.

[@calvindyson]

Funny how similar we are regarding citing TMWTGG as a favourite in childhood! There's a lot in it that I think would make it a fairly good first Bond adventure for a younger fan, but then there's so much smutty stuff in here too it's such an odd mix. I think as a kid I liked the broad comedy a lot of Goodnight was great because she's silly and messes things up but now I find myself rolling my eyes more

[@williamwalker5244]

@@calvindyson Its a very similar position here. This was the first Bond I ever saw. I was sat on the floor playing with some Lego while my dad had it on in the background. When the car chase started he said come and watch this you will love it needless to say I loved it and watched the rest of the film (with very limited understanding as I was only 7). This started my bond love and for a long time I would maintain it as my favourite of the films. However as I got older I started to notice the problems when compared to others. I will forever say that without this film I would not be the bond fan I am today and I can still enjoy it when in the right mood (often with my dad as he loves the stupidity of this one). It is certainly above the likes of die another day but still a weaker film I would say maybe number 18, 16 tops. I would also like to say thanks a lot for the amazing content Calvin you are a really great personality and very funny to watch. Thanks for doing this for the fandom keep up the good work.

[@andrewwebster2598]

Lee had such great presence & menace

[@sashaking1115]

TMWTGG is quite prominent to me because it’s my dad’s favourite, and it’s definitely one that I’ve watched quite a lot, and it’s got lots of good things about it, but- it’s definitely not one of the best ever ones

[@roguebritgravy1]

The assassin at the beginning is called Rodney. I want to think Rodney worked in diamonds are forever and did this as eh built up his crime career. Taking over the funeral home business and becoming the leader them gets axed off by scaramanga

[@stephenharding1793]

Na! Rodney works on the market stall in Peckham you plonker !

[@stevegasparutti8341]

This is the first one I saw at the cinema, back in 1975. Showing my age sadly but I still love this film.

[@EGODAVE]

I'm glad you cleared up who was standing next to Bill Tanner, was wondering where I had seen that pointless character before and obviously it was Fawlty Towers! Your reviews and videos are epic you leave no stone unturned, great work Mr Dyson!

[@neilfraser1235]

I've always called those three movies the "diamonds trilogy". Although not in my top 10, I love watching The Man With the Golden Gun. There's so much to like in this movie. Thanks for reviewing it.

[@lukasgehrer680]

ahhhh YES :D Fawelty Towers... I knew I have seen the guy in the bond intro scene before... haha. Great video Calvin :) Greetings from Austria

[@calvindyson]

Thanks very much, Lukas! I'm glad you liked it!!

[@kuribayashi84]

The Shipwreck actually used to be the Liner RMS Queen Elizabeth. She was decomissioned in 1969, sailed to Hong Kong after auctioned off and caught fire in early 1972 while being converted to a floating University, capzising from the Water used to put out the fire. The wreck was dismantled between 1974 and 1975. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Seawise_University_wreck.jpg

[@lucasoheyze4597]

Wrong

[@thepenultimateninja5797]

22:50 Bond isn't being cruel when he shoves the kid off the boat. He is being chased by dangerous men bent on killing him, and he is getting the kid out of danger. He doesn't exactly have the time to stop and gently explain it to him.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

True but Roger Moore himself felt it was cruel [especially as he became an ambassador to UNICEF]!

[@charlesmarsh316]

Great review, Calvin! Faults in tone and storytelling notwithstanding, some mysterious alchemy of the locations, the music, the set design, and the performances make this an all-time favorite of mine. I can even overlook the dreaded slide whistle.

[@connorjones9250]

That faux sexy sounding music you discussed @10:00 I think is a piece that is re used from diamonds are forever it sounds like the music when bond comes out the alley way on two wheels?

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Nah, that's not the same music.

[@peterdavies4306]

Always been one of my favourite films, for the pure, sumptuous silliness of it. I'm also a big Christopher Lee fan, so this one scores with me in a big way :) As far as Scaramanga claiming to have nothing personal against Bond, I've always interpreted it as one of two possibilities - (1) He really doesn't have anything against Bond. He has a model of him in his training centre because Bond is the only person whom he takes seriously as an opponent and wants to measure himself against him, but he would be happy to treat him in a gentlemanly and sportsmanlike way. or (2) It is just a bit of misdirection. He is manipulative, he is playing a game of life and death, so take everything he says with a pinch of salt. Just my thoughts, take them as you will! Love your videos - they are keeping me happily entertained during lockdown. :)

[@Nickypoo700]

Not gonna lie,,,,,, this is my top guilty pleasure Bond film lol. It's not in my top ten Bond films, but it does hold a special place in my heart.

[@davidjames579]

The island base is fantastic, and I love the Far East settings. Plus the music, martial arts, flying car, M's mood, Scaramanga, Nik Nak, Andrea......

[@Nickypoo700]

@@davidjames579 same here. Bond's female abuse is about my only real problem with the movie, but yeah. The cheesy stuff is good.

[@Tgr2k1]

Personally my favorite guilty pleasure Bond movie is Moonraker.

[@davidjames579]

@@Tgr2k1 Moonraker's like a deliberately awful campy remake of The Spy Who Loved Me crossed with Star Wars. The Bondola and Double Take Pigeon in particular make it almost a parody. I felt cringe from the first time I watched it.

[@andrewmacleod4218]

@@davidjames579 I went to see Moonraker as a very young child with my father and kept tugging his sleeve for the first hour. 'Dad, when is James Bond going to space? When is James Bond going to space?' Perhaps if they hadn't sold it as a scifi movie in the first place I might have been able to relax and enjoy it for the sophisticated Carry On film it was.

[@willpoundstone71]

Also, there were no AMC dealerships outside of North America. And I'm pretty sure that dealerships don't fill their showroom cars with full tanks of gas.

[@Betta66]

I'm betting Roger Moore became a UNICEF Ambassador because he felt guilty pushing that kid out of the boat.

[@BenCol]

Hopefully Roger gave that boy 20,000 baht in the end.

[@davidjames579]

I've been reading his autobiography. He did feel guilty! As the water was genuinely polluted.

[@OpticalSpectre]

I think the best way to describe TMWTGG is this: it's the equivelant of a Take-away / fast food. It's clearly not great & won't offer much but despite all that, there's something about it which you can enjoy if you look past the bad parts

[@dafyddem]

Great vid! Anyone else notice how that cowboy dummy in the funhouse looked like Roger Moore with a moustache?

[@Veggieman87]

Yes, there are absolutely better Bond entries, but Golden Gun is probably my most-go-to Bond film for a lazy day off. Order in some Chinese food, crack open a brew or two and just watch Christopher Lee and Roger Moore chew up the scenery. I've always had a soft spot for Bond films in East-Asian settings, like in this one, You Only Live Twice, even Tomorrow Never Dies. Not quite sure why. Maybe it's just how different the architecture and environments they pick are to the usual fare? But even then, I like those plots quite a bit too. YOLT, Bond coming back from the dead is a cool conceit even if Connery himself had cooled off considerably, Golden Gun is the personal challenge of Scaramanga one on one (with the Solex Macguffin thrown in for stakes), and TND has Rupert Murd- I mean Jonathan Pryce just EATING the scenery in a delightfully different dilemma about a guy who wants to start WWIII for the exclusive coverage rights. They all have just enough different for me to love them, warts and all. Edit: I do also appreciate your commentary on Bond's sexist, misogynist dinosauring. Very good points about the balance of power between Bond and his, erm, "conquests", and the purpose of why these moments are happening in terms of story and character.

[@BigMack1959]

DAF, LALD & TMWTGG are what I think of as the budget Bond's, I think the supposed hostility between the producers didn't help things but by now these movies were following trends rather than setting them like they did in the 1960's. Thank goodness for the departure of Mr.Saltzman and the palate cleanser that was TSWLM.

[@williamduncombe8504]

I agree that the series was tired at this point especially with the look and feel of the film I also heard saltzman wasn't very good with relationships especially with connery in that everything or nothing documentary

[@ricardocantoral7672]

"Budget Bond" sounds appropriate. There are episodes of Boris Karloff's Thriller that feature better photography than those films.

[@hamburgareable]

Most of all, the scene in The Golden Gun where Bond proceeds to beat the crap out of Anders, that doesnt make any sense whatsoever. Apparently, tension was boiling between Broccoli and Saltzman as to which direction they should take. Well, they started to depart from one another simply because Harry was more ambitious than Cubby would have admitted to be. Cubby felt that Bond was the gift that kept on giving in terms of success and longevity of the franchise. However, Harry in his mind went "Screw this. I dont care about making Bond movies anymore so im gonna, on my personal motivation, settle on other things and experiment with my businesses". And to stir things up even more confusingly, Roger Moore was asked to mimick Sean Connery, to toughen up Maude in order to make her sell him the info. It seems that the scene is a interlude to several mishaps and wacky editings in the film. But in 1975, the fatal year that Saltzman quit so he could sell his share to UA, Broccoli was given a carte blanche to be the de facto owner of EON Productions.

[@hamburgareable]

@@williamduncombe8504 And you can see the difference in quality here right away. The cinematography is good but the story is convoluted.

[@hamburgareable]

Harry Saltzman should have known better but hey he had his own ambitions.

[@nigelinasia2088]

In 1985, in Paris, I saw MWTFG on the big screen as part of a Bond festival. The famous car jump did NOT have the loopy whistle effect - - just the sound of the revving of the engine and the wind. Has anyone else seen this version? Was this a modification that was made for the standard French release?

[@davidjames579]

Just out of interest, did they show a version of Moonraker where Dolly has braces?

[@nigelinasia2088]

@@davidjames579 I did not see Moonraker at that festival. But I swear TMWTG scene was redone without the whistle. Would love to find that version.

[@davidjames579]

@@nigelinasia2088 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2fMnKaBibqFoqM

[@nigelinasia2088]

@@davidjames579 I think this is fan produced. Very nice. Would still love to find the original theatrical version.

[@davidjames579]

@@nigelinasia2088 Yes it's fan produced. Did the version you saw have silence?

[@neosystem852]

Just watched this with my Girlfriend yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised not having seen it in 10 years. We’re watching them in order and she has ranked it at #1 so far. I won’t lie both of our jaws dropped as the title sequence played.

[@stukafish4256]

At 38:03 and 38:58 is that the NightFire Skyrail Multiplayer Map theme I can hear in the background? and before you ask, yes I do still play 1990s and early 2000s bond games on PlayStation 2.

[@jonathonriddle9922]

I've been told that Britt Eckland fell down for real during the final pyrotechnics scene and figured she'd get another take. Roger Moore realized the timed blasts were going to continue and ran through, dragging Britt off the set before either could be injured by the rapid explosions.

[@leitercia]

Absolutely loved it! Loved the longer format, so glad to see your revisiting these films.

[@AjFatal]

As a kid. When I rented a VHS copy of TMWTGG, I can vividly remember thinking that once Bond boards the Queen Elizabeth, this was where Scaramanga’s fun house was going to be, especially when the mysterious speaker welcomes him aboard. According to the pictures on the back of the slip case, everything looked sideways/bizarre in the fun house, so the surprise MI6 hideaway definitely got me!

[@BenCol]

Great video, you raised some very good points. One major problem I have with this film’s plot is the MacGuffin: the Solex Agitator. I know a MacGuffin is described as an object in a film that the characters care about but the audience doesn’t, but I think there is a way to get the audience invested: you have to show (and not tell) us the stakes - what will happen when the bad guys have the thing and why it’s so important the good guys get it back. Take ‘GoldenEye’ for instance: In Act 1 they show us the GoldenEye going off at Severnaya to show us the consequences, so when we get to Act 3 we’re invested in Bond stopping Trevelyan lest the same thing happen to London. But here? They were just using the backdrop of the 1973 Energy Crisis to provide the context as to why the Agitator is so important. And I’m sure if you were alive in 1974 and lived through the crisis, you’d be invested in Bond getting the Agitator back to stop the crisis. But as someone born in 1996, well, I only know of the 1973 Energy Crisis from A-Level history - I never experienced it firsthand, so it’s hard to get invested. Heck, I wonder how invested 1974 audiences were - I bet they were probably like “it’s nice that Bond solved the energy crisis, and that’s all well and good for him, but what are we in the real world supposed to do about it?” Which just highlights how superficial it all is - what if in Bond 26 he had to recover a new device which could solve climate change (heck, just rewrite a few lines of dialogue in your head and TMWTGG already is that). Sure we’d understand why it was important, but it’s meaningless because even if he does get it back in the end and all is well, it doesn’t help us out here in the real world a bloody jot. At the end of the day it boils down to the “show, don’t tell” rule of writing - I’m being told it’s an important thing by the film, because they didn’t think it key to show me because they assumed I just knew already. Which is lazy - they couldn’t think of a way to raise the stakes outside of an assassin going after Bond, so they made real life do it for them. Heck, would it have been that hard to show London facing blackouts? A few establishing shots of Piccadilly Circus in darkness, say? M having to get an MI6 lackey to turn on the generator because the power’s dropped? Because those are the stakes, and it just forgets to set them, which is perhaps why Scaramanga’s scheme feels so drab. (Which raises an interesting question - if Bond got the Solex back, and it meant they all have access to plenty of solar energy, does that mean that climate change isn’t a thing in the Bond universe?) I think TSWLM did the MacGuffin thing much better - the Microfilm drives the plot for the first act, draws Bond & Anya together before pointing them towards Stromberg, but after that it’s discarded for the boring plot device it is because it’s worthless for both them and us. If they’d still been going on about the Microfilm by the end of ‘Spy’, if Bond was going back to Atlantis because “Stromberg still has the Microfilm, I need one hour!” it would’ve been a weaker film.

[@calvindyson]

Excellent analysis of MacGuffin, BenCol! Really great reading! You're totally right about the energy crisis. We never have any sense that that's even a thing beyond the handful of times characters mention it. I have similar problems with Spectre where they're talking about how Nine Eyes is the solution to the various terrorist attacks that have been occurring and yet, we never really get invested in that as the most we see is the characters watching a report about an attack on the TV.

[@davidjames579]

BenCol To be fair, EON prob were only interested in pleasing audiences of the time. This was the pre home video era. I think the focus was just on initial runs, and onto the next Bond.

[@BenCol]

David James True, but then many of the Bond films had repeat runs in the cinemas (often in double bills) so EON would’ve known that the film would be watched for many years after 1974. Considering the lengths they went to using SPECTRE as the villains instead of SMERSH to make the films more timeless in case the Cold War ever came to an end (which, as we mighty spacemen of the future know, was astute thinking), it seems odd that they dated this one so firmly in a specific current event. It’s something we won’t really see again until ‘The Living Daylights’ with the Russians in Afghanistan.

[@davidjames579]

@@BenCol I think EON like to take a bite out of what's current: from the Foot And Mouth Disease Outbreak of 1968 in OHMSS to the fake Moon Landing in Diamonds to microchips in View To A Kill, Argentina (?) post Falklands in Octopussy, The Contras in Licence To Kill, and the sudden wealth of Azebejan due to oil in TWINE (inspired by a news article). Not to mention TND thinking Satellite TV was where the media's future lay.

[@BenCol]

David James That is true, and I’m not against it if done well. Most of the time it works because it’s just a flavour. Here, they’re hanging almost the entire plot around the energy crisis, shoehorning it into the Scaramanga plot even though the two don’t really mesh that well (Scaramanga just happens to be working for Hai Fat’s energy consortium, fancy that!) and I wouldn’t mind except it’s done so lazily. They pretty much just go: “oh there’s an energy crisis at the moment, just like there is in real life! Gotta go to Asia and get the only thing that can stop it, see ya!”

[@DrTelf]

it's a petty issue I know, but it does always bother me how you can see Bond's wax statue wobble in most of the shots featuring it. Meaning it's either Moore trying his damnedest to stand perfectly still, or an actual waxwork wasn't fixed to the floor properly.

[@davidjames579]

I believe I read it''s Moore in pale face. To add to the chill factor on first reveal, as a Madame Tussauds wouldn't quite cut it.

[@kevinobrien9626]

Several ‘inanimate’ characters in the funhouse are clearly flesh and blood.

[@joshslater2426]

This is one of my personal favourites. I think the cast really elevated my enjoyment as they all play their tropes on point. Scaramanga makes a great villain too - one of Bond’s greatest villains. Also this film got me to enjoy Sheriff J.W. Pepper after he annoyed me in the previous film. What ‘bad’ film could do that?

[@johnbo51able]

It feels like the screenwriters Tom Manciewicz and Richard Maibaum tried to emulate From Russia with Love in this film. The belly dancer and the vicious fight in her dressing room are scenes that are reminiscent of the gypsy camp scene and train fight in FRWL. Also, the scene where Bond smacks Scaramanga's girlfriend around while interrogating her is similar to Bond slapping Romanova on the train. Scaramanga also stalks Bond in the same way that Red Grant did, and the Bond girl tries to deliver the macguffin to Bond like Romanova did with the lektor.

[@mohammedashian8094]

Which is funny because no Slapping happened in both FRWL and TMWTGG novels. In fact the violent abuse of women came at the hands of the villains not bond

[@elliot1111]

I loved this film as it’s one of my guilty pleasures along with die another day

[@davidcrim7025]

Was Scaramanga's Funhouse ever used as a level in a James Bond video game? I think it would make for a fun multiplayer FPS stage!

[@joshslater2426]

It’s in Goldeneye: Rouge Agent as a really great multiplayer map. The game also has Christopher Lee reprising his role as Scaramanga I think.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

@@joshslater2426 Yes it does [shame Lee reprised his role for such a poor game though].

[@Ben_Kirkham]

There’s a lot to like in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun,’ mainly Christopher Lee. But it’s frustratingly lazy in places. I do think there are some genuinely funny moments sprinkled throughout, though, and Moore’s timing is spot-on.

[@wrestlingbuff87]

Honestly, as a kid, I loved TMWTGG but as I got older and watched this and Live and Let Die back to back, it is a stark contrast in everything from tone, action, etc. Everyone seems angry and for the life of me, I can't ever understand why and watching the scene now with Maud Adams and Roger really does make me feel uncomfortable. THAT was not Roger Moore! Great video Calvin and you should use that computer line on your mate and see what he says ;)

[@davidjames579]

Even Roger complained it wasn't Roger! Guy Hamilton was trying to make him play as Sean, and that was a mistake they didn't repeat.

[@jhjhjhjhjhjhify]

I'm sure there's an alternate universe somewhere where either Lazenby or Connery played Bond in this film. For what it's worth I actually think Moore is great at portraying Bond's harder edge, and I like the fact that most of the film is about Bond doing detective work, contrivances aside. Feels Fleming-esque in some ways. But I generally agree, there's much in this film that doesn't work... slide whistle included.

[@ImYourHuckleberry_29]

Moore playing bond with a harder edge is better than Craig or Brosnan playing him that way. I'm in the minority. I yjink all the Sean Dalton Lazenby fans have died off. All the comments are only about how great Pierce And Daniel are.

[@jhjhjhjhjhjhify]

@@ImYourHuckleberry_29 I think that's just due to the fact that a good chunk of viewers grew up with Daniel as Bond (me included). For many he's just how they see Bond, much like how many saw Connery. I've noticed Brosnan isn't quite as fondly remembered as he once was amongst younger audiences, whereas Dalton has something of a little cult following. Connery himself I think is seen as iconic, but his films have aspects that have dated them which I think can be a bit jarring for some audiences today. Moore is awesome though, genuinely an underrated actor. Lazenby had the benefit of appearing in a great film but the guy was a plank of wood, little charisma or acting ability.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Richard Maibaum [who was not involved in 'Live and Let Die'] apparently was still writing Bond as if Connery was playing him in this film which lead Moore to ask for him to tailor the scripts more to him afterwards. Moore himself certainly seemed to view his Bond as more of a 'white knight' than the other actors/the novels, as shown by him not liking the car kicking scene in FYEO.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Christopher Lee would have acted Lazenby off the screen!

[@Happymali10]

That half-sunken boat is my favorite off-site HQ, with everything being built tilted.

[@johnrigs6540]

Hey Calvin -I share your love of Sheriff J.W.Pepper! I saw this in the cinema in 1974 when I was 10 years old and remember very clearly that the only time the audience really started laughing and having a good time in this movie was when he appeared! So no matter how ridiculously inappropriate it may be for a character like that to be in a Bond film,the 1970s moviegoers absolutely loved him-so they knew what they were doing when they invited him back!

[@davidjames579]

He was so beloved, he was revealed in the trailer.

[@sporkfindus4777]

When you actually sit down and watch TMWTGG, you realise how good and edgy some of the scenes are. The actor who played Bill Tanner also played one of the "Hunter" bosses in the Callan series. Callan is a must-watch for any Bond fan. In fact, after watching it, I found that I had to reintroduce myself to Bond films to remind myself of how great they are.

[@darthmartau3602]

I discovered your videos recently and have only started the film reviews a couple of days ago, but I just had to comment and say these are absolutely wonderfully done. They are so in depth, you pointed out so much more to Andrea Anders' character in this film, and it will totally change how I see her the next time I watch TMWTGG. Great work here as always.

[@calvindyson]

Thank you so much, Christopher! This is very kind and encouraging so I appreciate it a lot! Happy to hear you’re enjoying the channel!

[@postersandstuff]

@@calvindyson i remember when we saw GG as kids , we used to laugh at NNs theme......later i found out about his suicide/seen pics and now its not so funny any more , poor guy (dont like it so much when Moore mocks him either even if Herve was a bit of a rascal)

[@rwg6357]

Maud Addams' Andrea basically comes off as a character from a completely different movie.

[@astrosquirrel5038]

I've always had a soft spot for this film. It certainly has its issues, but overall I can sit down and have fun with it. Kudos on another great review!

[@samuelbarber6177]

This movie’s underrated. It might even be my favourite Moore, thinking about it now. It has a great villain, great hench-person, interesting plot. It’s just a but sad about the Bond-girl. Plus, it’s weird to think that Bond only kills the villain on screen in this film. Bond has this weird coldness to him in this film, which is odd, particularly for Roger Moore, but I kind of like it. At points it is quite uncomfortable, but I think the good parts do save it for me.

[@Oakwoodstudiosmoviesandtvshows]

Agreed

[@racussa444]

Thank you so much for this and the other videos: You are doing great work, not only funny but astonishing witty and erudite. I'm a Bond fan since I can think, started with Roger Moore, so he is my favorite player, next to Connery. TMWTGG is in the middle field, TSWLM is my favorite film for many reasons. But for my work in teaching military ethics the dialogue between Scaramanga and Bond at the table is amazing: What is the difference between a soldier and killer?

[@DarthRushy]

tbh one of the main reasons to love this film is just the jaunty Man With The Golden Gun theme that plays throughout the movie, it's so catchy

[@warrenfoster4377]

Great review. Am I the only one who thinks the robot cowboy in the pre title sequence is Roger Moore?

[@davidjames579]

I watched a video review where they praised Roger The Cowboy's acting as better than his Bond.

[@jakeallen9868]

the cowboy is les crawford, roger moores stunt double

[@noahelias4871]

One of my Favorite Bond Movies

[@SwordHMX]

The way Andrea Anders is treated is downright dirty. Also, Goodnight has to be the biggest bint in the series.

[@bengilmore6599]

I have a question. Scaramanga shoots at the Bond statue five times right? Doesn’t Bond mention later in the film that the Golden Gun can only fire one bullet at a time? …How did this happen?

[@joshslater2426]

Maybe he’s so talented he can just pull bullets out of nowhere and reload it at the speed of light.

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

Also I think the lady whose butt you see in the gentlemen's club was the same actress who played one of the ninjas in License To Kill

[@nicholasjanke3476]

I like how the film makers aren't afraid to show Bond making bad mistakes now and again (Bond tells the MI6 guys that Scaramanga and the billionaire probably don't each know other in person, then after Bond impersonates Scaramanga we see that not only do the billionaire and Scaramanga know each other in person, but that Scaramanga virtually lives on the rich guy's estate! So thats an example of Bond making a massive blunder)

[@aristidetwain9117]

I'm very much convicned that the final fight with Knick-Knack is fully intended to be goofy and underwhelming. It's a self-parody of the "main henchman turning up for one last fight" Bond trope, relying on the ludicrousness of trying to have such a scene in the movie where the main henchman is an imp-like little butler rather than a physical threat.

[@jonathancampbell5231]

* Nick Nack

[@BrozzaBond4007]

Aristide Twain minus Goldfinger that was a guy Hamilton thing to do the final battle between henchman and bond. DAF wint and kidd LALD Teehee and TMWGG Nick Nack All were weak fights besides Teehee vs Bond

[@mark6360]

Good point in the video, when I was younger I used to like this film a lot more than I do as an adult. It's missing quite a bit when compared to more robust bond films.

[@nilsmuninsheim4279]

I just learned a few days ago, that Hip's niece no. 1 (Nara) is played by Yuen Qiu, a veteran actor, martial artist and stuntwoman of Honkong cinema who most might know today as 'Landlady' from the film 'Kung Fu Hustle'.

[@calvindyson]

Indeed! I only realised a couple of days ago when someone posted it on my Twitter. So cool! Love that film and she’s so perfect in it

[@postersandstuff]

@@calvindyson "Chula" was in "Karate on the Bosporous" filmed in Istanbul , i didnt care for it but cool seeing Istanbul in a kf movie however

[@jamesatkinsonja]

Originally I believe Nara was supposed to be Bond's sidekick on the boat chase but that was dropped.

[@omarsbp03]

I always thought it weird she kept the bullet that killed him as a good luck charm.

[@davidjames579]

And that Bond went all the way to Beirut on the off-chance she had it. If he was a proper spy he should have swiped the one M had.

[@davoshaunessy7481]

I’ve lost my lucky charm. Sss

[@S1deshowRob]

I love the in depth review, would love to see you tear never say never again apart in this format

[@StupidMarioBros1Fan]

Whenever I think of this movie, I only think about the scenes on the island so I always forget like 90% of the film. It's always "fun" to watch and realize "wait a second, this isn't the movie I thought it was" And even then, the whole fight between Bond and Scaramanga could've been so much more exciting and suspenseful. Definitely not in my Top 5 but Christopher Lee as Scaramanga is still one of my favorite classic villians.