My Journey with James: The Man with the Golden Gun

Unfortunately Netflix's James Bond Instant contract has run out so I am forced to get the DVDs via snailmail so I'll have to go one movie at a time now.

The Man with the Golden Gun finally returned Bond back to form. The music is back, Moore does a nice job playing Bond, and they thankfully set the movie in not the United States so that god awful 70s look is mostly absent in this film, although Bond's pants still look stupid. The biggest highlight of this film is that the titular man is played by former SAS, current metal front man, British badass Sir Christopher Lee. His character, Francisco Scaramanga is a carnival act turned assassin with an avarice for gold especially in the form of bullets and a gun that can be broken down to a pen, lighter, and cigarette holder. Scaramanga works as a villain on so many levels. The most important, which has been missing in the past few movies, is that Scaramanga can kill Bond at any moment but chooses not to for the second important characteristic. Mr. Golden Gun happens to be obsessed with dueling and Bond. The opening scene of the movie has Scaramanga playing a deadly game of hide and seek with another assassin in Scaramanga's elaborate and twisted battle arena on his private island. Of course, this is where James is loured at the end of the movie and where Bond comes face to face is a James Bond mannequin Scaramanga creepily had made.

All the goofy and dumb shit from the other 70s era films are thankfully removed and this is just a solid action film. I do believe the film did not have to be 2 hours long but it did not drag too bad in the fluffing parts. I cannot think of many critisims for this film yet according to Rotten Tomatoes this film was ranked below Live and Let Die which is a stupid and boring film.

Ranking:
1. Dr. No and Goldfinger
2. Thunderball
3. The Man with the Golden Gun
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 
5. From Russia With Love
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Live and Let Die
8. Diamonds Are Forever

Photo credit:
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/38/MPW-19431
http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/235/619005-golden_gun_duel.jpg