The Spy Commander posted: " Updated from previous posts. This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Man With The Golden Gun. The 1974 film has received a lot of flak over the decades. It's exhibit A when the subject comes up about 007 film misfires. Too goofy. Too cheap. Too ma"
This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Man With The Golden Gun.
The 1974 film has received a lot of flak over the decades. It's exhibit A when the subject comes up about 007 film misfires. Too goofy. Too cheap. Too many of the crew members having a bad day.
For example, Don McGregor, then a writer for Marvel Comics, savaged the movie in a lengthy article in a 1975 issue of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine (which featured a cover drawn by comics legend Neal Adams).
Also, the former Her Majesty's Secret Servant website had few kind words when its contributors (including myself) did rankings of the Bond films. (Speaking only for myself, as I look back on my comments, the one about John Barry was over the top.)
Over the years, Bond fans have said it has an average John Barry score (though one supposes Picasso had average paintings). Barry had three weeks to do the score, according to the 2012 book The Music of James Bond. Barry's music had one major demerit, a slide whistle used for the movie's signature stunt when a car makes a jump, rotates in the air, and lands right-side up. Barry regretted the choice, The Music of James Bond author Jon Burlingame wrote.
Other criticisms: The movie has too many bad gags (Bond watches as two teenage karate students take out a supposedly deadly school of assassins). And, for some first-generation American 007 film fans, it has Roger Moore playing Bond, which is bad in and of itself.
Golden Gun is a way for fans to establish "street cred" -- a way of establishing, "I'm not a fanboy."
Neal Adams cover to The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine containing an article savaging The Man With the Golden Gun
However, the movie also has its defenders. Among them is David Leigh, who runs The James Bond Dossier website and is a regular guest on the James Bond & Friends podcast.
The movie was a disappointment at the box office.
Golden Gun's worldwide box office plunged 40% compared with Live And Let Die ($97.6 million versus $161.8 million, according to THE NUMBERS website). Within a few weeks of its December 1974 U.S. release, United Artists hurriedly paired Golden Gun with Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, which UA released earlier in 1974, to make a double feature.
In terms of long-term importance, Golden Gun was the finale of the Albert R. Broccoli-Harry Saltzman 007 partnership. Saltzman would soon be in financial trouble and have to sell out his share of the franchise to United Artists. In a way, things have never really been the same since.
The end of the car jump of The Man With the Golden Gun
Golden Gun is not the best offering in the Eon Production series. Rather, in many ways, it's the runt of the litter that many like to pick on -- even among the same people would chafe at criticism of their favorite 007 films.
The documentary Inside The Man With The Golden Gun says the movie has all of the 007 "ingredients." Of course, such a documentary is approved by executives who aren't demanding candor.
But the statement is true. It has not one, but two Oscar-winning directors of photography (Oswald Morris and Ted Moore); it has a score by a five-time Oscar winner (John Barry); it is one of 13 007 movies to which Richard Maibaum contributed writing.
Then again, movies sometimes are less than the sum of their parts. It happens. Not everyone has their best day.
For many, Golden Gun is a convenient piñata. Despite some positives (including the genuinely dangerous driving stunt), it doesn't get much love from parts of the 007 fan community.
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