Memories from the 70s/80s rushed my brain when I saw the actor from Fantasy Island in this movie. And I guess the Southern Sheriff from the last movie was such a hit they brought him back for a little humor in this movie. Here are my thoughts on James Bond in movie #9, The Man With the Golden Gun. This isn’t a movie review, but there will be spoilers.
I Like That The Plot is Straightforward
James Bond’s Assignment was nice and simple–to escape an assassin while he tries to recover some sort of solar technology. There wasn’t a lot of unnecessary action. Action, yes, but not action just for the sake of action. By the end of the movie, I didn’t need to look up the plot on the internet. It was nice and straightforward.
Interestingly, a character from the last movie shows up in this one–the Southern sheriff from Live and Let Die. I guess he was a fan favorite and they decided to give him another appearance. James Bond goes to Asia (Bangkok, I believe) and the sheriff and his wife happen to be there on vacation. At one point, the sheriff ends up as a passenger in a wild car chase with Bond…ha!
It was good to see a familiar face from a show I used to watch. Hervé Villechaize played Tattoo in a popular tv show Fantasy Island that aired in the 70s and 80s. Tattoo would watch for guests arriving via plane and yell, “The plane! The plane!” when visitors would arrive to the island.
James Bond & Women
I think I see a slight evolution in the Roger Moore Bond when it comes to women. I don’t know that there’s a concerted effort by the producers to have Bond evolve, but it’s only natural that he will evolve somewhat because time brings forth evolution. It’s now the 1970s, not the 60s so there’s a natural evolution that has to occur.
In this movie, Bond does slap a woman to get information. I wouldn’t say he’s slapping her because she’s a woman because he would hit a man, too, to get information. His usual tactic to get information out of women is to seduce them. This time it was a few slaps, and the sex with this woman came a few scenes later (eye roll goes here).
Background
The filming of The Man with the Golden Gun started in November of 1973 and the movie was released in December of 1974.
What Happened to the Prime Video X-Ray Feature???
The Prime Video X-RAY feature is missing from this movie just like the last movie, Live and Let Die. I’m so bummed. The only additional information provided was the names of the actors in each scene.
X-RAY is a Prime Video feature that provides additional information about the movie–names of the actors, filming trivia and goofs. I need the X-RAY feature to return!
By the way, if you’d like to know why I, a non Bond fan, am watching all 25 James Bond movies you can read about it in detail here: Who Is The Next James Bond? A Non Bond Fan Makes Her Prediction.