The Man with the Golden Gun | |
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![]() British cinema poster for The Man with the Golden Gun, designed by Robert McGinnis
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Directed by | Guy Hamilton |
Produced by |
Albert R. Broccoli Harry Saltzman |
Screenplay by |
Richard Maibaum Tom Mankiewicz |
Based on |
The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming |
Starring |
Roger Moore Christopher Lee Britt Ekland |
Music by | John Barry |
Cinematography |
Ted Moore Oswald Morris |
Edited by | Raymond Poulton John Shirley |
Production
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Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date
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Running time
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125 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English Thai |
Budget | $7 million |
Box office | $97.6 million |
The Man with the Golden Gun is a 1974 British spy film, the ninth entry in the James Bond series and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. A loose adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel of same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a device that can harness the power of the sun, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the "Man with the Golden Gun". The action culminates in a duel between them that settles the fate of the Solex.
The Man with the Golden Gun was the fourth and final film in the series directed by Guy Hamilton. The script was written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz. The film was set in the face of the 1973 energy crisis, a dominant theme in the script. Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in December 1974. The film also reflects the then popular martial arts film craze, with several kung fu scenes and a predominantly Asian location, being set and shot in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau. Part of the film is also set in Beirut, Lebanon, but it was not shot there.
The film saw mixed reviews. Christopher Lee's performance as Scaramanga, intended to be a villain of similar skill and ability to Bond, was praised, but reviewers criticized the film as a whole, particularly the comedic approach, and some critics described it as the lowest point in the canon. Although the film was profitable, it is the fourth lowest grossing Bond film in the series. It was also the last film to be co-produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, with Saltzman selling his 50% stake in Danjaq, LLC, the parent company of Eon Productions, after the release of the film.