Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’

Written by Scott Edwards

There are many times in life that you may feel like you are undervalued for what you can really do. During these times, you may think about moving, changing jobs, or just starting over. With your skill set, there is always a way to cater to it better and you know what they say: if you don’t love your job, it is time to get a new one. Although a job is a job, if you are miserable in doing it, it may not be the correct one for you.

James Bond gets called into M’s office under grave importance, a warning has been sent in. A golden bullet with 007 etched into it is a calling card from Francisco Scaramanga, the highest paid assassin on the planet and this means he is telling all who his next target will be. Bond is familiar with Scaramanga and needs to find out who has paid to have him killed by this man, but his investigation takes him in much deeper than he could have expected. Finding out who manufactured the last golden bullet that killed one of his co-workers, Bond gets to travel to the Far East to continue his search for the killer.

After being persuasive enough to find out where the next drop of golden bullets are being delivered, Bond tracks Andrea Anders to her hotel and finds out when Scaramanga’s next hit will take place. While waiting to find the assassin, Bond is surprised to find out that he was not really the target. After a long night of pumping Andrea for information, Bond finds himself in Hong Kong posing as Scaramanga, but little does he know that his cover is blown while in a dojo and he must fight his way to safety. With the help of China’s branch of secret agents, Bond is able to find his way out, but Scaramanga is still out and on the hunt. After trying to pump Andrea for more information about the assassin’s whereabouts, Bond is surprised to have the Scaramanga sitting right next to him.

With Andrea dead and Scaramanga happy with his work, Bond wants nothing more than to see the assassin dead at his hands. After recovering the Solex from his past lover, Bond passes it on to his assistant Goodnight, but her agency training will not allow her to stand idly by. Trying to put a tracker on Scaramanga’s car, she finds herself trapped in the truck with no way of escape. Being flown to a remote island in China’s sea, she is a captive of the killer, but Bond has a plan to get her and the Solex back for MI6. 007’s entrance is not a surprise for Scaramanga who is expecting him and instead of being ready to kill the secret agent, he is filled with admiration for Bond. Seeing Bond as his equal, Scaramanga shows 007 what he has been trying to perfect, the harnessing of solar power and how the Solex ties into his plan. After a tasty lunch is eaten, Bond decides that it is time to part ways with his gracious host and is ready to perform the act that he gets paid little to do while on the job, kill the assassin and return the Solex to MI6.

This might not be one of my favorite stories in the Bond series, but it has a great villain in the form of Scaramanga who gets paid a million dollars a hit and who rarely misses. He also has a great helper, Nick Nack who may be looking to take over the business but cannot bring himself to kill his master. Instead, he pays other assassins to try. As you travel through China, you get a little car chase scene, but another great boat chase for the ages. Then you get to see Sheriff J. W. Pepper on his vacation trying to help Bond stop Scaramanga as well, one of the first times a non-MI6 character has reprised a role in a 007 movie. But my favorite part of the movie is in Scaramanga’s killing fun house that he has laid out on the island. As he admits he was raised in the circus, he knows the ins and outs and makes life much more difficult for those trying to harm him on his own turf. Until next time, keep it Shaken, not Stirred.

---