--- title: "The Man with the Golden Gun: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-man-with-the-golden-gun/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-man-with-the-golden-gun" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Man with the Golden Gun (1974): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 9 reviews: 2 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews lean negative, and almost every one of them agrees on the same thing: Christopher Lee. His Scaramanga is praised across the board as suave, aloof and the film’s chief pleasure, with several critics calling him its only saving grace. The car jump across the broken bridge is singled out as one of the series’ great stunts, and the locations get a word of approval. Beyond that, praise is thin. The reservations cluster on the script and on Roger Moore, whom several critics find bland next to Connery, and on comedy that lands as fumbled or overdone. The spread is wide. Empire and Total Film both rate it a solid entertainment, Total Film admiring John Barry’s uneasy score where Eye for Film hears a weak one; Britt Ekland is funny to Radio Times and dim to Eye for Film. Den of Geek is harshest, calling the plot shambolic and the premise wasted. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2006. The film delivers an entertaining 007 adventure that fits tonally with the Connery era, with strong action sequences and a memorably quirky villain in Christopher Lee’s Scaramanga. It suffers from an overemphasis on knockabout comedy and underdeveloped female characters. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/man-golden-gun-review/) ## Total Film — Nick Setchfield Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2012. The movie has a uniquely queasy, macabre atmosphere with surreal set-pieces and an uneasy John Barry score that makes Bond’s world feel dangerously strange. It also features one of the franchise’s great stunt sequences in the car jump across the broken bridge. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/bond-50-the-man-with-the-golden-gun/) ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 3/5. The critic notes it improves on the novel, with fine villain Christopher Lee and funny Britt Ekland, but criticizes repeated climax scene and return of a character from previous film, while praising the location. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-gp7rza/the-man-with-the-golden-gun/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 1974. The critic finds the film characterized by poverty of invention and excitement, with Roger Moore lacking Sean Connery's impudence and the script delivering dull chases and routine explosions. Christopher Lee and Herve Villechaize provide the only energetic moments with their sinister vitality. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/19/archives/film-james-bond-and-energy-crisisman-with-golden-gun-at-several-the.html) ## Time Out — VG Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds it formulaic and lacking style, with a banal script and bland Bond performance from Roger Moore, but praises Christopher Lee's suave villainy as Scaramanga. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 31 December 1973. The review notes the screenwriters aimed for more maturity and fewer gadgets but delivered comparatively spare mechanical devices and fumbled humor. The story diverts Bond to hunt a hit man using gold bullets, with Bond predictably conquering obstacles and ending with time for one of the Bond girls. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1973/film/reviews/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1200423145/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2015. The film is deeply uneven and unsure of itself with a weak score, dim Bond girl, silly lyrics and comedy missteps, but features impressive cinematography and Christopher Lee’s magnificent, aloof performance as Scaramanga. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1974-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Film Stories — Mark Harrison Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2022. Christopher Lee’s Scaramanga is the standout saving grace of this kitschy, frazzled Roger Moore Bond adventure weakened by production turmoil and silly elements. The piece emphasizes the strong villain performance amid middling franchise quality. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-a-james-bond-film-as-good-as-its-villain/) ## Den of Geek — Max Williams Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2019. The critic deems the film lousy, criticizing its shambolic plot and wasted potential despite a brilliant premise. They single out Christopher Lee's compelling performance as the villain Scaramanga for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-great-villain-lousy-bond-movie/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-man-with-the-golden-gun.md