release year: 1974
genre: James Bond
viewing setting: home laserdisc, 12/11/99
what I expected: n/a
what I got: The weakest of Moore's 007 performances, but still a better movie than Diamonds Are Forever
synopsis: The world's best assassin has his sights set on James Bond.
impressions: This one had some good and bad elements. It seemed like they threw in a plot (related to solar energy) to make the movie more exciting, but I see this as pandering to the issues of the day in 1974 (namely the energy crisis, but also the karate craze.) The movie simply would have been better if the sub-plot with Lo Fat and the solar deal had been left out. All in all, though, this wasn't the worst of the Bond movies. Notable: belly dancer, the solex agitator, midget henchman Knickknack, the karate school, the unnecessary appearance of redneck sherrif J.W. Pepper, rather stupid agent Goodnight, a cool car-flip-over-broken-bridge that was ruined by a stupid circus whistle sound some idiot put in, Scaramanga's funhouse of death.
acting: Roger Moore was actually better this time - ruthless, with good wit and good lines. The real star of the show was Christopher Lee as Scaramanga - he was suave, confident, and deadly at the same time. Britt Ekland's agent Goodnight was completely incompetent - she got kidnapped, she unwittingly caused the whole island to detonate, she activated the laser by backing her butt into it...ech. I've said enough about the J.W. Pepper character, but at least we didn't have to see him again after this.
chase scenes: 1 very brief boat chase, 1 car chase
mass fight at end: NONE (but there was a 1-on-1 roving duel between Bond and Scaramanga)
neat gadgets: none for Bond; Scaramanga had a car that turned into a boat
confirmed Bond kills: 1
confirmed Scaramanga kills: 4
confirmed Bond nooky: 2, and he would have had the belly dancer too if not for the goons attacking
obnoxious female name: Mary Goodnight, Chu Me
defining Bond moments:
- uses gun-maker's own rifle to threaten him for information
- held at gunpoint, plays with woman's cigarettes
- pushes annoying little kid off of his boat during chase
- takes the phone off the hook so work can't interrupt the pursuit of nooky
- stows Goodnight in closet so he can have sex with Scaramanga's mistress
quotable:
Bond: "Who would pay a million dollars to have _me_ killed?"
M: "Jealous husbands, outraged chefs, humiliated tailors...the list is endless."
Lo Fat: "There are some cults where it is considered a sign of invulnerability and great sexual prowess."
Bond: "I've learned to live with it."
Scaramanga: (to Bond, after killing his mistress) "A mistress cannot have two masters."
Bond: "Well, we all get our jollies one way or another."
Scaramanga: "Mine have always been guns, Mr. Bond."
Scaramanga: (after destroying Bond's plane with a laser) "Now _that's_ what I call solar power!"
Bond: "That's what _I_ call trouble."
M: (asking for Goodnight) "Goodnight?"
Bond: "She's just coming, sir."
final word: While far from the best, it's not the worst of the Bond movies.
rating: C