The Man with the Golden Gun
Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.
Directed by Guy Hamilton · Adventure · Action · Thriller · 2h 5m · 1974
Trailer
Director
Guy Hamilton
Writer
Ian Fleming, Richard Maibaum, Tom Mankiewicz
Studio
EON Productions, United Artists
Release
1974-12-04
Runtime
2h 5m
Genres
Adventure, Action, Thriller
Full Plot
Scaramanga is a hitman who charges one million dollars per job. He becomes linked to the death of a scientist working on a powerful solar cell, and James Bond is called in to investigate. As he tracks down Scaramanga, he realizes that he is highly respected by the killer, but will this prove to be an advantage in the final showdown?
Cast & Characters
Francisco Scaramanga
Christopher Lee
Mary Goodnight
Britt Ekland
Andrea Anders
Maud Adams
Nick Nack
Hervé Villechaize
Sheriff J.W. Pepper
Clifton James
Hai Fat
Richard Loo
Lieutenant Hip
Soon-Tek Oh
Lieutenant Hip, Bond's local contact in Hong Kong and Bangkok. Soon-Taik Oh trained in martial arts for the role, and his voice was partially dubbed over.
Soon-Taik Oh
Rodney, an American gangster who attempts to outshoot Scaramanga in his funhouse, and loses, being shot in the head by Scaramanga. Lawrence also appeared in Diamonds Are Forever.
Marc Lawrence
Lazar, a Portuguese gunsmith based in Macau who manufactures golden bullets for Scaramanga.
Marne Maitland
Colthorpe, an MI6 armaments expert who identifies the maker of Scaramanga's golden bullets. The first draft of the script originally called the role Boothroyd until it was realised that was also Q's name and it was subsequently changed.
James Cossins
Chula, the black-belt student at Hai Fat's dojo
Chan Yiu-lam
"M", the head of MI6.
Bernard Lee
Did You Know?
The Man with the Golden Gun
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman initially planned to follow You Only Live Twice with The Man with the Golden Gun, inviting Roger Moore to the Bond role.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that filming was canceled due to logistical issues in Cambodia and Roger Moore's commitments in The Saint.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
The Man With the Golden Gun holds 6.7/10 on IMDb (123K votes), 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 55% audience score.
A notable gap between the 40% critics score and 55% audience score suggests real disagreement over this entry.
Ratings as of August 3, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedThe Man With the Golden Gun's 6.7 IMDb average and 40% Rotten Tomatoes score place it solidly mid-pack in the 60-plus-year Bond franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Man with the Golden Gun's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Man with the Golden Gun holds a 40% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 55% audience score.
What is The Man with the Golden Gun's IMDb rating?+
The Man with the Golden Gun has a 6.7/10 rating on IMDb from 123K votes.
Is The Man with the Golden Gun good? What are critics saying?+
The Man With the Golden Gun holds 6.7/10 on IMDb (123K votes), 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 55% audience score.
How long is The Man with the Golden Gun?+
The Man with the Golden Gun has a runtime of 2h 5m.
Who directed The Man with the Golden Gun?+
The Man with the Golden Gun was directed by Guy Hamilton.
Where can I watch The Man with the Golden Gun?+
The Man with the Golden Gun is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex, ITVX Premium, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "The Man with the Golden Gun" is mixed, but generally positive. Many reviewers praise Christopher Lee's performance as Scaramanga and Guy Hamilton's direction, while some criticize the script, which they consider lacking. However, most agree that Moore's portrayal of Roger 007 is iconic and memorable, and that the film holds up despite its flaws.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
**Excellent Bond film.** Superior Bond film with Christopher Lee as an assassin who sets his sights on Sir Roger Moore. Big mistake! A fast moving entry from Guy Hamilton that has lovely locations, incredible stunts - (The car flip has yet to be bettered) sexy ladies, a great the…
tmdb18359958 · 9/10“The plane, the plane” Agent 007 (Roger Moore) learns that he’s on the hit list of the world's most expensive assassin, Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Traveling from Beirut to Macau, China, to Bangkok, Thailand, he aims to confront the assassin while recovering sensitive solar cel…
Wuchak · 7/10You get as much pleasure out of killing as I do, so why don't you admit it? The Man with the Golden Gun is directed by Guy Hamilton and adapted to screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz from the Ian Fleming novel. It stars Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Mau…
John Chard · 7/10Sometimes a film is more than just what you see on the screen. I will always recall this fondly as it was the first film I ever saw in a cinema that wasn't a cartoon - and I really enjoyed it. This time "007" receives a rather intriguing golden bullet through the post. After some…
CinemaSerf · 7/10I write this with the understanding that I am not supposed to like it. It's one of the movies that, in serious Bond fandom, you aren't supposed to like. And, that is because, yeah, the script sort of really sucks... and I'm not going to defend it. They could have done a far bette…
GenerationofSwine · 10/10This was an unfinished work by Ian Fleming. So there was even more leeway than usual. However, that matters little to a viewer. This 007 film is very different than any others, because Bond doesn't battle a big organizaiton. He's battling basically one man, the man with the golde…
drystyx · 6/10The Man with the Golden Gun isn't generally considered to be a good film but I enjoy it despite its many flaws.
tmdb93836550 · 7/10
From the trailer's comments
Roger Moore is hugely underrated as 007. He was the perfect Bond for the camp self-deprecating 70s
@tonyclifton265 · 71 likesRest in Peace, Sir Roger Moore, You'll always be my Bond.
@anilyossundaraMTF · 184 likesR.I.P Christopher Lee & Roger Moore
@ABMultimediaDesigner · 95 likesMost underrated bond movie, just a classic.
@khav11 · 216 likesThe more people complain about Roger Moore...the more I realize how great he was in the role. Perfect choice.
@RelativelyRetroDon · 385 likesRest in Peace Roger Moore, you did a great job at James bond. I miss him as James Bond.
@OfficialZena · 59 likesWe will miss you, Christopher Lee.
@jamesmedina7186 · 53 likesDespite this is probably the funniest movie from franchise, I think this deserves a third place of Roger's best 007-movies, after The Spy who loved me and For your eyes only. This was the first Bond-movie I had watched.
@mr.tramber · 29 likes
