The James Bond series, adapted from Ian Flemings novels, has hit several goofy patches in its time, with 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun serving as a crown jewel of sheer silliness. These flicks were never meant to be taken too seriously to begin with, but when this adventure (Roger Moore's second tour as 007) throws dwarf henchmen, karate-chopping schoolgirls, and redneck cops into the mix, it becomes even harder to stifle a snicker or two. Aside from a few minor hang-ups the movie finds a way to entertain on an escapist level. It also provided fans the best glimpse into Bond's psyche that at this point in the series, they had not see.

Britt Ekland & Roger Moore

Bond (Moore) is suddenly pulled from his latest assignment due to concerns over his safety. It seems that the secret agent has become the number-one target for Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), a crack shot assassin who charges $1 million per hit and whose weapon of choice is the titular gilded pistol. Ignoring orders to lay low and stay out of sight, Bond sets out on a one-man mission to track down Scaramanga before he gets the upper hand.

After finagling a bullet from one of the killer's previous hits, Bond tracks its creator to eastern Asia, where the plot proceeds to thicken. It seems that Scaramanga is eager to get his hands on a special device that can convert the sun's rays into energy -- and, in his case, into the deadliest weapon known to man. With the help of Scaramanga's lover (Maud Adams) and a flighty intelligence agent (Britt Ekland), Bond intensifies his hunt for the elusive assassin, a man whose deadly skills make him the yin to Bond's yang.

Stepping away from Bond's status as a veritable bodyguard for the entire world, The Man with the Golden Gun presents a challenge that's a bit more personal to 007. Sure, there's the usual doomsday plot (which still boils down to Scaramanga essentially having a really, really big gun), but for the most part, Bond's role here is more of a detective than that of a secret agent. The film does well by playing up Scaramanga's role as sort of an anti-Bond. He's positioned as a killer every bit as cool, confident, and cunning as Bond. Scaramanga even notes such in a tense lunchtime shared with 007, pointing out that while their personal agendas differ, they're still both murderers at heart. It's a much deeper layer of thematics than fans might expect from the first Bond adventures (especially Moore's sillier outings in the role), going a long way towards enhancing the story's thrills.

Christopher Lee

They say that a movie is only as strong as its villain, and The Man with the Golden Gun serves up a doozy. With a subtle yet sinister demeanor about him, Lee has no problem asserting himself as one of the best Bond baddies. Scaramanga is a role that echoes that of Count Zaroff in The Most Dangerous Game, both being men with nothing to lose and whose lives are devoted to perfecting their deadly crafts. Lee turns in a fantastic performance, but what's truly surprising is how well Moore does as Bond.

For as much as I disliked Moore overall during his time spent in 007's shoes, I have to admit that he did a fine job here. He dials down Bond's lecherous side by quite a bit, allowing him to set his sights on actually foiling a world-threatening plot instead of bedding every beauty in a five-mile radius first. Moore made a wise decision in emphasizing Bond's status as a man of action over a man of romance, the latter of which has always led to the franchise's most dated moments.

That's echoed in this film as the feminine element is actually one of its few weaknesses. Adams and Ekland look great, of course, but the former is dealt a woefully short amount of screen time, and the latter's character is portrayed as such a klutzy ditz, I was amazed she could tie her own shoes, let alone be an associate of British intelligence. I always appreciated the few moments when the Bond series combined brains and beauty, but it's obvious that here, eye candy was the only role the filmmakers had in mind for its leading ladies.

The return of Clifton James as the same racist lawman he played in Live and Let Die was by no means a welcome addition to the cast. Nevertheless, The Man with the Golden Gun does deliver on its promises of exhilirating and gleefully ludicrous action sequences. Bond's pursuit of Scaramanga in Thailand is easily the flick's highlight, from the jaw-dropping "corkscrew" stunt to how Scaramanga makes his surprising getaway.

Maud Adams, Britt Ekland & Herve Villechaize

While it's obvious from the most far-fetched moments of action and Fantasy Island star Herve Villechaize's turn as a villainous dwarf that The Man with the Golden Gun was made with its tongue held firmly in cheek, it's not without it traces of an introspective nature. It's nothing as psychological as the direction Daniel Craig seems to be taking with Bond, but it does make the film ever the more appreciable for both its bursts of smarts and entertaining sights.

Director: Guy Hamilton

Writers: Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz, based upon a novel by Ian Fleming

Cast: Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Herve Villechaize, Clifton James, Richard Loo

Rating: "PG" for sensuality and violence

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Run Time: 125 minutes

Studio: MGM Pictures

Format: Color, widescreen

Photo credits: MGM Pictures