The film Text copyright Filmverdict 2006-2007. Any film stills are copyright of their respective owners. Used without permission, sorry!
Guy Hamilton's fourth and final stint as controller of the Bond universe is a mixed affair, and definitely a marmite picture among filmgoers. Personally, EON's ninth instalment is a modest success, amplifying a moderate script to the wackiness of the Roger Moore era without over elaborating (most of the time). Speaking of Moore, the Englishman portrayed the iconic protagonist well for the second time, revisiting the rawness of Live and Let Die (1973) whilst interacting well with his two leading ladies - Britt Ekland and Maud Adams - and the assassin with the lethal weapon, Christopher Lee's Francisco Scaramanga. Lee, Ian Fleming's cousin, is always reliable and delivered a great portrayal of a character with little ammunition. By ammunition, one refers not to the single golden bullet Scaramanga uses for each of his hits, but rather for the lack of material Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz give the very popular villain to play with. With such a great title and mysterious criminal to work with, the film could have been so much more, finally pitting Bond against a main villain with the same strengths as a very skilled henchman. However, Scaramanga's ignorance when it comes to the technological complexities of the Solex Agitator and his overall dialogue is boring and doesn't strike the Blofeldesque fear. Producers could have even swapped punches for pistols and treated the audience to more Red Grant-like confrontations between Bond and Scaramanga. Moreover, even though Hamilton delivers a decent duel at the conclusion of the film with a relatively clever ending, the Bond series had lost all seriousness by this point after the troubles between producers Broccoli and Saltzman. Consequently, the film is affected by these conflicts and it lacks in the storytelling department because of the "whatever will do" attitude, straying from the successful Connery-Bond mould for the series to never really recover.
Aside from Moore's Bond gaining the praise, mostly with some clever one-liners popping up more frequently than ever, Herv� Villechaize's unusual henchman Nick Nack is also an inspiration. The late French actor displayed qualities rarely seen in a Bond film - instructing his master (at the start of a duel), mostly teasing Bond because the latter doesn't really see him as a serious threat, and playing confidently on the audience's perceptions of his body by acting very normally by villainous standards, for example, driving, cooking and being independent from Scaramanga. In addition, the aforementioned Ekland plays the most intellectually challenged Bond girl of the entire series in Mary Goodnight admirably, and Maud Adams showcases the talents which enabled Broccoli to cast her as the lead in Octopussy (1983). These qualities coupled with the excellent soundtrack, car loop and martial arts school drag the film from nearly entering the gutter, and even the return of J.W. Pepper cannot dampen the enjoyment level too much.
The extras
Moore treats us to another fine commentary on Disc One, which nearly rivals the director's, simply because of the sheer volume of people involved in Hamilton's effort. On the second disc a rare clip from "The Russell Harty Show" is included along with a short excerpt from Guy Hamilton. Both of these are good, especially the former to revise how smooth Roger Moore is in reality. Two features are dedicated to the breakdown of the car stunt but these are disjointed and poor, losing the mystique of the loop over the river by having it explained by boring Americans with a commentary. The "Inside" documentary and the featurette on the stuntmen of Bond are excellent however. The latter goes through every film examining how nearly all the stunts are done, ranging from the undertakings of the legendary Bob Simmonds to Rick Sylvester's two original stunts that will forever be spoken of.
The summary
Enough elements shine through to make Moore's second outing likeable for the Bond aficionado. However, the fluctuation of comedy, action and quality of script can make for frustration at times.
