!!The film:
* AluminumChristmasTrees:
** The UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}} police actually used left hand drive AMC Matadors when the film was made.
** The former ocean liner ''Queen Elizabeth'' had been wrecked in Hong Kong harbour after catching fire in January 1972; the wreck was largely dismantled for scrap between 1974 and 1975.
* AntiClimaxBoss:
** Scaramanga runs off and is rather unceremoniously shot by Bond after a brief game of hide and seek.
** Nick Nack simply kicks Bond in the shins, throws bottles of wine at him, and is defeated with a ''suitcase''. This is admittedly justifiable given how diminutive he is, but compared to the henchmen in the films either side of this one ([[Film/LiveAndLetDie Tee-Hee]] and [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Jaws]] respectively), the difference is glaring.
* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Some people's sole recolection of the film is that Creator/BrittEkland is in a bikini in the whole third act.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The karate school. For some bizarre reason, the villains believe that the perfect place to kill Bond is at a karate school, where he is supposed to follow the rules and fight honorably. Really?
* BrokenBase: As a direct result of the debate between the halves of the Bond fandom preferring a silly or gritty tone, the film is either very fun, or a shame to the entire Bond franchise.
* CryForTheDevil: When Scaramanga worked as a child in his father's circus, his only friend was an elephant he took care of. When the trainer shot the elephant, Scaramanga murdered the man and so began his life of crime.
* DamselScrappy: Mary Goodnight is among the least popular girls from the Bond franchise because of this. Even though she's a [=MI6=] employee, Goodnight can't do anything right, and the whole third act on Scaramanga Island happens because she's kidnapped by Scaramanga while trying to track his car. Oh yes, and she also almost kills Bond accidentally with a laser beam -- which in turn happens after she inadvertently turns Scaramanga's base into a CollapsingLair by ignorantly disposing of a henchman in a coolant vat.
* EvilIsCool: Francisco Scaramanga. He is often regarded as one of the best things in the movie, even by people who don't like it, and by extension, one of the best villains in the entire series. The fact he has an interesting backstory and is played by Creator/ChristopherLee has helped elevate the character.
* FanNickname: Due to this film, the isle of Khao Phing Kan (with the famous Ko Ta Pu rock) off the coasts of UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}} that serves as Scaramanga's IslandBase has been nicknamed "James Bond Island".
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Christopher Lee died in 2015. For the In Memorium segment at the following Oscars, the clip for him was a line from this film (considered one of the lesser Bond outings) that nonetheless completely encapsulates the life and work of Sir Christopher Lee.
-->"To us, Mr. Bond. We are the best."
* HilariousInHindsight:
** As Scaramanga shows off his high-tech lair to Bond, he admits that he cannot explain its finer points, as science isn't really his thing. Years later in the LicensedGame ''VideoGame/GoldenEyeRogueAgent'', he is quite the opposite, as he is made into an EvilCounterpart of Q, and his job is to come up with the all the cool gadgets for the protagonist. This is actually much closer to his characterization in the novel.
** [[spoiler:Creator/MaudAdams character is killed after having sex with Bond - and specifically ''because'' she had sex with Bond, which Scaramanga did not appreciate. Years later Creator/MaudAdams played the title character in ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'' where she thinks that Bond dies horribly after having sex with her, but fortunately he survives.]]
** In this movie, Scaramanga comments "You disappoint me..." when he finds Bond disagreeing with him. In ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Count Dooku, also played by Creator/ChristopherLee, says the same thing after he fails to [[WeCanRuleTogether persuade Obi-Wan Kenobi to join his side]].
** Clifton James, who plays Sheriff J.W. Pepper in both this movie and ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', would play yet another loudmouth sheriff a few years later in ''Film/SupermanII''. In fact, all three movies were partially written by Tom Mankiewicz.
** Creator/HerveVillechaize plays a sidekick of a [[Series/FantasyIsland man who dresses in white]]. Fittingly, the climax of the film happens on an island.
*** Bonus points in the Brazilian Portuguese dub, in which Sacaramanga's voice actor, Darcy Pedrosa, also voices Mr. Roarke.[[note]]Villechaize is also voiced by his ''Fantasy Island'' dubber, Carlos Marques.[[/note]]
** Desmond Llewellyn mentions that Q Branch is working on a flying car. In Film/ChittyChittyBangBang, he sells the titular car to Caractacus Potts, who converts it to fly!
* JustHereForGodzilla: It's a safe bet that a lot of people are only interested in this film because it has Creator/ChristopherLee as the villain.
* MagnificentBastard: Francisco Scaramanga was once a circus boy who loved an elephant. When the elephant was abused to death by its trainer, Scaramanga murdered the man and discovered a love for, and talent at killing. Becoming a [[ProfessionalKiller master assassin]], Scaramanga keeps his skills sharp by having his sidekick Nick Nack hire assassins to kill him so he can always test himself with his life on the line. Scaramanga also outplays the [[BigBadWannabe ostensible villain]] of the film, the industrialist Hai Fat, killing him to steal the powerful solar device to sell to the highest bidder and retire. When he has his hands on Bond, Scaramanga demonstrates his respect and wish to challenge Bond by challenging him to a duel, gleeful to show his own talents against the world's greatest secret agent.
* {{Narm}}:
** Lulu's completely over-the-top title song straddles the line between this and NarmCharm.
** Bond ''swallowing'' the golden slug that the belly dancer used as a charm, and then having to have his stomach pumped to retrieve the bullet to show to Q back in London. An entirely useless sequence (given that MI-6 ''already has'' one of Scaramanga's golden bullets), and probably the most ridiculous thing to happen to James Bond.
** The corkscrew car flip is one of the greatest car stunts in film history... but unfortunately, it's largely ruined by the ridiculous ''slide whistle''. Allegedly, the producers [[ItWillNeverCatchOn thought the stunt on its own was already impossible for audiences to take seriously due to how outlandish it looked]], and the slide whistle was added as a sort of meta-LampshadeHanging to make the scene look like the filmmakers were deliberately trying to be humorous. Suffice it to say, it had the exact opposite effect on viewers.
** Bond's "fight" with Nick-Nack on Scaramanga's boat. [[Website/TheAgonyBooth Mr. Mendo]] describes it as [[CurbStompBattle "The most one-sided fight in the entire [Bond] series."]].
* NarmCharm: Many fans hate Lulu's title song because it is bizarre, and other fans love it just because of it.
* NeverLiveItDown:
** The infamous slide whistle sound effect placed over the famous barrel roll scene remains a constant target of mockery for most critics of this film.
** Bond hitting Andrea Anders and threatening to hurt her more if she didn't give him the information he wanted. Granted, this isn't the first time Bond has hit a woman (he did the same thing to Tatiana in ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove''), but it's still egregiously misogynistic on Bond's part, especially when you remember that Anders is depicted as Scaramanga's SexSlave and was scared of what he would do to her if she ratted him out. Of course, Bond did not know this at the time (she only tells him how much she hates Scaramanga during their second meeting) and believed her to be a willing accomplice. She also pulled a gun on him.
** Bond cheating a kid out of a deal and later pushing them off his motorboat into the river only makes Bond look like a {{Jerkass}}. Even Roger Moore disliked that scene, and apologized for it on the DVDCommentary.
--->"And so here's me, Roger Moore, UNICEF ambassador, pushing a child overboard..."
* OneSceneWonder: Chula, the [[CombatPragmatist practically minded]] star pupil at the villain-affiliated karate school Bond finds himself in; his entire appearance seems to be [[BruceLeeClone channeling Bruce Lee]] in ''Enter the Dragon'' to the point where it's easy to assume the [[{{Creator/BruceLee}}the man himself]] would've been offered the part if he hadn't died the year before.
* {{Padding}}: The film is prolonged by pointless meandering in a few cases. For example, why Bond had to get the bullet in Beirut when he had the one sent to him, the Kung Fu scene and its following canal chase because Lieutenant Hip just leaves Bond after rescuing him, etc.
* ParanoiaFuel: The second verse of the title song suggests that Scaramanga could kill anyone from anywhere. This gets driven home later in the film when Bond goes to meet [[spoiler:Andrea Anders and doesn't realize she's dead until he see the bullet hole in her chest.]]
-->"Lurking in some darkened doorway, or crouched on a rooftop somewhere, in the next room or this very one, the Man with the Golden Gun."
* RetroactiveRecognition:
** [[Creator/HerveVillechaize Nick Nack]] is played by [[Series/FantasyIsland Tattoo]].
** One of Hip's nieces who help rescue Bond is portrayed by a uncredited and very young Yuen Qiu, who'd later acquire fame as The Landlady in Film/KungFuHustle.
* RootingForTheEmpire: Due to Bond being a complete {{Jerkass}} at several points in the film and Goodnight being a complete idiot for ''most'' of the film, and Scaramanga being [[EvilIsCool impeccably stylish]], AffablyEvil, and played by Creator/ChristopherLee, it's not difficult to start rooting for the villain.
* TheScrappy:
** Mary Goodnight is often cited as one of the worst Bond Girls in the franchise alongside [[Film/AViewToAKill Stacey Sutton]] and [[Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough Christmas Jones]], due to Creator/BrittEkland's DullSurprise acting, and the character constantly coming across as both TheLoad, a DamselInDistress and a bad ComicRelief, despite supposedly being a trained secret agent. It also doesn't help that Andrea Anders, the secondary Bond Girl played by Creator/MaudAdams (who would return as the main Bond Girl in ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''), is widely considered to be much better-acted and a more interesting character, only to be unceremoniously killed off halfway through the film.
** J.W. Pepper gets even more annoying after his debut in ''Film/LiveAndLetDie''.
* {{Sequelitis}}: Ever since its initial release, it has gained a reputation as one of the worst Bond films to date, as many have criticized it for its overly campy tone and poor pacing.
* SpecialEffectFailure: The "dummy" portraying UsefulNotes/AlCapone in the opening blinks and flinches while shooting at the hitman. The James Bond dummy is also clearly played by Creator/RogerMoore, since he can be seen moving in certain shots. The ones where he doesn't are achieved by a freeze frame.
* TakeThatScrappy: Pepper is arrested by the Thai police in his last scene in the movie and and franchise as well.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** Mary Goodnight. The idea of Bond having a fellow [=MI6=] agent helping him on the case and as the film's main Bond Girl could have been excellent. Unfortunately, the script uses Mary as an absurdly clumsy and stupid MsFanservice. It doesn't help that the Goodnight from the novels was competent and likeable, far from the DumbBlonde of this film.
** Andrea Anders is an infinitely more interesting character than Mary Goodnight, and deserved to be the main Bond Girl of the movie. Unfortunately, the writers kill her midway through the plot, forcing Bond and the viewer to continue with Goodnight. It seems that the producers realized this mistake, considering that actress Creator/MaudAdams would return as lead Bond Girl in ''Octopussy''.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** The concept of James Bond being chased by a professional killer hired to kill him could have been a great and most welcome change to the franchise's status quo. Unfortunately, in the second half of the film, the script forces Scaramanga to become another crazy megalomaniac who threatens to destroy the world, making Bond's actions more for the safety of the world than for his own life. The plot would probably have worked better with the Creator/SeanConnery version of the character than Creator/RogerMoore.
** Although the climax of the film is by no means bad, the concept of Bond and Scaramanga having a showdown should have been more suspenseful and dramatic and a lot longer. Instead, Scaramanga spends almost the entire duel ''running away'' and leaving Bond to traverse his funhouse, [[spoiler:before being shot before he manages to even pull the trigger]]. In fact, the duel originally would have been longer, with scenes of Bond and Scaramanga hunting each other across the island before entering the funhouse, but unfortunately the scenes were cut and only a few seconds of the footage appear in the trailer.
* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Creator/ChristopherLee's excellent performance deserved a better Bond film than this one. It's quite telling that Scaramanga is often considered to be one of the best Bond villains despite being in one of the worst Bond films.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The film is obviously a product of TheSeventies, from its extensive talks about the energy crisis to the martial arts school showcasing the kung fu craze of the time to {{product placement}} by American Motors Company (most prominently the Matador and Hornet) then at its height of power and brand recognition to [=MI6=] using the burned and capsized wreck of the RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' as a covert Hong Kong headquarters, which was dismantled for scrap shortly after filming and blasted to clear the shipping channel, then buried by an artificial island some two decades later, to say nothing about the decor and fashions featured in the film, too.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: In Bond's final duel against Scaramanga, [[spoiler:his trick of impersonating a wax statue to get the jump on an unsuspecting Scaramanga comes off as this. Bond has always been a CombatPragmatist, but in this instance when he's duelling a NobleDemon who's spoken at length about wanting to have a fair fight with Bond, thanks to Christopher Lee's performance you can't help but feel sorry for Scaramanga when he realises Bond's trick just before he dies. This one is possibly a consequence of the editing room, as early trailers hint that Scaramanga was supposed to be cheating in this duel, making Bond turning the tables on him using his wits seem far more justified and necessary, as opposed to Bond just taking the easy way out of a fight. Of course, it's only a fair fight if you take Scaramanga's claims of such at face value: he still has a massive HomeFieldAdvantage by setting the duel in a terrain he knows intimately and simply decides to wait for Bond at a convenient hiding spot of his choosing. Bond just [[HoistByHisOwnPetard used Scaramanga's own trick against him]].]]
* ValuesDissonance:
** The depiction of women in the series bottoms-out into outright misogyny in this one. In this it follows a trend; earlier entries may have had dated gender roles by contemporary standards, but they still managed to find a place for badass women like [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Pussy Galore]] and [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService Tracy Bond]]. Beginning with ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'', the Bond Girls degraded into [[ShrinkingViolet Shrinking Violets]], and by ''Man With the Golden Gun'', we've devolved into Bond brutalizing Scaramanga's SexSlave Andrea Anders (who subsequently [[spoiler: dies a cruel and sudden death with little fanfare]]), and [[TheScrappy Mary Goodnight]], as a DumbBlonde. Creator/RogerMoore even voiced his displeasure about how things were going in such a direction. Fortunately, this trend would reverse with the very next entry in the series, ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''.
** Nick Nack being referred to throughout the film as a "midget" can rub modern viewers the wrong way, that word being considered a pejorative to Little People.

!!The novel:
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A brainwashed James Bond working for the Soviet Union is an interesting story itself, but it is quickly undone so that he can be put against Scaramanga, who is essentially just a glorified thug whose grand plan is to build a hotel.
* ValuesDissonance:
** M reads a psych report speculating that Scaramanga is gay because he [[CompensatingForSomething uses a large calibre gun]].
** Further dissonance in the idea that being a latent homosexual is Scaramanga's 'perversion'.
** The most remembered part of the aformentioned report is that "homosexuals can't whistle". However, even in the novel this is held only to be a myth that isn't supported by the scientific community.
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