Bond’s remark to Goodnight after Scaramanga’s death in The Man With the Golden Gun remains a head-scratcher. The duel itself carries genuine dramatic tension, yet the moment Scaramanga dies, the movie abruptly deflates into an anticlimactic reunion with the ditzy Goodnight and a listless escape sequence.
Goodnight’s bikini ends up being the lone visual standout in a scene otherwise defined by a feeble henchman takedown and Bond’s perplexing “coup de grâce” line. If this quip was intended for wordplay (perhaps on “flat on his ass”?) it fell flat. The surrounding absurdities, including the inexplicable warning sign, “Absolute zero must be maintained to prevent prompt criticality,” only heightens the sense of disarray.
Bizarre!
