The Man with the Golden Gun – Ko Tapu and Phang Nga Bay as Scaramanga lair (1974)

In The Man with the Golden Gun (dir. Guy Hamilton, 1974), Phang Nga Bay in southern Thailand served as the setting for the solar energy complex of villain Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). The distinctive vertical limestone pillar Ko Tapu on Khao Phing Kan island appears as a prominent visual marker in the approach sequences to the villain’s lair, and the bay’s dramatic karst sea stacks provide the cinematic backdrop for the film’s climax. The production preceded the area’s development as a major tourist destination by nearly a decade and directly catalysed that development.