This was an unfinished work by Ian Fleming.
So there was even more leeway than usual.
However, that matters little to a viewer.
This 007 film is very different than any others, because Bond doesn't battle a big organizaiton. He's battling basically one man, the man with the golden gun.
The "golden gun" of Christopher Lee is a specially made weapon, and Bond is told he is to be a victim of this assassin.
He later learns he wasn't intended to be the victim.
Meanwhile, he does venture into the Orient and gets into a fight with an entire karate school.
He runs away. Good man.
And he meets the red neck sheriff of a previous film, who provides great comic relief.
I said in the review of that prior film (Live and Let Die) that at the time, the red neck sheriff was a horribly trite cliche, but today it is a fresh bit of humor, and so this film has aged very well.
I don't think the scenery is quite as exotic or beautiful as in most Bond films, but it passes.
While this film pales in comparison with most 007 films from its era, it is still better than almost all of the 21sth century Bond movies. It just isn't as dull. There is a lot of action and adventure.