THAILAND – Bangkok, Khlong Rangsit // The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
When a Buddhist monk offers you help to find a location to one of Bond’s finest movie stunts, nothing can go wrong. So here it is: the long lost Astro Spiral Jump location near Bangkok!
The monk formed his hands and showed up in the sky. “Lodger Moore”, he said with a smile, yes Roger Moore was here. With the monks smile we knew, we found the right spot.
Why Bond was here
After a fierce chase comes a daredevil jump. James Bond (Roger Moore) wants to get Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), one of worlds deadliest assassins. Both meet at the Ratchadamnoen Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok, then Bond chases after the killer. Both rush through the city and many famous Bangkok landmarks before continuing the chase in the outskirts of Rangsit. Bond then shortcuts over a small river with the famous Astro Spiral Jump. But he comes to late: Scaramanga hides in a garage, transforming his car into a plane.
The famous Astro Spiral Jump at Khlong Rangsit
How you gonna get there
The Astro Spiral Jump has been performed at a once remote area north of Bangkok, called Rangsit. Back in the 70s there were no houses there, just farmland. The crew built a concrete street to get grip for the car – and the twisted bridge for the stunt. The ride goes from west to east.
Today, the bridge doesn’t exist anymore, but the road on the western side of the small canal is still there. The spot is at these coordinates, a small walking bridge leads over the khlong.
Some meters north is Wat Saeng San. One house of the temple compound had been used as Scaramanga’s garage. It is the one at the further end of the complex, right in front of the small lake.
But both the garage and the area of the Astro Spiral Jump changes a lot over the decades – with a big school built right next to the locations and a highway worth McDonald’s restaurants lining up just some meters away.
To get there, you can either grab a taxi or rent your own car. Public transport is not really an option. When we went, we rented a car for the day for around 700 Baht.
How to find the location of the Astro Spiral Jump near Bangkok:
- Get on Highway 1 and follow the signs towards Din Daeng first, then then towards Don Mueang Airport.
- As you pass the airport you should already see the sign for Rangsit.
- Follow the Highway 1 till you reach the Fun Factory compound – then head east along Highway 305.
- After roughly 3 kilometers there is an junction to the left, that leads to the right spot of the Astro Spiral Jump.
Good to know
The exact location was lost for several years, though the “Bond Archives” show a scribble of where the stunt was supposed to be filmed. Thanks to the meticulous work of location hunters Thomas Gleitsmann and Martijn Mulder the spot of the Astro Spiral Jump has been rediscovered (here is their book about the Bangkok Bond locations).
When we visited Rangsit in March 2019, we could also confirm the right spot – a monk at a local temple ensured, that this is the area Roger Moore once visited and the Astro Spiral Jump has been performed. When we asked about Bond, he got enthusiastic right away. “Lodger Moore”, he said, and formed his hands to a waving, twisting charade – re-enacting the famous Astro Spiral Jump. Then he pointed up and smiled. Did he mean the stunt or the late Roger Moore? Either way – it was a good sign.
Going to Rangsit was fun and a real adventure. We threw ourselves into the Bangkok traffic and had nothing but a map and good hope. Luckily, traffic was easy that morning. When we wanted to drive to the canal, we accidentally took a wrong exit – and thus arrived at the temple first. Again good luck: A local monk could verify the location and finally point us to the famous spot.
© 2019 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1974 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Danjaq, LLC. The Spy Who Loved Me (2)