We continue our trip down Bond lane with the third installment in the series, Goldfinger. As everyone who’s seen it already knows, it’s pretty awesome.
Goldfinger (1964)
I know I’m only three flicks into this mission, but I think I’ve arrived at the ultimate expression of Bond at its best. Goldfinger is just about the perfect James Bond movie, with an incredible, memorable villain, a sexy femme fatale with a truly ridiculous name, a haunting pop theme song, a top-notch car chase, casual sexism and gadgets galore.
The film is the first to be directed by someone other than Terence Young, with Guy Hamilton taking the reins. He’s a better director than Young in just about every way. Hamilton actually attempts to create interesting framings and set up neat camera positions, unlike Young, who tends to shoot everyone and everything in a static medium shot. More importantly for the Bond franchise, Hamilton has a clue how to shoot action scenes. The fistfights here are much better staged than in the first two Bonds. Plus, Hamilton delivers a pair of solid car chases, as Bond’s souped-up Aston Martin races around Switzerland. Hamilton mounts cameras on the cars themselves or on vehicles leading or trailing the action, rather than just setting up static cameras and showing cars zooming through space. The chases here are miles ahead of previous Bond chase scenes.
Goldfinger is the first Bond flick with a villain who’s not associated with SPECTRE, and the film is stronger for it. There’s no overarching backstory or weirdo with a cat to consider, nothing but a nutty gold magnate named Auric Goldfinger who has an insanely complicated plan for becoming even more rich. He also happens to have a stocky henchman named Oddjob who can cut the heads off of statues with the brim of his thrown hat. So cool–although I sort of wonder about the day-to-day practicality of wearing a hat with such razor-sharp edges. He must cut his fingers a lot. Goldfinger’s second partner-in-crime is stunt pilot Pussy Galore, the first woman in a Bond flick who can really hold her own with 007. Not to mention that she sports the most outlandish name anyone has ever heard, ever.
There are some iconic Bond moments in Goldfinger, starting with the early shot of 007 stripping off his wetsuit to reveal a white tuxedo underneath. He’s even got a flower for his lapel! The scene in which Bond is strapped to a table while a laser slowly works its way toward his crotch has been copied and parodied hundreds of times. That scene also features one of the most memorable exchanges in any action film. Bond: “Do you expect me to talk?” Goldfinger: “No, I expect you to die!” Truly classic.
This is also the film in which Bond’s use of spy gadgetry really takes flight. It’s got the first real “gadget room walk-through” scene, as Q shows off an array of wild gadgets of varying usefulness. The best, of course, is the aforementioned Aston Martin, complete with everything from oil jets and smokescreens to ejector seats. The old arcade classic Spy Hunter pretty much stole their whole idea from the chase scene in Goldfinger.
Speaking of which, before watching Goldfinger, I didn’t realize how amazingly influential it’s been across the board. Goldfinger’s various lairs set the standard for lavish evil hideouts. Goldfinger is also seemingly the beginning of that favorite trope of every 80s and 90s action flick—the grisly death followed by the punny quip. My favorite is Bond’s remark after electrocuting Oddjob: “He blew a fuse.”
I also didn’t know that the plot of the Cheech & Chong classic Up in Smoke was stolen directly from this flick. Goldfinger’s early smuggling plan involves creating a car out of gold components. Okay, in Up in Smoke, the car is made of pot, but it’s exactly the same plan. I was also unaware of the flick’s influence on Monty Python, but it’s clearly there. Check out the sign for Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus. The Pythons didn’t just steal the name of the group, they even directly copied the style of the sign for their own show.
Overall, Goldfinger is easily the best of the Bond films so far. Sean Connery, in his third go-round, wears the role like a second skin, exuding an effortless charm and charisma. The action scenes sparkle, the plot is suitably absurd, the dialogue is crisp and knowing, and there are a trio of memorable villains (if you count Pussy Galore, before her “surprise” conversion to Bond’s side). I find it hard to believe that there’s a Bond flick out there that tops this one. I guess we’ll see.
Goldfinger Tally Sheet
Women Slept With: 3
- unnamed bathing aficionado in Bond’s hotel room
- gilded card cheat Jill Masterson
- “personal pilot” Pussy Galore
Gadgets: 4ish
- snorkel/duck decoy
- pistol grappling hook
- Aston Martin (with smoke screen, oil slick, bulletproof screen, revolving plates, spinning wheel blades, ejector seat)
- shoe-based homing device
Villain Defeated By: Being sucked out of an airplane window.
Total Men Killed: 3
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