For some of you this might generate a “Well Duh!” reaction, as “Goldfinger” is lauded as the first “Blockbuster Bond”. I can’t think of one Bond fanatic that didn’t like the movie, so I’m probably wasting my breath in stating the obvious.
But I believe fans of “Goldfinger” overlook the sheer amount of elements that went into it. It’s a epic medley of ingredients that were discovered in the two previous movies (“Dr. No” & “From Russia With Love”), but which come together perfectly in “Goldfinger” and set the standard for Bond going forward.
One Of The Best Cold Openings Ever
One of the best traits of “Goldfinger” is that it really tightened up the scenes in terms of drama and action. Where the previous entries tended to lag and meander, “Goldfinger” moves like a rocket in comparison.
This is the first in the franchise where we open on Bond doing a side-mission, acting like a bad-ass. He gets in a kill and slays it with a one-liner before we drop hard into one of the best Bond songs ever created.
The First Aston Martin
Arguably Bond’s greatest car ever, the DB5 is nothing short of pure sex. Equipped with a tracking device, guns in the headlights, wheel spikes and of course an ejector seat, the Aston Martin was a clear effort to ramp up Connery’s sex appeal, while also doubling down on Bond’s gadgets in a bombastic way.
Look at it! It’s the tits!
The Villain
While Dr. No made for an interesting enough antagonist in the first movie, we don’t see him for most of the movie. And his death wasn’t that great. Could have been better.
Same sort of applies for the S.P.E.C.T.R.E henchmen and mastermind “No. 1” in “From Russia With Love”. The crazy chick with the knife in her shoe is pretty intense and malicious, but she just gets shot in the side and slumps over. It’s fairly anticlimactic.
Auric Goldfinger on the other hand is one of the most memorable villains for me because he’s there from the start, becoming more and more irate at Bond’s constant meddling. He and Connery play off each other really well, with the cat and mouse routine switching back and forth between them.
Also his plan was genius. Break into Fort Knox, but don’t steal a single bar of gold. Instead irradiate the whole area for 60 years with a nuclear bomb, making his own gold skyrocket in value.
I just love that plan. It’s bat-shit crazy and genius at the same time.
The Suit
Alright, no homo or anything, but that suit just makes him a fvcking sex lord. I don’t know if it’s the waistcoat, the color, or just how goddamn well it fits him, but he just looks so fvcking stylish. Damn, that’s a man.
The Kills
For me, this is one of the best moments in the whole movie. Bond and Odd-Job is locked in the Fort Knox vault and the bomb is ticking. Literally.
Bond doesn’t have his gun and he’s no match for Odd-Job physically.
So he improvises and uses his wits, pulling off a creative and satisfying kill that would be a staple element for the rest of the franchise.
Alright, rant over here’s some pussy.
