Ask any James Bond fan about their top 5 movies and you will be hard pressed to find one who doesn’t have Goldfinger in his/her list. The coolest bad guy with the most expensive habit and methods for killing his enemies combined with Bond at his most male chauvinistic. The last time I watched Goldfinger I had my girlfriend (who is relatively new to the spy series) sit through it with me and I quickly realized that this was the wrong movie to introduce a woman to James Bond with. First it has the most famous Bond Girl in terms of name “Pussy Galore”, ya niiiiiccce. It has James slapping a girl’s ass by the pool while he scurries her away to have “man talk”. Within minutes of the intro James kisses a woman and turns her towards his enemy as he tries to hit Bond over the head, using her as a shield for the attack. While it was well deserved of her treachery, it still isn’t a good look for the old boy.
Goldfinger is the first definitive James Bond movie. Remember the mainstays to Bond that I referred to in my explanation for the Bond scores? Well this movie placed them into play, you have the super car (the one in this movie being one of the best), the gadgetry created by the newly introduced Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and the sophisticated suave of the womanizing James Bond (Sean Connery). In this movie, the plot is very straightforward with nigh a mystery in between. James Bond is sent to spy on a gold loving Millionaire by the name of Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe). Upon meeting Goldfinger, James quickly realizes that the man’s obsession with the precious metal shows no boundaries as he cheats at all games played, launders money, and hordes gold whenever he can using sophisticated methods that go undetected. When James realizes that Goldfinger plans on robbing Fort Knox he goes after him using more wits than skill .
The Bond girl in this movie is the controversial Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman), a pilot and employee to Goldfinger who James has no luck in seducing upon meeting. Pussy turns out to be one of the first real alpha females that Bond has had to deal with in this series and was quite a likeable character with her handsome features, no nonsense bravado and work ethic. Lois Maxwell plays the coy Moneypenny and the chemistry with Connery is a pleasure to watch as you wonder if James will ever give in to her charms.
So what could go wrong with Goldfinger? It has the perfect bad guy, a legendary intro song (sung by the one and only Dame Shirley Bassey) and all the icons to start a legend. I can’t find anything, it is entertaining, funny and quotable to a fault. This is the true beginning of all things James Bond.
Bond-o-meter Score (ranges from 1-10)
James Bond/Story (8): A bit on the straightforward side, the only thing not charming about our hero this time can be blamed on the time period.
Bond Girl (9): Pussy Galore was all that, not only was she a beautiful woman, she was also a good counter to the other women that were getting sexed in every scene or having their asses slapped.
Bond Toys (10): The introduction of Q comes with a kickass car that has tire slashers, oil slick, smoke screen and an ejectable passenger seat. COME ON! This movie has been ripped off countless times. It’s a classic!
The Villain (10): Whats not to love about a fat, wise cracking, cheater of a villain? His sidekick Oddjob (Harold Sakata) has a razor sharp hat and a cool demeanor. I love it!
MoneyPenny BONUS (9): You know how much I love a good Moneypenny/Bond exchange, it is that extra cherry on top to the Bond cake per se. The chemistry and exchange in Goldfinger is one of my favorite.
Written by Greg Dragon – who has written 364 reviews on Spicy Movie Dogs.
Cinephile and opinion writer, Greg Dragon has been a fan of movies since the 80's when Kung Fu theater was all the rage and Roger Moore was James Bond. As an opinion writer that has reviewed Box Office releases on a number of prominent websites, Greg is the founder and lead critic of Spicy Movie Dogs.
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