Goldfinger is a 1964 spy film and the third instalment in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Goldfinger was the first Bond blockbuster, with a budget equal to that of the first 2 films combined. The film’s plot has Bond investigating the gold magnate Auric Goldfinger, who plans to contaminate the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. Bond discovers Goldfinger cheating at a high-stakes gin rummy game, aided remotely by his employee Jill Masterson. Bond interrupts Jill and blackmails Goldfinger into losing. After an evening with Jill, Bond is knocked out by Goldfinger’s Korean manservant Oddjob. Bond awakens to find Jill covered in gold paint, dead from “skin suffocation, in one of the most iconic images of the entire Bond series. Goldfinger reveals his plan (Operation Grand Slam) is to breach the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox by releasing Delta-9 nerve gas into the atmosphere, which begins with Pussy Galore’s (Honor Blackman) Flying Circus spraying gas over Fort Knox, knocking out the military guards.Unknown to Goldfinger, Bond convinced Pussy to alert the authorities and replaced the gas with a harmless substance. US troops respond, open the vault and a specialist turns off Goldfinger’s bomb with “007” seconds remaining. Bond boards a jet to have lunch with the President at the White House, but Goldfinger hijacked the plane, tying up the plane’s crew in the hangar and putting Pussy in the cockpit. In a struggle for Goldfinger’s revolver, the gun fires, shattering a window and creating an explosive decompression; Goldfinger is blown out the ruptured window. Bond and Pussy parachute from the crashing plane and upon landing, are last seen as the parachute envelopes them.
Ok, on to the ratings;
Bond; 97 out of 100. This is Sean Connery in his prime as Bond. He’s had 2 films to hone the character and is on top of his game.
Villain; 94 out of 100. Gert Frode is the first really interesting, fleshed out Bond villain. He doesn’t look dangerous, but he’s real, with facets to his character.
Bond girls; 97 out of 100 – First, you’ve got Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson, the “girl in gold”. She is the definition of a sex kitten during her short screen time and a Bond icon in her death. And Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, a character name that it’s hard to believe got through censors back in the day. Blackman is the first strong female character in a Bond film and takes a while to warm to Bond.
Theme; 72 out of 75. Shirley Bassey’s first Bond theme (she did several) and memorable for both the song itself and Bassey’s vocal pyrotechnics.
Henchman; 49 out of 50. Harold Sakata as Oddjob, which his implacable demeanor and iron rimmed top hat, is one of the most memorable and interesting henchmen in Bond movie history.
M, Q, Moneypenny and misc; 10 out of 25. Desmond Llewelyn begins his run of 16 Bond films a “Q” and Lois Maxwell & Bernard Lee as Miss Moneypenny & “M”, respectively. Solid and reliable.
Total; 419
Scoreboard;
- Goldfinger- 419
- Spectre-397
- Casino Royale / Die Another Day- 382
- The World is not Enough- 367
- Dr. No- 346
- License to Kill- 321
- Octopussy- 255
- The Living Daylights- 228
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