Film The Gold Standard
Yes, that title has been used hundreds of times when talking about this movie. No, I don't feel bad about it. This movie earns that title. Goldfinger is the crystallization of the Bond movie as we know it. It's got it all. Beautiful locations, cars, and women? Check. Dastardly, charismatic villains with over-the-top schemes and larger-than-life henchmen? Check. Nail-biting action scenes with cool gadgets? Check. Bond at his coolest and most wry? Check and mate. While I don't think it's the best Bond film, it's easily Connery's best and definitely in the top 3. It's a perfect balance between joyous fun and intelligent thriller.
It's so great that when I watch it it only takes me a few minutes to get back into it after the horrible scene where Bond sexually assaults the unfortunately named Pussy Galore. I don't want to downplay how awful that part is, it really is terrible, but it speaks to how good the rest of film is that I can keep watching instead of just turning it off, let alone get back into it so readily.
Speaking of Honor Blackman's character, she is just wonderful in this film. Her chemistry with Sean Connery is electric, and she exudes confidence and poise in every scene. Galore set the template for strong Bond women, and future films would take the work Blackman did and run with it. Goldfinger is hands-down the BEST Bond baddie. He's smarmy and vile, but strangely charming and wickedly smart. And the work done by Gert Fröbe, Michael Collins, and the editors and director Guy Hamilton to bring the character to life is phenomenal. If I hadn't been told he was dubbed I would never have figured it out, the performance is so seamless.
He's also one of the only Bond villains smart enough to stick around to watch his death trap kill Bond. That laser scene in particular is one of the greatest in action movies in general. Bond is stripped of everything but his wits and has to bluff his way into being kept alive. He succeeds, but while Bond escapes a couple of times it never lasts long. If it hadn't been for Galore's last-minute change of heart, Goldfinger would have won. It's the closest a villain has ever come to victory, and it makes Bond's eventual triumph that much sweeter. Despite the enormous odds, Bond succeeds beyond anyone's expectations. And it's exactly the same for this wonderful movie.
Film The First of Many Greats
With the release of Goldfinger, it was apparent that James Bond was shaping up to be a greater film series than perhaps anybody expected. Dr. No and '"From Russia with Love'' were fine, but it was at this point the movies' quality increased exponentially, establishing the conventions that would become series trademarks, such as perfectly choreographed action, creative gadgets and weaponry, and an unashamedly over-the-top tone.
Connery is once again at his best in the role of 007, his wry charm and effortless machismo still going strong. The plot is at the perfect level of intricacy, where it's fascinatingly complex with some unexpected twists and turns, but not so convoluted you lose interest. Dialogue is witty and charming as ever, special effects and production values have increased, the cinematography expertly shows off the chosen locales in lavish detail, and Shirley Bassey's Title Theme Tune kickstarts the series' trend towards glamorous, larger-than-life theme songs.
As the Bond Gal, Pussy Galore is far more dynamic than her ridiculously unsubtle name would imply, exuding an aura of willpower and independence that makes her play perfectly off Bond (Except for one infamous scene; more on that later). The titular Auric Goldfinger sets up a high standard for future villains to follow, being outwardly charming and dignified only to make your skin crawl as the film progresses as we see more and more of what he really is: a sadistic madman who'll sink to any low to satisfy his rapacious greed. Since you can't have a Bond villain without a noteworthy henchman, Oddjob fills that role with a savoir-faire that surpasses even Red Grant, being scarily efficient and almost superhuman in skill. Between Goldfinger's cunning intellect and Oddjob's raw strength, Bond is actually on the defensive for most of the movie and has to rely on every iota of his intelligence and will just to survive what they have planned.
Unfortunately, there is one huge flaw that I cannot ignore: Bond forces himself onto Pussy Galore. I understand the 60s were a different time and it probably wasn't intended to be anything more than rough foreplay between people who were clearly interested in each other, but I'm sorry, it is impossible to look at that scene nowadays without seeing sexual assault. Unfortunately, the scene would set the standard for future Bond films' poor treatment of women, a pattern they wouldn't break out of for a long while.
Problematic material aside, Goldfinger gets a 9/10. Some things definitely needed to be changed, but on the whole, it set the standard for the series to follow and deserves its reputation as an all-time classic.