Goldfinger (1964)- improved

Back when Goldfinger (1964) was released, the success of the previous Bond movies - Dr. No and From Russia with Love - generated enough pre-release hype. The director, Guy Hamilton, was different from the previous director (Terence Young). Did his direction match up to Young? Yes! Because Goldfinger introduced several elements into the franchise that weren’t earlier there (substantial female roles, cheeky humour, multiple foreign locales, a pre-credit sequence that might not always relate to the rest of plot) whilst continuing what the previous installments started (gadgets saving the day, larger-than-life villain, Bond rewarded with romance after saving the day). 

Gentleman secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) is assigned with following multi-millionaire businessman Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) on suspicion of him smuggling gold. This mission takes him from Miami to Switzerland, from Jill Masterson to Pussy Galore (yes you heard right!). During the mission, it's never clear what Goldfinger's aims are nor why he is so obsessed with gold. Now it’s up to Bond to lift the lid on Goldfinger’s plans and stop him before he becomes a threat to Queen and Country. 

Before he gets to meets Auric Goldfinger face to face, Bond knocks a girl unconscious, kisses one and gets one murdered. At one point, you have to ask yourself a question - are women safe around him? Sean Connery was always the best Bond for me and this movie proves why. Towards the second half, he effectively brings out Bond’s helplessness without making him like a coward or an unintelligible fool. He’s convincing in the action scenes and his self-deprecating humour always lightens the proceedings.

The Aston Martin DB5 owes its cult status to this movie and the special effects expert John Stears, who turned this luxury grand tourer into a faster, sleeker, comfortable version of an army tank. The DB5 scenes are enough to make anyone’s eyes melt and the chase sequence in Goldfinger’s factory was highly enjoyable due the car’s secret weapons come to the forefront. There’s oil, smoke, water, an old lady firing an assault rifle - it’s all delightful chaos. Those wondering when the ejector seat will come in handy, believe me it’s a well scripted move. However the culmination broke my heart what with Bond being captured and the DB5 battered to smithereens.

Goldfinger provides enough information for the audience to familiarise themselves with Auric Goldfinger since we learnt enough about Bond in the previous movies. If Goldfinger leaves you on a table with a laser coming to cut you in half, don’t expect sympathy from him. If a character betrays him, their death will become a cinematic moment to remember. His method of execution via skin asphyxiation is one that’s incredibly imaginative and one that flows with the plot. He’s one of the richest villains in the country (and cinematic history), due his immense wealth and assets. Every facility he owns makes for an enjoyable action playground. When Gert Fröbe was called in to play Goldfinger, he spoke little English and whatever English he spoke it was very slow. So the producers redubbed his voice, leaving his acting limited to facial expressions and body language. Might I say, he does a marvellous job! His expressions during the above mentioned laser scene were fantastic. He creates a great sense of danger through his performance which is the greatest mark for an actor who couldn’t English very well.

The second half of the movie had a certain Hitchcock-feel as it reminded me of North by Northwest what with the hero being just as clueless as the audience. Goldfinger’s plan isn’t revealed all at once. We receive slight hints and most of these are only noticeable in the second viewing. The viewer doesn't know how Goldfinger will steal all the gold from Fort Knox. Neither does the viewer know an alternative to Goldfinger's plan, if not stealing gold. I applaud the writing for not handing the entire masterplan at the start because it creates suspense and curiosity. It also helps develop the main characters in terms of Bond's helplessness and improvisation, and Goldfinger's intelligence and threatening presence. 

As mentioned earlier in the introduction, this film provides a stronger female role for its leading lady Pussy Galore played by Honor Blackman. The previous installments had the Bond girls playing sex dolls that constantly needed rescuing and becoming his reward for saving the day. Blackman’s character is appropriately introduced into the second half of the film, where the layers on Goldfinger’s plan are slowly uncovered. Unlike other Bond girls, her arc serves necessary material for the plot as she’s one of the pillars in bringing Goldfinger’s operation to fruition. Without her cooperation, Bond doesn’t stand a chance of stopping Goldfinger. This time, his charm doesn’t stand a chance as she dismisses any love-at-first-sight thoughts in their first meeting. Her expressions bring out the required "playing-hard-to-get" coldness and her judo skills aren’t to be missed!

The climax is every action movie buff’s dream for its explosions, gunfights and a face-off between Bond and Goldfinger’s indestructible henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata). Had Bond been shown as a Schwarzenegger-type-indestructible beefcake, the impact of this fight would have suffered as I believe the mismatch in strength helps create tension. The excitement in this fight is only strengthened by Sakata’s facial expressions as Bond’s punches prove ineffective. The culmination of this fight is quite interesting as once Bond stops using his miniscule brawn, he realises there’s a more logical approach to defeating his superhumanly strong opponent. 

You must have heard this film being praised or mentioned at some point in your life. Any list made on the top five Bond films and you can always bet Goldfinger will be on that list. The film is worthy of all the praise it deserves for its sheer spectacle, escapism, action and excellent performances extracted from Connery and Fröbe. Folks, this is one to remember for the record books.