Bond #3: Goldfinger (1964)

Continuing my personal quest to re-watch and review every single Bond movie until the latest Bond 25 (recently annouced as being titled "No Time to Die") is released sometime in 2020 next year, is number 3 in the franchise - Goldfinger! Whenever I hear the name Goldfinger, the iconic image of a naked dead girl lying in a bed all painted in gold conjures in my mind. That and the now classic title song sung by Shirley Bassey helps make this film well known forever. However, like its two predecessors, this one suffers from looking too outdated, and often ends up being unintentionally hilarious in the process. While it is a little tongue in cheek and knows enough to make fun of itself given the preposterous plot, it still doesn't erase the fact that this film has a lot of shortcomings.

I am surprised to still find many people commenting that Sean Connery is their favorite Bond and citing Goldfinger and other Connery outings as their favourite Bond movie as well!! All I can say is that these people are either still living in the 1960's or don't go out or watch movies very often. While Connery no doubt has that star quality and screen presence x-factor going for him, he is hampered by very silly dialogue, and rather unexciting stories (compared to today's standards) to make him earn the tile of "Best Bond"!. His Bond is basically a one dimensional cartoon character with a pension for women, and a reckless spy who often gets captured but manages to escape through luck. I lose count on the number of times Bond gets captured in this one, with Goldfinger having ample of time and opportunity to kill him only to let him off for some stupid reason or other. 

The Bond girls continue to be treated like trash and with names more befitting a porn star. I suppose Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore is a small step in the right direction as at least her character is made out to be smart and resistant to Bond's cheap amorous come-ons, well, at least initially anyway .... 

Goldfinger may be the titled villian, but it is his henchman "Odd Job" played by Japanese actor Harold Sakata who shall be remembered. He does make a screen presence and I dare say stole the scenes each time he appeared. I believe people will remember him forever as the always suited, smiling, non speaking killer with a deadly steel bowler hat. Certainly a step better than Robert Shaw's blond assassin in From Russia With Love who had the disadvantage of not being mute, and hence talked too much.

All in all, Goldfinger was mildly entertaining for me, and I considered it as an interesting enough entry in the series with its iconic characters and some memorable moments.