This witty thriller starts the film with our hero
James Bond (Sean Connery) stealthily sneaking into a private silo-type
building in Jamaica to blow up a heroin-filled banana operation,
to stop a smuggler. After finishing the job, he returns to his
Jamaica hotel to hopefully have a romantic liaison with a Jamaican
beauty, but winds up in a fisty cuff fight with a Jamaican thug
sent to kill him. A big fight ensues, with the unfortunate thug
being appropriately cooked, James Bond style.
After being equipped with special spy equipment,
and a really cool car, with defense mechanisms in place, by Felix
Leiter (Cec Linder), Bond moves on to his next assignment which
is to investigate a bullion dealer, Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe)
who is suspected of stock-piling gold illegally through a smuggling
operation. So, Bond is flown to Florida, where he finds Goldfinger
vacationing in a resort hotel on the beach. Bond finds Goldfinger
cheating at gin rummy, fleecing his competitor, by using an ear
piece, by which a beautiful blonde young woman, Jill Masterson
(Shirley Eaton) can tell him what cards his unfortunate opponent
has in his hand.
Using a smooth combination of charm, and firm
but friendly force, James Bond moves in to foil Goldfinger's game,
giving the competitor his money back in a unique way, and gaining
another female bedmate, the beautiful Jill, at the same time.
However, to spoil Bond's afternoon of delight, Goldfinger sends
his henchman, Oddjob (Harold Sakata), who sneaks up behind Bond,
as James looks for a cold bottle of champagne in the hotel fridge,
and knocks him out. When James awakens, he finds Jill Masterson
had been spray-painted entirely gold, which caused her to suffocate.
Thanks to the fast verbal tap-dancing of the American
CIA, James Bond avoids detention by the Miami police and is whisked
back to England to continue his investigation of Goldfinger. After
a friendly game of golf with Goldfinger where Bond once again
stops Goldfinger from cheating, and wins the game, Bond attaches
a tracking device to Goldfinger's car, and starts following him
throughout Europe. On the way, Bond bumps into another beautiful
blonde woman, Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet) who has plans to
shoot Goldfinger with a high-powered rifle, because he had her
sister, Jill killed. While he finds a unique way to disable her
car and delay her, she unfortunately is killed by Oddjob, who
does the deed by tossing his deadly hat at her neck, breaking
it.
After a wild car chase around Goldfinger's factory,
Bond is tied to a table, and nearly is cut in half by a laser
beam, but is saved at the last minute when he lets Goldfinger
know that he knows about Goldfinger's plan, called "Grand Slam."
Not wanting to take any chances that "Grand Slam"
could be foiled, Goldfinger flies Bond back on a private jet to
his Maryland horse farm. Bond finds a way to activate another
tracking device in his shoe, to let his superiors know where he
is, not that it helps him find a way out of the mess he was in.
He is left to his own devices, using his own talents to try to
save the day, and try to succeed in foiling the plot. And so it
goes.
Goldfinger is a classic action, adventure comedy
film not only because of its talented cast, skilled direction
and well put together script that blends nicely the great action,
witty, humorous dialogue, interesting gadgets, but also because
it stars a character, James Bond (Sean Connery) who is every male's
manly man ideal. Besides having the brains, daring and courage
along with the emotionless cool to wiggle out of dangerous situations
and having the fortitude get the job done, he also gets back at
the dastardly wrong-doers, and has his way with all the beautiful
women because of his natural charm, good looks, sexual prowess
and skill in bed. No matter how tough the woman, he usually manages
to successfully woe her by the end of the story, if she is capable
of being turned.
The skillful direction was by the gifted, accomplished
Guy Hamilton, who also directed the next three James Bond adventure
films: "Diamonds Are Forever," "Live and Let Die," and "The Man
with the Golden Gun," all which are films in this same genre,
with various degrees of wittiness in the screenplays.
The enjoyable screenplay was written by Richard
Malbaum & Paul Dehn, who based their screenplay on the novel by
Ian Fleming, a former British Naval Intelligence Commander during
WW2, who wrote many spy stories which focus on the adventures
of the character of James Bond, Agent 007.
Richard Malbaum also was on board for many other
Bond movies, including "Diamonds Are Forever," "Dr. No," "The
Spy Who Loved Me," and "For Your Eyes Only." Paul Dehn went on
to write the screenplays for the Planet of the Apes film series,
and ended his long career with the masterpiece, "Murder on the
Orient Express."
The talented cast more than did their part to
bring this film to life.
Sean Connery is brilliantly convincing as the
very capable, suave James Bond. Connery portrays Bond as a witty,
dashing agent, who not only at the end of glorious adventure,
gets his man, but also always makes time to make love to beautiful
women along the way, and at the end of assignments as well. His
reoccurring James Bond role in 6 films brought him fame, and really
made him a big star. After many other acting experiences, Connery
returns for one last time to play James Bond in "Never Say
Never Again."
Gert Frobe, a well-known German actor, who made
a very successful career out of playing "mostly heavies," and
"brutish" characters, does a wonderful job portraying the dastardly,
evil Auric Goldfinger.
Two characters that made a big splash with the
viewing audience, as well as giving Bond some challenges to overcome,
were Oddjob and Pussy Galore. A 6'11," 284 lb. Harold Sakata really
enjoyed his role as Oddjob, Goldfinger's large, muscular employee
who doubles as Goldfinger's henchman and chauffeur. Before he
had turned to acting, Sakata was a silver medalist in the Olympic
light-heavyweight weight-lifting at the 1948 games.
Honor Blackman was convincing as her character,
the beautiful Pussy Galore, who was a tough, beautiful gal, with
martial arts training. She worked for Goldfinger as a pilot and
a flight instructor for Goldfinger's lovely female crew of flight
pilots, who all have a mission to perform, "Rock -a -bye Baby."
Will James Bond be able to use his charm and bedroom skills to
woe this tough as nails gal, and change her bad attitudes and
wrong way of thinking? You bet!
The wonderful musical score and title song, sung
by Shirley Bassey, was composed by the talented composer, John
Barry. No stranger to success, John Barry has been nominated many
times and won 3 Oscars, and an emmy for his excellent work. He
won Oscars for "Born Free," and "The Lion In Winter" to mention
two, but his real talent for song writing is showcased in the
songs he wrote for his Bond films, especially this title song,
"Goldfinger."
The action sequences are well done and exciting,
which is a trademark in other Bond films as well. The concluding
battles in "Goldfinger," still give the audience exciting entertainment.
This film is rated PG. Parents should view this
film first before letting their children see it. The action sequences
in and out of bed are mild in comparison to today's action yarns,
but people are killed, and James Bond is a big believer in sex
for recreational purposes.
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