In honor of my first Throwback Thursday post, we travel back to 1964 and revisit one of my favorite films of all time... the epic spy thriller Goldfinger! From the moment that James Bond emerges from the water wearing a bird on his head until Goldfinger is sucked out a plane window this film is GREAT! It is quintessential Bond and no Bond film came anywhere close to matching it in excellence until the recent Skyfall. So why exactly is the movie one of the BEST Bond films of all time? I have a list.
1. We all know that James Bond is great, particularly when played by the amazing Sean Connery, but the best Bond films have memorable villains who match Bond's intelligence and ingenuity. Goldfinger is ruthlessly brilliant. He is consistently one step ahead of 007 and he has one of the most ingenious plans of any of the Bond villains. So many Bond villains plans lean on the slightly ridiculous, but Goldfinger's plan actually makes sense. By irradiating the gold held in Fort Knox he would dramatically increase the value of the gold he already owned. Everyone was convinced he was going to pull a heist but the reality was way more devious!
2. Goldfinger's henchman, Oddjob, is the greatest henchman ever. He says nothing the entire movie but is intimidating and almost impossible for Bond to defeat. He is super strong and his weaponized hat is the most iconic weapon used by a henchman. It is so ridiculous that it is awesome. Bond has to electrocute Oddjob using a high-powered conduit and the metal bars of the Fort Knox vaults. Oddjob is just cool. Plus he crushes a golf ball with his bare hand.
3. Bond's Aston Martin DB5. It is the first Aston Martin used in the Bond franchise and it is the most iconic of them all. A classic design with a plethora of useful gadgets and the iconic ejector seat. The car is so cool and ever since I first saw this movie, an Aston Martin became my dream car. They are the epitome of cool. You know that this car is the best Bond car when it reappeared in its tricked out form in Skyfall.
4. The memorable lines. Q's quote, "I never joke about my work 007." As Bond is strapped to the laser table Goldfinger says, "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." Lines like this are a staple of Bond films, but these are the best.
There are so many other reasons why this is one of the best Bond films and one of my favorites. Simply put it is just great!
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