Capsule Review: Goldfinger (1964)

The third entry in the Bond film franchise, Goldfinger created a template followed for decades afterward, but remains a wonderfully entertaining yarn filled with memorable characters and exciting – though occasionally dated – action. James Bond (Sean Connery, cementing his reputation as the ultimate Bond) is out to stop the millionaire Auric Goldfinger who has devised a plot to break into Fort Knox – not to steal the gold – but to set up an atomic bomb to irradiate the stock, making his own collection of gold ten times as valuable. All of the elements most strongly connected with the franchise – an Aston Martin packed with gadgets, a suitably imposing henchman (the hat throwing Oddjob), an obsessive and charismatic villain (“Do you expect me to talk?” “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”), and the usual interplay with M, Moneypenny, Q, and a variety of international beauties. Throw in a memorable Shirley Bassey theme song, John Barry's tremendous score, and Guy Hamliton's sure-handed direction, and you have the ultimate Bond film.