Review of Goldfinger (1964) by Jim H — 16 Jan 2012

James Bond does James Bondy stuff to stop a villain whose name fits his intentions and obsessions.

Goldfinger is like a Bugs Bunny cartoon: it's ludicrous, violent, occasionally fun to watch, and has no moral center. I enjoyed watching the film in spite of itself. Normally, I gain pleasure from films when they make my brain work harder than it would if I were staring at the walls, but this film actually requires that one turn one's brain off and enjoy the spectacle of beautiful women and debonair Sean Connery and contrived plot devices that fit into the Bond formula as securely as we're supposed to feel knowing that spies like Bond are protecting us from the bad guys.