Review of Goldfinger (1964) by David B — 02 Oct 2012

I've said many times before the pre title sequence is Bond personified, cool as hell. It has been for sometime now clear to me that this is far from one of the best entries, at least for me that is. I do think the film is fine until Bond gets captured and then it just goes down hill, Barry still gives us utter class and cue's like Odd Job's Pressing Engagement are toe tapping Bond brilliance but the Kentucky sequences really drag, Bond captured for most of the second half of the film does not equate to thrilling, one of the tags this film regularly earns.

Connery is on form although for me he hit his peak with the previous film, we get Q here for the first time actually referenced here as the character, although also previously in FRWL, he is just referred to as the equipment officer. The Aston Martin makes it's debut, plenty of the tick the box moments that would go on to define James Bond films for decades to come.

Gert Frobe is a memorable villain in the title role. Honour Blackman's Pussy Galore might be one of the most memorable Bond girls but she's far from the most attractive, I think Sick boy in Trainspotting said it best, "that name is a compete f******* misnomer I wouldn't touch her with yours". Cec Linder is a terrible Felix Leiter and just seems like some Bond lackey, It feels like the second half completely undoes all the work the fine first half has done, the climax on board the plane is incredibly underwhelming and just silly.

Goldfinger for me is like Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, the Beatles have done much better work but it's regarded their most iconic and by that rationale also seen as their best, this for me is this film, the general public and critics hold it up on a pedestal as a watermark of quality but despite it having some of the best moments and most memorable, it has a whole leaves allot to be desired but still continues to be called the best film in the series, I wonder if some of the people who make this claim just say it as it seems the right thing to do.