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More than forty years after its release, Guy Hamilton's Goldfinger still sets the benchmark for each subsequent Bond entry to follow and draw comparisons with. It is the template, the archetypal 007 picture, balancing the requirements of action, gadgets, women, and so on, effortlessly and almost perfectly. The audience is never treated to a dull moment as Sean Connery's James Bond, in the best performance of his career, flits between comedy and superspy excellently, adding enough believability, intelligence and star quality to pull of an unforgettable outing. Hamilton also lets his pin-up compliment the other stars to the correct degree. In doing so, Gert Frobe's Auric Goldfinger, Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore and Harold Sakata's Oddjob are quite possibly the greatest villain, Bond girl and henchman respectively, from the entire series. The near-castration laser beam sequence with Goldfinger still makes the heart race; the flirtation with Galore has a faultless chemistry, and the final scene with Oddjob in Fort Knox, let alone at the Buckinghamshire golf course, are simply a few of the outstanding segments of the film.
Hamilton does a wonderful job of location shooting - the Miami sequence in particular being very difficult because of the unavailability of Connery whilst he was shooting Hitchcock's Marnie (1964). The aforementioned golf scene greatly increases the tension between Bond and his nemesis, the Swiss Alps look stunning, and the Americana flavour really oozes from the scenes in Kentucky. This, coupled with Q's ingenious and now world-famous Aston Martin DB5, the greatest soundtrack in the series from John Barry, and the most popular characters, lines and images from any action thriller, let alone an EON Bond film, make the third addition to Broccoli and Saltzman's franchise an absolute masterpiece.
The extras
Guy Hamilton's commentary, even though it features numerous figures, is a tad disjointed with author Lee Pfeiffer introducing us to different scenes. It is definitely a shame about the lack of a solo Connery contribution. The second commentary with some of the crew is mediocre. "On Tour with the Aston Martin DB5" featurette is very good, following the celebrated and legendary vehicle around the world on the 1964 promotional tours. Honor Blackman's interview is candid like Connery's from the set, but the latter also amplifies that insatiable arrogance! The screen tests of Theodore Bikel and Tito Vandis are interesting but overlong, but the "Making Of" documentary is first-rate. "The Goldfinger Phenomenon" is also excellent, featuring a very funny television advert Oddjob stars in. The picture and sound quality throughout the two discs are also immaculate and flawless.
The summary
Goldfinger, along with its predecessor From Russia with Love (1963), not only identify the recipe for a successful Bond film, but also for most action thrillers. Hamilton and his cast define eminence through the sheer iconography the film possesses. The ultimate James Bond film.
