Classic Review: ‘Goldfinger’ Succeeds Despite Problematic Moments

Director: Guy Hamilton
Writers: Richard Maibaum, Paul Dehn
Stars: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman

Synopsis: While investigating a gold magnate’s smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.

Gooooldfingah! If you read that word correctly, you just heard Dame Shirley Bassey’s iconic voice in your head. You hear that incredible score by John Barry. You see the face of Sean Connery smirking at a one liner he’s made after a fight. Goldfinger has become the quintessential entry in the James Bond franchise. It built the formula better than the two films that came before (Dr. No and From Russia with Love) and it firmly entrenched the character into the popular mindset. 

When it comes to Bond films, the director always takes a back seat. Director Guy Hamilton deserves credit for his influence on the look and feel of the film. Hamilton’s acumen for action is uncanny. He and editor Peter Hunt create some excellent car chase sequences. The scenes of the street race James Bond (Sean Connery) and Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet) engage in through the Swiss countryside are quick and energetic. The driving gun battle 007 and Goldfinger’s henchmen engage in also expertly shows off Hamilton’s abilities to cut so that the progression of events is clear and easy to follow. It also gives a chance to show off each and every gadget in Bond’s arsenal.

It’s the gadgets that often make the movie in the world of James Bond. From the practical to the outlandish, each and every gadget shown is a way to move the plot forward and also give a bit of foreshadowing for how 007 may improvise on his mission. It’s the best part of any Bond film when Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and his underlings are shown in their element. In Goldfinger, they introduce one of the most iconic and enduring symbols of Bond’s appeal, an Aston Martin DB5. It also serves as a reminder that even though James Bond is charming and can think on his feet, he isn’t even close to the smartest guy in the room. It’s a blast to see Q take Bond down a peg and treat him like an inferior.

However, it’s never a blast to be reminded of how much these films, Goldfinger especially, are rampant with a deeply uncomfortable sexism. It’s one thing to name a strong, capable, entrepreneurial woman pilot Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). It’s another to watch as James Bond forces himself on her. It’s played as seduction, but Pussy’s body language denotes and the force James is exuding shows clearly that this physical touch is unwanted. 

The scene starts well with James and Pussy on equal footing. They show off their Judo skills tossing each other around a stable and into hay. Then James turns their play ugly. He grabs onto Pussy’s hands as she struggles underneath him. He presses against her pinning her to the ground before pushing his lips onto hers. What’s even more disgusting is when her muffled cries slowly shift into moans of pleasure as her hands stop trying to get him off of her and pull him close instead. It’s incredibly uncomfortable to watch and, mixed in with all the other scenes of Bond’s interactions with women, it’s the rotting icing on a moldy cake. Our villain’s behavior is suddenly more reasonable than this.

Bond films live or die on the backs of their antagonists and Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) is an all-timer. He’s not a man who wants to take over the world. He just wants his money to be more valuable than everyone else’s. He is cowardly and cunning in equal measure. His most famous line, delivered with relish and expert inflection by Fröbe, is a perfect encapsulation of his absolute misanthropy. Bond asks, as a laser comes ever toward severing him from his favorite body part, “Do you expect me to talk?” With a laugh Goldfinger retorts, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” The laser is so much more elaborate than a bullet to the head, but it shows Goldfinger’s brain is always working. Given the time it takes for the laser to reach its target the option to increase his windfall grows because it allows Bond to panic and to want to make a deal.

Goldfinger remains a top tier James Bond adventure because it has confidence in itself. There isn’t any worry that people won’t be on board or that they won’t be impressed because the film pulls out the stops and amps up the intrigue. There’s a comfortableness in this film because its filmmakers have a formula that is familiar, but allows room for much improvisation and playfulness. In spite of its ugly and demeaning sexism, Goldfinger is an enthralling spy story that has become a blueprint not only for the Bond films, but for the entire spy genre.

Grade: B