Brandon Peters dissects the 007 series part 03: Goldfinger.

With Skyfall dropping in theaters in just a few months, along with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series, a close friend and fellow film nerd, Brandon Peters, has generously offered to do a comprehensive review of the entire 007 film franchise. Today is the third entry, of course dissecting the series's true breakout entry of the series, Goldfinger. I hope you enjoy what will be the start of a pretty massive feature leading up the November 9th release of Skyfall. I'll do my best to leave my two-cents out of it, give or take a few items I have up my sleeve (including a guest review from my wife as she sings the praises of her favorite 007 film, you won't believe what it is). But just because I'm stepping aside doesn't mean you should, as I can only hope for robust discussions in the comments section. Without further ado...

Goldfinger
1964

Director: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Sean Connery, Gert Frobe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton, Harold Sakata, Cec Linder


That’s as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!

~James Bond (proving he’s old and grumpy just like your dad)


STATS

Bond Girls: Jill Masterson, Pussy Galore
Kills: 6
Car: Aston Martin DB5
Locales: Latin America, Miami, Switzerland, Kentucky
Odd Villain Trait: Oddjob – super strong Korean manservant wearing a deadly steel-rimmed bowler
Song: “Goldfinger” performed by Shirley Bassey

“The pinnacle 007 film.” “The ultimate Bond adventure.” You’ll hear many a James Bond enthusiast declare Goldfinger as the best of all the 007 films. The film certainly lives up to most of its reputation, but it certainly isn’t without its demerits. It’s without a question, the biggest and largest scale adventure of the three we’ve covered so far. But is it the best? Does it hold up? How will it fair once this retrospective has finished?