The basic elements of Bond were all there from Dr No (Maurice Binder credits, theme music, super villains, sidekicks, so on) and From Russia with Love added more (pre credit sequence, henchmen, Q) but this was the one that really set them in stone. Indeed, in future Bonds it seemed Goldfinger was the one that the filmmakers would refer back to - a pre credit sequence with Bond doing something, a villain with dreams of global world domination, martini shaken not stirred; indeed the structure of the movie would often be copied in later Bonds.
It has one of the best gadgets (Aston Martin with ejector seat), best henchmen (Odd job, with his killer hat and karate chop), best girl who is killed (Shirley Eaton - very winning and sexy), best villain plan (contaminate the world's gold supply at Fort Knox), best Bond girl name (Pussy Galore) and some incredible visual images: naked Eaton painted all gold, Bond strapped to a table with a laser aimed at his crotch, Pussy Galore in black leather and her flying troupe, Odd Job lopping the head off a statue, the gold at Fort Knox.
It's also got one of the most complex and imposing villains in Gert Frobe's Goldfinger - at first he's introduced as a buffoon, sunburned in a silly hat, cheating at cards... but then he has Shirley Eaton killed. He's an idiot again at golf but then he gets Odd Job to take out a statue. And he's got that great plan.
I'm never a fan of American Bond girls and Honor Blackman's accent would grate but she's actually a lot of fun (Blackman was British of course playing American). She's helped by a great introduction - out of focus as Bond regains consciousness, hearing her name and going "I must be dreaming". And she's also the smartest and most spirited Bond heroine to date - a pilot, very smart, adapt at judo, no naive pussycat.
Cec Linder is a particularly unmemorable Felix Leiter even by the low standards of that role; Tania Mallett is bland as Jill Masterton. The American gangsters aren't that great - I kept wishing there was more of an international rogues' gallery (is there really any point to have them in the movie other than to show Goldfinger as a badass which is already established? There's around ten minutes of them dedicated to him giving all this exposition to the gangsters who are just killed).
The script is full of clever "bits" - Bond seeing his reflection in the eyes of a girl he's kissing, Bond escaping from a gaol cell by outwitting his gaoler, death via gold paint, how he kills Odd Job. The final action sequence with Goldfinger on the plane and Pussy Galore conveniently there always felt tacked on. Still, a deserved classic. Wonderful theme song.
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