Goldfinger - Gold standard Bond

Dr No was good, From Russia With Love was great, but the third Connery offering really set the standard for future Bond movies. It really does have everything: one of the most memorable henchmen (`Oddjob'), a villain with some of the most evil lines ever, "No, Mr Bond, I expect you to DIE!" and girls with the most - how should I put it? - interesting names, i.e. `Pussy Galore.'

Really, what more do you want from a Bond film? Whether you're watching it alone for the action, or as part of a Saturday afternoon family viewing, it works for everyone. It centres around a megalomaniac gold dealer, Goldfinger to be precise, and his attempts at destroying the U.S.'s gold reserves in Fort Knox. Obviously, Bond has something to say about this and sets about stopping him. It's also the first Connery Bond film that doesn't rely on `Spectre' as the bad guys, proving that Bond doesn't need his arch enemy to make a good adventure.

If you like how Bond used to be before the `seriousness' of the Daniel Craig era then Goldfinger is the pinnacle of Connery's time in the Aston Martin's hotseat and, even after all these years, is still up there with the best of Bond's output.

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