Goldfinger

Austin Fodder

Now that I own Austin Powers on DVD, I feel compelled to catch up on my Bond. I'm surprised how much comes directly from Goldfinger.

Villainy

Gert Fröbe seems just right for a villain. He's testy when he needs to be, coolheaded when he needs to be, and just generally rude. The megalomania streak is present without being overdone, and he has one of those accents that just tells you there's evil there. His plan is exceedingly clever, so much so that it was recycled as a cover in Die Hard 3. As for the question of henchmen, Harold Sakata's Oddjob is everything a Bond-stopper should be: insanely strong, able to withstand hits he shouldn't be able to withstand, and dedicated. The lack of humor in Desmond Llewelyn's performance as Q flies in the face of what I expected. Perhaps his turn in Tomorrow Never Dies was misleading.