Binge-watching Bond part 3: 'Goldfinger'

Sean Connery as James Bond

This remains the most iconic Bond movie -- and it's easy to see why. It's got several memorable, original set pieces -- the laser beam aimed at 007's private parts, the dead girl coated in gold paint, Oddjob with his deadly bowler hat and the quintessential Bond car -- the Aston Martin.

This was the film that propelled the Bond series into the stratosphere and made the secret agent one of the most beloved characters of all time.

It's also the film that introduced more fantastical plots and action to the series, which had previously been at least somewhat plausible. It's a wonderful adventure, with a great villain and all the classic elements we love about Bond films.

That said, it also has the most gratuitously sexist behavior of any Bond movie, which has not helped the film age very well. At one point Connery literally dismisses one of his conquests by saying "Man talk" and slapping her on the behind. It's hard to defend a movie that has a scene like that.

But viewed in the context of the area in which it was released, Goldfinger was -- forgive the bad pun -- the gold standard in action films. It raised the bar in terms of sex and violence, but also sophistication. Holding it all together is Connery, who's grown so confident in the role at this point that is understandable that for so many years he couldn't shake the perception that he was Bond.

He's quick with the quips here, more so than in the first two films but he never loses his grit and recklessness, which is what distinguishes his 007 from some of the ones that followed. He is rebellious and impertinent, chafing under M's leadership. He is also industrious and clever, outsmarting his enemies at just the right time to save his life.

The plot is a doozy: the title character is attempting to gain a monopoly on all the world's gold. In the midst of trying to topple him, Bond encounters a bevy of beauties, most notably the outrageously named Pussy Galore. This character presents the ultimate contradiction in this movie. She is tough, independent -- she runs her own fleet of female-piloted planes and yet she succumbs to Bond's charm in an overtly rape-y scene that is uncomfortable to watch in a modern setting.

Still, I love Goldfinger, it's definitely ranked among my favorite Bond films of all time and it is undeniably one of the series highest points. The rest of Connery's Bonds are good but they never topped this one.

Liz's take: It's gonna be hard for the others to top this one. It is the best. It has the best villain, the best song, the best henchman -- the best Pussy. I know this one should be the one I like the least because it's so problematic but I don't care because it's amazing.

It's looks the best of the ones I've seen so far. The sets are glamorous, stylized and cool.

What I love about Oddjob, is that you are anticipating a showdown with Bond for the whole movie. And he is so formidable that you know 007 can't beat him in a physical fight, so it's fun figuring out how Bond will outsmart him.

I like that Bond encounters the villain earlier in the movie and you have these scenes between the two of them where they have real interplay so the finale pays off more.

What I liked about Goldfinger is that he is purely driven by greed and money and there's something inherently terrifying about that to me.