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I'm renting that "zone" until next March, actually. I hope I can keep up the reviews the way I've done them outside of the Connery films, OHMSS, and the Craig films. Probably won't be an issue with Dalton's, as I love them both, but the Moore and Brosnan films are my least watched and the films I know the least about production wise, so I don't think they'll be too exhaustive.
But of course I'm the kind of person who would tell a professor at college that I'd write them a two page analysis, then I'd turn in a ten page paper the next day. I think I have a problem.
So if I ask for a 200 word essay about Goognight's negligee I will get 2000 words? :D dear @007BradyMBondFanatic?
I don't much care for Goodnight, but if you, say, requested a 500 word dissertation on the bust and bounce of Eva Green's breasts as seen in Casino Royale, I would most certainly deliver a 500,000 word mega-novel that would rock your world with its earth-shattering analyses.
Now I am faced with the more and more difficult task to rank them in an order...
DN-FRWL-GF nowadays seem all perfect to me. How can I distinguish perfect from perfect...?
Twenty-someodd years ago, when VHS tapes were the state-of-the-art medium for storing movies (for the general public anyway -- twenty years before that we never even considered being able to HAVE movies available for home viewing whenever we wanted them!) a friend of mine contacted me out of the blue. She had a yen to watch Goldfinger, and she figured if anybody she knew would own a copy of it, that somebody would be me. Yes, I had a copy I was willing to loan her...and at the same time, I loaned her my copy of From Russia With Love. I advised her that many Bond fans thought FRWL a superior film to GF. "Watch them both and let me know what you think," I asked her.
So a week or so later, she returned both films. Yes, she could understand why some devotees would gauge FRWL a better film -- but she didn't care. She had simply enjoyed GF more. It had all the classic elements, not just MOST of them...it had the Aston Martin and the Golden Girl, it had Oddjob and Pussy Galore and the laser beam with the snappy repartee between Bond and Goldfinger ("Do you expect me to talk?") It had Shirley Bassey and the Ken Adams sets and it just hit all the buttons in exactly the right way.
So now that I've had another twenty-someodd years to consider the issue...I think maybe she's right. Personally, I'm always going to have a soft spot in my heart for FRWL -- it was the first Bond film I was ever aware of back in 1963, before GF was even released -- but GF might just end up at the top of my list before this weekend is over.
One last point I'd like to make re: FRWL...many fans debate the question of, "Who is the main villain in FRWL?" Some hold with Blofeld, some with Klebb...most consider Grant a henchman. I think this assessment is coming at the issue from a faulty premise at base. Most Bond films treat 007 as something of a superhero, rather than a professional agent of espionage. He has his costume (the tux) and his version of the Batman's batgear (the car, the various gadgets) and his own special powers (his way with the ladies, his luck in the casino, his phenomenal capacity for alcohol.) As a superhero, he works best when facing off against a distinctive villain. Batman needs a Joker, Superman needs a Luthor, James Bond 007 needs a Goldfinger or a Doctor No. FRWL is one of the few Bond movies that treats Bond as a more-or-less real spy. He's facing a honey-trap, his goal is a decoding machine, his main weapon is a briefcase with a gun, a knife, and some money in it. His adversaries in this movie are a troika, not a single villain, and each of them has an essential part to play. Grant, Kronstein, and Klebb have more or less equal roles in the plot. In my opinion, the question, "Who is the main villain in this film?" largely misses one of the most important aspects OF the film.
While I find FRWL to be better overall, and though my love of GF has waned in some ways over the years, it is a vital part of why the 60s are still the suitably "golden" age of Bond, and it's a significant reason why I'm here now doing this crazy Bondathon.
My Bond story began with GF. My friend and I were around 14 to 15 years of age, sitting in one of our history classes in high school. In a quiet moment, we started discussing movies that we loved. When he brought up Bond, he was shocked at how indifferent I was to the subject, and more still that I had never seen Sean Connery's films in the series, much less the others. Before we left each other that day, he was emphatic that I needed to see them, post haste.
I must have done a little research on Connery's Bond films after that talk with my friend-enough to know their titles at least-because some two weeks later I was bored one night finding myself surfing Turner Classic Movies, a channel in the states that plays famous classic movies from the 1920s to the 70s. Imagine my surprise then, when I saw a film called Goldfinger was being shown, which I recognized as being a Bond film. I caught the movie right as Bond was slinking around Goldfinger's Swiss factory, and once I realize it was a Connery Bond film, I took it as the intervention of a cinematic God on my behalf who was urging me to give these films a shot. And sure enough, I watched it all and was endlessly captivated by the handsome and dangerous man in the finely tailored suits.
After that point I spent months searching for Bond DVDs of the Connery era, until I had collected them all in special editions and had re-watched them to hell. The next summer I was off from school a channel on TV ran a three month celebration of Bond during that season where I saw most of the other Bonds, including doing more repeat viewings of the Connery films. It was also during this time that I fell madly in love with Casino Royale and Daniel Craig as Bond. After that summer, nothing was the same for me ever again.
Some 7 or 8 years later, here I am, all because of Goldfinger, and I've grown leaps and bounds as a fan and in the knowledge I carry of my favorite franchise. Now every time my meet up again with my best friend who urged me all those years ago to get into Bond I make his head spin as I go on long-winded analyses of the films and the importance they have to cinema and the larger Bond series. More than once I've looked him directly in the eyes and told him, "Look at the monster you've created."
Without having that random discussion with him in the middle of class in the middle of teenage fever, and if I'd not scanned my TV past TCM to see that Goldfinger was screening that fateful night, who knows if I'd have ever found myself here with you lovely folks. It's amazing how the little moments in life can lead to such massive ripples, and how your life could be so very different without those moments that on the face of them seem so random and insignificant when they first occur.
@0BradyM0Bondfanatic7
Isn't this franchise beautiful.
There you have two seemingly totally different movies sitting next to each other, made only with one year difference in time.
Both loved by many, most have a preference for one or the other I guess. Both movies are classics, not only because they are 60s films but because of the Connery era, those two must be the very best in the sense what they did for the franchise and what they brought to us.
If you combine all of FRWL and GF you get the ultimate 007 adventure. Isn't there something from those movies in really all of their successors!
Maybe OHMSS was the only other film that brought something new to the series that served as a blueprint for many of the following films.
Personally I immediately loved Goldfinger when I saw it for the first, second, third time circa 1990.
FRWL I loved as well, not as much as GF though. What really resonated with me greatly was the Hitchcock feel FRWL has in many places, namely from the beginning of the train sequence to the very end of the movie, but also before that. I was already hugely into Hitchcock as a young teen.
Over the years both films stayed firmly in my Top 10, being the only Connery movies that did so. It never changed and since a decade both movies are so close together in my ranking that it's a tie. It's a tie. A TIE.
I have settled with it. There's nothing to add for me. When I talk of my Top 6 which is made of 6 different actors I always say GF/FRWL, if I must choose it's GF, simply because I love it a bit more back in the day.
Personal preference and trying to think objectively is something different, so I can honestly say I feel FRWL is the best made Bond film, technically. And I often do so when asked or posting what I feel the ultimate Bond adventure is.
In my subjective ranking of the Bonds, Connery always had spot 6. After Brosnan, Dalton, Lazenby, Moore. Craig managed to sneak by Moore in 2006.
GE TLD OHMSS CR OP GF/FRWL this is my magic formula since 10 (CR), respectively 20 years.
Yes, Spectre might just sit on top of that "holy" 6, it does for now anyway.
I want to take notes on these films to really deliver good analyses, but when they disrupt my viewing of these films, I really don't like that or think it's worth it.
It can bring out the "weakness" of a set, yes.
Overall though, HD is the best thing that could have happened to the home media world.
Films like LTK, DN, FYEO or CR67 are a visual feast on a 4K TV Set.
Just because I prefer not to describe a woman of a certain age as a girl doesn't mean that you're proscribed. Have a Happy Birthday!
1) GOLDFINGER
2) FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
3) DR. NO
Richard Maibaum's script (oh, all right -- with the help of Paul Dehn) fine-tuned one of Ian Fleming's more outlandish novels and brought it just barely into the realm of plausibility. Guy Hamilton's direction added the perfect tongue-in-cheek touch, and gave Desmond Llewellyn the insight needed to make the colorless Major Boothroyd character become the franchise's much-beloved Q. Shirley Bassey's bombastic rendition of the theme song propels the film into the public consciousness in a whole new way...and suddenly, James Bond was a phenomenon! No mere film series this, not any longer. Bond was now an icon, and Goldfinger was the fuse that lit the explosion.
Current Ranking:
1. FRWL
2. DN
3. GF
Previous Ranking:
1. FRWL
2. CR
3. OHMSS
4. GE
5. SF
6. MR
7. TSWLM
8. DN
9. GF
10. TND
11. FYEO
12. TLD
13. YOLT
14. TB
15. DAF
16. TMWTGG
17. LALD
18. SP
19. LTK
20. DAD
21. OP
22. AVTAK
23. TWINE
24. QOS
Yesterday I watched the immortal Goldfinger. In fact I had to check my hype and put Goldfinger out of my mind for a while.
Ever since rediscovering my love for Goldfinger about a year ago, I always look forward to popping Goldfinger into my Blu-Ray player – in fact I was so eager to see Goldfinger again, that I was rather impatient to get through Dr. No and From Russia With Love. (Mind you, that didn’t have any implications on those two films.)
My top four Bond films are set in stone – From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Casino Royale and Dr. No. Then a bit of a gap ‘till the rest. My top untouchable four will henceforth be known as my top untouchable five. Yes, that’s right friends, Goldfinger (at last some might say!) has joined them.
It’s been a meteoric rise for Goldfinger in my rankings for the past year or so. Outside the top ten for awhile. Then top ten in 2015. Then top five in 2016.
Goldfinger represents an artistic turning point for the series. Compared to its forebears, it lacks that slightly callous and hard edge. Then again it hits a sublime balance between the world of Fleming and the cinematic Bond. The tone of Goldfinger is more stylised than the Terence Young's films that bookend it - the filmic Goldfinger took its cue from Fleming's novel which, for me at least, is his most laid back and expansive. In the novel we get an iconic set of characters brought straight to the screen, not to mention Bond's first spy car and an extra emphasis on the hardware. Of course the way the film utilises these is really the difference between the cinematic and literary Bond's, but the spirit of Fleming's writing is retained, even if the context has been altered.
Still, Goldfinger has just the right proportions of escapism, coolness, sexiness, danger, tension, romance and espionage. In short, Goldfinger is one of the most perfectly balanced films in the canon; we get a superb Bond/M exchange; golden roles fleshed out by some great casting and Barry and Adam get into their stride. I adore the 60’s Bond movies because of these two geniuses. I can't say enough about Sean Connery's performance as 007 who is in magnificent form. Every line, every movement is perfect. In Goldfinger, Connery is really a pleasure to watch.
Luckily I wasn't afflicted with the most serious of diseases, "Goldfinger fatigue", which is brought about seeing Goldfinger too many times on TV, or on ones home entertainment system, where by one is overdosing on the film. I had it in the past. But recently I've been recovering. I always appreciated Goldfinger for its iconography, and what it has done for the series, but I've come to appreciate the film itself, again.
The thing that stood out to me this run through, was the sparkling dialogue between Goldfinger and Bond. Frobe/Collins really nail the role of Goldfinger. Just take this moment – Pussy and Auric are relaxing on the porch with their mint juleps. Auric makes a move on Pussy, touching her hand, which Pussy rejects. Auric taps the table. A superb characterisation.
Goldfinger is really quite mad. He’s been planning operation grand slam for 15 years. He’s an egomaniac. He’s such a showman, that he designed his rumpus room for his grand standing in front of the gangsters. That room is only designed to be used once. Auric doesn’t even need to discuss his plans for Grand Slam – he could just gas the gangsters and be done with it. But no – Goldfinger is a showman. “So did I”. Just delicious.
Lucky for Bond that he was present during Goldfinger’s speech. Even more lucky for Bond, looking for an escape from the Korean guards when he was snooping in Auric Enterprises, stumbled upon Goldfinger’s method for smuggling gold and he overheard the phrase that would save his life later – Grand Slam. Bond is a lucky so and so, isn’t he?
One thing that has always bothered me is the dialogue between the gangsters. “What’s that map doing there?”, is my particular favourite. Just awful. I'm glad they were gassed.
Royale’s Ranking -
1. From Russia With Love
2. Dr. No
3. Goldfinger
FRWL is simply one of the few perfect films we have in the Bond series in every way. The entire Connery era, especially these early ones are just on a whole other level to everything else, almost embarrassingly so. I feel so fortunate that DN, FRWL, GF and TB exist, and in such fine remasters to enjoy long into the future. I won't have as much fun for the entire rest of this Bondathon than the joy I have had in engrossing myself in Connery's classics again, the films than made me the fan I am today.
1. GF
2. FRWL
3. DN
Previous ranking.
1. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. On Her Majestys Secret Service
3. Casino Royale
4. From Russia With Love
5. Skyfall
6. Goldfinger
7. Octopussy
8. Spectre
9. Dr No
10. The Living Daylights
11. Goldeneye
12. Live And Let Die
13. Licence To Kill
14. A View To A Kill
15. For Your Eyes Only
16. Moonraker
17. Thunderball
18. Quantum Of Solace
19. Diamonds Are Forever
20. Tomorrow Never Dies
21. You Only Live Twice
22. The Man With The Golden Gun
23. Die Another Day
24. The World Is Not Enough
Quite. I made a conscious decision a couple of years ago to put the critical part of my mind to bed and just let the movie play out in front of me. As each time I watched a Bond film, I was always critiquing said movie. As a consequence I found my enjoyment was impaired.
Therefore I will rank them for my viewing experience in this Bondathon and forgo my usual ranking.
1. DN
2. GF
3. FRWL
Goldfinger is unlikely to be as fine a piece of cinema as FRWL to the discerning film critic, but it's as true a representation of the Bond phenomenon as any, along with the likes of You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me.
As such, and because I simply love Goldfinger to bits,
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr No
Connery is superb once again. His confidence in the role is awe-inspiring. He shows his vulnerability strapped to the rack with a laser trained on his vitals, but otherwise in total control, even when imprisoned by Goldfinger.
Connery really is a fine actor. His performance in the scene where he finds Gill's dead body is a master class in film acting. Robert Mitchum once told an unimpressed director that he delivered everything asked of him in a particular scene. When the director saw the rushes he realised Mitchum was right, because less is more as they say.
This film introduces the excesses that made the series so popular. Bond stripping off a wet suit to show an immaculate dinner jacket underneath; the Aston Martin; the spectacularly other worldy henchman. Anyone criticising this sort of thing in Bond films simply doesn't understand Bond films. It was these excesses that placed Bond apart from everyone else. It's why we are all still here talking about them 50 odd years later.
That's all from me for now..I'm hungry.
Sean Connery - Man, he's certainly found his feet in this role. Again, he is brilliant; cool, calm and collected. From his first scene, where we see him disguised and then into his white tux, he is brilliant. Such confidence throughout, a great performance again.
Bond girl/s and performance
It's a shame we didn't get to see a return for Sylvia Trench but we certainly, and no disrespect, didn't miss her.
First up, we had Bonita, but her appearance was short lived as she was intent on setting up Bond, however, Bond puts a stop to that by showing his ruthless side and ensuring she takes the blow from Capungo.
Jill Masterson - quite possibly, and probably, the most iconic Bond girl of all time. Even though she isn't in the movie for a massive amount of time, the scene with painted in gold paint is one of the most memorable scenes in all Bond movies. Shirley Eaton is great. Amazing how Bond can charm a woman into the sack within 2 minutes of meeting her as he did with Jill.
Pussy Galore - another Bond iconic Bond girl, if only for her name. Honor Blackman is great as the woman who is more than a match for Bond. She may not have the glamorous looks of some who have come before, or who will come in the future, but I find her extremely sexy; especially with that husky voice she has. A great Bond girl who gives as good as she gets.
Bond henchman and performance
Oddjob - what can I say, this movie keeps bringing us such memorable and iconic characters all the way through. Harold Sakata is great as Oddjob, even though he doesn't have any dialogue apart from the "Ah ah" at odd times. The character is menacing before we actually get to see him; the scene where he knocks out Bond and all we see is his hand and shadow gives him some decent menace. Another thing that stands out for me is his smirk, gives Oddjob so much more character.
Bond villain/s and performance
I don't need to say it but we have another memorable character in Goldfinger. I can ask friends, who are non-Bond fans, about movies, villains etc. that they no and Goldfinger is always the first one their list. Gert Frobe is quite brilliant as the titular villain and another reason why I am putting this higher in my next ranking.
Supporting cast performances
M - Bernard Lee brings his A game again. A wonderful actor and one who gives off such an aura of authority, it's easy to see why Bond looks like a naughty boy when speaking to him.
Moneypenny - The wonderful Lois Maxwell has a great little scene with 007. I love that 007 has come out of his meeting with M in not such a good mood but Moneypenny soon has him giving what we like to see.
Q - So, we now know that we have Q. Desmond Llewellyn shows us what is ahead with this character. A great first, proper Bond and Q scene here. I love how Q is the strict tutor to Bond's naughty little schoolboy. A super scene and both Connery and Llewellyn are great together.
Felix Leiter - Cec Linder is ok as Leiter but so far removed from the Leiter that we got with Jack Lord.
Well, he is an expert on brandies
He won't drink Dom Perignon 53 unless it's at the correct temperature (which he can tell by feeling the bottle)
He plays a mean game of golf.
He doesn't take no for an answer from a beautiful woman (as Pussy found out)
During the meeting with the Bank of England about Goldfinger there is a moment after Bond has been his usual pompous know it all self correctly identifying the problems with a particularly 'indifferent' brandy, that we catch M sniffing the brandy with half a puzzled expression.
This is a brilliant and funny moment from Bernard Lee. We get a similar scene later in Diamonds Are Forever, and we should never forget or underestimate how good Lee was as M.
The original and best 'Q Scene'. So good in fact they still can't resist remaking it to this day. There's no deliberate mocking of Q here, Bond is bored and ever so slightly put out by it all, but he always remains respectful of Q and his amazing toys.
Felix Leiter - bland to the extreme. Possibly the largest part Felix had in any Bond film, and I think I had seen Goldfinger 5 times before I noticed he was in the film.
I'm not enamoured of the girls in this one, compared to the first two films, and Thunderball which followed.
Honor Blackman is voluptuous indeed, and Shirley Eaton is gorgeous, but overall they failed to hit the dizzy heights of earlier ladies.
I noticed that Gill says "May I see?" to Bond before he switches the mic off, so Goldfinger must have heard her collaborating with Bond.
Tania Mallet was terrible.
Best of all is Gert Frobe and Harold Sakata. Can't recall who provided the voice for Goldfinger, but it was a perfect combination of voice and character.
Goldfinger's love of gold spilled over into his private life in the most amusing ways - Mai Li's costume on board the plane, and the gold encrusted goblet she served a cocktail in to Bond.
And even at the end when Goldfinger had devised an escape plan by having an army uniform under his coat, he still gave the authorities every chance to spot him by the sheer conceit of producing a golden revolver. A funny moment showing Goldfinger to be too arrogant for his own good.
Seeing Bond slip out of his wetsuit to reveal a dashing dinner suit (white jacket) was simultaneously absurd and awesome but Connery pulls it off with such natural charisma like it's the most ordinary thing in the world and to then see him swagger into a club, eye the dancing beauty, look at his Rolex watch, light up his cigarette and then BOOM! The series has yet to match let alone surpass such a slick moment.
After the casually brutal "shocking" scene involving Bonita (a woman that aptly fits Vesper's line about Bond perceiving woman as disposable pleasures) and a goon, Bond literally closes the door on the PTS and we're introduced to the bombastic and iconic sound of Barry's musical theme sung with a powerful, energetic and enigmatic majesty by Shirley Bassey that grabs viewers by the throat and forcefully ensnares the senses to pay attention to the film.
After Bassey's phenomenal performance we're treated to Barry's comfy jazz pop sound, 'into Miami' where we get a lovely sweeping view of Miami before we're reintroduced to Bond who thinks he's on holiday, introduced to the second actor to play Felix, the lovely Margaret Nolan's Dink and of course Gertrude Frobe's Auric Goldfinger.
From the very start, there's no messing about in identifying who and what the characters are. Goldfinger is quickly established as a person of considerable interest and surprise-surprise the first thing we see him doing is cheating at a game of gin; aided by his sultry accomplice Jill Masterson. Bond figures out quickly what Goldfinger is upto and decides to get a better "view". He runs into Jill, introduces himself like only Bond can and not only sabotages Goldfinger's subterfuge but humiliates him further by "stealing" Jill.
To avoid accidentally summarising the whole film, I'll simply say that Goldfinger is a highly entertaining film that is cited as the blueprint for the succeeding films to follow and although it can be argued that Bond relatively has little to do in this film, Connery's performance is as sure, captivating and charismatic as ever that leaves a lasting impression more than 50 years later.
Frobe as Goldfinger is my favourite villain of the series. There's something humorous and real about him as a character that resonates with me in ways that other villains in the series do not. His frustration with Bond's interference tickles me every time and then of course his 2 great momentd; "No Mr. Bond I expect you to die" and his Fort Knox speech.
The film is very much a quintessential 60s movie. We travel from somewhere in South America to Miami, to London, to Switzerland and thenbtobtge US; all these locations utilised without it ever feeling likevexcessive country hopping.
The film also bosts a bunch of pppulating beauties and taking centre stage is Pussy Galore, who's introduction calls upon one of the best reactions ever. Pussy is smart, tough, no nonsense and is a damn good pilot who in the end and perhaps controversially succumbs to Connery's animal magnetism.
We're also introduced to the classic and yet again iconic DB5, full of all sorts of gadgets that we get to see in riveting action as well as for humorous and rather mean effect.
All in all Goldfinger is a fun film. I think it's not as strong as FRWL but on its own it's mostly a joy to watch and in addition to starting Bondmania it set the benchmark for Hollywood blockbusters.
Same as FRWL, my opinion hasn't changed. I just love that James Bond theme.
PTS
A longer pts than we see in FRWL and one where we actually get to see Bond himself on a job. I love this pts, he sets a bomb, walk ever so calmly into a bar, bomb blows and then he goes for the lady, only to get into a fight. For just over 4 minutes that is quite a lot of action to fit in there. It's a great pts and one that ends with, probably, the second most famous line in a Bond movie.
Locations
All the locations look great, and a lot brighter than in FRWL. Miami and Kentucky look good but Switzerland is the best looking of locations. The little car chase with Bond and Tilly looks stunning thanks to the backdrop of Switzerland.
Gadgets
Another iconic gadget on show here, the Aston Martin DB5 with all the extras that any spy could ask for. From the number plate valid in all countries to the ejector seat. The car is iconic and we have seen it in more movies over the years. I know some say that it has been flogged to death by Mendes but that is certainly something that I don't have an issue with. The homing device is something else that Bond makes use of. While the larger one works nicely to enable him to follow Goldfinger, the other is pretty useless. One, Leiter and M feel that Bond is on top of things (why activate the homing device then?) and then it promptly gets smashed up at the car wreckers.
Action
Great action in this movie, whether it's a fight, a car chase with Goldinfgers Chinese henchmen or the finale of the plane falling to earth. It's a non-stop ride and I noticed that the movie just passed by so quickly. I may have to watch it again before carrying on with Thunderball.
Humor
Plenty of humor in this movie that always makes me laugh, "I never joke about my work 007", "Shocking......positively shocking" and all the other one liners we hear during the movie. Other little things that make me laugh are the looks on Bonds face when he is being told by M, when Oddjob crushes the golf ball and when Pussy finds him spying under the rumpus room and he realizes it's her. Great stuff and not too much.
Plot plausibility
As I said last time, this is a Bond movie and the credibility of this plot is like any other movie. No issues here.
Villain’s scheme
As we will see more and more the villain’s scheme in any Bond movie is, certainly, out there and this is no exception. However, thing I will say about Goldfingers scheme is that, while it initially seems to be a ploy to rob Fort Knox, which would be really out there, it just isn't; all he wants is to ensure that his own gold is worth so much more than that of anywhere else. Goldfinger is nothing but greedy, proved from the first time we see him having to cheat at gin rummy and then cheating during the golf match between himself and Bond, it's the theme throughout the movie. Goldfinger is nothing but a greedy villain.
The "Shocking. Positively shocking" line has a lot to answer for. It set a trend for silly puns that generations of Bond actors have failed miserably, unlike Connery, to deliver.
The Aston Martin is Bond's most famous and popular 'gadget'. A true Swiss army knife of motor vehicles.
The action is sparse and possibly poorly paced, but it's terrific and often ground-breaking.
The plot is refreshingly clever. So much in fact it has been 'borrowed' in further Bond adventures such as A View To A Kill and The World Is Not Enough.
It isn't always well executed in this film, especially the business with the gangsters (sloppy), and the drawn out sequences when the attack on Fort Knox happens (simply not tense or exciting enough), but overall it's clever and perfectly involving.