While most people usually cite Goldfinger as their favorite of the Connery Bond films, I will stick with the second underrated entry in the series.
Bond: Connery is still at his peak in the role exuding charm, sex appeal, machismo and humor.
The villains: Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya are excellent and create two of the most memorable villains in the Bond pantheon. Shaw's muscle-bound assassin Red Grant contributes one of the more exciting action pieces on a train. Lenya is pure malevolence and her battle with Bond using a poison spike as a weapon is terrific.
The woman: Daniela Bianchi is almost never mentioned in lists of memorable Bond women, but she is sexy, vulnerable and (unlike her predecessor Ursula Andress) actually has a compelling role in the action.
The plot is more complex and unusually grounded and believable for a Bond film. Pedro Armendariz is a delight as a fellow agent and compatriot to Bond. The action moves along at quite a fast clip and the screenplay has enough development and repartee to engage even non-Bond fans. A true gem.
Bond: Connery is still at his peak in the role exuding charm, sex appeal, machismo and humor.
The villains: Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya are excellent and create two of the most memorable villains in the Bond pantheon. Shaw's muscle-bound assassin Red Grant contributes one of the more exciting action pieces on a train. Lenya is pure malevolence and her battle with Bond using a poison spike as a weapon is terrific.
The woman: Daniela Bianchi is almost never mentioned in lists of memorable Bond women, but she is sexy, vulnerable and (unlike her predecessor Ursula Andress) actually has a compelling role in the action.
The plot is more complex and unusually grounded and believable for a Bond film. Pedro Armendariz is a delight as a fellow agent and compatriot to Bond. The action moves along at quite a fast clip and the screenplay has enough development and repartee to engage even non-Bond fans. A true gem.