As the title says, I do not care much for 007 Goldfinger. It’s not awful, better than like Thunderball, but it’s a very strange film. It’s got this weird car crusher scene, James does like nothing in the third act, and he’s a freakin creep. I mean, more than usual. He gets so freaking lucky, again, more than usual. I do like Goldfinger as a villian, and Oddjob is pretty cool. But I just think this movie has a very weird tone and at the same time, is kind of bland.
Bonus opinion: I really like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The tone and atmosphere are top notch, and I really like George Lazenby as James.
One does not watch Bond to be “grounded”.
If you want “grounded” spying, read “Iron Spy” by Ethan Quinn, or John Fahey’s autobiographical books “Kremlin Capers” and “Passage Prohibited:Behind the Iron Curtain”. Real spies don’t announce it to the world.
Fahey was a real Cold-War spy. Brilliant man, with a calm demeanor while under pressure. He just passed away in 2024, I think.