Goldfinger (PG, 1964)

In GOLDGINFER, James Bond (Sean Connery) is asked to monitor Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), an international gold merchant who the British government suspects is plotting something vaguely fiendish. Goldfinger's plan is found to be a rather elaborate, dangerous assault on Fort Knox, the United States' gold reserve.

The third installment in the James Bond franchise finds Connery playing up the cheekier side of Bond for the first time, following the more serious stakes of Dr. No and From Russia With Love. The film spends far more time on Bond's gadgetry (particularly his defensively outfitted Aston Martin) and his womanizing than it does on his foiling of Goldfinger's devious scheme. More than anything else, Bond's luck and charm seem to allow him to drift in and out of danger while rather inadvertently saving the day in the end.

For these reasons, this film truly serves as the template of all subsequent Bond films. There's an emphasis on humor even in the most dire of circumstances. Connery plays Bond with seemingly little effort, and his charm is hard to resist, even when he's dismissively tapping a female friend's buttocks to push her out of the frame, telling her that it's time for "man's work." (Oh, James...).