List of James Bond henchmen in Goldfinger

A list of henchmen from the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger from the List of James Bond henchmen.

Oddjob

This article is about the James Bond henchman. For the graphic novel, see Oddjob (graphic novel).

Oddjob
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Harold Sakata

Oddjob is a henchman to the villain Auric Goldfinger in the film and novel. In the film he was played by the Hawaiian actor Harold Sakata.

Oddjob is one of the most popular characters in the Bond series. He is superior in unarmed combat skills to Bond in both film and novel, and therefore must be killed by application of superior cunning (by uncontrolled decompression in the book and electrocution in the film).

The character of Oddjob, from his unusual appearance, manners, strength and method of killing, forms the archetype for many privileged senior henchmen of the Bond film series, including Tee Hee, Jaws, Gobinda, Stamper, and Zao.

Novel

Oddjob's real name is unknown. He is named by Goldfinger as that describes his duties to his employer. Korean-born (all Goldfinger's staff are Korean), he is extremely strong, proven in one sequence where he breaks the railing of a staircase with his hand and a mantel with his foot. Oddjob is described as being a squat man with arms like thighs and black teeth. A black belt at karate, Oddjob is also an expert with a bow and arrow, and with his metal, razor-edged throwable bowler hat. He has a cleft palate that renders his speech unintelligible to everyone except Goldfinger.

In addition to killing people who might cause trouble for Goldfinger, Oddjob functions as his personal guard, chauffeur, and manservant (though not his golf caddy, as depicted in the film). He has a taste for cats as food, apparently acquired in Korea when food was in short supply (Bond frames Goldfinger's yellow cat for destruction of surveillance film, and as punishment, sees the cat given to Oddjob for dinner). He is killed when Bond uses a knife to shatter the window next to his seat on an airplane, which depressurises the plane and blows Oddjob out of the window, a fate transferred to Auric Goldfinger in the film version.

Film

In the beginning of the film, Oddjob is first seen only via silhouette against a wall as he knocks Bond unconscious at the Fontainebleau Hotel, after which he or Goldfinger kills Jill Masterton (with whom Bond had spent the night) through "skin suffocation" by painting her entire body with gold paint. When Bond meets Goldfinger for a game of golf, Oddjob is seen for the first time in full. He only has four lines of sparse dialogue throughout the film: in the first, upon pretending to have found Goldfinger's missing golf ball, he exclaims "Aha!" The second time, after killing Tilly Masterton, he instructs his men to dispose of her body by merely pointing at them and saying "Ah! Ah!" In the third, he says "Ah!" to order Bond to put on a gas mask before entering Fort Knox. His final line is a scream of pain when he is killed.

Oddjob acts as Goldfinger's personal chauffeur, bodyguard and golf caddy. He wears what appears to be a bowler hat (though at times it looks like a top hat) lined with a metal razor disk in the rim, using it as a lethal flying disc of sorts (this is a bowler hat in the novel, and as such, would have had a round top). It is very powerful, capable of decapitating a stone statue. He later uses it to kill Tilly Masterton by breaking her neck. Physically he is extremely strong and durable, demonstrating his strength in a number of scenes including one where he crushes a golf ball with one hand, as well as during the climactic fight scene with Bond in which he is struck in the chest by a gold bar thrown at him, and struck in the head with a wooden object used as a club. He barely flinches after both these attacks, and is otherwise practically invincible against Bond's futile hand-to-hand combat tactics. However, he is never mentioned to be a karate expert.

His demeanour remains constant throughout the film. Most of the time he is seen to smile broadly whenever he encounters Bond—even during their fight scene. The only time he shows anything resembling fear or wariness is when Bond attempts to use his own hat against him. When thrown at him, however, Oddjob simply leans to the side and dodges the hat with ease, causing it to get stuck between a pair of metal bars. When he goes to retrieve his hat and tries to pull it free, Bond grabs a sparking wire severed by the hat earlier on and thrusts the open end onto the bars. The electric current transfers to the bars and then to the metal in the hat's rim, which electrocutes Oddjob and kills him. (In the T.V. show "James Bond Jr.," it is suggested that Oddjob was merely knocked unconscious for the police to take him away.)

Other appearances

• Oddjob has appeared in the James Bond video games GoldenEye 007 and James Bond 007: Nightfire as a playable character for use in multiplayer modes.

• • In Nightfire, he can use his hat as a unique throwing weapon that returns after 30 seconds.

• In GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, Oddjob is a henchman of Goldfinger, and initially a companion of GoldenEye. He is killed when GoldenEye tosses him over a rail into a pit inside the Hoover Dam after he betrays and attacks GoldenEye for unknown reasons.

• In the Game Boy game James Bond 007, Oddjob appears multiple times as a henchman for the game's main villain, General Golgov. The first time is when Bond encounters Oddjob at his hotel room in Maccarech. The two fight, and Bond is defeated and left stranded in a desert. Later on, Bond trails Oddjob to Tibet, only to be captured. Bond escapes confinement and obtains a shield to protect him from Oddjob's hats, which he uses to deflect back at him. Notably, in this game Oddjob actually speaks.

• Oddjob appears in the animated series James Bond Jr. with a top hat, sunglasses and hip-hop style clothes, revealing that the electrocution did not kill him, but knocked him unconscious for the Americans to arrest him before he escapes again in the series (Also, in the series, Oddjob speaks on his later appearances.)

• Oddjob is a playable multiplayer character in the 2010 video game GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo Wii.

In popular culture

Oddjob's lethal hat ranked tenth in a 2008 20th Century Fox poll of the most popular film weapons, which surveyed approximately two thousand films fans.^[1] Oddjob has also inspired the following characters:

• In the Italian parody film "Due Mafiosi Contro Goldginger" released in 1965, the equivalent of Oddjob is a huge black man called Moloch (played by ex-wrestler Alejandro Barrera) dressed in a black suit and bowler hat, who throws a deadly shoe to kill his opponents.

• In the Norwegian parody film Kill Buljo: The Movie (2007), Buljo's bodyguard is named Blow Job (played by strongwoman and powerlifter Heidi Nilima Monsen) - a tough woman dressed in black suit and bowler hat. Her favorite activity is throwing cops around.

• In the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Oddjob is parodied by a character called Random Task, who throws his shoe as a weapon.

• Another parody is in the game Fur Fighters, where a hat-throwing bear called Oddfelt appears in the last level.

• Leonardo Leonardo's publicist Plug is a parody of Oddjob in Clerks: The Animated Series.

• Oddjob's trademark hat-throwing technique can also be seen in Toy Story 2, in which Mr. Potato-Head throws his own bowler hat to prevent two doors from closing.

• In the Mortal Kombat video game series, a recurring character named Kung Lao has a similar blade-rimmed hat that can be thrown at opponents.

• In the video game Alone in the Dark 2, an undead pirate nicknamed Black Hat has a blade-rimmed hat that he can throw at the protagonist Edward Carnby.

• Spider-Man has fought in a one-page Hostess advertisement a supervillain called "Demolition Derby" who throws his derby hat that bounces and cuts Spider-Man's webbing [1].

• Daredevil once fought a supervillain called Torpedo, who threw a cutting hat just like Oddjob. Daredevil remarked that he didn't expect Torpedo to pull an "oddjob" on him.

• Also in one episode of the Warner Bros. cartoon show Duck Dodgers, Daffy Duck throws a hat to save himself during a mission and later says that he had learned it from someone called "Odd Ball", in which they cut to a scene where Oddjob angrily says, "Odd Ball?!!" -- something that may prove that who Daffy meant is not a parody but the same Oddjob as in the movie/novel.

• Oddduck - a "F.O.W.L" (Darkwing Duck) henchman, is a parody of Oddjob, when he is ordered to kill Launchpad McQuack in 'Double O Duck'.

• In the show Count Duckula, the villain called The Egg has a manservant called Oddbeak, who is a parrot made to resemble Oddjob, complete with bowler and suit.

• In Stormbreaker film, the guard in Sayle Tower throws his hat away as he prepares to kill Alex. He also shares a resemblance with Oddjob (this is one of the many similarities Stormbreaker has with the James Bond saga).

• In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service", a parody of the James Bond series, the character Mouser gains an appearance similar to Oddjob, even throwing his bowler derby hat as a weapon in one scene. Instead of cutting people, though, the bowler derby was shown to simply bludgeon them.

• The arcade video game Sly Spy, itself a homage to the James Bond mythos, features a bowler-throwing character as a boss in one of the levels.

• In the movie Inspector Gadget, Oddjob is seen in the Minions Anonymous meeting, along with Jaws. He is credited as "Famous Villain With Deadly Hat".

• In the Disney cartoon show Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episode "Double 'O Dale", which parodies the Bond series, Dale is watching a spy movie, featuring a sidekick called Oddshoe, a small man but not allied with the villain nor sporting a hat and suit, but a Japanese traditional martial arts white robe with a black belt, also in the episode Throw Mummy in the Train, the villain throws his hat.

• The television show MythBusters tested out the capabilities of Oddjob's weaponized thrown hat, labeling it 'Busted.'

• In the manga series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure a character, Robert Speedwagon, is shown to use his razor-rimmed bowler hat as a throwing weapon.

• In one episode of the MTV series Beavis and Butthead, when the duo are watching a music video with people riding motorcycles, they say it's like a James Bond film with Beavis adding "They need that short guy Handjob to come out." obviously mistaking him for Oddjob.

• In "Rio" Nico throws his bottlecap hat in a way similar to Oddjob to cut a line of evil monkeys

• In the anime "Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu" an antagonist's henchman resembles Oddjob in one episode; in that he wears a (brown) suit and bowler, is a martial arts expert, and uses his hat and an umbrella as primary weapons. This henchman's apparent duties are to be a butler or manservant.

Pussy Galore

Pussy Galore
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Honor Blackman

Main article: Pussy Galore

Pussy Galore is a fictional character from the film and novel. In the film she is played by Honor Blackman.

Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus pilots

Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus pilots
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger

The five pilots who make up Pussy Galore's Flying Circus pilots are initially under orders by Pussy Galore, who is under orders by Goldfinger, to spray Delta 9 nerve gas on the soldiers guarding Fort Knox. After falling for James Bond, however, Pussy Galore has the gas exchanged for a non-lethal gas, and informs the Fort Knox soldiers of Goldfinger's plot. The pilots spray the gas over Fort Knox and the soldiers play dead, allowing Goldfinger's men to proceed past the Fort's defences. The soldiers then surround Goldfinger's men, trapping them in the fort.

Kisch

Kisch
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Michael Mellinger

Kisch, played by Michael Mellinger, is one of Goldfinger's henchmen who first appears at his Switzerland factory, where he operates the famous laser that almost bisects 007. When Goldfinger opts to let Bond live a little longer, Kisch shoots him with a tranquilizer gun. Later, Kisch is seen at Goldfinger's Kentucky ranch, Auric Stud. When Goldfinger decides to kill all of the American gangsters participating in Operation Grand-Slam, Kisch is the one who releases the toxic gas into the room where all of the gangsters are. Later, as Operation Grand-Slam actually commences, Kisch, disguised as a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant, leads Goldfinger's faux U.S. Army convoy of vehicles to Fort Knox. Goldfinger's men dynamite the electrified gate and Kisch detonates the explosives, clearing a path for the convoy. Once outside the bank, Kisch operates the industrial laser hidden inside the Army ambulance, and then orders the men to reverse to the security doors. When Goldfinger's men open the gold vault door, the atomic bomb arrives at the bank via helicopter, Kisch handcuffs 007 to the bomb so that Bond can be left behind to die with the explosion. Kisch becomes trapped inside the bank's gold vault with Bond, Oddjob and the atomic bomb. The vault is sealed shut by Goldfinger once the American soldiers begin to make headway back into Fort Knox. Not loyal enough to Goldfinger to die for Operation Grand-Slam, Kisch states that he can save them by disarming the bomb, but is stopped by Oddjob who throws him off the top floor guard-rail. Bond is able to retrieve the key to unlock his handcuffs in Kisch's jacket pocket moments before Oddjob makes his way to the floor where Bond is located.

Mr. Ling

Mr. Ling
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Communist China, Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Burt Kwouk

Mr. Ling, played by Burt Kwouk, is Goldfinger's apparent technical liaison. He is witnessed overseeing the operation of the industrial laser that nearly bisects Bond, and later, during the raid on Fort Knox, is seen supervising the priming of the atomic device intended to irradiate the gold reserves therein. After the American troops retaliate against Goldfinger's raid on Fort Knox, Goldfinger, disguised as an American army officer shoots Ling with a gold revolver in front of advancing American soldiers in order to conceal his identity and make his escape.

Mr. Solo

Martin Solo
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Martin Benson

Mr. Solo, played by Martin Benson, is one of a trio of American Mafia bosses who join up with Goldfinger for Operation Grand Slam. He had a laser shipped from Switzerland to aid in Goldfinger's break-in of Fort Knox. He later decides to simply receive his payment of one million dollars in gold bullion now, obtaining a large amount of gold from Goldfinger and having Oddjob drive him to the airport. Bond slips a piece of paper with details of Operation Grand Slam into Solo's pocket, along with a tracking device for Felix Leiter to find him. Instead, Oddjob shoots Solo dead and puts the car in a scrap metal compactor, causing Leiter to lose the signal. Oddjob returns to the stud farm with the cube and Goldfinger begins the process of removing his gold; Bond recalls what Goldfinger said about Solo having a "pressing engagement."

The name of "Solo" for a character was also used by Ian Fleming for a proposed television show called "Solo" or "Ian Fleming's Solo" until Eon Productions brought suit against the producers who renamed the show The Man from UNCLE.^[2] However, the spy character's surname in this series remained Solo.

In the novel, Solo decides to go along with Goldfinger's break-in but warns him, "Either we get that billion or you get dead." (The promised reward is $1 billion in gold for each crime syndicate that chooses to participate.) Helmut Springer, another mob boss, and his assistant back out of the plot and are subsequently killed by Oddjob.

Jed Midnight

Jed Midnight
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Bill Nagy

Jed Midnight, played by Bill Nagy, is one of a trio of American Mafia bosses who join up with Goldfinger for Operation Grand Slam. His role was to supply the nerve gas, shipped to the United States from Canada, that would be used to kill the guards at Fort Knox. He, Solo, and Strap were promised one million dollars in stolen gold bullion for their participation. However, they are being duped by Goldfinger, who, after explaining that he plans to irradiate the gold, not steal it, has Kisch kill them by using the nerve gas which also dispatches the other gangsters.

In the novel, it is stated that the gang he belongs to is called the Shadow Syndicate.

Jack Strap

Jack Strap
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Hal Galili

Jack Strap, played by Hal Galili, is one of a trio of American Mafia bosses who join up with Goldfinger for Operation Grand Slam. His role is to ensure that Goldfinger's task force are safely smuggled from Mexico to the USA in order to begin Operation Grand Slam. In the novel, Strap, Solo, and Midnight were promised one million dollars in stolen gold bullion for their participation. However, they are being duped by Goldfinger, who, after explaining that he plans to irradiate the gold, not steal it, has Kisch killed Strap along with all the other remaining gangsters who decide against immediate payment.

In the novel, it is stated that the gang he belongs to is the Spangled Mob, who are also the main antagonists in the novel Diamonds Are Forever.

Mei-Lei

Mei-Lei
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Auric Goldfinger
Portrayed by	Mai Ling

Mei-Lei, played by Mai Ling, is Goldfinger's Thai stewardess aboard his private jet. Like everything else Goldfinger "owns", Mei-Lei is clothed completely in gold. She first meets Bond when she tells him that his attaché case is damaged, and makes him a martini. Later, she tries unsuccessfully to spy on him as he cleans up and changes clothes, though she does not take an aggressive role against him.

Capungo

Capungo
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Free-lance thug
Portrayed by	Alf Joint

Ian Fleming describes a Capungo as a bandit who will kill someone for as low as 40 pesos.

Film

Capungo, played by Alf Joint, is a Mexican thug who attempts to kill Bond in the pre-title sequence for breaking up the Ramirez Heroin Ring, a gang he previously worked for. He hires a flamenco dancer, Bonita, to distract Bond while he sneaks up from behind and attempts to kill him. While kissing Bonita, however, Bond sees Capungo reflected in her eyes as he approaches with a club, and moves out of the way at the last second so that Bonita takes the hit. After a brutal fight, Bond then proceeds to throw Capungo into Bonita's bathtub, before electrocuting him with a sunlamp, a fate to which Bond quips "Shocking."^[3]

Novel

In a complete opposite to the film, the opening chapter of the novel "Reflections in a Double Bourbon" describes in flashback less than 24 hours earlier Bond killing a Mexican assassin on assignment in a serious and depressing way. Bond had travelled to Mexico where he impersonates a heroin buyer. Bond later destroys a warehouse full of heroin with a thermite bomb; the heroin being sent to England in diplomatic pouches. Fleming describes the Capungo as wearing a dirty linen suit and under the influence of marijuana who tries to kill Bond with a knife. Bond kills him with his bare hands, parrying the killer's knife attack, hitting his chin with the heel of his palm then striking him in the throat with his other hand.

Bonita

Bonita
Character from the James Bond franchise
Affiliation	Free-lance
Portrayed by	Nadja Regin

Bonita, played by Nadja Regin, is a double agent for the Ramirez Heroin Ring posing as a flamenco dancer. Capungo hires her to take Bond back to her house, where Capungo plans to ambush him for breaking up the ring. While kissing Bonita at her home, Bond sees in her eyes the reflection of Capungo approaching with a club. Bond dodges at the last second, and Bonita is knocked out by Capungo's strike. Nadja Regin also played Kerim's mistress in From Russia with Love.

References

1. ^ Sophie Borland (2008-01-21). "Lightsabre wins the battle of movie weapons". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/21/nweapon121.xml. Retrieved 2008-01-26. 
2. ^ Heitland, Jon The Man from UNCLE Book 1987 St. Martin's Press
3. ^ http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=140&article=13333