A spy is never going to come up to you and say, "Yo, I'm a spy." They have to be sneaky to get the information they want out of you—for example, the fact that your password is bieber4ever2008. Spies do their manipulation in the service of good (however they define it), but supervillains think in pretty much the same way the way. Most supervillains won't stand up in front of the world be like, "Yo, I'm a bad guy." They manipulate their way into your life in order to destroy it.
In Goldfinger, both hero and villain resort to manipulation to get what they want, making their conflict a classic game of cat-in-a-tuxedo and mouse-with-an-obsession-for-gold.
Questions about Manipulation
- What tricks does Bond use to get himself close to Goldfinger in order to keep an eye on the villain?
- Does Bond manipulate Pussy into joining the good guys, or does she come to that decision herself?
- Why does Goldfinger lie to and manipulate the American gangsters? How do they serve him? What does he get out of killing them?
Chew on This
Both Bond and Goldfinger slyly manipulate women in order to further their own personal goals.
Goldfinger's entire plan revolves around manipulation: he wants to manipulate the entire world's economy by destroying U.S. gold reserves. No one is safe from his plan.