“ | Oh, you must excuse Oddjob, Mr. Bond. He's an admirable manservant but mute. | „ |
~ Goldfinger mentioning Oddjob to James Bond. |
Oddjob is the secondary antagonist of the James Bond novel and film Goldfinger. He is the personal bodyguard of Auric Goldfinger and a fiercely mute opponent for James Bond; as well as being primarily known for his steel-rimmed hat, which he uses as a deadly throwing projectile.
He was portrayed by the late Harold Sakata.
History
Book
Oddjob, so named by Goldfinger, is Korean-born, and, much like in the film, is extremely strong, proven in one instance where he breaks the railing of a staircase with his hand and the mantel of a fireplace with his foot. Expert at unarmed combat, Oddjob is also expert with a bow and arrow, and with his metal bowler hat. He is a ruthless killer, but also acts as Goldfinger's personal guard, driver, and manservant (though not his golf caddy). 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 James Bond uses a knife to shatter the window next to his seat on an airplane, which depressurizes the plane and sucks Oddjob out of the window, a fate transferred to Auric Goldfinger in the film version.
Film
At the beginning, Oddjob enters Bond's hotel suite, where he knocks out James Bond and kills Jill Masterson by covering her in gold paint.
During Golfinger's game of golf with James Bond, Oddjob assists Goldfinger as his caddie as well as helping him cheating. When Bond later tricks Goldfinger, the latter orders Oddjob to give him a demonstration of his strength. Oddjob then uses his steel rimmed heat to sever the head of a nearby marble statue. When Bond won the golf game, Oddjob crushed a golf ball with his strength.
While Bond and Tilly Masterson sneak around Goldfinger's facility at night, Oddjob used his hat to kill Tilly before capturing Bond. The agent escapes but is then captured again after a car chase through the compound.
Later, Oddjob kills Mr. Solo after the latter disagrees to be a part of Goldfinger's scheme to attack Fort Knox. He then drives the car containing the corpse on a junkyard and presses it into a cube, destroying any evidence.
At the battle for Fort Knox, Goldfinger locks Bond, Oddjob, and Kisch in the gold vault with an atomic bomb from China. Realizing that they have been betrayed, Kisch tries to disarm the bomb to save himself and Oddjob. However, despite Goldfinger's betrayal, Oddjob tosses Kisch to his death, ensuring that Goldfinger's plan must succeed, even at the cost of his own life.
A brutal fight erupts between Oddjob and Bond: Oddjob throws his hat, but Bond ducks and it misses. However, even without the hat, Oddjob proves to be incredibly powerful and almost unstoppable: he takes a gold brick to the chest, and it just bounces off him without even irritating him, and he even endures a block of wood to the face twice without a single expression except for a broad smile.
He also uses his superhuman strength as well, throwing Bond about the room several times. Bond and Oddjob fight a deadly battle and Bond eventually gets hold of Oddjob's hat - this is the only time Oddjob shows anything close to fear - and throws it, but Oddjob calmly ducks and it wedges between two bars. Oddjob goes to retrieve it, but when he puts his hand on the steel rim of the hat, Bond grabs a cable and connects it to the bars, electrocuting Oddjob to his painful death.
Animated Series
Oddjob later reappears on the animated series James Bond Jr., as a recurring foe to the title character, who is the teenage nephew of the famous superspy. Here Oddjob is dramatically different, he wears "Hip Hop" style clothing and can speak.
Gallery
Images
Videos
Trivia
- For his unusual appearance, manners, strength, and method of killing, Oddjob forms the archetype for many henchmen of the Bond film series, including Tee Hee, Jaws, Gobinda, Stamper, Zao, and Mr. Hinx.