I've been wondering if anyone was going to push back on my assessment of Jaws, asking if a lot of that doesn't apply to Oddjob? He doesn't even say four words, all he says is 'Ah!' and presents a similar sort of physical threat. What elevates Oddjob above other henchmen imo:
He's Korean, in the 60s (Sakata was Japanese-American). You don't expect him to speak English, and the fact that he is on the one hand suave and dapper, dressed in smart English attire, and on the other hand exotic and doesn't speak English, makes the character more alluring and somewhat disconcerting. Like you don't really know what to expect from him.
Sakata was a pro wrestler who was best known as a heel. He wasn't 7'2" but he was able to portray a malevolent and imposing enemy very well with his movement and body language. He's not just brutal and strong, he moves with a kind of stealth at times, almost feline. He creates an unpleasant tension.
The hat gimmick is brilliant and original. He poses an unexpected threat.
He plays into the Mongoloid racial stereotype of the time, considered politically correct and outdated now, of being stoic, unreadable and imperturbable. He takes Bond's best punches and smiles back, gets hit by gold bars etc. and is never phased by anything, never shows any pain, fear, weakness or any emotion as far as I can remember.
Related to my last point about racial stereotypes of the time, he is fanatically loyal to Goldfinger and goes on a kind of kamikaze mission in staying behind to try to stop Bond from defusing the bomb - he expects to get blown up.
