In the scene where Goldfinger shows the thugs the Fort Knox model and talks about his plan, one of the thugs says he wants his money now and Goldfinger has him crushed in the car. But why were the other thugs gassed? What's the point?
u_bin_called
Favorite Answer
In the movie version, Operation Grand Slam was never about "the heist." It was a terrorist plot from the beginning to destabilize the U.S. economy by irradiating its gold reserves with a "dirty bomb."
The "thugs" were just used by Goldfinger to gather the equipment and weapons needed. This is a reference to the American Mafia's influence in transportation, industry and labor. If you listen carefully to the uncut theater version, there is even a quick reference to how one of the mob bosses helped to get a large number of men (soldiers who he called "labor") "across the border."
Killing them was just a classic example of the movie villain trope "cleaning up loose ends"...getting rid of everyone else involved with the plot to avoid discovery later.