From Russia with Love (1963)

Sean Connery is playing bond for the second time in this exciting and action-filled masterpiece. It's one of the more realistic bond-movies and you get a feeling for the cold war conflict between the Western world and the Soviet union. I like the fact that in this film 007 is an agent and not some kind of action hero who kills 100:s of villains in order to save the world from some capitalistic maniac (I don't like the later bond-movies that much). But don't worry, Bond it's still the same "old chap" with cleaver comments, the spark in the eye and some gagets as well.

Fmovies: By no means a great movie, but a top-notch BOND movie. Connery isn't yet as entertaining as he later became (especially in "Thunderball"), but he is certainly more confident and likable than he was in "'Dr.No". This is probably the only GENUINE spy movie in the series, and it contains (in my opinion) the best-sustained sequence of all the Bonds (the Connery-Shaw fight and the 15 minutes leading to it). Unfortunately, the two following climaxes (especially the boat chase) can't approach the same level of quality. It's still above-average.

Sean Connery never failed to charm as James Bond.His charm,coupled with the terrific story line that you see here in from Russia With Love,makes this film second only to Goldfinger in terms of ranking all of Connery's efforts as 007.Nearly stealing the show is a fresh faced Robert Shaw as a trained assassin with his eyes zeroed in on the agent.Sadly,we also see the final performance of Pedro Armendariz,who committed suicide the year of the film's release upon learning he had terminal cancer.Even if you are not a Bond fan,this is a very well done good versus evil story that is carried out very well.If you are a Bond fan,you probably have all the films in your collection,whether they are good or bad,but if you are someone who only collects films you consider good,you'll want to consider this one.

From Russia with Love fmovies. A Bond film that stands out among all other films as well as the Bond films, From Russia With Love is filled with not only a heavy dose of nonstop action and adventure, but also an intelligent plot that commented heavily on the world state of affairs in 1963. Capitalist and Communists are set to work against each other by SPECTRE, an organization which does not give any special considerations to economic systems, but wishes to weaken the balance of world power and take control itself. The survival of the Bond films depended on their ability to change with the decades, and From Russia With Love is no exception. Great acting performances from not only Sean Connery, but Robert Shaw, Pedro Armendariz, and Lotte Lenya (the wife of Kurt Weill).

Hard to believe, but the movie is actually an improvement on Fleming's novel. Rather than have the Lektor operation be a simple Russian scheme to discredit Bond as Fleming did, SPECTRE takes a hand here in their first on-screen appearance as an organization. The plot is improved considerably because of this. The movie thrives on its supporting actors and Sheybal. Connery is somewhat outshone by these greater lights, but gives a credible performance. From Russia... is a different pace of movie: no one here is intent on wiping out the world's population, or destroying the gold supply, or stealing submarines. Basically, it's a quiet little plot focusing on an elaborate "sting" operation. Until the end, the pace is kind of slow, and might lose more "modern" audiences, particularly those used to incredible stunt sequences every 20 minutes.

Connery came, he acted, and he conquered as James Bond in this second installment of the James Bond film franchise. With some of the most realistic fight scenes for a '60s movie and terrific story by Fleming, this film has a recipe for a masterpiece.

As mentioned in my review of "Dr. No", his charm and intellectual wit is still there, and then in some scenes in a whole lot more better than before. How he tries to commence his mission, you just couldn't fall asleep. A-grade acting by Connery here.

Then-newcomer Daniela Branchi is good as Bond Girl Tatiana, who is the wrong girl at the right time. Desmond Llewelyn, in his debut as gadget man Q, shows us an impressive array of gadgets that Bond would later find quite useful. But it is Robert Shaw, who almost steals the show as the murderous, merciless, assassin Grant, who will stop at nothing to prevent Bond and Tatiana from commencing their mission.

Crew also return here. Producers Brocolli and Saltzman and director Young have returned, with double the budget and double the thrills in return. Also, the musical score by John Barry is memorable, it really sets the tone for a realistic spy adventure.

The story is not meant to be an action picture. It is more like the adventures of a spy, with the dangers of being a spy. In short, it is a complex spy thriller, made to suit the target audience which are spy fans and intelligent viewers. I do not understand how anyone could call such a film "boring." This truly is a pinnacle of the James Bond series, one which will remain for years to come.

9.34/10

Delton