Moscou Contra 007

A chess genius by the name of "Kronsteen" (played by Vladek Sheybal) is also the #5 ranked member of the secret criminal organization known as SPECTRE. He has come up with a foolproof plan which includes: (1) stealing a top secret Russian decoding machine called a "Lektor". (2) Increasing tension between NATO and the Warsaw Pact to the point of a possible war and (3) Killing "James Bond" (Sean Connery) in retaliation for the death of one of their operatives named "Dr. No". Kronsteen convinces #1 ("Ernst Blofeld") of his plans and #3 "Rosa Klebb" (Lotte Lenya) is ordered to assist him. Thinking that Colonel Klebb is still a member of SMERSH (the Russian secret service), the beautiful Russian intelligence analyst "Tatiana Romanova" (Daniela Bianchi) is pressed into luring James Bond to Istanbul so that he can acquire the Lektor from the Russian consulate. Once this is accomplished a ruthless assassin named "Grant" (Robert Shaw) is ordered to take the Lektor on behalf of SPECTRE and kill both James Bond and Tatiana Romanova. Obviously, the plot is very intricate and there are twists and turns throughout the movie, but for the sake of brevity I thought it best to end here. Overall, this is a remarkable movie which has nice cinematography, splendid acting, well-written scripts and good direction (Terence Young). Sean Connery is once again excellent as Agent 007. Pedro Armendiaz, who plays "Kerim Bey" (the head of Turkish intelligence), also performs admirably as does Robert Shaw. Likewise, Daniela Bianchi (a former Miss Rome and 1960 Miss World runner up) is a ravishing addition to this film as well. In short, it has the scenery, talent, script and direction that you need to make a good film and it is used to the utmost. A good James Bond film.

From Russia With Love is directed by Terence Young and adapted to screenplay by Richard Maibaum & Johanna Harwood from the Ian Fleming novel of the same name. It stars Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw & Pedro Armendáriz. Music is by John Barry and cinematography by Ted Moore.

James Bond's second cinematic outing has 007 sent on a mission to Istanbul to try and acquire a Russian cypher machine known as Lektor. It's a trap set up by SPECTRE, who formulate a plan to upset the world order whilst murdering Bond in revenge for his killing of their agent Dr. No.

Spy Hard! A certain JFK had announced From Russia With Love as being one of his favourite books, thus making the minds up of producers Broccoli & Saltzman to make Fleming's Cold War thriller the follow up to Dr. No. It's a favourite of many a Bond aficionado because it represents one of the few occasions where Bond was still down to earth as a person, a hard working agent forced to do detective work. The adaptation is very literate as well, with a high fidelity to the source material a major bonus to Fleming's fans. The story is tautly told, often with dark tints the deeper Bond gets into things, and a number of excellently constructed set pieces fill out the latter half of the picture. It's not hard to understand why Connery cites this as his favourite Bond film.

Though it is mostly free of the gadget excess that would become a trademark of the franchise, it's still very much a quintessential Bond movie. Exotic locations and exotic foes, eye poppingly gorgeous ladies (Bianchi smouldering like few others can), pre-credits sequence, the snazzy title credits (here on a dancing lady), title song crooned by a big name (Matt Munro), Barry's blending of the Bond theme into the score, Blofeld (a faceless Anthony Dawson) and an impressive cast list. One of the film's big strengths is the cast assembled, Connery (firmly moving into iconic realm) is aided considerably by the presence of Lenya, Shaw and Armendáriz, while the first appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Boothroyd (latterly to be known as Q) is a telling point in the series.

With a $2 million budget in the coffers, the makers were able to really push the boat out technically, and so they were rewarded as the pic went on to gross nearly $79 million Worldwide. Crucially it became apparent that James Bond was popular outside of Britain, the template had been set, what would they do with the next Bond outing we all wondered? 8/10

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

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).

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.