From Russia with Love (1963)

Directed by: Terence Young | 115 minutes | action, thriller, adventure | Actors: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendáriz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee, Eunice Gayson, Walter Gotell, Francis De Wolff, George Pastell, Nadja Regin, Lois Maxwell, Vladek Sheybal

‘From Russia with Love’ is the second James Bond film based on the books by Ian Fleming and one of the best in the series, along with the direct sequel ‘Goldfinger’ and – one step below – Brosnan’s ‘GoldenEye’.

Connery is already in his element as the cool secret agent, approaching the Bond Fleming envisioned in his books. This is also where Desmond Llewelyn first appears as Major Boothroyd, the “Q” whom he would play in a total of seventeen Bond films.

The film clocks in under two hours, but is so well put together that the time flies by anyway and the action and suspense follow each other in rapid succession. The plot against Bond is carried out by the chess grandmaster Kronsteen (Sheybal) and the ruthless former KGB agent Klebb (Lenya). Bond is supposed to persuade the Russian Romanova (the stunning Bianchi, who became Miss Rome a few years earlier) to take the cipher machine, after which both are killed by the assassin “Red” Grant (Shaw) and so on. unleash an international scandal between the West and the Soviet Union. Of course Bond does his very best to prevent that. He gets help from the sympathetic head of the Turkish secret service Bey (Armandáriz). This was his last role before Armandáriz committed suicide because he was suffering from cancer. His son, Pedro Armandáriz Jr., starred in the Bond film ‘Licence to Kill’.

Funny thing is, Gayson’s role in “Dr. No’ repeats, she’s the woman Bond is relaxing with when he’s called up for his mission. Bond veteran Gotell also plays in this film, but in a different role than that of General Gogol in the last three Bond films with Roger Moore. Fixed forces in the Connery cycle are Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny. They provide further continuity in the series.

It’s refreshing to watch the movie and not run into all kinds of megalomaniac villains who want to destroy the world with outrageous sidekicks. The early Bond films have a more “realistic” foundation, with a concrete plan. The action sequences of ‘From Russia with Love’ are memorable, especially the pivotal fight between Bond and Grant on a moving train. Actor Robert Shaw also looks like he can give Bond a good beating and their brutal fight in the confined space comes across believable. When Bond wants to deal with Lenya, it turns out that she has an original trump up her sleeve (or rather in her shoe) during their confrontation.

It’s all very entertaining: Connery in top form, an attractive opponent, fun and dangerous “bad guys” and well-dosed action. ‘From Russia with Love’ is a must for fans of James Bond and a good way to convince doubters, who have only seen the last, lesser parts.