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 If Dr. No was United Artists' way of dipping its toe in the pool, testing the waters to see how James Bond worked as a silver screen hero, then they executed a marvelous swan dive with 1964's From Russia with Love. Where its predecessor was scarce on action and modest in the story department, From Russia with Love, which sees Sean Connery stepping back into 007's shoes, is a veritable free-for-all of thrills, chills, and spills. Replete with the kind of excitement the Bond series is famous for delivering, this film holds up brilliantly even over 40 years since its release, something that can't be said for a lot of today's forgettable action flicks.
Bond's latest adventure brings him to Istanbul, on a mission of rather suspicious proportions. KGB agent Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) claims that not only does she wish to defect, she promises to bring the Lektor, a decoding machine much desired by the British government, with her.
Sean Connery & Daniela Bianchi
Bond is assigned to see the defection through, though he suspects something fishy is afoot -- and he's right. The entire plot is a ploy by worldwide criminal organization SPECTRE to nab the Lektor for itself and leave Bond dead as payback for what happened at the end of Dr. No. While SPECTRE starts instigating a feud that threatens to break a truce between the British and the Russians, Bond and Tatiana race to stay alive long enough to stop SPECTRE's evil scheme before disaster happens.
From Russia with Love's appearance shows filmmakers had a lot more confidence about how to handle Bond. Dr. No was a bare-bones flick that played things safe and didn't do anything daring with the character. This time around director Terence Young pulled out all the stops, serving up a film that's lean, brisk, and riveting from beginning to end.
An enhanced budget offered a chance to experiment with what would evolve into the franchise's trademarked action sequences, some of the best of which are found in this film.
 Robert Shaw
While From Russia with Love keeps things low-key (save for a completely random girlfight in a gypsy camp) for the first hour, the second hour, set primarily on a train, is nothing short of exhilirating. From Bond being pursued by a helicopter to his fight with cunning assassin "Red" Grant (Robert Shaw) in a cramped compartment, this film doesn't skimp on the thrills and is a real treat to watch.
From Russia with Love also provides one of the more intriguing and less convoluted stories of the series. One interesting twist from the outset is that the viewer knows exactly what SPECTRE's up to. The suspense comes not from Bond merely stumbling upon the evil plot du jour but in whether or not Grant will silence him before he figures out what's going on. Much of the plot depends on people not knowing things, which puts a nifty twist on a number of the usual Bond conventions.
Pedro Armendariz
& Sean Connery
Tatiana (played by the very lovely Bianchi) doesn't throw herself at Bond
Sean Connery &
Daniela Bianchi
strictly because the script demands her to; it's part of her orders (it's a thin beef, yes, but it's better than nothing). The cast is uniformly strong too, with Connery as smooth as ever as Bond, Pedro Armendariz swell as one of Bond's allies, and Shaw appropriately quiet and menacing as 007's main adversary.
Aside from a few dry patches in the story and an ending that doesn't seem to know when to call it quits, From Russia with Love is a near-sterling example of the action-packed good times the Bond series has to show. The story is pretty taut, the action is crisp, and, most importantly, Connery's caustic coolness proves once again why he's the king of all Bonds.
Director: Terence Young
Writers: Richard Maibaum (screenplay), Ian Fleming (novel), Johanna Harwood (adaptation)
Cast: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee
Rating: PG (violence and sensuality)
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Run Time: 115 minutes
Studio: United Artists
Format: Color, widescreen
Photo credits: MGM/United Artists
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