Today’s quick review: From Russia With Love. Lured by the promise of a Russian decoding machine, British intelligence agent James Bond (Sean Connery) travels to Istanbul to meet with Tatiana (Daniela Bianchi), a Soviet defector. But unbeknownst to both, they are being manipulated by the international criminal organization known as SPECTRE, whose skillful assassin Grant (Robert Shaw) is waiting in the wings to clean up the operation.
From Russia With Love is a spy movie and the second film in the James Bond series. Much like its predecessor, From Russia With Love features an excellent lead, a plot laced with intrigue, and a number of iconic scenes. The film expands upon the world introduced in Dr. No, fleshing out Bond’s network of allies and moving SPECTRE to center stage. Even so, From Russia With Love remains a standalone adventure, with only a few explicit ties to the first film.
From Russia With Love has a plot that commingles action with intrigue. The cat-and-mouse game between British and Russian intelligence moves the plot along nicely while ensuring that the film is never without action for long. The tradeoff is a rather flat distribution of tension throughout the movie. Individual scenes benefit from the extra attention, each one with its allotment of action and plot, but the climax becomes just another action scene.
As such, From Russia With Love is a spy movie that’s engaging from start to finish, even if its payoff is delivered in pieces throughout the film. From Russia With Love’s all-around solid execution is more than enough to secure its position as a classic, and it remains a worthwhile watch for any fan of Bond or the spy genre. Those hoping for big set pieces, a plot that crescendoes, or modern-style action will have to look elsewhere.
7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for a great lead, a suitably winding plot, and a steady stream of peril.