From Russia with Love (1963)

It’s not too different from the non-Bond action thrillers of the same era, in which company it falls well short of the top film, North by Northwest. Plenty of period charm, though, and a few of the Bond franchise’s most Austin Powers-esque moments.

Much of it borders on the inept and the embarrassing, and that goes for the title song sung by Matt Monro, the "singing bus-driver".

One of the finest Bond outings, this flourished in the paranoia of the times before the franchise was devalued by an over-reliance on gadgets, camp quips and a skittish lack of focus or direction.

It’s no surprise Connery cites this as his favourite Bond. Would that Quantum had had a fraction of its pace, grace and style.

The film lacks the exotic, colourful flamboyance of the best of its successors. So shoot me.

The stylish second Bond film From Russia With Love now looks as if it was shot yesterday.

FRWL has character and dash, and even something of a conventional plot, all worth revisiting for this pin-sharp restoration.

The narrative is plodding, time has not been kind to set-pieces that were once so thrilling and now seem oddly perfunctory, and 007’s misogyny and casual slapping of several women is more than faintly repellent.

This is probably the best Bond film made.

Sean Connery's second outing as James Bond became his personal favorite, and that of many Bond fans around the world. [Blu-ray]