The film lacks the exotic, colourful flamboyance of the best of its successors. So shoot me.
From Russia with Love (1963)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:45
Fresh:43
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.9/10
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Secret agent James Bond battles the all-enveloping tentacles of an international crime syndicate called SPECTRE. The organization's mad plan for world supremacy unfolds with the icy efficiency of a... Secret agent James Bond battles the all-enveloping tentacles of an international crime syndicate called SPECTRE. The organization's mad plan for world supremacy unfolds with the icy efficiency of a chessmaster's complex strategy, and if they succeed, the antagonism of the cold war will be pushed from deep-freeze to the supernova of atomic oblivion. But our man Bond dispatches sultry spies, madmen, and double agents with the same coolness he displays while downing martinis and making love to beautiful blondes. In this, the second of the series, Bond travels to Turkey to meet a mysterious Russian woman who claims to have fallen in love with his photograph. She offers him a secret translating device if he will join her, although he does not know that she has been put up to the task by Rosa Klebb, formerly of the KGB, who has gone to work for SPECTRE. It's Bond's assignment to get the girl and the machine back to England--and to do it, of course, in style. [More]
Starring: Sean Connery, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Pedro Armendariz
Starring: Sean Connery, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Pedro Armendariz, Daniela Bianchi
Director: Terence Young
Director: Terence Young
Composer: John Barry
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Reviews for From Russia with Love
a James Bond movie with the sensibilities of a classic Cold War thriller
Standing at the pinnacle of the series, From Russia with Love shows how good a Bond film can be when all the ingredients mesh.
FRWL has character and dash, and even something of a conventional plot, all worth revisiting for this pin-sharp restoration.
Sean Connery's second outing as James Bond became his personal favorite, and that of many Bond fans around the world. [Blu-ray]
007 is very much with us again, and anyone who hasn't yet got to know him is urged to do so right away!
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.
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.
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".
As a non-fan of the Ian Fleming super spy and a moderate admirer of such films as Moonraker, I find that the essential point of enjoyment to be the films' very flaws: the admiration of their kitsch factor.
For my money, still the best Bond, with a screwball plotline that keeps the locales changing and the surprises coming.
It's one of the franchise's highlights, and if the dated action can be forgiven, a cracking cold war story.
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.
...more outright suspense and excitement than any of the newer concoctions.
It’s no surprise Connery cites this as his favourite Bond. Would that Quantum had had a fraction of its pace, grace and style.
A thrilling espionage adventure chock full of iconic characters, set pieces and one-liners.
Latest News for From Russia with Love
October 22, 2008:
Bonding with Bond, Day 2: From Russia With Love
Community Manager RT-Ryan has never seen a single James Bond film, except for 2006's Casino Royale. To rectify the situation, he decides to watch every Bond film and write... More...
April 17, 2008:
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The long-awaited showdown between Jackie Chan and Jet Li in The Forbidden Kingdom got us thinking; what are the greatest fights ever filmed? We sifted through quite a few... More...
April 07, 2008:
Ian Fleming's novel plan to outwit the Nazis ![]()
Fleming, in his role as a naval intelligence officer during the Second World War, was the architect of Operation Ruthless, a daring scheme to seize a German codebook that may... More...
November 11, 2005:
Sean Connery Earns AFI's Highest Honor
Thanks to ComingSoon.net for sharing a press release from the American Film Institute: Sir Sean Connery has been selected by the American Film Institute's (AFI) Board of... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
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| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
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|---|---|
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| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
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