From Russia with Love (James Bond) [Blu-ray]

This 1963 Bond movie is one of the best ever made. Sean Connery is at his most charismatic in this movie. He is supported wonderfully by Robert Shaw as the hitman 'Red' Grant. Unlike a lot of Bond movies this one does not have a meglomaniac trying to take over the world, its really its just an old-fashioned espionage movie. So there aren't obviously any huge sets, which became the standard for all Bond films for a while.

Audiences used to modern action movies may find the pace a little slow, but that is a failing of modern movies not with this movie. You don't need a spectacular stunt or explosion to make a good film. However, it has its share of classic scenes including the girls fighting at the Gypsy Camp, the fight on the train and the classic opening sequences with Robert Shaw.

This is a James Bond before huge elborate sets, special cars and extravagant budgets, and its all the better for it.

This was actually the next to the last "novelistic" Bond movie. "Goldfinger" was the last, and, oddly enough, started the overproduction juggernaut that would eventually kill the "cool spy" genre in movies. Bond, driven mainly by "Goldfinger"'s incredible combination of music, acting, gadgets, outsized goals of the villains and Connery's charm as the hero, sparked more imitators than just about any other franchise you can name, before or since. I say "mainly", because "FRWL" also had a lot of charm...in fact, there are people who would argue that THIS is the best pre-"Thunderball" Bond film, not "Goldfinger". What set the first three Bond films apart from their successors was the "pulp" quality to the settings, the faithfulness to the print origins and the perfect casting of just about every part. Who else could play Red Grant or Rosa Kleb if not Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya? In "Dr. No", the movie would have had a much different flavor if there had been no Quarrel or Strangways or that spitfire photographer. Compare this with the eventual condition of the franchise where ridiculously elaborate equipment and escapes were mapped out for Bond at the last minute...heck, in Brosnan's last film, his Aston Martin could turn INVISIBLE, fer crissake!! No...the first three films were 1) More realistic 2) More involving 3) More cerebral, and this one is a prime example.

"FRWL" starts out all business and is a mix of humor AND business from the word go. "M" calls Bond via old radiophone while the randy field agent romances Sylvia Trench lakeside somewhere in the country. Bond drops everything, heads to MI6, gets debriefed and heads off to Istanbul to meet a pretty Russan agent who, indeed, has a crush on him. There is supposed to be an exchange of a Russian decoder that the West thinks is being given them by a defector, when SPECTRE is actually behind everything. Along the way, they run into a SPECTRE-trained psychopath, Grant, as well as Ali Kerim Bey, an affable old colleague of 007's, a gypsy band that supplies local color, and the inimitable Rosa Kleb, played by Lotte Lenya, the wife of Kurt Weill, co-author of "The Threepenny Opera".

Things hadn't quite gotten cartoonish yet in the Bond universe, and this was an adventure with all the cues that kept it from feeling juvenile...a good movie for Dad and older brother, rather than a puerile quip machine for pubescents and tweens like the later ones turned into.

All hail Connery/Dalton/Brosnan!

BOOOOO! Roger Moore!!

After the boffo debut of Sean Connery in Dr.No,its' popularity insured another release.In fact the first three were to see a year to year release.
This second release"From Russia With Love" really takes a hard tack on the cold war tensions extant at that time.However unlike Dr.No which took place in pretty much the same locale,this film was to start a trend which took Bond to muliple locations within a single movie.Depending on the movie this could be a plus;but in this case I found it to be a minus.We get so many locations that the plot becomes too involved and at times makes it a bit sluggish.
The movie opens a little differently than its' predecessor.To start we get the famous "eye shot" piece right off.Then we move into the short prologue.This has Bond seemingly in a large garden maze looking for,but really being stalked by,a villain called Red Grant,played menacingly by Robert Shaw.Tension builds nicely until,what's this?.....our hero is killed!The action stops,a yell is heard and the camera pulls back to reveal that what we have witnessed wasn't really Bond but a surgically altered look a like that was "done in".And it was all a training exercise for villain Grant.
At this point the credits start to roll with the wonderful theme music, but no vocals.The vocals were later sung during the end credits by Matt Munro.Also in Dr No the opening credits showed a few girls dancing in coloured shadows.In this one we see more girls'distinct and showing more flesh;something that would be "improved" upon in future Bond films.
The film opens in Venice,Italy where a chess championship is taking place between a Canadian and Czech player(Ironically the movie goes full circle as it ends up back here in the end).The Czech player during the match is summoned to the criminal organization SPECTRE run by one Dr.Blofeld who(face unseen until a later film)would sit in his chair stroking his white cat;pulling all the strings to the subsequent illegal activity that Bond would try to quell.He puts in motion a plan(by the Czech player) assisted by one Colonel Kleb(played by Lotte Lenya-yes,the same one referenced in "Mack the Knife"!)to trap and kill Bond.Colonel Kleb it seems is a former SMERSH agent(Russian) but,unbeknownst to all but a few people,has defected to SPECTRE.
One Tatiana Romonov played by Daniela Bianchi is recruited by Kleb to be the "defecting" agent that Bond will contact to obtain a "Lektor" decoding machine.Bond gets his usual "M" briefing before heading out on his assignment and we are introduced to one "Boothroyd" played by Desmond Llewllyn."Boothroyd" would become a permanent fixture in the Bond pics as "Q",Bond's man of a thousand gadgets.
Bond heads off to Istanbul to meet one Kareem Bey played wonderfully by Pedro Armendariz,his contact there.Kareem is a very influential man.In fact he has many sons who help to run his local "syndicate".Before long both are off to a local gypsy camp to see a contact there.Red Grant(Shaw) is now back in the picture following Bond's every move.In fact during an ambush at the camp Grant actually saves Bond's life,but only in order to later dispose of him himself.
After the ambush Kareem gets revenge on the man he knows is responsible for the ambush.In town there is an overlarge English sign of a(real)film called "Call me Bwana" starring Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg.The poster consists mainly of Anita's large face.Kareem shoots his adversary while climbing out of a concealed window that opens up in her mouth.Bond says in his usual style:"She should have kept her mouth shut".
Bond meets up with Tatiana as planned and they both "steal" the Lektor.Kareem arranges a trip through the eastern block on a train to get Bond,the girl and the machine spirited to the west.Along the way much intrigue and fighting ensues.Kareem is killed and Grant(who has been dogging Bond all the way) kills and takes the place of a British agent in Zagreb,Yugolslavia.Of course Grant's real identity is eventually revealed and after a harrowing struggle Bond narrowly escapes certain death.
Farther on Bond and Tatiana,who by now is in love with Bond(naturally!),disembark the train and overpower Grant's contact and steal his truck.In short order they are being pursued by a SPECTRE helicopter.The truck is disabled and they have to hoof it.What ensues is similar in nature to Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" where Cary Grant was divebombed by the plane.Here Connery gets harrassed in the same manner by the chopper,done very effectively.He eventually brings it down and they head to the coast.Here they commandeer a SPECTRE contact boat and head aross the Adriatic Sea to Venice.While there in a hotel waiting to leave the city for London Bond is set upon by Colonel Kleb(disguised as a maid) who Blofeld has dispatched to once and for all dispose of Bond...or else.Will she succeed? Will she regain possession of the all important Lektor decoding machine?More importantly in the end,will Tatiana help Bond or Kleb?
Here the movie ends and the vocals of the lovely theme music commence.
As you can tell by the plot synopsis I have given there is alot going on throughout this movie.For space sake I can only give you small details of course.Fleshed out this movie as I said at the start slows down a bit too much in many places such as the gypsy camp and on the train.I think it could have been tightened up a little more in the script and editing room.There are just too many little details we needn't have to have seen which unnecessarily pad it.
Having said that that doesn't make this movie poor by any stretch.It is a very action packed and charged movie that constantly thrives to keep the tension going throughout.A nice touch in that respect was the Robert Shaw character who is that constant and nagging unseen(by Bond)threat.
So even though,in my oppinion,not up to the level of its' predecessor "To Russia with Love" is still a very entertaining flick which you will still enjoy.And this new remastered edition is a delight to the eyes and ears.After all,it's a Connery Bond....what more does one need?

Another great 007 flick, with Sean Connery. Great plot, great villians, great gadgets, and beautiul women. What more do you want? Another ageless film I could watch year after year.

Along with Goldfinger, this is probably the best of the early James Bond films. Sean Connery was excellent in it. The story and the cast is great. The fight scene on the train between Connery and Shaw is worth the price alone! A face paced, well thought out and entertaining film.