From Russia With Love (1963)

 

The series started off okay with 'Dr No', but they sure raised the stakes quite a lot with this one. Still not heavy on the gadgets and spectacle, this one convinces you with a fun and clever story and perhaps most important of all: wonderful sidecharacters that stay with you and leave a lasting impression. 

The evil organisation Spectre is angry, because Bond managed to defeat Dr No and destroy his base. So now they hatch a plan to kill him, by setting a trap for him that is so obviously a trap, he will not want to resist. They are dangling a Russian decoding machine before him, a Lektor, and they unwittingly hire a young Russian lady called Tatiana Romanova to be the bait. Bond travels to Istanbul in order to spring the trap and get the Lektor, helped by Ali Kerim Bey, a local operative. 

But what Bond doesn't know, is that there is a trained assassin after him by the name of Grant, a man perhaps even more ruthless than Bond himself. 

Will it all work out in the end and will he get the girl?

Obviously. But that is never the question in these films, is it?

So why does this one work so well? For starters: the story is succinct yet still believable. You can easily imagine spies vying for a codebreaking machine that belongs to the other side. It is not a real plot for world domination and/or destruction (a trap later films would fall into), ànd Spectre would of course be out for payback after one of their higher ranking officers has been dispatched. Bond is also not yet an almost superhuman force, which is nice. He gets his ass handed to him on several occasions even if he does prevail in the end. This is also the start of the funny quips here and there, yet still not overused. 

But you will adore this one for the memorable sidecharacters. It's a great selection of wonderful actors and they play it all with gusto. Robert Shaw is genuinely threatening as psychotic killer Grant and perhaps a glimpse of what Bond could be if he weren't bound by rules thanks to his employment. The fight on the train is intense and brutal and - dare I say it? - realistic. 

Lotte Lenya is gleefully evil and domineering as former Russian colonel Rosa Klebb. She brings an intensity to her part as if she actually wants to let the world burn. Really: it's great stuff.

On the more positive side: Pedro Armendariz is a joy to watch as Kerim Bey, who is just as suave as Bond, but also a little bit of a scoundrel. He brings out that joie de vivre, as he is a man who enjoys his comforts and privileges with conviction. 

And then I haven't mentioned the absolutely stunning Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova. I mean: dayum. 

Memorable sets galore as well, by the way. Sure, the train fight sticks out, as does the final boat ride/escape, but you will also have the gipsy camp embossed in your mind, or the Aya Sophia. Spoiled for choice, really.

If this film has a downside, it's that the last act is a bit too much of climax after climax. You get the train sequence, but then that is immediately followed by a helicopter chase, and then a boat chase, and then one final (more downsized) one in a hotel room. It might have benefited from a little more breathing space in that department, but it is a minor fret. 

'From Russia With Love' ranks as one of the best in the series, and especially one that ranks very high on the list of films that still keeps it all fairly grounded. It's a great one to start with, should you so choose.