My Movie Review on From Russia with Love · 12:33am Jun 30th, 2021

Greetings and salutations, my friends.

This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, for my second analysis on a James Bond movie, I'm gonna give you guys my take on Sean Connery's second outing as the character: "From Russia with Love".

Here's the rundown of it:

James Bond 007 is on the search for a Russian decoding machine, known as "Lektor". Bond needs to find this machine, before the evil S.P.E.C.T.R.E. organization discovers it. While being romantically linked with Russian girl, Tatiana Romanova, Bond sneaks his way around Istanbul, while each S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent tries to pick him off, including the over powering Donald "Red" Grant and ex K.G.B. Agent Rosa Klebb, who knows all of the tricks in the book, and even possesses an incredible poison tipped shoe.

This is the James Bond film I was originally going to review before ultimately analyzing "The Return of the Pink Panther" instead. I chose this film specifically because it was the second movie of the franchise in history, as well as the second to star Sean Connery in the title role. I barely recalled seeing the movie before, so making an analysis of it was irresistibly tantalizing.

Coming from a guy who saw "From Russia with Love" recently, I will say this:

The one element I wasn't the most fond of was the large amount of sex scenes between Bond and some of the woman in this movie. I get that this isn't an uncommon element in the James Bond franchise, but the real thing that bugs me about Bond's actions towards woman in this movie was that he wasn't sticking with one girl. The first scene Bond was featured in showed that he had a girlfriend, yet he carelessly and willingly makes sexual advances towards other woman. It doesn't put him in the most likable light in this movie, that's for sure.

Despite this nitpick, I thought that "From Russia with Love" was nevertheless another enjoyable James Bond film.

For instance, the acting, characters, and character development were as impressive as ever.

Taking on the role of James Bond for the second time in his life, Sean Connery once again showed why he's perfect for the part. His performance emanated a quality that was natural, like he was acting the part without trying too hard. His sense of humor and charisma were deeply spot-on, and he put in enough personality to help his character not be a mere cardboard. Outside of his womanizing, James Bond himself was still an engaging focus and was likable enough to where one would want to see him succeed in beating the villains more than fail. He wasn't without character development either.

Along with that, the character of Tatianna was a surprisingly wonderful addition to the franchise. Instead of being a mere diva looking to woo Bond, Tatianna is an honest girl whose loyalties are called into question, which helped her be three-dimensional and stand apart from other female leads.

Rosa Klebb turned out to be an interesting antagonist, if I may add. It's not everyday one would see a James Bond film where a woman is the villain instead of a man, and Lotte Lenya portrayed her character perfectly. The one thing I will admit is that her advances towards Romanova in the scene where they were meeting and she was assigning Romanova to her mission were kinda creepy among others. But yet...it did help the character be an intimidating figure, and the fact that she was apparently a lesbian was a nice way of showing how despicable the act of same-sex attraction is.

The direction by Terence Young, and the screenplay by Richard Maibaum, were fantastic as well.

Returning to the director's chair to helm another 007 film, Young not only proved himself to be an excellent director again, but he showed that he had an understanding of what helps a James Bond movie click. The plot was intriguing enough to follow, there was a wit that helped lighten the mood, and there was an unpredictability that aided the story in being suspenseful and thrilling. Plus, the developing romance between Bond and Tatianna generated heart and emotion, and there were snappy quotes from the characters that were fun to listen to.

Finally, the music that was composed by John Barry was magnificent.

Making his own uncredited contributions to the James Bond theme in "Dr. No" clearly paid off for Barry. As the full-time composer of "From Russia with Love", he managed to capture the spirit of the franchise. His melodies weren't without a sense of personality and emotion either, and they fit the film's settings like a glove.

In conclusion, "From Russia with Love" isn't what I'd classify as the all-time best 007 movie around. But, it's still capable of providing a rollicking good time.

So, I rate "From Russia with Love" 4½ out of 5 stars.