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From Russia With Love (1963)

Director: Terence Young

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From Time Out London

Despite being recognised as one of the better 007 films (and one laudably devoid of what would later become the formulaic Bond ending), number two in the series actually proves marginally less memorable than many of the others. Maybe we’ve become too accustomed to the big finales, the fast cars, the gadgets, the striking locations and the caricature villains – the very tics that have defined every Bond film over the years. For this fan, the most evocative moment turns out to be Matt Monroe’s honeyed larynx over the closing-credits sequence. The elaborate spy-caper story boils down to Connery’s MI6 agent getting embroiled in an Istanbul-set plot to steal a decoding device from the Russians. Lotte Lenya’s leery lesbian, Robert Shaw’s Aryan-esque assassin and Daniela Bianchi’s ditzy double agent are gratifying side shows but the film lacks the exotic, colourful flamboyance of the best of its successors. So shoot me.

Author: Derek Adams 2009-04-21 11:40:12

Time Out London Issue 2018, April 23-29, 2009

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Cast & crew

Director: Terence Young

Producer: Harry Saltzman, Albert R Broccoli

Cast: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee, Eunice Gayson full cast

Genre(s): Action/Adventure

Duration: 116 mins

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