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Bookmark this pageFrom Russia With Love (1963)
Director: Terence Young
Movie review
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
Time Out London Issue 2018, April 23-29, 2009
User reviews of this film
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- Bey said...
- Posted on May 10 2009 18:29 The reviewer is a daft fellow who has had a bit of a Brosnan overdose. Clearly he is not familiar with Ian Fleming's Bond.
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- Marsellus said...
- Posted on Apr 21 2009 14:45 This is by far the best Bond film. Connery is at his best, the film is not swamped in bad SFX and the storyline is refreshingly credible. While I like the campy Roger Moore films and the more modern action-packed films, nothing beats From Russia With Love. It is cool. The Time Out reviewer is a muppet!
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- Technoguy said...
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Posted on Aug 12 2008 01:33
The best ever Bond film.The greatest fight scene ever
with Shaw's blond assassin on the train.The Russian Kleb with the knife in her shoe.The scenes in Turkey
and Venice.Connery at his peak.The series should have ended when Connery left.The heroine was a real
woman and was so charming. - Report as inappropriate
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
Rated: PG
Duration: 116 mins
UK Release: Apr 24 2009
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