CBn Reviews 'From Russia With Love'

Over the last several months, members of the CBn Forum have been reviewing all the James Bond films in the “Countdown Threads“. If you wish to join in on the forum discussion all you have to do is register. Now here are some select reviews, varying in opinions, of From Russia With Love…

‘From Russia With Love’ -by Qwerty

‘From Russia With Love’ litho by Jeff Marshall

From Russia With Love is one of those taut thrillers with such a well put together cast, that it rarely lets up until the very end of the film. Sean Connery is James Bond all the way in this film and performances like this one are surely some of the best in the series.

The film’s best point is the cast. The villains simply shine. Ernst Stavro Blofeld: faceless, intimidating, and calm, in my opinion the very best incarnation of the character in any film in this movie series. Rosa Klebb is also terrific as the toad-like, cold-hearted Colonel and master planner Kronsteen emits a quiet, but powerful menace that one has to respect. That said, there is naturally the renowned Red Grant by Robert Shaw. A terrific performance for a perfect enemy.

The score is a great improvement from the previous film, the 007 Theme can never go wrong. The direction is sharp with great editing and an extremely well thought out plot. One of the most gripping thrillers in the series, no wonder fans want another From Russia With Love.

‘From Russia With Love’ -by Scottlee

The first of what I consider to be a group of 6 Bond films that were all “Sheer perfection”. Wonderful adaptation of a great story, and the train sequence proves you don’t need big effects to put a cinema-goer on the edge of the seat. Perfect casting all round, and great editing from Hunt. A joy to watch.

‘From Russia With Love’ -by SPECTRE ASSASSIN

The second Bond film in the series ranks in my top list of the 007 pics, and one of my favorite movies in general. Masterfully directed by Terence Young, and expertly written by Dick Maibaum, From Russia With Love is the grittiest and most suspenseful-packed to ever grace the cinema screen. The cast is top-notch, especially Robert Shaw, as SPECTRE killer Red Grant, who practically steals the show from the start, and Sean Connery’s relaxed, rasping portrayal of James Bond is so good it puts Pierce Brosnan to shame. I just love everything about this film, it’s so entertaining in every aspect that whenever I watch it, it brings me glee that day. It’s that impact that makes cinema grand.

‘From Russia With Love’ -by Tarl_Cabot

#1

Because it’s a spy thriller! It’s also totally plausible and yet still enormously entertaining. Sean Connery is in his prime. The locales, the supporting players, music just ooze coolness and classic cinema. The fight with Red Grant is legendary. Also that element of bizzare that Bond is famous for is apparent: We’ve never really seen middle aged, female lesbian villian henchman before. Only in a Bond film the spy world is full of charcaters where noone is who they appear to be.

‘From Russia With Love’ -by tdalton

From Russia With Love is without a doubt the best Bond film when it comes to plot and intrigue. The idea behind it is so simple: Bond is ordered to recover the Soviet Lektor decoding device, while SPECTRE is trying to trap Bond and ultimately assassinate him.

This is Connery’s best outing as James Bond, and is the best single performance by an actor portraying James Bond. Connery was good as Agent 007 in Dr. No, but in From Russia With Love, he truly makes the character his own. He grasps the humorous elements of the character better (although there is not much of this present in the film, when it does occur, he does it quite well), he displays a physicality about him that is much more refined than it had been in Dr. No.

You really do have to hand it to the producers as well for assembling the best supporting cast in a Bond film. Robert Shaw is just simply fantastic as Red Grant, the SPECTRE assassin. He commands the attention of the audience every second he is on the screen, and when he is face to face with Bond on the Orient Express, the audience truly gets the feeling that they are watching two titans of their craft trying to outsmart the other and eventually gain ultimate victory. Lotte Lenya is excellent as Rosa Klebb. She is also another one of the truly menacing Bond villians in the series.

Daniela Bianchi is a true delight to watch on screen as the SPECTRE agent Tatiana Romanova who is assigned to seduce Bond and lead him into the hands of the assassins. She eventually falls for Bond and does not want him harmed. The chemistry between Bianchi and Connery is unmatched by any other Bond girl-Bond chemistry in the entire series.

It may sound as though, from this review, that I think that From Russia With Love is the best of the Bond films. Not true, but it is close. From Russia With Love does drag in some parts of the film, but it makes up for the few slow parts with some magnificent scenes. The fight between Grant and Bond in the train car is one of the best fights ever filmed. It is extremely violent, and one can tell just from watching it that it took a lot of hard work and preparation to put that scene together, and it clicks with the audience quite well. You truly get the sense from that scene that Grant and Bond hate eachother, and rightfully so. The finale when Rosa Klebb tries to kill Bond with her poison-tipped shoe is also another highlight.

From Russia With Love also represents one of the musical highlights of the series in John Barry’s score. It is a very sensual and compelling score that enhances the film without drawing attention away from the screen and to the score, as some non-Barry Bond scores have been known to do.

‘From Russia With Love’ -by trumanlodge89

This is the film that Connery became James Bond. Its just a real spy thriller. There’s no secret lair, theres no metal-toothed henchman. This movie gives us the first real taste of cinematic SPECTRE, but it is long before Blofeld became larger-than-life, or at all a self parody. The film does a great job of constantly building pressure constantly to the climactic meeting of Bond and Risa Klebb. Tania is perhaps my favorite Connery Bond Girl. Her near helplessness is almost endearing.

Love the visuals, love the music. I really enjoy this movie.