The second Bond film is considered by many to be the best. It ups the ante from DR. NO and Sean Connery has truly grown into the character. This entry introduced Desmond Llewelyn as Q, the inventor of all of Bond's nifty gadgets. It also starts some of the contrived conventions of the series, but ultimately it balances between the straightforward style of the first film and the superhero elements of later installments.
This time around the plot is far more complex, which makes it more engaging than DR. NO. The evil enterprise SPECTRE plans to ignite a war between the U.S. and Russia, so they can take control of the world in the aftermath. Russian agent Tatiana Romanov (Daniela Bianchi, ALWAYS ON SUNDAY) thinks she is doing a mission for Russia, but she is really being set up by SPECTRE. Her orders are to allow Bond to steal a Russian decoder, and once Bond is killed, his theft will be revealed starting WWIII. However, SPECTRE didn't anticipate the true sexual appeal of James Bond, who easily makes Tatiana fall in love with him. Bond's sexual prowess is definitely pushed more over-the-top than in DR. NO, however Tatiana isn't totally helpless, often helping Bond in crucial moments.
Another key character to the film is Turkish agent Kerim Bey (Pedro Armendariz, 3 GODFATHERS). For a film from 1963, I'm very surprised how positive of an Arab character this was. He is intelligent, brave and sexually appealing – a kind of Turkish James Bond. He also adds a key emotional pull to the end of the film.
As for establishing the conventions of the series, FROM RUSSIA was the debut of the famed pre-title sequence and post climax action sequence, as well as a theme song with lyrics. While he is never seen fully, Bond's archrival and SPECTRE leader Blofeld makes his debut, played by an uncredited Anthony Dawson and voiced by Eric Pohlmann. For the less flattering conventions, Bond is presented with new devices at the beginning of the film that just happen to be the exact thing he needs to survive a hairy situation later on. The other convention the film solidifies is the talking villain. Red Grant, played menacingly by Robert Shaw, spends minutes explaining the details of the bad guys' plot before he intends to kill Bond. The later two clichés are silly but forgivable.
The thing that struck me the most was the raw violence of the fight between Bond and Grant. These two really seemed like they were trying to kill each other and not engaging in some form of martial arts ballet. It gave the action sequence weight and purpose. This is the feeling that the entire film possesses. All in all, there are things I liked better about this film compared to DR. NO and visa versa. It's not too over-the-top and creates great iconic characters. Being a spy can be a rough job, between murderous assassins and femme fatales, but James Bond is the man that can handle all elements with strength and smarts.
Buy "From Russia with Love" Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
