If that electric guitar in the opening credits doesn't do it for you, the rest of the film will certainly give you the ultimate expression of everything that the word BOND is. Here is Agent 007 in his purest form, and it's in the form of From Russia with Love.
First of all, this movie improves on absolutely every aspect from the first film, Dr. No. The acting, the directing, the story, the dialogue, the music, the spectacle...everything is at least half a notch higher. Perhaps the most difficult thing for any sequel to achieve is to top the first one, and with a bigger budget, a bigger story, and a stellar cast, this movie nails it.
We get one of the most well thought out James Bond stories, as well as one of the closest portrayals of Fleming's literary works. The manipulative SPECTRE organization is arranging to steal a cipher machine from the Russian government and draw Britain into the scene, in an effort to assassinate an interfering 007 while at the same time pitting the two super powers against each other. Ignorant of the scheme, Bond is sent on a mission to snatch the Russian encryption device and accompany the beautiful Russian cipher clerk, Tatiana Romanova across the Iron Curtain, while avoiding any potential trap. What begins as a simple mission turns into a strategic battle of wits between 007 and his adversaries.
Although, one might find this film to be a bit slow on the pacing compared to more recent Bond films, I personally love this film for two reasons: 1. It was made in the 60s. Bond was originally created during the heart of the Cold War, and he was a man of his era. In the current films, there is always some sort of need to be retro. There is always a nod to the old days. Well, this IS the "good-old days" so to speak. We have grey suits, fedora hats, travel by train, cigarette cases, along with a tremendous clash of East versus West. There's just something that feels pure about the atmosphere of this film what Bond films were meant to be.
2. This movie is arguably the most intricate piece of film-making in the series. Nothing is taken for granted. There are so many subtleties and when something happens, it's always for a reason. There are so many turns in the story, little bits of symbolism and foreshadowing here and there, and some characters, in the beginning of the film, are not the same when you reach the end of the film.
Also, this film isn't hindered by the usual Bond formula. Rather than a single master villain, we have multiple bad guys in different places, all with their own agenda. Likewise, the movie doesn't settle in one place, but rather, is continually moving from one place to the next, and the gadgets don't outweigh the characters or the story, but compliment them instead.
If there is one Bond movie that steps out of the realm of sheer entertainment and into the realm of a great cinematic achievement, I think From Russia with Love may be it.
First of all, this movie improves on absolutely every aspect from the first film, Dr. No. The acting, the directing, the story, the dialogue, the music, the spectacle...everything is at least half a notch higher. Perhaps the most difficult thing for any sequel to achieve is to top the first one, and with a bigger budget, a bigger story, and a stellar cast, this movie nails it.
We get one of the most well thought out James Bond stories, as well as one of the closest portrayals of Fleming's literary works. The manipulative SPECTRE organization is arranging to steal a cipher machine from the Russian government and draw Britain into the scene, in an effort to assassinate an interfering 007 while at the same time pitting the two super powers against each other. Ignorant of the scheme, Bond is sent on a mission to snatch the Russian encryption device and accompany the beautiful Russian cipher clerk, Tatiana Romanova across the Iron Curtain, while avoiding any potential trap. What begins as a simple mission turns into a strategic battle of wits between 007 and his adversaries.
Although, one might find this film to be a bit slow on the pacing compared to more recent Bond films, I personally love this film for two reasons: 1. It was made in the 60s. Bond was originally created during the heart of the Cold War, and he was a man of his era. In the current films, there is always some sort of need to be retro. There is always a nod to the old days. Well, this IS the "good-old days" so to speak. We have grey suits, fedora hats, travel by train, cigarette cases, along with a tremendous clash of East versus West. There's just something that feels pure about the atmosphere of this film what Bond films were meant to be.
2. This movie is arguably the most intricate piece of film-making in the series. Nothing is taken for granted. There are so many subtleties and when something happens, it's always for a reason. There are so many turns in the story, little bits of symbolism and foreshadowing here and there, and some characters, in the beginning of the film, are not the same when you reach the end of the film.
Also, this film isn't hindered by the usual Bond formula. Rather than a single master villain, we have multiple bad guys in different places, all with their own agenda. Likewise, the movie doesn't settle in one place, but rather, is continually moving from one place to the next, and the gadgets don't outweigh the characters or the story, but compliment them instead.
If there is one Bond movie that steps out of the realm of sheer entertainment and into the realm of a great cinematic achievement, I think From Russia with Love may be it.