From Russia With Love (1963)

Just one year after Dr. No, James Bond returned in From Russia With Love - with just as much misogynistic machoism as before! This time around, SPECTRE is back, and they want the Lektor - a famous “MacGuffin“ in the film world, as we never learn what it actually contains that is so crucial. Bond is sent in to recover the Lektor decoder from any chance that it could be taken by SPECTRE, and he must return it to MI6 so they can use it against the Russians themselves. What can I say? It was the Cold War…everyone was against the Russians.

If there’s one film in the Bond series that could be considered the “lowest on action”, it’s probably this one. I’ve always said that it would be a dream come true if Alfred Hitchcock had been able to helm a Bond film, and I think From Russia With Love is the closest there is to what this could have been. Sure, it’s not full of car chases, explosions and enormous gun battles, but the tension is built through the characters and the dialogue. It is for this reason that From Russia With Love is arguably the best of the series - you’re glued to your seat because of the plot, not the stunts.

While the main villain is Blofeld - the villain whom Dr. Evil is a spoof of - the people who are actually doing the dirty deeds in the film are Rosa Klebb, an ex-KGB operative now working with SPECTRE, and Grant, a psychopathic assassin hired by SPECTRE to kill Bond. Grant is played wonderfully by Robert Shaw, of Jaws fame.



Not only does this represent the best of the best in the Bond series, but I fully believe it to be one of the best films of the 1960s, and one of the best espionage/spy thrillers ever made.


The Babes

From Russia With Love features the return of Sylvia Trench. As mentioned in the Dr. No write-up, this is the first and only time a Bond Babe returns as the same character. She was meant to be a recurring character throughout the Bond films, but the filmmakers decided against this, because they didn’t want Bond to appear as though he’s actually “with” a woman, yet constantly cheats on her on every mission.

The main babe in this film is Tatiana Romanova (played by Daniela Bianchi). She is a Russian agent stationed in Istanbul, who is brought in by Colonel Rosa Klebb to seduce Bond, retrieve the Lektor decoder and bring it back to her - unbeknownst to Romanova, Klebb is actually no longer working for the KGB, and is now a prominent member of SPECTRE.




The Gadgets

From Russia With Love introduces the use of gadgets to the Bond world. There are really only two gadgets used in the film. The first is a bug detector which Bond uses on a hotel room telephone. The second is one of the better gadgets of the whole series: his loaded briefcase.

This plain black leather briefcase contains 20 rounds of ammunition hidden in the each bottom corner of the case. There is also a flat throwing knife in the front of the case, which can be retrieved by pressing a hidden button near the handle. Enclosed within the case are 50 gold sovereigns hidden at the back. The case also comes with a fake canister of talcum powder, actually containing tear gas. When magnetically attached to the inside of the case, the canister will explode if someone opens the case up without taking the proper steps to disarm it. Finally, the case contains a folding AR-7 sniper rifle.


Distinctions From the Other Films

-Q is introduced, but this codename is never used. Instead, he is referred to by his real name, Major Boothroyd

-Walter Gotell makes his first appearance in the series as Morzeny, a henchman for SPECTRE. Later in the series he plays General Gogol, who became a recurring character

-First use of a distinct theme song for the film, though during the opening credits there are no vocals; we do not hear the actual version sung by Matt Monroe until it is played on the radio during the love scene between Bond and Sylvia Trench. The opening credits sequence can be seen here


Signature Scenes

The opening sequence is one of the most famous scenes in the series. It introduces us to Grant, as he and Bond are playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in a large garden. Something about Bond just isn’t right - he doesn’t have the same cockiness to his step or aroma of confidence. This is confirmed when Grant chokes him to death with a wire concealed in his wristwatch. “Bond’s” mask is removed, revealing some random henchman. Apparently, if you can kill a guy wearing a Bond mask, you MUST be able to kill Bond himself.

Another memorable scene from From Russia With Love is the climactic helicopter fight. This is also one of the most famous scenes from the whole series. While Tatiana hides under a truck, Bond - on foot - fights two henchmen in a helicopter armed with grenades and machine guns. It’s pretty awesome.



Finally, the confrontation between Grant and Bond on the train is fantastic. We see how cold-blooded Grant is, and realize the lengths SPECTRE will go to to get the Lektor. Which brings us to…


Memorable Quote of Villainy

…Grant has the upper hand, having knocked out and disarmed Bond. When Bond awakes, he is greeted by Grant sitting comfortably with a gun pointed right at his chest.

BOND: Tell me, which lunatic asylum did they get you out of?

GRANT: Don’t make it tougher on yourself, Mr. Bond. My orders are to kill you and deliver the Lektor. How I do it is my business. It’ll be slow and painful.

*Grant points gun between Bond’s legs*

GRANT: The first one won’t kill you…not the second…not even the third. Not until you crawl over here and kiss my foot!


In an interesting bit of trivia, Goldfinger was originally planned to be the second Bond film, and they even got into the pre-production stages. However, when JFK said publicly that From Russia With Love was one of his top 10 favorite novels ever, it was done next. And to further this trivia into the level of "creepy", From Russia With Love was the last movie JFK saw before he was assassinated.

From Russia With Love is just awesome, plain and simple. Nearly half the movie takes place on the train, and it doesn’t slow it down one bit. Plot twists are constantly being revealed, characters are switching sides or discovering whose side they are really on, and there are points when you genuinely don’t know how it will all unfold.

This really is Bond at his best.

Rating for From Russia With Love - 10 out of 10