Rating: 
Summary: The Second James Bond Movie
Review: From Russia With Love is just as good as the previous movie, Dr. No. Sean Connery nails the role of 007 once again. Lotte Lenya and Robert Shaw are great as the villains. The film has a great story and is action-packed, like a 007 movie should be. So, 5 stars for another 007 movie! The special edition DVD offers many special features, and picture and sound are clear as can be. The DVD is in widescreen, like all 007 DVDs.
(Goldfinger is the next movie in the 007 series)
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best bond Movies
Review: Even though I haven't seen every single Bond movie, this is probably the best one i've seen. James Bond (Sean Connery) is looking for a top-secret Russian decoding machine. While he is looking for it, he is getting tracked by two assassins, one a lovely woman, and the other is a crazy killer. He also fights off a helicopter attack, battles the male assassin on the Orient Express, and joins many other people in a gun battle in a gypsy village. There are many other action scenes, but im not goin to spoil the movie. The beginning is very surprising, too. This is tied with the best Bond movie, along with "Goldfinger" and "The Spy Who Loved Me." If your bored and want an action-thriller movie, this is the perfect movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Exquisite Archetype
Review: Ian Fleming's James Bond, Agent 007 of Her Majesty's Secret Service -- the hard-edged, hard-living civil servant with fierce penetrating eyes, cruel mouth and laconic manner- is among the elite of his calling: A suave, swarthy spy with an ultra-sharp instinct for survival, complete with a wide array of international dossiers, and a license to kill. In this 1963 movie, which was just the 2nd entry in a series that's since become a film genre in its own right, Sir Sean Connery steps out. -Sleek in his Seville Row suit and top hat, the imported gold-band Morelands tucked away in his gunmetal cigarette case, the PPK Walther slung snug in the holster beneath his left armpit, Connery moves almost cat-like, his expression at once keenly alert and uncannily fluid, the Scots burr in his voice well assured as he orders his dry vodka martini- shaken, not stirred- Just as the spy, my favorite spy, does in the novels. But Connery is not really the same James Bond that Fleming created. No, indeed. Though truly, the film version of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is the definitive classic 007 spy thriller from which the gripping likes of Bond's later espionage intrigues, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and GOLDENEYE, have been born. It was actually Sean Connery, in this film, who set the standard. What Connery has done - and what has been the key to the creation of this, the greatest film series ever based upon a literary figure - is that he took only what he needed from the Bond of the books, then added a great part of what could only be himself to the role. In addition to Connery, creators Broccoli and Saltzman, writer Richard Maibaum and director Terence Young must be credited with somehow finding an ingeniously fine balance conjoining the hard-nosed adventurous literary figure with the smooth, sly-witted on-screen action figure. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is perhaps the most tedious read of all that Fleming has written - and probably my least favorite of all the James Bond spy novels. However, it's at the top of my list as far as the James Bond movies go. This film first introduces SPECTRE and its sinister leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Anthony Dawson). The defeat of SPECTRE's agent, Dr. No, was the last straw, insofar as SPECTRE's dealings with James Bond. So they devise an intricate and devious scheme that would not only do away with 007, but also humiliate him, as well as the entire British Secret Service in the process. They recruit a beautiful Russian spy, Tatiana Romanov (Daniela Bianchi), who, unbeknownst to her, is to be the decoy to lure Bond in. She approaches MI6 with the story that she wishes to defect, and that if they would assist her, she would give them in return the Soviet's top-secret decoding device, to which she has access. Her story seems plausible enough, so no one sees it for the trap that it is. Therefore, for this delicate mission, they send in their best agent Bond, of course, to retrieve it from her. Little does he realize that they have assigned a trained killing machine, 'Red' Grant (Robert Shaw), to tail him. Grant's determined to strike hard and swiftly at just the right time... Bond's mission first leads him to Istanbul, where he meets Miss Romanov, as well as what's probably his most interesting ally of the series, Kerim Bey (Pedro Armendariz). While there, he and Bey find quite a lot of tense action and adventure, including a gathering with some gypsies, where a very entertaining catfight ensues. Next, Bond, Tatiana and Bey find themselves riding an eventful track on the Orient Express, where the true evil gist of SPECTRE's mission first shows its ugly face. The Orient Express scenes are amongst the best in the series. Then there's a great finale action scene - a riveting boat chase. As with many of the later films, Blofeld's face is never seen, but he's a scary entity nonetheless. And his sidekick, Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), is fairly Evil personified. This is the first Bond movie that uses all the wonderful staples that follow to this day, some 40 years later: sly cheeky wit, cool modes of transport, gorgeous Bond girls, beautiful & exotic locales, dangerous villains with menacing henchmen, M, Moneypenny, Q and all his gadgets, the opening gun-barrel sequence followed by Maurice Binder's brilliant opening credits sequence - and, of course, the ever-prevalent charm and charisma of Bond. John Barry's excellent score is played prodigiously here - and the Bond theme may actually be too overwhelming, repetitively sounding almost constantly throughout. The editing's a bit rough, too. But the movie's so good, it's easy to forgive such little shortcomings. This is my absolute favorite in the entire James Bond movie series. For, not only is it vastly entertaining to watch - over again, and every now & then, but also that it put forth from the get-go, in 1963, the resounding confirmation that Agent 007, James Bond, had made his momentous and indomitable entrée into the infinitesimal allure of MovieLand.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Bond Movie
Review: From Russia With Love is easily the best movie because if gives you everything that could be wanted in a Bond film. The thrilling action, the exotic locations, the menacing villians, the master plot, and of course Bond at his best. I was really impressed with this movie and I think it stacks up with the great Bond movies. (From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, View To a Kill (ya right) ) but all in all i think that this was a very enjoyable Bond film, and stands among the greatest!
Rating:
Summary: A better Bond.
Review: 1962s (the description says '63, not true) Dr.No was a bomb (to me).But '63s From Russia w/ Love was very good, lots of action and some interesting plot twists (I won't give any away, you'll just have to see the movie:)! Still sort of british but that's okay. Definitly better than Dr.No!
Rating:
Summary: Established The Course of The Series
Review: James Bonds' second movie in 1963 probably set the series course by let the girl on the enemy side love James. Comparing with Dr. No the first of the series which overwhelmed me so much with a number of twists and tricks, this one is quite authodox but the bit of difference is Spector the archenemy of British Agent cons both Russia and British sides. The highlight of the movie comes not from the attractive bond girls but the series of action scenes particularly boat chasing scene on the last part. And state of the art suitcase weapon is nice. It is a bit outdated for an action movie but still enjoyable if you are a classic Bond film fan.
Rating:
Summary: Connery is grand
Review: this one is a razzle dazzle Bond movie, the best of Connery's is my choice. the best bit is when bond fights Shaw on the train, you gotta love that moment and also when Bond is dodging helicopter bullets. fun all around and it kicks majot ass man. considered to be the best
Rating:
Summary: Great Bond, but for different reasons
Review: In "Russia", Bond is sent to Istanbul - that gateway to the east and nest of spies - to bring a Russian defector in from the other side. The defector turns out to be the lovely Tatiana (Daniella Bianchi), a low-level worker at the Russian embassy, but one with access to a much-desired "Lecto" KGB encoding machine. Suspecting a trap, but more desperate to grab the Lecto, Bond plunges into Istanbul, where he links up with Kerim Bey, a smiling local spy played by Pedro Armendariz. The planned defection turns out to be a trap after all, but not the one Bond expected. Rather than the Russians, it's SPECTRE that's running the show, using a Soviet turncoat (Lotte Lenya) in an intricate plan to play the Russians and the British against each other, with a humiliating death for Bond thrown in as a bonus. Paving the way for Bond to elude the Russians and escape the Istanbul with Tatiana and the Lekto, a SPECTRE assassin named "Red" Grant sets Bond up for a more fitting end on the Orient Express. Everybody loves this Bond which has the charm of the rest of the series without the camp value (fewer gadgets, more narrow escapes). Actually, it's better than it has a right to be - Bianchi is beautiful, but she's a lame love interest (she comes onto Bond as part of an assignment for the KGB, but her loyalty to the treasonous Rosa Klebb only makes her look clueless); Red Grant appears throughout the flick but doesn't become more than a killer android until the last half hour; Vladek Sheybal (playing Kronstein, the Czech genius who crafts SPECTRE's intricate plot) and Lenya (as Klebb) look like fearsome characters, but appear so briefly, they barely connect with the story. Kerim Bey is actually one of the best supporting characters in the series, which only makes his end seem that much more painful. (Armendariz was terminal with an especially painful cancer, supposedly suffered because of his role in "The Conqueror" which was filmed near atomic test sites in 1956). There are whole tracts of this film which don't connect and only slow it down (the gypsy camp sequence). That said, the flick excels as a great, and explains why nobody ever has managed to pull off an intelligent Bond parody - "Russia" manages the task with more bite than anybody is willing to admit. The flick masterfully sends up Bond - notably his taste in the finer things (Grant gets the upper hand over Bond despite his bad choice of wines) and women (the enemy baits him with the beautiful Tatiana which forces him, probably for the first time in his life, to stress for business over pleasure). The flick also sets the tone for the evil forces of SPECTRE (the series wouldn't junk the organization until a lawsuit made it cheaper to do so by the time "For Your Eyes Only" unspoiled in 1981). Not just the sophisticated organization of "Dr. No", SPECTRE has a sense of loyalty (Bond must pay for killing Dr. No) but also a delicious sense of cruelty (trainees on "SPECTRE Island" practice on live targets; a venom which proves incurable in less than 12 seconds isn't fast enough). Toss in the "Orient Express" and the catacombs of Constantinople, and "Russia" earns its spot at the top of Bond lists.
Rating:
Summary: Best Bond Movie
Review: I think this is the best of the Bond movies, it definitely keeps your interest, and has lots of action right when you think it's starting to slow down, i'd recommend to any action movie fan, or bond fan.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Better Bond's
Review: Without going too much into detail about plot, characters, story line (there are plenty of people who have supplied reviews), i'll just say that this is one of the most enjoyable of the Bond films. It has a certain degree of realism that was lacking from later films, as well; Bond doesn't rely on hoaky gadgets to get past an obstacle every 10 minutes, and his 'swinging' life is kept to a moderate level. The fights, as well as the traps from which Bond must find a way out, are not silly at all...this is a REAL spy movie.
Sean Connery gives an excellent performance in this movie, playing a more serious and focused character than you'll find from "Diamonds are Forever" and onward. As you well know, James Bond movies are often the brunt of jokes, due to the sexual promiscuity and lack of inhibition, as well as the goofy, easily escapable traps that the villians place him in (Austin Powers films owe their success to the fallacies of later Bond flicks). Not so with "From Russia With Love". Ian Fleming's novel was done great justice here. Let me just say as much. One aspect that interests me is that the films have a sort of chronology (Dr. No is mentioned in this film, and Blofeld is introduced, although you never see his face). One little bit of trivia. During the film, you see a billboard for a Bob Hope movie named "Call me Bwana" that is utilitized within the film, yet is more of an advert/promotional tool than anything. The reason that the board is in the film is that the producers worked on that film as well. Thanks to the individual who reviewed the Hope film for pointing that out. Finally, as it has been mentioned, this was Desmond Llewelyn's first time as Q. He hadn't yet come into contact with Bond, and so the humor and repore that these guys have in future films is not quite there. Still, a great entrace into the series....that briefcase is very cool. If you like your Bond films to be silly, contrived, and somewhat ridiculous, you can always watch your Roger Moore renditions of Bond. Although Pierce Brosnan has brought things back to the Ian Fleming standards, you can't beat Connery. The first three Bond films are the best.
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