Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Plausible may be a little bit of my opinion. The first Bond Flick I saw. I was an 18 year old U.S. Marine on Okinawa and it inspired me to travel on The Orient Express to Istanbul and beyond. Dated now, but at the time, the fight scene with Robert Shaw was was so exciting not knowing that Bond always wins. I sat there riveted. A real believable. romance. When Bond orders room service for breakfast the exotic, Green Figs, Yogurt Plain and coffee very black, I thought someday I will be that cool. Having no idea what Yogurt was.

If not as colorful or as fantastically campy and over the top as its predecessor, "Dr. No", this still manages to provide plenty of thrills. Sean Connery is just as dry, this time dealing with a secret organization that provides itself on what we now know as fake news or alternative facts to throw the secret agents of the world off so they stay one step ahead on their nefarious plots. It's the first sighting of the unseen "Number One", the faceless man in wheelchair who strokes a white cat as he proclaims his sinister plans. But he underestimates the power of the British secret service, explained to Bond with gusto from Bernard Lee's M and observed by the witty Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell), still amused by Bond's womanizing. It's the rather brief presence of the legendary Austrian Singer/actress Lotte Lenya who provides the most sinister moments, presumed to be a sadistic lesbian as she gives the orders and makes a play for pretty Daniela Bianchi. Lenya makes much out of her small part, and as a result, is often referred to as one of the very best Bond villains. The story isn't as strong or detailed as others in the series, but there's plenty to keep your mind on the film. Scenes in Venice, Istanbul and a sequence on the Orient Express are filled with terrific fights, interesting tools of defense and even hundreds of rats running through shallow catacombs. The series had already gotten off to a great start, and the first follow-up is a ton of fun.

While it shares the same flaws as Dr. No(slow pacing and lack of action),they aren't as bad in this sequel.From Russia with Love does what all the best sequels do,take elements from the first(characters,plot,etc)and improves on them.The villains are even better,Red Grant being the best with his brains and brawn,the plot is more interesting,and Sean Connery is still great as James Bond.The action is much better and more exciting,yet is still suspenseful.The characters all work great together and have chemistry.This film also introduces new elements that would stay with the franchise forever,gadgets and the introductions of Blofeld and Q.Another good thing about this movie,is that it feels like an actual spy movie,full of espionage.Even with all of its good,From Russia with Love still has a few flaws,the pacing is still a bit too slow,there isn't really any action until the third act,and one scene involving gypsies,although part of the plot,just feels like filler.From Russia with Love is a worthy follow up to Dr. No,with a few flaws,though it is still great

From Russia with Love has been seen by many as the best Bond film and I can see why. When you analyse it, it's easy to see why; it ticks all the right boxes.Any film that closely follows an excellent book is bound to be a winner, and the book of the film is excellent; I was so engrossed I couldn't put it down. And once you start watching From Russia with Love, you feel the same.The plot of the film is complex, but told in a straightforward manner so that it's easy to follow. And the film features some of the most memorable characters in the series; Rosa Klebb and Red Grant are villains that stick in the memory, and Tatiana Romanova is one of the more believable Bond girls. The standout scene is undoubtedly the fight on the Orient Express; there's no exciting background music - the producers could have used the 007 theme – however, they chose not to. This was a good move, because it would have lessened the impact.The title theme song, sung by Matt Monro, is one of the more romantic themes; while it could be argued that the best Bond themes were the more up-tempo songs, the theme song is as good as the rest.Overall, From Russia with Love is not only one of the best, if not the best, Bond film, but an excellent film in its own right and one that gets better on repeated viewings.