From Russia With Love (1963) -- Bond 2

The second Bond movie is a true sequel to Dr. No. Unbenownst to Bond and MI6, SPECTRE has set its sights on the Russian Lektor cipher machine. The why of this is a little unclear, although No. 1 (Ernst Blofeld, although his actual name is never mentioned except in the credits, with the faceless, cat-petting actor's name an intriguing "?") mentions at one point in the movie that he has made arrangements to sell it back to the Russians. SPECTRE also has another goal: seek revenge on MI6's most elite agent, James Bond, who six months prior had killed their operative Dr. No in Jamaica.

Blofeld has Colonel Krebb (No. 3) and Kronsteen (No. 5) working on this assignment. Krebb (you can see her inspiring the Frau Farbissina in Austin Powers) used to be in charge of SMERSH, the Russian counter-espianoge agency, but has recently defected to SPECTRE. Kronsteen is a world-class chess player and criminal mastermind. Between Kronsteen's plans and Krebb's knack at finding good talent on the ground, SPECTRE believes it can accomplish a great boon: ignite the Cold War into something more dangerous, gain a ton of cash, and kill James Bond.

There are several references to the first movie, including the foiling of Dr. No's plans, and Bond's ability to learn from past (like his use of a code phrase--which later gets him into trouble) but one of the most significant is the reintroduction of Sylvia, a woman that Bond seduces for the simple whim of it at the beginning of Dr. No, and whom he is again spending his free time with in this movie. What's this? James Bond attempting something akin to a normal relationship outside the cigar-smoking, martini-drinking halls of the gentleman's spy club?

Where do all of the Bond girls go? What happened to Honeychile Ryder after she escapes with Bond from Dr. No's island? How about Tatiana Romanova, who unwittingly defects to England with the Lektor machine? Is there a sudden shock of betrayal as Bond vanishes into his next assignment, or is it more subtle and insidious than that? Do they realize Bond's traitorous libido and emotional inconstinenty slowly, as he fades from their lives? Honey, although in some ways an innocent, is a killer in her own right and most probably takes care of herself. But Tatiana, a devout servant of Mother Russia until she is tricked by SPECTRE into betraying her country, falls in love with Bond, clutching at him as the only stable thing in her world. When she arrives in England, forced to adapt to a new life under which she will certainly be scrutinzed for any signs of treachery, especially at first, does she see Bond once a week at first--or even more often--and then gradually he calls on her less and less, until she does not have a means to contact him and she is left alone in a foreign land not of her choosing, abandoned? What does she do when she realizes that she never loved him, really; that all of her pleas and emotions were born from the constant stress of the situation, from Bond's handsome and charming wiles (yes, wiles), or from sheer, simple lust? And what about poor Sylvia, who is perhaps the only legitamite possibilty for Bond? Is she also abandoned as his work wears on him, and the constant travel wears on her?

I digress.

From Russia With Love is actually one of the better Bond films. The plot is not diluted with explosions and "Look, it's the bad guys!" squawk. It is apropriate that the movie is set in Istanbul, a city that has left its mark on history in many names and with many cultures. As the crossroad from Europe to Asia, Istanbul is the perfect setting for a complicated Spy Vs. Spy Vs. Spy, with the Russians thinking the British were behind it, the British thinking the Russians were behind it, and with SPECTRE holding a card up its cat-petting sleeve and actually directing all the shots. There are a lot of minor players too: the Russians use the Bulgars for their dirty work, while the British head of operations in Istanbul, Ali Karim Bey uses his many sons as section chiefs to ensure proper loyalty and a pack of Gypsies to combat the Bulgars.

The famous Q is introduced in this movie as well, with the first James Bond spy-gadget. Although still in the realm of possible science (no rocket-launchers in the headlights here), Q brings Bond a special briefcase which contains 50 gold soveriegns, a concealed throwing knife, two ammunition strips, a disassembled sniper rifle, and a tear-gas booby trap. Bond puts all of these items to use in ways that make sense too, so that the gadgets do not appear to be a cheap trick and seem more a part of how a spy does business.

Speaking of how a spy does business: Donovan 'Red' Grant, the primary henchman of Krebbs is a SPECTRE agent of supreme skill, a professional like Bond. He is a blonde, blue-eyed giant, who seems as equally skilled at hidding in plain sight as he is with his obvious physical prowess. He impersonates a MI6 operative and gets the better of Bond. That is one of the cool things about this movie that seems to be missing from the later Bonds--he is falliable. He is a mortal, not a superhero, even if Bond is driven to commit superhuman feats in his efforts to save the world. The early movies portay a possiblity of failure, a "Shit, he's just a guy," sort of attitude. He might be the best of the best, but he is human. SPECTRE's plot fails because of Bond though, because he is the primier agent in MI6 for a reason. He out-thinks Kronsteen (which costs the man his life--No. 1 does not tolerate failure) and out-matches both Krebbs and Grant.

A good watch.