The dynamic Sean Connery is back as the super spy James Bond 007 in what is definitely one of the best in the entire series by fans and critics alike. For me, this is the real kickoff for the series and it totally delivers the goods. It has a certain sense of epic grandeur and international intrigue while still a maintaining that fun and lively tone. The evil SPECTRE organization plans to steal a cryptographic device from the Russians and sell it back to them. Knowing that British Secret Service would like to get their hands on it as well, they decide to lure them in as revenge for killing their operative Dr. No, the villainous title character of the previous film. They realize of course that MI6 would be well aware that it's a trap and would accept it as challenge, ultimately they send an unwitting cypher clerk Tatiana Romanova to help a British secret agent steal the device away from trouble and once it is out, have a specially trained assassin kill the agent and take it for their own evil scheme. What they seem to have overlooked is that secret agent James Bond is a most formidable opponent and is not to be underestimated by any means. I think one thing I should say is about this movie is that it goes above and beyond what the first film did, high adventure and spectacular action but with plenty of espionage and mystery. There's less of Bond going around and asking questions and actually going out and doing stuff. The plot itself has a lot going on and requires a watchful eye.
The action sequences in the movie are astounding as well and I do mean that with great sincerity, the first major scene takes place at a gypsy camp with all fistfights and gun play our hearts desire, there's a scene where Bond has to avoid being killed by a helicopter, a boat chase and much more. But even the action doesn't overshadow the more subtle side, there's always a great deal of suspense and a lot of realism that isn't always seen in the later films. Even though this is the second film in the series, it really feels like it could be the first one, it takes the gun barrel sequence introduced in the first film and gives it a new formula that carries on throughout the series, from inside the gun we see Bond walking past, he quickly shoots at the killer and blood pours down the screen, after that we get a pre-title action scene with what appears to be Bond playing cat and mouse with an assassin. The gadgets in the film is another element that would become a trademark of the series but to be quite honest I think I should talk a little bit about them here. Bond's little toys are provided by Desmond Llewelyn's character Q and surprisingly enough they are totally believable and sound exactly like something that could exist in real life. This time Bond gets a briefcase with a special knife that can be pulled out, a canister of tear gas that can be activated by trying to open the briefcase in a certain way, and even the villains have some notable gadgets, but I'll let you see for yourself.
Besides blabbering about the action and gadgets, I think it's time I talk about the characters. Sean Connery returns as our hero and still has all the intensity, confidence and charm displayed in the first film. His love interest is the absolutely gorgeous Tatiana Romanova played Daniella Bianchi, she is a cypher clerk working for the Soviet Union and is forced to assist Bond in finding the decoder device, unfortunately she is completely unaware that she is a pawn in SPECTRE's deadly game of chess. The chemistry between Bond and Tatiana works very well and is actually pretty romantic, of course their growing relationship is constantly tested by the dangers they face. Bond's ally is Turkish agent Ali Kerim Bey, a totally likable and cool character who helps MI6 get information and makes false papers for Bond and Tatiana so that they can travel out of Russia. Then of course there are the villains, we get our first glimpse of the mysterious and currently unnamed Number One, the founder of SPECTRE with the purpose of taking over the world. Then there's Kronsteen, a Chess grandmaster who plans the operation whose arrogance doesn't fly to well with Number One. Rosa Klebb is a former Soviet colonel assigned with seeing that operation goes according to plan and personally assigns Tatiana to meet with 007, I swear this lady really creeps me out. The real scene stealer of the baddies is Red Grant, a formidable foe played by Robert Shaw. This guy is a beast, he follows Bond everywhere and even helps carry out his mission, in a way making him a pawn of SPECTRE. When he and Bond finally meet face to face aboard the Orient Express, we get some of the best interaction between hero and villain. To be honest, this movie is amazing and it still holds up well even today. It's aged very gracefully and never goes into cheesy territory, it's plausible but completely exciting and is one of the coolest films of the sixties, watch it and see for yourself.
The action sequences in the movie are astounding as well and I do mean that with great sincerity, the first major scene takes place at a gypsy camp with all fistfights and gun play our hearts desire, there's a scene where Bond has to avoid being killed by a helicopter, a boat chase and much more. But even the action doesn't overshadow the more subtle side, there's always a great deal of suspense and a lot of realism that isn't always seen in the later films. Even though this is the second film in the series, it really feels like it could be the first one, it takes the gun barrel sequence introduced in the first film and gives it a new formula that carries on throughout the series, from inside the gun we see Bond walking past, he quickly shoots at the killer and blood pours down the screen, after that we get a pre-title action scene with what appears to be Bond playing cat and mouse with an assassin. The gadgets in the film is another element that would become a trademark of the series but to be quite honest I think I should talk a little bit about them here. Bond's little toys are provided by Desmond Llewelyn's character Q and surprisingly enough they are totally believable and sound exactly like something that could exist in real life. This time Bond gets a briefcase with a special knife that can be pulled out, a canister of tear gas that can be activated by trying to open the briefcase in a certain way, and even the villains have some notable gadgets, but I'll let you see for yourself.
Besides blabbering about the action and gadgets, I think it's time I talk about the characters. Sean Connery returns as our hero and still has all the intensity, confidence and charm displayed in the first film. His love interest is the absolutely gorgeous Tatiana Romanova played Daniella Bianchi, she is a cypher clerk working for the Soviet Union and is forced to assist Bond in finding the decoder device, unfortunately she is completely unaware that she is a pawn in SPECTRE's deadly game of chess. The chemistry between Bond and Tatiana works very well and is actually pretty romantic, of course their growing relationship is constantly tested by the dangers they face. Bond's ally is Turkish agent Ali Kerim Bey, a totally likable and cool character who helps MI6 get information and makes false papers for Bond and Tatiana so that they can travel out of Russia. Then of course there are the villains, we get our first glimpse of the mysterious and currently unnamed Number One, the founder of SPECTRE with the purpose of taking over the world. Then there's Kronsteen, a Chess grandmaster who plans the operation whose arrogance doesn't fly to well with Number One. Rosa Klebb is a former Soviet colonel assigned with seeing that operation goes according to plan and personally assigns Tatiana to meet with 007, I swear this lady really creeps me out. The real scene stealer of the baddies is Red Grant, a formidable foe played by Robert Shaw. This guy is a beast, he follows Bond everywhere and even helps carry out his mission, in a way making him a pawn of SPECTRE. When he and Bond finally meet face to face aboard the Orient Express, we get some of the best interaction between hero and villain. To be honest, this movie is amazing and it still holds up well even today. It's aged very gracefully and never goes into cheesy territory, it's plausible but completely exciting and is one of the coolest films of the sixties, watch it and see for yourself.