Bond: From Russia With Love

Quantum of Solace debuts this month and to prepare for the occasion, and thanks to the help of Comcast Cable On Demand (note: I will NEVER thank Comcast for anything else EVER) I am planning on running the gauntlet on the Bond films. Since I haven't seen an embarrassingly large number of the non-Brosnan 21 films, I'm starting from the first one and working my way through history. These Bond flicks in HD, along with more James Bond fun (here and here) will be my study prep for QOS. The following are the reports on each film, for those who don't have the time or those who liked SparkNotes in high school.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963) watched 10/27/08

PREMISE:

Bond strangled in a garden!? Secret notes in a chess match!? Gypsy fights!? Welcome to From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming's follow up to Dr. No. In this second installment Bond is sent to Istanbul into a known trap, to recover a Russian decoding machine for the Brits. Bond, skeptical at first, sees a photo of his mark (and eventual Bond Girl) and its lust at first sight, so much so that he accepts the perilous mission. And you know the rest, more near-misses in gun fights, narrowly avoiding a venom spiked shoe, and the old bait and switch with a drugged glass of wine. The best moment in terms of action, and maybe most improbable, is Bond's sniper-like shot of a man holding a grenade in a helicopter, which explodes the entire vehicle. Awesome.

This time around Bond is spied on by a man with a diabolical mustache and a sketchy shoeshine, further proof that Bond cannot get to an airport without being followed. FRWL is the first film where 007 is given an arsenal of gadgets; he's equipped with a briefcase that stores Russian gold coins, a throwing knife, ammo, and tear-gas security device. Bond is also armed with the same double entendres, and witty post-kill one liners at his disposal ("She should have kept her moth shut")

Otherwise its more of the same from during Bond's mission: smooth talking his way through interviews, sexing up potential enemies, and something between karate chopping and pistol whipping the bad guys. Bond is like a bad-ass Don Draper: He rolls in style with grey suits and fedoras, and pleases ladies in every city he visits (one in a canoe in London, two in a gypsy camp outside Istanbul, and one other throughout the movie).

THE BOND GIRL:

Our first look at Bond in FRWL is in a canoe with that post-sex glow, clearly no longer involved with Honey Ryder (a single tiny tear runs down my cheek). Canoe girl isn't the Bond girl, but we eventually meet the new Bond girl. She is drastically different this time, Tatiana Romanova, a Russian spy, who we know is part of the sceme against our hero. She is obviously attractive but packs neither the sex appeal nor the naive innocence of Honey Ryder. Maybe its a tough act to follow or maybe she really is just a huge step down, a sophomore slump, if you will.

Tatiana goes through a metamorphasis when the double-crossing begins, and there is never a "wow" moment with her. Like the first Bond girl, Tatiana is a thorn in the side of Bond's plans, but worse, she is whiny and pretty useless, considering she is an agent herself. Plus, that Russian accent isn't helping anyone either. I give her a double-0-five out of ten.

WHAT TO TAKE AWAY:

I didn't like FRWL as much as DN but it was a nice transition from Bond the detective to Bond the spy. Bond gets more toys and gadgets and gets his hands dirtier before the final climax (speaking of climaxes, Bond sleeps with three more girls this time around, bringing the total count up to 6 in two movies). Bond has more pop to his punches and more swagger to his step. The evolution from British agent to international spy and womanizer has clearly begun.