"From Russia With Love" 4K UHD Movie Review

From Russia With Love

Director: Terence Young
Starring: Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Bernard Lee, Eunice Gayson
Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Theatrical Release Date: October 25, 1963 (UK) / May 27, 1964 (US)
4K Ultra HD 6-Film Release Date: June 10, 2025 (Amazon.com)

READER RATING:

Plot Summary

James Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by the organization Spectre. (from IMDB)

Film Review

A year after the release of James Bond's theatrical debut, Sean Connery returned in From Russia with Love, with director Terence Young returning at the helm. This time around, everything seems to be fine-tuned a little better. While the movie is by no means perfect, everyone just seems like they're more settled into their roles here - even Connery as Bond. From Russia with Love is 5 minutes longer than Dr. No (which already felt long at an hour and 50 minutes), but it has better pacing and a more engaging plot all around. However, where it falters is in its abrupt ending that will likely leave most viewers thinking, "Wait... it's over? That's it?"

In From Russia with Love, Bond woos a naive Russian woman named Tatiana who is being used as bait to ensnare Bond by S.P.E.C.T.R.E, who is bent on revenge for the destruction the super spy caused in Dr. No. Sent to stop him is the fearsome Grant, played by Jaws' Robert Shaw, a brutal fighter who looks to be a real match for Bond physically. With Bond up to his usual womanizing ways here, which peaks when he lands his lustful eye on Tatiana, he finds himself most vulnerable this time around, too.

The second entry into the Bond franchise will still be considered slower for many modern day fans, but again, it's a step in the right direction as it continues to lay the groundwork for the future of the franchise. This is also the movie that introduces Q and Q Branch, and the futuristic gadgets that Bond movies have become known for.

From Russia With Love
Sadly, the content is still edgy when it comes to sexuality, and there's even an ever-so-brief glimpse through a window, in the dark, of a totally nude woman from behind (and the side) as she gets into bed. Seeing this draws Bond to her bedside where he quickly uses his unrelenting charm to join her under the covers (which isn't seen, but extremely implied). There is less language in the movie this time around, with two uses of "h*ll," though, which is a nice improvement. And lastly, there is some violence, but it's mostly bloodless. A scar is shown on Bond's back twice, but it doesn't look very realistic. In one scene, we see a bloodied man in a car, and a later scene shows two dead men on a train, one with a knife in his back - and both with their eyes frozen open (which can always be a little creepy). And after strangling a man with a wire, after that man tries to strangle him, we see blood on Bond's hands. There are other scenes with shootings, explosions, fire, and stabbings, but most of it isn't bloody or graphic.

It's been fun to revisit these movies in Ultra HD, but they've also reminded me that Connery's Bond is hardly my favorite iteration of the character. Things seem to gradually improve with each movie, at least in terms of quality, so I'm looking forward to continue working my way through this set.

From Russia With Love in 4K UHD: Like Dr. No, I was impressed with the 4K transfer for From Russia With Love. It really does look fantastic in 4K. Fans should not be disappointed.

- John DiBiase (reviewed: 6/9/25)

Parental Guide: Content Summary

Sex/Nudity: The opening credits features closeups of women in bikinis belly dancing and shaking their bodies; A woman removes her shirt and skirt down to her lingerie and massages a man lying shirtless on a towel on the grass; A woman asks an agent woman about taking lovers; We see Bond making out with a woman in a small boat; A woman pulls at Bond's shirt and he slaps her hand away. While on the phone, Bond says he will arrive later and the woman sounds delighted, implying he sleeps with her after the scene cuts to black; We see a woman's cleavage as she lies on a bed. She wiggles around sensually on the bed, asking a man in a suit to join her. He rejects her advances till she rubs his clothed shoulders. He relents and she helps remove his jacket. They kiss and then there's an explosion in the room, interrupting them; Bond ogles a woman's legs in a skirt; We see a belly dancer in a bikini. We see lots of her shaking and dancing; We briefly see a fully nude woman seen in very dim light through a window getting to a bed and hopping under the covers. Bond follows her and kisses her passionately while she's in bed. He flirts with her and says he hopes she won't be disappointed, and she says she'll tell him in the morning. They continue kissing on the bed as the scene ends (implying they get intimate); The woman asks if Bond will make love to her and he says "day and night;" The young woman is shown in a negligee that flaunts some cleavage. Bond starts to take one of the straps down off her shoulder. They end up lying together clothed on the bed; Bond slaps her clothed butt sort of playfully; Tatiana and Bond kiss while on a boat.

Vulgarity/Language: 2 "h*ll"

Alcohol/Drugs: Bond and a woman have a bottle of wine with them as they cuddle in a small boat; Bond hands a bottle of liquor to a wounded man and then takes a drink himself; Some people have drinks with dinner on a train; A man puts a drug in a woman's drink.

Blood/Gore: We see a closeup of a scar on Bond's back; We see a man tied up in the backseat of a car with blood on his head; A man opens up the back door of a car and a dead guy falls out with his eyes wide open and blood on his head; One man is shot and there's blood on his arm; A wounded man has blood on his coat. Another man has a wound on his sleeve; We see two dead men with their eyes open and blood on one of their faces. The other has a knife in his back with some visible blood; Bond has blood on his hands after fighting with a man.

Violence: A man shoots at another man several times. The first man then takes a wire out of his watch and strangles the other man. A mask is peeled off of the victim's face to reveal a different person; We see fish fighting violently in a fish tank; A couple people walk through a shooting training facility; A woman punches a bare chested man in the stomach with brass knuckles; A woman pulls at Bond's shirt and he slaps her hand away; We see a man tied up in the backseat of a car; A man opens up the back door of a car and a dead guy falls out with his eyes wide open and blood on his head; An explosion blows a hole in the side of a room; A man throws a knife and hits another man with a knife, killing him and he falls over; Two girls briefly grab at each other angrily. We then see the two of them officially fight, jumping on each other, rolling around and clawing at each other; Some bad guys show up a the gypsy camp and start shooting people and starting fires. One man is shot and there's blood on his arm. A lot of men are shot. One man is shot just before he is able to stab Bond. Two men fight each other on a rock wall and then roll off to the ground below; A man shoots a man climbing down a rope. He falls to his death; A man hits another man a couple times to the ground; An explosion rocks a building and debris rains down; Bond hits a man who is trying to shoot a gun; They stuff a cloth in a man's mouth and pull his jacket back over his shoulders to restrain him; Bond slaps a woman's clothed butt sort of playfully; We see two dead men with their eyes open and blood on one of their faces. The other has a knife in his back with some visible blood; Bond slaps Tatiana; A man knocks out Bond with a hit to the back of the head; A man backhands Bond across the face; Bond and a man fight, punching and kicking each other and knocking each other into things. He tries to strangle Bond with a wire. Bond grabs a knife and stabs the man in the arm, then strangles him with the wire instead; Bond knocks a man out; A helicopter chases and tries to mow down Bond; Bond shoots a man in a helicopter who was holding a grenade. The mam drops it and it blows up the helicopter, which then crashes to the ground; Bond puts a gun to a man's throat, threatening him; Bond throws a man off a boat; A knife pops out of a man's boot. He kicks a man's in the leg and he quickly collapses from poison that was on the tip of the knife; Bond and Tatiana are shot at while in a boat; Barrels explode creating a big area of fire, which ignites the bad guys' boats. Some people jump overboard with screaming; A woman pulls a gun on Bond. Another person knocks the gun away. Bond fights the woman as she tries to kick him with a knife sticking out of her shoe. Another person shoots the attacker and they dramatically fall down.

Disclaimer: All reviews are based solely on the opinions of the reviewer. Most reviews are rated on how the reviewer enjoyed the film overall, not exclusively on content. However, if the content really affects the reviewer's opinion and experience of the film, it will definitely affect the reviewer's overall rating.

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