The Best James Bond Movie

I’ve seen all the James Bond movies. Fortunately some I’ve only seen once. Others I’ve seen quite a few times. It really is an amazing franchise. Dr. No came out in 1962 and there have been 22 films that have followed. Total box office receipts are well over 4 billion dollars. While I did not always think so, From Russia With Love (1963) has my vote for the best of the series.

For me, there are 5 reasons it is the best. First, it does a very nice job referencing the prior movie while not needing the character development of Dr. No. This is no easy feat. Most sequels either force you through the same information of what occurred prior, assuming you didn’t see it, or are so independent that they might as well be a new series.

Second, it has a solid, believable plot line. I have no problem with fantastic stories but I think Bond is best within a possible framework. James Bond is supposed to be the culmination of a very specific type of man’s man. If he is removed too far from reality, he actually looses some of his cachet. His appeal is that of being just out of reach.

Third, it has some of the cool James Bond gadgets, but technology does not trump plot and dialog. If anything, I could actually handle a little more in this department, but I’d rather err on the side of technology augmenting rather than dominating so, in the end, the balance of the movie works for me.

Fourth, it’s Sean, his acting is some of his best, and his portrayal of Bond cool is so fun to watch. His clothes, demeanor, physical action, and facial expressions are dead on. There is a scene where he walks into his hotel room and spends a few minutes just walking around the room checking it out. There is no dialog and he is by himself. Very few actors could pull that off. He not only pulls it off but actual develops the Bond character in the process.

Finally, it has one of the best story lines contrasting men and women and celebrating the historical differences therein. James is all male. Tatiana is all female. The strengths and weakness of each individually and as man and woman are nicely balanced. For a Bond film, it is one of the best love stories. Through this (and the general development of the movie) there is a sensuality which counterpoints nicely with the drama and inevitable violence of a spy film.

All together, it is a well told story with some really great Hitchcockian film angles and a unified feel to the whole film. The fact that it is in the classic Bond style is also a point in its favor. The only part I don’t like, and I dislike it so much I usually turn it off, is the last shot of the film when James is dropping the surveillance tape into the lagoon and waving goodbye. Its effemininity is just wretched. Keep your remote handy.