"Don't make it tougher on yourself" — looking back on From Russia with Love

Sean Connery is BACK as BOND!

Well, kind of. It's clearly Bob Simmons in the gun barrel sequence. Then, a guy in a rubber Sean Connery mask participating in some sick training exercise. That's "sick" as in 'sinister' — not 'sick' in the late-millennial, Gen Z sense.

After Donald Grant kills the make-believe Bond, he stares on emotionless with lifeless eyes. The kind Robert Shaw would later reserve for describing sharks in Jaws.

Then there's Rosa Klebb. She recoils at the touch of men but seems to take a little too much pleasure in touching women.

When the real Bond enters M's office for his next "miracle", Sean adjusts his tie. It's stylish and subtle, not like the cheesy tie straightening of the Brosnan era.

The James Bond Theme is commonly reserved for swaggering moments. In From Russia With Love, it plays while Bond simply checks into his hotel and hunts for bugs.

Bond's relationship with Kerim Bey feels genuinely warm — probably one of the most believable friendships in the series. Kerim is also one of the franchise's most memorable (and likeable) sacrificial lambs.

007's reaction to finding Kerim's body is restrained but grief-stricken. He takes it out on Tania with a sudden slap. He also gives her a playful smack on the bum. What is it with Sean's Bond and his penchant for bum-slapping fun?

Also: does the toddler on the boat — now likely in their 60s — know they once played a key background role in a Bond film?

The Bond vs Grant train sequence is every bit as iconic as people say. The tension, the choreography, the performances. Robert Shaw and Sean Connery are electric. That line — "I'll have a look" — delivered as Bond lures Grant into a trap? Oof. Exquisite. And that moment when Bond clocks Grant spiking Tania's drink? Perfect.

Director Terence Young would sit out the next film, Goldfinger, only to return for Thunderball, where, sadly, he dropped the ball.

© 2025 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.