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From Russia With Love

Year: 1963
Director: Terence Young
Cast: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell
This second James Bond film is decidedly understated today, where his shenanigans are more befitting a superhero than a spy. The emphasis was a lot more on the subterfuge and finesse of intelligence than the explosive action.

A British spy ship sinks in the Mediterranean with an encoding machine aboard (more than a nod to the Enigma system). Everyone wants it, so the Brits send Bond in to grab it back and win over the Russian diplomatic attache (and babe) who poses as a clerk desperate to meet him. Her real mission though - given to her by the character upon whom Austin Powers' Frau Farbissina is based - is to neutralise Bond.

A double agent is also on the case, and the climax aboard a train across eastern Europe is a bit of a let down after sitting through the last few Bond films, which get bigger and more over the top each time.

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