Sean Connery’s favourite James Bond film is aring on ITV tonight
Classic movie is a huge favourite with fans and features the Scottish legend 'at his best'
A timeless James Bond classic, widely regarded as Sean Connery's 'perfect' portrayal of 007, airs on ITV this evening (Wednesday).
From Russia With Love marks the second chapter in the Bond franchise, pitting the legendary spy against the sinister crime syndicate SPECTRE, and was Connery's favourite of his spy films.
Soviet operatives Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) and Kronsteen scheme to steal a decoding apparatus called the Lektor, deploying the stunning Tatiana (Daniela Bianchi) as bait to ensnare Bond.
The suave secret agent eagerly journeys to Istanbul to rendezvous with Tatiana, where he must use his cunning to survive a succession of perilous confrontations with his adversaries. Countless admirers have lauded this 1963 offering as 'perfect' and 'Sean Connery at his best'.
A five-star critique on Rotten Tomatoes declared: "In my opinion, the best Bond film. Robert Shaw and Sean Connery play a great cat-and-mouse game. Lots of suspense, action and comedy. Nobody could have played Bond in this movie except Connery, but Shaw was his equal as Bond's nemesis. Great movie."
Another enthused: "Sean Connery will never truly be replaced as Bond, and if Dr No wasn't enough proof of that, look no further than this funny, thrilling and sexy adventure."
"Love this so much, a step up from Dr No in terms of action and structure," commented one fan. "The story is simple but perfectly paced, and very clever locations, including the fight on the train. Sean Connery at his best and also Bond at his best, a few little gadgets but not cheesy and more serious in tone."
Another chimed in: "Must see film for all Bond fans and perhaps Connery's best film."
A third shared: "Improving on its predecessor in every way possible. From Russia with Love continues the legacy of James Bond."
One detailed review read: "My favourite 007 movie and one of my favourite thrillers all time. This movie can be summed up as imagining Dr No with all its problems fixed, while maintaining everything it did right and then some, with underwhelming action sequences. The train fight is one of the best fight scenes I have ever seen.
"This movie has much more memorable action scenes and quicker pacing while still being more suspenseful than action-oriented, with a very intelligent plot. The acting is low-key and captivating, the soundtrack is memorable, the pacing is excellent, and the special effects are very well done and look excellent still today.
"One of the main and only criticisms I hear of this film is that the plot is complicated. I see that as a plus, similar to how Star Wars (1977) had a simple plot, but The Empire Strikes Back was much more complex. The same can be said for this over its predecessor's plot.
"There are a small handful of scenes that go on a bit too long, such as the inspecting of the room and the gypsy dance scene, but they are a small problem and don't take anything away when all other elements are so excellently done."
From Russia With Love airs on ITV4 tonight (Wednesday, January 14) at 9pm.
