From Russia With Love is the second James Bond movie, and it takes, I think, a slight detour. Although we have all of the elements of a classic James Bond - the gadgets, the girls, the exotic locales - the overall effect is somewhat more realistic, less of a fantasy and further from camp then later episodes. In fact, I don't think it gets this real until Daniel Craig.
The plot involves an ex-SMERSH colonel, now with SPECTRE, one Rosa Klebb. She has a plan to get a Russian code machine from the embassy in Istanbul - let James Bond steal it, then steal it back. The mechanism will involve a beautiful Russian woman in the code dept. A good plan, since Bond can't resist a beautiful woman. But a flawed plan, since beautiful women can't resist James Bond.
I should mention here that Klebb is played by Lotte Lenya - Kurt Weill's Lotte Lenya, the Pirate Jenny herself. A cold, vicious woman, but one who understands the attraction of a beautiful woman. A compelling performance and the clear inspiration for Austin Power's Frau Farbissina.
There is intrigue, assassination, explosions and a fight on a train. There is a helicopter and a boat chase. But nothing crazy, no ski parachuting or tanks in downtown St. Petersburg. The franchise dropped that idea fast, and it took a while to get back to it.
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