From Russia With Love (1963)

From Russia With Love, the second Bond film, takes a great leap ahead from the humble beginnings of the most popular spy series set by Dr. No.
In Dr. No, there were only very primitive traces most of the later famous Bond formula. In the second film of the series, that formula is fleshed out in much more color. Bond is issued his first gadget, a sophisticated briefcase which is put to great use later on. The bond girl, played by Daniela Bianchi, can be both innocent and naughty, and is a delight to watch. Bond's sidekick Kerim Bey, played by Pedro Armendáriz, is another delight, stealing the show with his witty lines and humorous personality that serves as comic relief.
And there are plenty of villains, some genuinely nasty. Donald Shaw is quite frightening as the psychopath killer that outsmarts Bond for most of the film. This is a villain much more compelling than some of the other muscle men to be found in later Bond films.
In terms of plot and action, this film also does a much better job than its predecessor. Though some of the action sequences are inferior by today's standards, there is some authentic suspense created in the final act on the train. The momentum is gradually built up, and there's a gruesome showdown between Connery and Shaw. Connery is especially likable because of the finer details of Bond's character that he crafts and shows.
7/10