As the second film in the James Bond franchise, From Russia With Love advanced the formula in leaps and bounds, establishing the life-saving role of Q’s gizmos (in this case, an exploding briefcase), the after-violence quips (“She got her kicks,” Connery’s Bond remarks after killing an agent with a poisoned knife in her shoe), and the action setpiece, which here finds its masterstroke in a North by Northwest-inspired helicopter attack following a prolonged cat-and-mouse game aboard the Orient Express. In the post-Austin Powers world it’s hard to take the evil S.P.E.C.T.R.E. villains seriously, but the film still works with the kind of panache and style sadly lacking in most of today’s action behemoths. It’s enough to make you miss the Cold War. (DVD)