Every Bond Movie Pre-Title Scene Ranked - Worst To Best

An ominous opening featuring the shadowy figure of Red Grant stalking his prey through a hedge maze is enticing as a means of showing the danger of Bond’s latest foe, but not much else.

In fact, he’s hunting some sorry soul wearing a goofy Sean Connery mask as part of a training exercise, closely monitored and timed by his deranged SPECTRE superiors. This is when the whole thing starts to feel a little silly.

There seems to be little reason for the target to be wearing a James Bond mask other than to temporarily fool cinema-goers. If From Russia With Love were released today, this would be a bigger talking point online as a substantive nit to pick.

Is the manufacture of rubber masks resembling their enemies how SPECTRE spends their time? Surely Grant has the intelligence to know his target in a training drill, no matter his appearance. Consequently, the scene doesn’t really hold up on rewatches. “Training is useful,” as Rosa Klebb notes later in the film, “but it is no substitute for experience.” The danger will come, then, when Red Grant graduates from school.

Best moment: Red Grant, still the greatest Bond henchman of all time, shows off his trusty garrotte as a threat, which would come into play later against the real 007.