No Time to Die (Review)
No Time to Die is Not to Be Missed!
No Time to Die marks the end of Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond, and affirms his rendition of the legendary superspy as the best to ever grace the silver screen. Of course, I say this with the greatest love and respect to the other versions of 007 we’ve seen over the years, but Craig transformed the character from a droll, womanizing, alcohol-dependent, dad-joke enthusiast with a license to kill into a PTSD suffering, demoralized and broken operative who always answers the call to action no matter how much he’s forced to endure. No Time to Die might not be a perfect film, but it is still a fitting farewell for the actor who proved the character could still stand strong among modern action icons, like Jason Bourne and John Wick. At the same time, No Time to Die introduced some of the best “Bond Girls’ the franchise has ever seen and pleaded a convincing case that audiences need a chance to know some of the women who have achieved active 00 status as well.
Audiences have seen the character put through the wringer a few times over the years, but No Time to Die mercilessly attacks its hero on all fronts, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Kicking off only a few months after the events of Spectre, Bond (Daniel Craig) appears to finally have a chance at happiness with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux). That’s all snatched away after a brutal attack forces him to push her out of his life and retire as a 00. If retirement were that easy though, he would have done it years ago, and the siren song of international espionage calls to him once more, as an ominous new player named Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) acquires the means to launch an attack targeting millions of predetermined victims through an unstoppable nano-virus. Safin’s first and last mistake is making this mission a personal one for Bond when he attempts to use Madeleine as a pawn. Too bad for Safin that Bond’s tuxedo still fits, the Aston Martin just got an oil change, and MI-6 still has his old license to kill laying around, as well as a new 007 (Lashana Lynch) ready to lend a hand.
Despite the looming threat of mass murder at the hands of an eccentric madman, No Time to Die focuses on reminding audiences just how complex Craig’s character has become over these past five films. This version has hardly managed to make it through missions unscathed, and he’s haunted by his own personal failures in the line of duty. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga reflects on Craig’s journey and how his loyalty to a government agency that saw him as an expendable asset has shaped him. While he supposedly took his ego out of the equation back in Casino Royale, Bond’s emotions have always been what fueled him, and his sense of duty is what drove him to make any sacrifice for the sake of his mission. For Craig’s Bond, he needed to succeed no matter what, or else all the suffering and trauma would have been for nothing. All of that seems to have led to No Time to Die, where he is forced to reconcile with all the damage he’s done to his ego by ignoring it all these years his ID and superego have been in control, and decide if it really is worth laying it all on the line one more time.
Aside from Craig, No Time to Die has a number of richly developed characters that leave lasting impressions on the audience. While Neal Purvis, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Robert Wade did a fine job laying the groundwork, it’s clear by the keen dialogue and badass Bond women that Phoebe Waller-Bridge did more than simply “polish the script.” While some fans might have flipped out at the idea of a lady 007, Lynch’s character only solidifies the implications in Skyfall that “James Bond” is a false identity assigned to multiple 00 agents over the decades. While I agree that a woman should not play “James Bond”, I see no problem with there being a female 007, though I’d prefer to see spin-offs following the adventures of other 00s around the world to build the legends of those false identities. Speaking of spin-offs, Ana de Armas’s Paloma might not get that much screen time, yet she still manages to become my absolute favorite Bond Girl to date. A CIA officer assigned to team up with Bond on a mission, she initially comes across as inexperienced and giddy with excitement, but when the bullets start flying, Paloma proves to be an exceptionally skilled and lethal operator. Armas plays the contrasting elements of Paloma’s personality perfectly and blends them seamlessly to create a character I desperately want to see again.
While I adored the supporting characters in No Time to Die, the film suffers from a problem seen all too often in theaters these days, a “meh” villain. This borders on infuriating, because Malek is capable of truly memorable performances (Mr. Robot, Queen, etc ). In all fairness, Lyutsifer Safin’s plan is one of the more legitimately terrifying scenarios in the Bond series, but it’s the accomplishments that are memorable, not the character. Safin is nothing more than mystery and style in place of personality. His skilled-but-stupid, one-eyed henchman, Primo (Dali Benssalah) isn’t much better and spends most of his scenes scowling menacingly. It’s unfortunate that the only decent henchman Craig got to go up against was Dave Bautista’s Mr. Hinx in Spectre. While I found the details of Safin’s character and backstory boring, he is still probably one of the greatest adversaries Bond ever faced because of what he does rather than who he is.
Character issues with the antagonists aside, No Time to Die is probably the best send-off an actor playing James Bond has ever gotten. It takes a look back at so many of the characters and moments who shaped this journey for Craig and thoughtfully puts a bow on them. It might be a bow that is riddled with bullet holes and singed in the corners, but it’s a fine bow nonetheless. Featuring riveting action sequences, iconic scenes, and unforgettable moments, No Time to Die reminded me how much I’ll miss Craig in the role, but it offered some closure as well. Skyfall is still my favorite film in this recent series, but No Time to Die is a close second and a film not to be missed by any Bond fan.
