NO TIME TO DIE (2021)
Updated: Dec 12, 2022
A Slow Yet Poignant Swan Song for Daniel Craig's James Bond
Grade: B-
**Possible Spoiler Alert!!**
Daniel Craig first took on the role of the iconic British agent James Bond back in 2006 with Casino Royale. Now, with No Time to Die, his turn as Bond has reached its end. The movie is a major example of how a film can be saved by the ending. It is a virtual catalog of problems all the way through, from overlength to standard action to underwhelming villains. Yet the finale makes all those issues seem worth it, because it enables the movie to transcend its formulaic and underwhelming plot, actually making it feel like the end of a story.
No Time to Die begins with James Bond and his new girlfriend, the beautiful Madeleine Swan (Lea Seydoux), in Italy following the events of Spectre (2015). Having defeated and imprisoned his nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), Bond has retired and hopes to begin a new life with Madeleine. But things quickly turn sour when Spectre agents ambush Bond, leading to a lengthy chase which ends with Bond sending Madeleine away on a train, having come to the conclusion that she betrayed him.
Five years later, Bond is living in the tropics when he is approached by his old friend, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Hunter), who seeks his help in finding a kidnapped scientist who may have ties to Spectre. After some reluctance, Bond agrees and embarks down a long, dark path full of betrayal, reunions, new allies, and a plot that threatens millions of lives.
The biggest problem with No Time to Die is its length. While most previous Bond movies moved along at a brisk pace, the story here drags so long with so many lulls in between action scenes that it can actually cause boredom-which is the last thing any James Bond movie should be associated with. The Daniel Craig series arguably reached its peak with Skyfall (2012), which contained thought-provoking plot points and some of the most incredible action sequences in the history of the franchise. Here we have some car chases, a few shootouts, and a fistfight or two-all of which are entertaining, but there is little that makes them special or even very memorable.
The overlong story contains elements ranging from great to groan-worthy. The chemistry between Craig and Seydoux is impressive, and their love story is actually compelling. Bond also makes a new friend in Nomi (Lashana Lynch), an agent who temporarily takes on the number of 007 and initially clashes with Bond, but ultimately comes to respect him and helps him during the climax. But we also have what may be the weakest villain of the Craig era, Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), who was heavily advertised as wearing a parka and a menacing looking mask, though he only has this wardrobe at the very beginning of the movie. His motives are both formulaic and confusing; his entire family was killed when he was a boy and now he has become a generic bad guy who wants to-brace yourself-wipe out millions of people with nanobots (Agent Cody Banks, anyone?).
These problems threatened to bury the movie. Then the finale happened, and everything turned around. Practically everything that came before it was so long and so largely underwhelming that what ultimately happens is very jarring, but in a powerful and meaningful way. It is difficult to discuss, especially since all endings are inherently spoilers. Hyper-analytical YouTubers predicted that it might happen, but as far as the franchise goes, it is still an unexpected and powerful conclusion. James Bond has spent the majority of his cinematic career as some immortal action hero who can withstand anything, but the Daniel Craig movies have a grounded setting that makes Bond a fallible human struggling to find peace. And at the end of No Time to Die, suffice it to say he becomes a true hero with an actual conclusion to his story arc.
No Time to Die would have definitely been more effective and memorable if it was good all the way through, like Casino Royale or Skyfall. The action needed to be more spectacular and unique, and the story needed condensing. More casual viewers may forget about most of the movie after watching it. But make no mistake, the ending is something that will not be easily forgotten by anyone.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Producers: Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli
Screenplay: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Based on Ian Fleming's James Bond 007)
Cast: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Rami Malek (Lyutsifer Safin), Lea Seydoux (Dr. Madeleine Swan), Lashana Lynch (Nomi), Ben Winshaw (Q), Naomie Harris (Eve Moneypenny), Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter), Christoph Waltz (Ernst Stavro Blofeld), Ralph Fiennes (M), Ana de Armas (Paloma), Rory Kinnear (Bill Tanner), David Dencik (Valdo Obruchev)
Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language and some suggestive material)
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