No Time to Die (2021) - Film Review
Cary Joji
Fukunaga’s entry is
filled to the brim with a story so complex it threatens to collapse in on
itself at any moment, hanging on the central romance between Craig’s Bond and
Madeline Swann (Léa Seydoux), who at the end of Spectre
went off to travel round the world in an Aston Martin. But as with all spy
movies, the past catches up – albeit not with Bond, but with Madeline, in one
of No Time to Die’s more interesting twists; for once we have a
villain who isn’t at all fussed about 007. The plot feels – almost –
overstuffed, trying to continue on from the incredibly open ending to Spectre,
conclude the complex and not entirely consistent character arc Craig’s Bond has
undergone and attempt to tell a standalone story. It’s a miraculous feat of
storytelling talent from Fukunaga that the whole picture hangs together as well
as it does.
Daniel
Craig presents his
most raw and emotionally honest performance as James Bond ever, delivering
one-liners and emotional gut-punches brilliantly, whilst also managing to make
his relationship with Seydoux’s Madeline feel genuine – far more so than in the
previous film. Seydoux is given a more complex role this time, alongside an
expanded backstory and character motivations. The Skyfall-onwards
supporting cast all return for what seems to be one last hurrah: Ralph
Fiennes’ M, Ben Whishaw’s Q, Naomie Harris’ Moneypenny and Rory
Kinnear’s Tanner, while newcomer Lashana Lynch plays Nomi – a double-o
agent, whom the film posits as a “modern” Bond to contrast Craig’s middle-aged
spy. Alas, the character ends up consistently playing second-fiddle to Bond, a
persona of snarky comments and badass action moves who ultimately becomes the
sidekick to assist in the third act. Her role isn’t quite as disappointing as Rami
Malek’s, whose main baddie Safin offers little new to the Bond villain
clichés, instead opting for an underplayed performance that never quite manages
to be menacing.
Even with
its 163-minute running time, No Time to Die never stops, jumping
from set-piece to set-piece with ample speed and a constantly exhilarating Hans
Zimmer score (if you ever wanted to know what a Zimmer Bond theme would
sound like…imagine Monty Norman with Inception-style
“bwam”s). The extended pre-credits sequence feels like a movie unto itself,
boasting some terrific stunts and locations all captured beautifully on
pristine IMAX film. Ana De Armas’ cameo role during a sequence in Cuba
feels like an in-joke from Daniel Craig (a co-producer on the film as
well as the lead star) towards their collaboration on Knives Out,
although she manages to make an impression as a fun, sweet and gun-toting spy.
The stakes
are raised higher than in any other Bond film, and as No Time to Die
reaches its climax it’s clear exactly where it’s going to go, resulting in an
ending that feels quite fitting yet surprisingly moving. Daniel Craig
has been 007 for 15 years and an entire generation of fans, so to see him
depart the role is inevitably quite sad; he’s defined the part in a way that
none of the other actors have, and it’s hard to see where the series goes
without him. In an ever-changing world, it’s easy to wonder if James Bond is
even relevant anymore, but if No Time to Die is anything to go by
– the escapism of a 007 adventure is exactly what the world needs, especially
after such a difficult two years. A fitting end to Craig’s tenure as Bond, and
an exciting action blockbuster in its own right. 4/5
Review originally posted at: https://letterboxd.com/thepetemessum/film/no-time-to-die-2021/
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