Finally, "No Time to Die"

Minor spoilers ahead.

This is the last Daniel Craig James Bond movie, and presumably the last of the serialized run of films that has more or less followed the same timeline since "Casino Royale" in 2006.  After many rounds of behind-the-scenes drama, months of delay due to the pandemic, and half of the rights to the Bond franchise being sold off to Amazon, we're finally getting the last chapter in this era of James Bond, and I'm happy to report that it was worth the wait.

Some may balk at the 163 minute running time, but there's a lot of ground to cover in this adventure, and Bond has accumulated quite the collection of supporting characters during Craig's tenure, and everyone's back in some capacity - Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, and of course Bond's love interest from "Spectre," Dr. Madeleine Swann, played by Lea Seydoux.  New characters include a CIA operative, Paloma, played by Ana de Armas, a new double-O agent, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch, and the new villain, Safin, played by Rami Malek in sinister scenery chewing mode.  Oh, and keep an eye out for David Dencik, Billy Magnussen, Dali Benssalah, and Rory Kinnear in minor roles.

Cary Joji Fukunaga is the director who ultimately ended up at the helm of this film, and he happily puts his visual mark on the it, orchestrating all manner of fancy action, impressive cinematography, and breathless globetrotting.  It also breaks from form in some intriguing ways, with opening and ending sequences that focus on Madeleine rather than Bond.  At the same time, there are more little nods and concessions to the familiar Bond formula that the Craig films have often taken pains to avoid.  There's more humor in this installment, including at least one classic groaner of a post-kill pun.  The gadgetry is a little more gadgety.  James Bond is technically retired from MI6 at the beginning of the story, but his relationships with M, Q, and Moneypenny are comfortably familiar.  I love the playful touches in the editing and shot compositions, and an ambitious one-take sequence late in the third act.

     

What really sets the film apart, however, is that it's so committed to being a grand finale, in a way that "Spectre" didn't, which is probably a big reason why that film was such a disappointment.  "No Time to Die" is a film about Bond's personal relationships and his emotional journey to the extent that it makes everything else secondary.  I like that Craig's Bond really is a serial monogamist who is not only capable of falling in love, but who is deeply affected by his love and loss to the point that it makes him something of a tragic figure.  I'm sure that the ending is going to be controversial, but it's the right one for this film and for this character.  It's not afraid to break your heart.

Unfortunately, this means that Safrin and his maniacal plot ends up rather underdeveloped.  Rami Malek isn't bad in the role, but he's playing the kind of slightly ridiculous Roger Moore era villain that has his own island lair and some nutty fashion choices.  Tonally, they make it work, but Safrin just isn't the right villain for this conflict, and the mechanics of how he achieves his villainy are remarkably lazy and unlikely if you think too hard about them.  Fortunately, the film works perfectly fine from scene to scene, so this isn't too much of a handicap.

After watching so many action films during the pandemic that had reduced or heavily compromised productions, it's so good to see a full-throated action spectacular that has the resources to really go for broke.  Though it's a small part of "No Time to Die," there's a sequence in Cuba with Ana de Armas as Bond's temporary partner, Paloma, that is absolutely exquisite old school Bond, from the humor to the style to the particular energy of the action.  The film is silly on its face, as Bond always is to some degree, but it's just a joy to see play out.

And I am going to miss this Bond, despite all his ups and downs.  I can't think of this franchise without this set of characters anymore, and I wouldn't have minded a few more films with them.  But this sendoff is about the most fitting I could imagine, and I'm glad to finally see it.

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