Since Daniel Craig took over the role of James Bond from Pierce Brosnan with Casino Royale in 2006, he was unlike any 007 audiences had experienced since Sean Connery first inhabited the spy with the license to kill in 1962 in Ian Fleming’s Dr. No. Craig was rough and tough, not to mention also romantic and at the end of the day. He pulsated a sense that he could outsmart anyone and outdraw any gunslinger any day of the week. Oh, and charm his way out of any situation.
No Time to Die has arrived on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download formats and the package is a must-own salute to the final go-around for Craig. After the goings-on of Skyfall and Spectre, in particular, there are lots of loose ends for James Bond to tie up before he rides off into the sunset.
In Craig’s 007 swan song, Lyutsifer Safin (Oscar winner Rami Malek) has emerged seeking revenge upon the man and the institution he represents, MI6.
As the film commences, Bond has said goodbye to active service. He has found a peaceful life in Jamaica quite to his liking. For a while there, he had found the “love”—or so he thought—of his life, Madeleine (Léa Seydoux, first introduced in this world in Spectre). She’s elusively gorgeous, mysterious, and dangerous, but James has fallen for her, and the heart wants what the heart wants—that is until it gets double-crossed.
Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld) finds his old friend—where else?—but a tropical bar in Jamaica and he needs Bond’s set of skills. There’s a kidnapped scientist whose disappearance spurs James to dive into this pool to rescue him, Bond quickly discovers that nothing is at it seems. What should have been a relatively smooth liberation has evolved into something much more treacherous, sending 007 into a collision course with Safin.
Malek is a phenomenal performer, his work on Bohemian Rhapsody won him the Oscar for Best Actor. He is more than a worthy foe for Bond. He was also a fitting foil for closing out the Craig era. This is no cut-out villain. This is a man consumed by revenge and his commitment to seeing it through is uncanny.
For those hoping the introduction of Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) in Spectre would continue… it does! No spoilers here, but Bond needs Blofeld’s help in catching up to Safin before he uses his modern technology, and the world becomes haunted by mass death and destruction.
For this writer, witnessing No Time to Die was bittersweet. Craig has become my favorite Bond for many of the same reasons that people site Connery as the best Bond. Besides embodying the personality traits that are closest to Fleming’s pages where the character originated, Craig delivered as the most gifted of the thespians charged with bringing Fleming’s Cold War-era hero to life.
That is never as true as it is in No Time to Die.
There’s no Cold War, which has found Bond and MI6 having to become more malleable to be able to respond to the evolving and myriad of threats that accompany a new century. Those have been on full display in the rawest of realities, especially since Craig took over the role 15 years. The actor leaves the franchise in a good place, a perfect spot really, to reboot, start over or even start in the “middle”—like they did with Craig and his Bond films.
The action sequences have crescendoed over the series and thanks to the conductor of this symphony, helmer Cary Joji Fukunaga (making his Bond debut)—has orchestrated a varied level of heart palpating, gasping for air moments that deserve to be ranked among the twenty-seven film series’ most thrilling.
But there is something else at work here and that is what sets No Time to Die apart. It is exactly what made Skyfall our favorite 21st century Bond movie. That cinematic emotional connection spurred by Fukunaga (and first introduced by Sam Mendes, really) blows up the stakes (and thus the costs). One felt as if they were already quite high. Yet, the director never squanders a frame. There are no wasted action sequences for the sake of upping the audience’s pulse. Every action has a reaction and as Fukunaga paints on his canvas, each soul believes to their core that they are righteous in their right in this battle of good versus bad.
Never has the sense of potential loss more piercingly permeated a Bond film as it does in No Time to Die. Wright, Craig, Ralph Fiennes (as M), Seydoux, Malek, Ben Whishaw (as gadget guy—and confidant—Q), Ana de Armas’ Paloma is on fire (we want a spin-off!) and Lashana Lynch’s Nomi (also a 007!) all bring their A-game and craft souls who are three dimensional that can be celebrated as much for their richness as their prowess in other areas.
Craig has gone out with a bang. No Time to Die has banked $700 million in the middle of a pandemic, the actor takes his bow with a home video package that is highlighted by Being James Bond a three-quarter hour retrospective (only available on the 4K package) that will have you realizing how dusty your viewing room is and how it is in dire need of a cleaning!
There are also a Fab Four of thrilling featurettes, taking us deeper into the making of the movie whose legacy is enhanced with each making-of.
The action sequences seem to be mentioned quite a bit in this review. Cough-cough… well then. Surprise! Keeping it Real: The Action of No Time to Die is the best featurette of them all. It celebrates a production that loves its stunts practical. This, while the rest of the world runs amuck in CGI-heavy movies. Keeping it Real delves into exactly how No Time to Die dove into that pool headfirst and continues to be the standard-bearer in this realm.
Anatomy of a Scene: Matera shines the “how did they do that?” spotlight on the film’s opening sequence. James Bond movies, since the beginning, always commence with an action-heavy introduction that more often than not will result in something iconic. For example, the British flag parachute is a fave! For No Time to Die, Fukunaga shots a chase scene, which may require your inhaler, across Matera that begins on feet, motorcycle, and then that classic James Bond Aston Martin DB5. I mean, come on!
This featurette rocks due to its insightful chats with Craig, Fukunaga, and other members of the crew. This bonus feature works like a lesson in film school. It is that good.
Then, there’s A Global Journey which is exactly what it sounds like it would be and that is sublimely impressive. Going around the world is per usual in a Bond film and No Time To Die is no different. From Jamaica to Italy, Scotland, and Norway, Craig and Fukunaga—as well as other cast members—wax poetic about the importance of being “on set” wherever that meant.
Lastly, dive into Designing Bond which finds production designer Mark Tildesley and costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb, as well as the large cast and other filmmakers, each contribute to what inspires them in this world, what challenges them in this Bondian globe, and lastly, what exactly it means to each one of them to be a part of this iconic history.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A