Film Review: No Time To Die by Cary Joji Fukunaga
No Time To Die brings back a more multi-faceted and layered Bond, but with a healthy dose of nostalgia, writes Isaak Bigaignon-Baumard.
In the final chapter of Daniel Craig’s 15 year run as James Bond, No Time To Die combines a brilliant cast, superb cinematography, and intense action for a finale fitting for this iconic character.
Cary Joji Fukunaga, known for Sin Nombre (2009), but relatively unseasoned in the making of blockbusters, was chosen as the second replacement for Sam Mendes, director of Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015) after Danny Boyle cited “creative differences” as his reason for quitting the project. For the most part, Fukunaga is able to remain tonally consistent with the rest of the previous movies in its dark and gritty nature, which has become a staple of the character in the latest installments. Yet No Time To Die manages to explore the multiple layers of the Bond persona: his softer and more emotional side, whilst also tapping into a nostalgic aspect of 007, reminiscent of the old days and relatively unexplored in the Craig era.
The very stature of a Bond movie brings with it a demand for glamour, and the star-studded cast does this justice. We see returning faces such as Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz and Lea Seydoux, yet new ones as well in Lashana Lynch, Rami Malek and Ana de Armas, who is criminally underused in the movie. Her chemistry with Craig is apparent, having previously worked together in Knives Out (2019), and her charm shines through as the unconventional Bond Girl. It is a shame that she does not play a more substantial role in the overall story.
Malek portrays the main antagonist, Lyutsifer Safin, a terrorist with a god complex, aiming to take over the world through a bio weapon which can target specific people at will. I again felt this character to be underused and underdeveloped. After a short introduction, Malek’s character is absent for a large majority of the movie, and in his appearances, fails to make an impact on the story. His participation in the action is minimal and his motivations, as well as his eerie parallels to Bond, are barely explored. No Time To Die fails to capitalise on its complex villain, hinting at said complexity but leaving this at surface level.
A villain can be used to drive the plot forward, giving it that sense of urgency that keeps the audience on edge. Take Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva in Skyfall, the third chapter of the Craig era: the latter half of this film is thrilling, as a whole “cat and mouse” game emerges between Bond and Silva, catalysed by Silva’s history with M, (Judi Dench). No Time To Die, on the other hand, really lacked this sense of urgency that progresses the story, and I felt that Malek’s character could have been the missing piece in doing so.
The cinematography perfectly captures the action of the movie. Certain angles chosen brilliantly worked around the set, capturing the intensity of the fight sequences without distracting the audience with fast cuts and jumps. Typical of a Bond film, the movie is set in various exotic locations such as Cuba, Norway and Jamaica. I particularly enjoyed the chase sequence in the southern Italian village of Matera, a stunning backdrop to the action.
In 2006, Daniel Craig brought newness to his role, creating a much darker character, more grounded in reality than his predecessors. However, in recent movies, we have not seen the gentleman spy fulfilling his potential, best exemplified in the Roger Moore era. This movie captures the suave and cool side to Craig’s character, without cheesiness, exaggeration or misogyny. Scenes are action-packed, yet do not take themselves overly seriously. Bond is able to battle whilst sporting a tuxedo - taking a moment to enjoy his martini, indulging the audience with a reminder of his preferred preparation.
The movie brilliantly weaves these moments of references to the classic Bond tropes, but not in an overtly self-referential manner like in the last few movies - genuine bits of fan service that do not poke fun at the character, but instead act as tributes to what really is at the core of the 007 character. Every time Bond appeared in an Aston Martin or exploited the ingenuity of one of Q’s gadgets, it left me with a giddy feeling I can only imagine so many others felt. The famous shooting down the gunbarrel sequence is brilliantly embedded into the action, utilising the architecture of the set and the clever use of certain camera angles to do so.
Bond’s relationship with Madeleine Swann, played by Seydoux, is further explored in this movie, unravelling a side to Bond we have not seen much of since his relationship with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in Casino Royale (2006). In a blockbuster movie of this calibre, the plot and characters tend to be moulded around the action, which acts as the centrepiece of the film. However, this should not excuse limited character development. Granting Bond this added complexity, surrounding him with people that he genuinely cares about, allows for an added emotional weight to the plot’s stakes, thus making the action a lot more impactful.
And with this, Craig's time as Bond comes to an end. No Time To Die, while not perfect, due to the wasted potential of many characters, as well as pacing issues which are often commonplace in movies of this length, is up there with some of the best films in recent years. The many faces of Bond in his gritty action, smooth espionage, and emotional complexity are perfectly blended into well-choreographed action and impressive cinematography, making this a solid send-off for the James Bond that my generation grew up watching.
★★★★☆