No Time to Die, a Bond farewell!

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Story & Screenplay: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Based on James Bond by Ian Fleming
Producers: Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli
Starring : Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes
Cinematography: Linus Sandgren
Music: Hans Zimmer
Release date: 30 September 2021 (United Kingdom); 8 October 2021 (United States)
Running time: 163 minutes
Rating : 3.5 ***.5/5
Movie Review: Birjis Adeni Rashed

(The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. But minor details have been divulged for a proper review!)

No time to Die is the 27^th James Bond Movie, and 5 and last of Daniel Craig as Bond. The story has all aspects of Bond-esque highs with amazing action sequences, fast-paced cinematographic car chases, impressive transportation vehicles, fancy gadgets, femme fatales, martinis, one-liners, double entendres, defaced villains, and a tribute to many an old 007 film. But what you will also see is the Bollywood-esque family drama, romance, betrayal or misunderstanding of it, revenge, sacrifice, comedy, and tragedy….

No time to Die, directed by Cory Joji Fukunago is the closing chapter of Daniel Craig’s Bond which started in 2006 with Casino Royale. Though there have been amazing James Bonds like Sean Connery and my personal favorite Pierce Brosnan over the years, Daniel Craig with his long tenure, authored more control over the Bond character, even deconstructing the previous format of Bond’s Persona, and commanding a finale for himself!

The main plot has morbid looking Rami Malek playing the villain Lyutsifer Safin with an evil scheme involving bioengineered weapons or nano bots, tailored and targeted to an individual’s DNA with plans to infect and wipe out different parts of the world! The subplots have Bond retired from active MI6 duty and living new life with his love Madeline Swan, earlier introduced in ‘Spectre’ (2015) with a backstory of her own; After complications, misunderstandings and somber melodrama as captured by Billy Eilish’s theme song, Bond goes off grid; It takes his CIA friend Felix Leiter to convince him back to action to stop the impending destruction; there is a delightful interlude with Ana de Armas ( Knives Out co-star) as Paloma, who steals the show with her cameo action sequences, playing the three weeks trained CIA agent in Cuba; MI6 has a new 007, Lashana Lynch as agent Nomi. While Q (Ben Whishaw) and MoneyPenny ( Naomi Harris) help Bond behind the scenes, he has trust issues with M (Ralph Fiennes) till he gets reinstated as 007!

Director Cory Joji Fukunago focuses on dynamic and vibrant visuals besides the plot. The movie moves from Norway to Italy to Jamaica to England and some fictitious island in Japan! The most striking location was in Matera, a town in Basilicata, Italy which was a town carved into the hillside with a car chase which flows through hills and towns of Gravina with the two tier Roman bridge…it was like we were watching Bond veering thru Godfather land;) Another remarkable scene was the wintery backdrop and frozen lake with the young Madeline in Norway. Plus the attention to detail showing a cricket match being played in Jamaica besides showcasing the clear blue waters of Port Antonio. Watching many such picturesque backdrops and beautiful shots on a big theatre screen after a hiatus added to the thrill of the movie.

After year and half of social distancing and avoiding theatres due to covid times, the movie is bringing many folks into theatres. We too after a long hiatus decided to venture to theatres, for the Bond movie. On closer examination I found most audience ages ranged around 28 to 60 plus. This awareness made me feel less sad about Craig’s finale, with the comprehension that Bond’s mythology which has been going on since my father’s time needed to change and get revived……

The point not lost through ‘No time to Die’ is the move towards many strong woman characters in the movie,… maybe a hint of the future 007 !! – Ana de Armas as Paloma in her small part left a large impact on audiences seeking more of her! Lashana Lynch as M16’s new 007 agent Nomi didn’t have story space to have her character developed, but seemed to have strong abilities. While Lea Saydoux with her teeth gap, sleepy cat like eyes and brooding emotions looks complicated, she gives Zeenath Aman vibes with her eyes and dialog delivery for the Bollywood familiar; and last but not the least there is the blue eyed Mathilde Bond, this you have to see, to know more!

‘No time to Die’ may have been a poetic ending to the era, let’s look forward to how the Bond legacy reshapes!