'No Time To Die' Review

Synopsis: James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Runtime: 163 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, brief strong language, and some suggestive material.)

Who should see it? Fans of Daniel Craig's James Bond.

Daniel Craig's 15-year tenure as 007 has been rather interesting. Craig was reluctant to accept the part and went on record saying he'd rather slash his wrists than reprise the role. Though it's worth noting these comments followed a grueling shoot on Spectre in which Craig had broken his leg. But Craig's back one last time and clarified his comments were disingenuous. His series began amidst a widespread tonal shift for espionage thrillers and the action genre as a whole. Craig's films were more grounded than his predecessors and serialized in the wake of Jason Bourne and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. The reception to his films has been admittedly uneven. I enjoyed the odd-numbered entries (Casino Royale and Skyfall) over the others, and fortunately, No Time To Die followed suit. 

Over the last few years, we've seen series conclusions that either respectfully acknowledged all that had come before or found themselves with selective memory. No Time To Die thankfully falls in that first camp, building on the foundation laid by all four preceding entries, warts and all. Bond actors traditionally have chosen to hang up their tux after their last outing. No Time To Die breaks the mold, with an intentional ending for Daniel Craig's 007. It was long believed Spectre would be his last, but I'm glad Craig had one more film left in the chamber because it proved to be his very best. 

Craig's films have accumulated a stable of respected talent over the years, and No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga proves to be no exception. This is Fukunaga's first true blockbuster, but that's not something you'd glean from the screen because he has a deft handle on things. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge contributed to the script alongside Fukunaga, keenly interested in deconstructing James Bond as they bid Daniel Craig a fond farewell. Fukunaga and company brave uncharted waters for the franchise, but they do so with an admirable assuredness. No Time To Die is nearly three hours long, but the time breezes by thanks to show-stopping set-pieces and an especially intriguing plot. I'd be remiss not to mention Daniel Kleinman's exquisite title sequence, Linus Sandgren's gorgeous cinematography, the exceptional stuntwork, booming sound mix, and Hans Zimmer's propulsive score. All of these elements coalesce for one of the most exciting action movies I've seen since Tenet.

Yet, No Time To Die is not simply a show of spectacle. It swells just as often as it explodes. Thanks to the groundwork of the four prior films, plenty of emotional weight lingers behind Daniel Craig's final mission. Here, character is just as essential as the action. The all-encompassing nature of this film permits Craig to go out on a high note with his best performance among the five 007 films in which he starred. As the plot unravels, audiences are shown new sides to his Bond. Despite any comments he may have previously made, he's devoutly committed to this material. 

The supporting cast features a mix of familiar faces and newcomers. Reprising her role of Madeleine Swann, Léa Seydoux remains a compelling love interest for Bond as more light is shed on her past. The dynamic between Seydoux and Craig is fascinating to watch, and I found myself much more invested in their relationship this time around. I'll leave it at that for the sake of not spoiling anything. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, and Christoph Waltz stepped back into their roles with ease, while Billy Magnussen, Lashana Lynch, and Ana De Armas were thrilling additions to the cast. I particularly enjoyed the rapport between Craig and both Lynch and De Armas. It was amusing to see Craig and Lynch butt heads as Bond met his successor. Ana De Armas's Paloma only appears in the Cuba sequence but is impressionable due to her charisma and comic timing. It was interesting to see her act opposite Daniel Craig in such radically different roles than their previous collaboration in Knives Out. 

Regarding Rami Malek, I was taken aback by his villainous performance as Lyutsifer Safin. Safin is a genuinely evil foil to Bond, and Malek plays the part, channels an unsettling aura anytime he appears onscreen. It's impressive how Craig's antagonists have varied so much in personality from film to film but remain convincing threats to Bond. 

It's become increasingly rare for franchise films to be driven by bold storytelling choices, but when one comes along, I can't help but admire it... No Time To Die draws the Daniel Craig chapter to a close in an unexpected fashion, albeit delivering an appropriate ending for this iteration of Bond. Contrary to how James Bond prefers his martinis, Craig's swan song is an emotionally-stirring conclusion to his 15-year run as 007. Not one that was haphazardly shaken. 

Film Assessment: A+

'Spectre' Review

Nominated For: Best Original Song "Writing's On The Wall"(written by Sam Smith and James Napier).
Won: Best Original Song "Writing's On The Wall"(written by Sam Smith and James Napier).

Spectre is the newest Bond flick and possibly the last one that will star Daniel Craig and if it is indeed the last one with him as the infamous gentleman spy it was a very satisfying conclusion to the Daniel Craig 007 films that goes full circle. I went to go see the film last night at a early premiere showing for the film after watching all of the previous Daniel Craig led Bond flicks these past three weeks in preparation for the film and must say I quite enjoyed it. The film hits the ground running as per usual in these latest 007 films with an incredible Day Of the Dead action sequence. This sequence incorporated so many great elements and wrapped them all together for a phenomenal action scene. The costume and production design in this sequence as well as the entire film really cooperated in establishing location and looked incredible onscreen for all the exotic locations. The film's score also is quite effective in servicing the film adding to the experience, especially in the opening Day of the Dead scene. The opening Day of the Dead sequence was then accompanied by a wonderful opening credit scene that featured and really visualized  Sam Smith's contribution "The Writing on the Wall" perfectly.  The action was top notch from beginning to the end of the Day of the Dead sequence from Bond running on rooftops to an intense chase to an insane chopper battle above the celebratory parade. The action also doesn't let up for the remainder of the film with a car chase in Rome, an epic battle down the Austrian mountainside, and a visceral hand to hand combat fight with Mr. Hinx onboard a train. The only action sequence I found slightly underwhelming was the anticlimactic final fight. Spectre was a visual delight though as the car chase in Rome was gorgeous thanks to some awe-inspiring cinematography. The film also sports some of the best performances of the recent 007 films. Daniel Craig with this film provides his best take at the iconic gentlemen spy cementing his place as one of the best James Bond's to grace the screen. Lea Seydoux made for a great Bond girl as she not only did well in regards to acting but action as well. She made for a nontraditional Bond girl in that sense and differentiated from the rest since she is here to stay as opposed to the usual one offs. Ben Whishaw as Q, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny each have slightly increased roles and really add to the film in their terrific supporting performances.  In regards to the film's villains, Dave Bautista makes a serviceable, menacing henchman as Mr. Hinx but one glaring problem with this role for me was that he came across also to be a brutal thoughtless henchman. I felt like Bautista was very underused as unfortunately he literally had one lie of dialogue and could have been better portrayed had he not come across as a meathead henchman. On the other side of that coin, Christoph Waltz's performance as a cold, calculating megalomaniac Franz Oberhauser. I thought Waltz was perfectly cast and made for a great villain although he had much less screen time than I anticipated. I did like that his reveal was saved for the middle of the film and the character was shrouded in mystery and intrigue until that point. I will say however that I felt Javier Bardem made for a much more interesting villain in Skyfall.  Unfortunately despite all of the impressive qualities of Spectre there is a blaring weakness of the film. It's narrative that seemed eerily familiar to two recent films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation with a very similar basic plot that incorporates elements that are explored in both films. The story for Spectre wasn't "bad" it just didn't really feel very original. However I did like that the film's narrative brought all of these Daniel Craig Bond films full circle back to Casino Royale where it all began.  To sum it up, Spectre is a love letter to the classic Bond flicks incorporating elements from them in a modern context and setting that is visually delightful, contains top notch action, a rousing score, and exceptional performances. I have reviews on all three of the Daniel Craig led Bond flicks if you'd like to read them the hyperlinks are as follows: Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, and Skyfall.

Film Assessment: A-