It is no secret that the latest Bond film, NO TIME TO DIE, is Daniel Craig’s final turn as the famous 007 agent. Craig has worn the many tailored cut suits for fifteen years through five films beginning with my personal favorite Bond film, 2006’s CASINO ROYALE. I would love to express how NO TIME TO DIE is a perfect sendoff with amazing action sequences and a great use of supporting characters. And in many of those ways that statement is very close to accurate… if it wasn’t SO LOOOOOONG.
At 2 hours and 43 minutes, NO TIME TO DIE is absurdly long and overly dramatic. I believe about 40 minutes could be cut from this film, making it much leaner and action packed with a quick pace that brings audiences to their feet with excitement. Instead the film constantly halts momentum by poorly forcing drama and character development. I don’t need the longing looks or big pauses. Yes, that is an extremely important element in many films and if done effectively can be the difference between truly loving a character and investing in a story. But none of that is why anyone goes to a Bond film. Have you ever cried in a Bond film? Neither have I and that still stands. Too many times, director Cary Jodi Fukunaga seemed to be making choices to serve the idea that this is Craig’s last Bond rather than serving the genre or story at hand.
Now that I’ve ranted on the lack of editing, which completely affects whether I believe this film is rewatchable as a whole. It’s not. Let me go back to the many things that do work and the scenes or elements that are absolutely rewatchable.
NO TIME TO DIE has a 30 minute opening before breaking into the elaborate signature credit sequence and original title song performed by Billie Eilish and Finneas, which is all a definite highlight. Beginning with a flashback of Bond’s recent love interest, Lea Seydoux’s Madeleine, having a terrifying traumatic experience as a child straight out of a horror film through a strikingly snowy backdrop. Then Bond has an action-filled getaway after being attacked while attempting a final good-bye to his past. Regardless of reports that Craig is tired of the character, Craig seems to be having fun performing the many rough and tumble physicalities and playing with cool cars and gadgets one last time.
The locations and set pieces are exquisite and live up to the usual Bond film standards. The screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joni Fukunaga, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge provides many call-backs to story and character of Craig’s previous films, utilizing a couple of favorites in Jeffrey Wright’s Felix and Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld in his own wannabe Hannible Lecter sort of way. Regulars like M (Ralph Feinnes), Q (Ben Whishaw), and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) are charming in their obligatory appearances, while newcomer Lashana Lynch as the younger British agent is an exceptional addition with playful back and forth with Bond, creating her own action-filled moments. Rami Malek as creepy Lyutsifer Safin is a bit underwhelming in his limited screen time even if he was playing up some of the unique speech patterns and physical disabilities that Bond villains tend to possess. His plot to implement a chemical that can be programmed utilizing DNA to kill specific targets simply by touch is intriguing enough to keep the danger level and risk factor high for a Bond story, even if the revenge motivation is a bit thin along with many unanswerable follow-up questions to how this actually works.
However, it is Ana de Armas (KNIVES OUT) who comes away with a scene-stealing performance as an excitable young agent on her first undercover mission. She somehow balances a humorous child-like innocence while being a complete force to be reckoned with, executing absurdly impressive fight choreography in a stunning, show-stopping dress.
As someone who believes Daniel Craig’s hard-edged, less-polished, absence of sexual assault is the best version of Bond, James Bond, I’m thrilled we finally get to see his final performance as the man who prefers his martinis shaken not stirred.
NO TIME TO DIE was one of the first films affected by the COVID shutdown in Spring of 2020. I just wish during that year and a half wait for the film to be released, it could have been edited, because I’m a man who prefers movies lessened not more.
