(Cary Joji Fukunaga, 2021)

No Time to Die, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, is the latest edition in the James Bond franchise. It’s an emotionally hard-hitting ride from start to finish as we see our protagonist, legendary British secret agent James Bond, now retired from his spy days in MI6, re-enter the game on the tracks of a sinister villain (Safin, played by Rami Malek) who has acquired a dangerous biochemical weapon.

With a chilling opening sequence filmed on a frozen lake in Norway that incorporates horror elements to a thrilling action scene in southern Italy and a car chase on the Atlantic Road in Norway, this film pulls out all the stops to give viewers the excitement the public has come to expect from the Bond series over its sixty-one year-long run.

Daniel Craig returns as Bond for his final outing and continues to present a far more layered and nuanced depiction of the character than has previously been portrayed under the former incarnations (perhaps with the exception of Timothy Dalton, who could be seen as a forerunner to Craig in the way in which both actors have portrayed the hero). Bond’s interactions with his wife Madeleine Swann (played by Léa Seydoux, who reprises her role from Spectre) and Blofeld (played by Christoph Waltz, who also reprises his role from the previous film) are particularly tense, and demonstrate the vulnerability that Craig has brought to the role.

In this film, the writers (who include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, brought in by the producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael J. Wilson to bring modernising touches to the script) have chosen to bring the franchise into the twenty-first century by passing on the mantle of “007” to a new generation of agent, Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch; a source of numerous comedic moments. Furthermore, the film excludes the sexual romps of previous Bond entries, although we notably see a topless Craig in the opening part of the film. There is also an important scene towards the end when the racism of one particular character towards Lynch’s Nomi is very clearly rejected.

Actors Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear and Jeffrey Wright return in stalwart form as Bond’s counterparts in MI6 and the CIA. Ana de Armas brings pizzazz to her role as CIA agent Paloma and David Dencik brings comic flair as Safin’s evil scientist Valdo Obruchev. Be sure not to miss a cameo at the beginning of the film from Hugh Dennis, playing one of Obruchev’s fellow scientists. Quirky henchmen do not go amiss here either, with Dali Benssalah playing Primo (known by Bond as “Cyclops” for his bionic eye).

I could not finish without mentioning Hans Zimmer’s score which references John Barry’s score to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as well as including We Have All the Time in the World sung by Louis Armstrong, which was written for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.  No Time to Die echoes its predecessor in terms of plot parallels. The theme tune here, sung by Billie Eilish also hauntingly foreshadows what is to come.

All-in-all, No Time to Die delivers a punchy adventure with spectacular action and stellar performances. Whatever the future of this iconic franchise, Craig has ensured that he departs with a bang!

© Daniel Cummings 2023