It seems a lot was going against the release of No Time To Die: the departure of its director Danny Boyle due to ‘creative differences’ (to be replaced by Cary Fukunaga), a 2 year delay from the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic and of course, 007 himself, Daniel Craig claiming he would never revisit his role. But, here we are, Craig’s fifth Bond film, 15 years after his debut as the iconic ‘Bond, James Bond’.
I have an appreciation for Craig’s depiction of the character, especially after this film. We’re presented with a defeated 007, retired and distanced from MI5. Perhaps the perfect route for the character to go down as Craig himself had prepared to finish with the role. It makes his performance all that more believable given the parallels in him and his characters lives. He seems to really enjoy portraying the role in this one, this is likely credited to the comic relief throughout the script- it definitely has the Pheobe Waller-Bridge flare.
There are stellar performances throughout but one I have to draw attention to is the wonderful Ana De Armas. There’s a great chemistry with her and Craig, I’m sure due to their previous works together in ‘Knives Out’. She steals the show with her charming presence but we’re merely teased by her character. Somewhat disappointing, but I suppose the prospect of her appearing in a spin off or another bond in the future redeems it slightly. It would go a miss not to mention the powerful performance from Lashanna Lynch as a rival agent. She’s originated a character for young people to look up to and had the confidence and presence in the cast of a recurring MI5 agent in the franchise.
Although it seems every time I finish a Bond film I wonder why they’re always so lengthy, this one really owed it to Craig as his last hoorah. It’s just a pleasure to watch and the cherry on top of a legendary series of films- you’ll wish you had seen it 2 years ago.
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