'No Time to Die’ review: Fukunaga has a crisp, stylish way with action
The film is uncommonly preoccupied with memory and leave-taking.
By New York Times | Updated:
AP
Craig makes no attempt to seem more youthful than he is. (Craig is 53. The character must be somewhere around 100 by now.) Which is not to say that Craig’s magnetism has dimmed or that his gym membership has lapsed.
Rated PG-13. Running time: 2 hours, 43 minutes
'No Time to Die'. It’s kind of an ambiguous title. No time because we’re too busy or because now is not the right moment? The makers of the latest James Bond film have generously supplied us with 163 minutes — including a slow-moving Billie Eilish theme song — during which we can ponder this and other urgent questions. That’s in addition to the nearly 18 months of pandemic delay that we have waited for this episode (the 25th overall and Daniel Craig’s last in the role of the least secret member of Her Majesty’s Secret Service).
It arrives with a curious mixture of heaviness and insouciance. Mortality looms over the quips and car chases — not only the expected slaughter of anonymous minions, but an inky cloud of grief, loss and weariness. Near the beginning, in the midst of a high-toned Mediterranean holiday, Bond visits the grave of Vesper Lynd, the lover who died in 'Casino Royale' in 2006. “I miss you,” he says, and 'No Time to Die' is uncommonly preoccupied with memory and leave-taking. Tiptoeing around the spoilers, I will say that it amounts to a series of long goodbyes.
As someone who grew up in the Roger Moore era, when defiance of every kind of gravity was the hallmark of the series, I have trouble adjusting my eyes to the darkness and the possibility of tears. I don’t entirely trust the emotions that the director (Cary Joji Fukunaga) and the screenwriting committee (Fukunaga, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) put into play, or the weighty themes they reach for.
'No Time To Die’: Daniel Craig’s Last 007 Act; A New Supervillain; 1st Film To Be Shot With An IMAX Camera
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007 is back! As the 25th instalment in the James Bond series lands in the theatres, there is much excitement among moviegoers. The British agent returns, after being considerably delayed thanks to the C-virus hitting the metaverse in March 2020.
It’s a special one for Craig as this will be his last on-screen Bond-ing. The 53-year-old British actor, the only blonde Bond, has decided to hang up his boots after regaling audiences the world over with his stunts (and a slightly sentimental side) in five films. Over the past 15 years, he has blown up cars, jumped across cliffs, fought on trains and hunted across China, Africa and Europe. He has also been ‘modernised’ and shown a global audience that he can deal (not very well though) with issues of the heart (and head).
As the buzz over the next Bond breaks out, here’s a quick snapshot of ‘No Time To Die’ and what’s new, what’s old-but-new as the face of on-screen British espionage takes it easy in Jamaica, with a battered Land Rover as his ride.
007 is back! As the 25th instalment in the James Bond series lands in the theatres, there is much excitement among moviegoers. The British agent returns, after being considerably delayed thanks to th..
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Ah, well. This could be a long list. First off, the bad boy who takes on Bond. And that’s Rami Malek as the supervillain Safin who apparently confessed on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ that he dropped a few lines, thanks to his nervous state in the presence of Craig. Adding starpower are Lashana Lynch, Ana De Armas (Craig personally hand-picked the Cuban actress to play Paloma after being impressed with her on ‘Knives Out’), David Dencik, Billy Magnussen and Dali Benssalah.
This is the first Bond movie to be shot with an IMAX Camera. Previous Bond films exhibited in IMAX theaters were converted by up-scaling to the IMAX format i.e. they were optimised for IMAX theaters. This movie was also filmed with 65mm Panavision cameras, reports ‘iMDB’.
This is also the first Bond movie in thirty-one years to feature all the characters of Q, Felix Leiter, Miss Moneypenny, and M since ‘Licence to Kill’ (1989).
Ah, well. This could be a long list. First off, the bad boy who takes on Bond. And that’s Rami Malek as the supervillain Safin who apparently confessed on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ that he dropped a f..
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Ah, well … again. It’s Daniel Craig (top left). But of course Craig had his own reasons for doing ‘No Time To Die’. And those had primarily to do with ‘Spectre’ and ‘Skyfall’. While he’s been generous about the former, despite it not matching the peak attained by the 2012’s ‘Skyfall’, the Brit actor probably wanted to sign off on a high. In an interview with ‘Empire’ magazine, he is quoted as saying: “I always had a kind of secret idea about the whole lot in my head, about where I wanted to take it,” he says. “And Spectre wasn’t that. But this feels like it is.”
And there is Ralph Fiennes (bottom left) as M, along with Ben Whishaw (top right) who returns as Q, the Quartermaster. Jeffrey Wright's Felix Leiter was last seen in ‘Quantum of Solace’. The trailers announce his return, shown as asking Bond to do him a favour. Well, call it a blast from the distant past.
Christoph Waltz (bottom right) has also not gone anywhere. The Austrian-German actor, who was on the verge of being arrested at the end of ‘Spectre’, resurfaces. The trailer hints at Blofeld having been in MI6's custody for 5 years since his capture, passing on information! The face-off should be fun.
Ah, well … again. It’s Daniel Craig (top left). But of course Craig had his own reasons for doing ‘No Time To Die’. And those had primarily to do with ‘Spectre’ and ‘Skyfall’. While he’s been generou..
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The last time we saw Craig as 007 was in 2015. He had retired from official duty to drive off into the sunset with his new lady friend, Léa Seydoux - as Dr Madeleine Swann, and that had Sam Mendes (left) calling the shots behind the scenes as the director of ‘Spectre’.
‘NTTD’ sees Cary Joji Fukunaga (right) at the helm of affairs. He is the first American director, and the first director of Asian origin, to direct an official Bond film, and his claim to fame includes his directorial stint in ‘True Detective’ S1. and the ‘Beasts of No Nation’.
But the 44-year-old wasn’t the first choice for producers Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael G Wilson. Fukunaga took the job after ‘Sumdog Millionaire’ director Danny Boyle dropped out of the project. Boyle was hired in 2017 along with John Hodge as screenwriter after Mendes refused to direct more Bond films.
The last time we saw Craig as 007 was in 2015. He had retired from official duty to drive off into the sunset with his new lady friend, Léa Seydoux - as Dr Madeleine Swann, and that had Sam Mendes (l..
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In the early stages of inception, Bond 25 hit a hurdle: writer’s block. In April 2019, ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge (right) was brought in to add spunk to the script of the film then known as Bond 25. Daniel Craig specifically requested for Waller-Bridge, and wanted her to add a ‘touch of her wit and quirkiness’ to the screenplay, the Observer had reported.
After Danny Boyle’s exit in August 2017 citing ‘creative differences’, American director Cary Joji Fukunaga was hired as his replacement. Neil Purvis and Robert Wade, who had penned several previous Bond movies, also came on board to re-work what Boyle’s screenwriter John Hodge had started.
In the early stages of inception, Bond 25 hit a hurdle: writer’s block. In April 2019, ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge (right) was brought in to add spunk to the script of the film then known ..
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After Adele and Sam Smith, a musical diva remains the constant for the theme of Bond! And this time it’s in the form of Billie Eilish. The 19-year-old has kicked up quite a storm with her dark and brooding ‘No Time To Die’, a result of her collaboration with the film’s composer Hans Zimmer. In February 2020, Eilish, who is the youngest artist to ever record a Bond official theme, released the song to coincide with the film’s initial release date.
The track is all things Eilish - haunting and pure raw emotion. Earlier in March this year, the song which she co-wrote with her brother Finneas O’Connell, bagged a Grammy for Best Song Written For Visual Media. This is the fourth time that a Bond entertainer has won a Grammy for its music - past winners include Adele for ‘Skyfall’ and Sir Paul McCartney for ‘Live And Let Die’.
After Adele and Sam Smith, a musical diva remains the constant for the theme of Bond! And this time it’s in the form of Billie Eilish. The 19-year-old has kicked up quite a storm with her dark and br..
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In the Ian Fleming novels, James Bond became a 007 agent at the age of 38. Out of the various actors to have essayed the role, Daniel Craig is the only one to have earned his ‘00’ status at the same age. Yep, Craig started off as the on-screen super sleuth in ‘Casino Royale’ in 2006! The name Bond was taken from the cover of a Jamaican bird-watching book as Fleming wanted to keep it as low-key.
Fleming, who had served as a commander in the British naval intelligence unit during World War II, drew heavily from some rich real-life experiences. One of his key missions was Operation Goldeneye, aimed at sabotaging ties between Spain and Germany -- which later gave him the name for his Jamaican home, and inspired the 1995 movie starring Pierce Brosnan.
Fleming’s first novel, ‘Casino Royale’, was released in 1953 and was a huge hit at a time of post-war rations and hardship in Britain. He subsequently went on to write 13 more Bond novels. He died in 1964 at the age of 56, just two years after the first Bond film appeared.
(In Pic L-R: Lashana Lynch, Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, and Cary Joji Fukunga)
In the Ian Fleming novels, James Bond became a 007 agent at the age of 38. Out of the various actors to have essayed the role, Daniel Craig is the only one to have earned his ‘00’ status at the same ..
As the knots in the plot are straightened out, the intricacies of spycraft recede in favor of a ponderous, familiar drama of sacrifice and revenge. The gloomy alpha villain (an ultra-gothy Rami Malek), who wants to wipe out much of humanity and is a mixture of curdled idealism and unhealed trauma, may remind you of Thanos in the final 'Avengers' movies. And the overall vibe — a look that is both opulent and generic; a tone that mixes brisk professionalism with maundering self-pity; an aggressive, exhausting fusion of grandiosity and fun — is more superhero saga than espionage caper.
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Still, you can’t quite hate the player, even if you suspect he may be in the wrong kind of game. Bond, now officially retired from MI6, refers to himself tongue-in-cheekily as “an old wreck,” and unlike some of his predecessors, Craig makes no attempt to seem more youthful than he is. (Craig is 53. The character, conceived by Ian Fleming as a man who had seen action in World War II, must be somewhere around 100 by now.) Which is not to say that Craig’s magnetism has dimmed or that his gym membership has lapsed.
An ideal man of the 21st century, his Bond has always had the hardest body and the softest heart. Casting aside the suave, playboy misogyny of the earlier incarnations, he grieves and pines and says “I love you” in several languages.
In French, for example, to Léa Seydoux. She plays Madeleine Swann, a possible femme fatale whose back story links her with the main bad guy, Malek’s Lyutsifer. He takes a while to emerge, which gives the movie time to unravel an intricate skein of double-crosses and also to check in on some old friends and enemies. The specter of SPECTRE resurfaces, as does its erstwhile mastermind, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), and Bond’s salty old CIA pal, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright).
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy’s enemy is my girlfriend. Or something like that. By the time that Billie Eilish song is over, James has split from Madeleine and settled into a quiet compound on a Caribbean island. But then a biological weapon is snatched from a London laboratory, and we are off and running, with a new set of cars and watches and smartly tailored suits.
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And a crackerjack team that mixes new and familiar faces. M is Ralph Fiennes. Q is Ben Whishaw. Moneypenny is Naomie Harris. The British Empire is a distant memory, Judi Dench is much missed and contemporary geopolitics are a faint rumor. There is a new 007, however: Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who has been given Bond’s old ID number and who has a similar skill set, including the ability to rattle off one-liners in the middle of a gunfight. Her presence seems at once to gesture in the direction of recurrent arguments about Bond casting — Does the character have to be male? Must he always be white? — and to wave them away. A Nomi franchise could be interesting, but I won’t hold my breath.
The future of James Bond, in any case, is a topic for another day. While we’re on the subject of time, I’ll say that if 'No Time to Die' were 90 minutes long, it might be worth yours. Fukunaga has a crisp, stylish way with action, and some of the set pieces have the flair and inventiveness of musical numbers, most notably a party in Havana where Ana de Armas shows up to play Cyd Charisse to Craig’s Gene Kelly. That sequence feels like a throwback and an update, reprising the Bond tradition of elegance, charm and high silliness.
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Oh well. There are still hours of Lyutsiferian nonsense to endure. The final showdown, an interminable search-and-rescue mission on an island compound off the coast of Japan, supposes that what the fans want more than anything else is weepy, wheezy cliché-mongering. The villain explains himself at great length, and proposes that he and the hero are mirror images of each other. We’ve never heard that one before. “We are two heroes in a tragedy of our own making,” he whines. But it isn’t a tragedy. It’s a mistake.
Bond Premiere: Daniel Craig Stuns In Pink Jacket; Ana's Wardrobe Malfunction. Royals Turn Up Too!
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It was a star-studded London premiere that announced the arrival of the 25th film in the Bond franchise - 'No Time To Die'. The almost-3hr-long film, that hits the theatres in the UK and India on October 1, got a royal welcome, literally and more, to compensate for its-much delayed screening that had to be staggered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Oscar winners, celebrities and of course key members of the Windsor Palace, braved rain and inclement weather to turn up in solidarity for 007. After all, this is also Daniel Craig's last act as James Bond as the 53-year-old has decided to sign off from the hugely-successful film franchise that have spawned an enterprise over five 5 decades.
Here are a few moments from London's Royal Albert Hall that saw the most high-profile red carpet since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a star-studded London premiere that announced the arrival of the 25th film in the Bond franchise - 'No Time To Die'. The almost-3hr-long film, that hits the theatres in the UK and India on Oct..
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Daniel Craig was a figure of swag and style as he arrived for his swan song at London's Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday. The 53-year-old, dressed in an eye-catching pink velvet dinner jacket, was of course the centre of attention. And rightfully so! Over a span of 15 years, Craig as 007 has entertained the movie world with 5 cinematic adaptations of Ian Flemings's works. He remains a hugely successful supersleuth, and the only blonde Bond in the history of the franchise.
Daniel Craig was a figure of swag and style as he arrived for his swan song at London's Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday. The 53-year-old, dressed in an eye-catching pink velvet dinner jacket, was of cou..
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For those who couldn't make it to London's Royal Albert Hall, there was some virtual comfort. The world is now on Facebook, and so was James Bond! Even as royalty turned up to show Craig some Brit solidarity in person, the world premiere of 'No Time to Die' was streamed exclusively on Facebook. The social media giant broadcast it through Oculus Venues, an experiential space for the Facebook-backed Oculus VR headset. It was hosted by presenter Clara Amfo with ample Facebook-type live commenting, captioning and Q&As.
In pic: Cast members Lashana Lynch, Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux and director Cary Fukunaga pose during the world premiere of the new James Bond film 'No Time To Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
For those who couldn't make it to London's Royal Albert Hall, there was some virtual comfort. The world is now on Facebook, and so was James Bond! Even as royalty turned up to show Craig some Brit so..
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Ah, well! By now everyone knows that there is a 'Fleabag' link to the latest Bond flick. In April 2019, ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge (right in pic) was brought in to add spunk to the script. Daniel Craig specifically requested for Waller-Bridge, and wanted her to add a ‘touch of her wit and quirkiness’ to the screenplay.
In pic: American actor Rami Malek (left) and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge pose on the red carpet after arriving to attend the world premiere of the James Bond 007 film 'No Time to Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in west London.
Ah, well! By now everyone knows that there is a 'Fleabag' link to the latest Bond flick. In April 2019, ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge (right in pic) was brought in to add spunk to the script..
Read More
Ana de Armas made heads turn as she arrived on the red carpet of the 'No Time To Die' premiere on Tuesday in London. The Cuban actress, who makes her Bond debut opposite Daniel Craig, turned out in a thigh-slit, Louis Vitton black gown, featuring a plunging neckline and silver straps. The 33-year-old had her hair styled in fringe. The British media also reported that De Armas had a bit of an awkard moment at the after-party at Annabel's when she suffered an awkward wardrobe malfunction.
In pic: Ana de Armas (left, Lashana Lynch (centre) and Naomie Harris pose on the red carpet at the world premiere of the James Bond 007 film 'No Time to Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday.
Ana de Armas made heads turn as she arrived on the red carpet of the 'No Time To Die' premiere on Tuesday in London. The Cuban actress, who makes her Bond debut opposite Daniel Craig, turned out in a..
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Royalty came calling at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday evening. In a rare joint engagement, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, along with son William and his wife Kate stepped out on to the red carpet to meet the 007 agent. The royals also caught up with director Cary Joji Fukunaga. Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of the movie that has faced more than a year of delays due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Prince Charles is patron of the British Film Institute, while William is president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta). Kate Middleton, turned up in a sparkly gold dress with a cape designed by Jenny Packham. British media reported Daniel Craig as saying that the Duchess looked "jolly lovely", while Phoebe Waller-Bridge - who helped write the new Bond script - was stunned by her £290 earrings from Onitaa, added The Daily Mail.
In pic: Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attend the world premiere of the new James Bond film 'No Time To Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Royalty came calling at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday evening. In a rare joint engagement, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, along with son William and his wife Kate stepped out on to..
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Billie Eilish radiated happiness at the 'No Time to Die' premiere. The 19-year-old and her songwriter big brother Finneas O'Connell who collaborated on the haunting Bond theme song, met the star cast and the royal attendees at the premiere. The siblings also caught up with Prince William and Kate Middleton inside the Royal Albert Hall. Eilish is the youngest artist to ever record a Bond official theme.
In pic: Finneas O'Connell, left, and Billie Eilish pose for photographers upon arrival for the world premiere of 'No Time To Die', in London on Tuesday.
Billie Eilish radiated happiness at the 'No Time to Die' premiere. The 19-year-old and her songwriter big brother Finneas O'Connell who collaborated on the haunting Bond theme song, met the star cast..
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All eyes were sure on Bond! But England footballer Harry Kane did strike a suave and dapper look in a 007-inspired black tuxedo. The 28-year-old was joined by his glamorous wife Katie Goodland at the 'No Time To Die' premiere on Tuesday. Goodland looked charming in a black satin gown with a silver necklace and a chic black handbag. The couple, who have three kids together, looked quite happy as they posed for shutterbugs.
In pic: Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Harry Kane poses on the red carpet after arriving to attend the premiere of the James Bond 007 film 'No Time to Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday.
All eyes were sure on Bond! But England footballer Harry Kane did strike a suave and dapper look in a 007-inspired black tuxedo. The 28-year-old was joined by his glamorous wife Katie Goodland at the..
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Emma Raducanu hit the headlines with her recent US Open coup after defeating Leylah Fernandez. On Tuesday, the tennis pro was a vision in silver at the star-studded London premiere of Bond 25. The 18-year-old, who has recently been announced as Tiffany & Co. ambassador, was snapped at the red-carpet premiere in an iridescent silver gown from Dior’s Resort 2022 collection. Raducanu, born in Toronto and raised in London, stole the show in her sequinned one-shoulder dress with a trail and a floor-length skirt. She wore her dark hair loose.
British tennis player Emma Raducanu poses during the world premiere of the new James Bond film 'No Time To Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain, September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Emma Raducanu hit the headlines with her recent US Open coup after defeating Leylah Fernandez. On Tuesday, the tennis pro was a vision in silver at the star-studded London premiere of Bond 25. The 18..
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Jason Momoa has been stationed in London since July as he shoots for 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'. The 42-year-old took some time off from his shooting schedule to add to the star-studded London premiere of 'No Time To Die'. And Momoa was not alone - accompanying him was daughter Lola and son Nakoa-Wolf. Back in July, Momoa, who shares his kids with wife Lisa Bonet, arrived in London to begin production for his superhero movie.
Yesteryear Bond girl Michelle Yeoh also showed up in a light blue slit dress with a stylish purse. Yeoh . Yeoh featured in 1997’s Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies' opposite Irishman Pierce Brosnan.
In pic: Actors Jason Momoa and Michelle Yeoh pose during the world premiere of the new James Bond film 'No Time To Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Tuesday.
Jason Momoa has been stationed in London since July as he shoots for 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'. The 42-year-old took some time off from his shooting schedule to add to the star-studded London pr..
