CHENNAI: Proving to be a huge money spinner, the latest iteration of the James Bond saga, “No Time To Die,” is also sadly actor Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007 before he heads to Broadway to play Macbeth.
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has brilliantly fused together the elements of a great spy movie. And as a bonus, the director has also given us soul — there is a touch of emotion that will leave audiences teary eyed. It is a common opinion that “Casino Royale,” in which Craig first appears as the spy, was his best. But I believe Craig’s Swan Song is a few notches above his first Bond outing.
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has brilliantly fused together the elements of a great spy movie. Supplied
Longest in the Bond franchise at 2 hours and 43 minutes, “No Time To Die” seemed that both Fukunaga and Craig were reluctant to let the curtain fall. There is romance in just about every Bond thriller, but this goes above and beyond. This time, Bond appears somewhat softer and gentler than his usual 007, and his license to kill is tempered with warmth.
The cast is brilliant, with Lea Seydoux playing Bond’s love interest with a mysterious past, Jeffrey Wright as the gruff former CIA agent Felix Leiter and Ana de Armas as Paloma, a fantastic cameo in which she marries style and high-octane action.
“No Time To Die: has the usual Bond pizzazz with bullets whizzing past 007, and yet not quite getting him, and dazzling car chases. Supplied
Of course, there is the usual villain. This time, it is Oscar-winning Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin, who is so creepy that we shudder.
“No Time To Die: has the usual Bond pizzazz with bullets whizzing past 007, and yet not quite getting him, and dazzling car chases. Fukunaga gets his details bang on, like the leap-off-the-balcony scene, the viciousness of an assassin with a mechanical eyeball and Ben Whishaw’s marvelous performance as Q. There is a bonus too. Bond is fused with a kind of vulnerability that is novel to a man who has so far been a killing machine. All in all, it is a fitting send off for Craig as one of the world’s most famous spies.