Daniel Craig Says Farewell to Bond in No Time to Die

Of the 25 total entries in the franchise, no run of James Bond movies has been more daring, questioning, and brimming with deconstruction as that of the Daniel Craig era. Launching into the role with 2006’s Casino Royale, he reshaped the character for the millennium. And unlike the other James Bonds, Craig has been given a final film that actually feels like a finale rather than just another status quo entry.

James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) drive through Matera, Italy, in No Time to Die. Nicola Dove/Danjaq, LLC and MGM

The Bond in No Time to Die is not eager or stoic enough to jump back into more spy action. His past few missions have weighed heavy on him; the loss of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in Casino Royale still haunts him, and he’s trying to start a new romance with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the woman he worked alongside in Spectre. But although he feels he’s due for some rest and relaxation in a mountain resort, the evil organization Spectre comes knocking once more.

It is during this expected yet thrilling encounter that Bond starts to connect the dots of a lifestyle. This life will never end. He is staring directly into the never-ending loop of how his adventures of past films perpetuate each other and is aiming to put a stop to it. There’s only one way for him to succeed in placing it all behind him: ditch the globetrotting, leave the love interest before she’s killed, and retire as MI6 agent 007.

But duty calls, and there are more global threats going on that he simply can’t run away from. After all, it is a James Bond movie, and it wouldn’t be a James Bond movie without some action and a villain with a scheme to rule the world. The plot itself is fittingly complex and mysterious—Spectre is once more trying to disrupt the world, and Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) may still be in control despite having been captured. However, the plot thickens as we learn there’s another terrorist organization competing with Spectre. And why is MI6’s M (Ralph Fiennes) being so tightlipped about the strange new weapon everyone is fighting over?

Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin. Nicola Dove/Danjaq, LLC and MGM

The mastermind of the elaborate scheme, however, proves to be rather underwhelming. Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) feels like a throwback villain of sorts who hasn’t quite shaken off all the tired Bond-isms. Obsessed with nature and Japanese culture, the scarred and softly speaking Safin doesn’t have a lot to his character. He’s an enigma until his mouth opens—it’s then you realize his plans are fairly standard, wanting to control who lives or dies and feeling humanity has gone too far. He even comes with the classic secret base located on an island of gun-toting guards, the lead guard featured with an electronic eye.

This is unfortunate given that the rest of the film does a pretty good job subverting the more dated Bond elements. Aspects of grief and regret are explored in a way that makes Bond more three-dimensional as opposed to the sly and cocky spy who can survive anything. His attachment to Madeleine Swann goes beyond her just being another Bond girl, and she is given some surprises to her character. Ana de Armas pops up briefly as Paloma, a CIA agent who may herself appear to be a Bond girl with how sexy she is dressed but who ends up being more of a cunning coworker for Bond on his mission to subdue Spectre. The biggest shake-up in the picture is the role of MI6’s Agent Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who has some bitterness about Bond stepping out of the agency and then back in like a game of hokeypokey. The two naturally clash but they eventually put their differences aside.

Nomi and Bond. Nicola Dove/Danjaq, LLC and MGM

The classic action elements that remain are still stellar. It’s hard not to get a little bit excited when Bond pulls a doughnut with his car while firing miniguns at surrounding hitmen. There’s also the incredibly thrilling jump he makes on a motorcycle across a mountain town. There are a handful of action scenes that are especially big and intense during the running time of nearly three hours, including a daring car chase through the woods as terrorists pursue Bond and company.

No Time to Die comes loaded with a handful of twists I dare not reveal here. What I will say is that many of the revelations, big and small, are very much in line with how this era of James Bond has proceeded. They give the character more dimension than just being the witty spy who wears suits, drinks martinis, and states his last name first when addressing people. He can still do all that stuff but doesn’t have to remain the same old character with little growth. Daniel Craig has built a better Bond that has set the bar rather high for whoever decides to step into the role next.

Bond and Paloma. Nicola Dove/Danjaq, LLC and MGM