No Time To Die - Review 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

DANIEL Craig’s final outing as James Bond turns out to be one of the best entries in the franchise ever.

Directed by Cary JoJo Fukunaga, the film offers up some sensational action sequences (again befitting of the best of 007) while simultaneously delivering a surprising emotional wallop.

Craig imbues Bond with equal parts toughness and vulnerability, tapping into a sensitivity hitherto only hinted at by past 00s, yet making the character more human and likeable in the process. But he also retains the cool that also accompanies the iconic spy, carrying himself with an assertiveness and confidence that has been grittily earned over the course of his five movies.

As with all of the actor’s entries, the plot continues the thread that has continually been pulled at since Casino Royale cleverly established a villainous network that has continued to grow in stature.

Here, it is set in motion by another villain with global power plays in mind: Safin (Rami Malek), a man with a strong connection to the past of Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux, reprising her role as Bond’s love interest, and more, from Spectre), who also has his own reasons for wanting to see the demise of Spectre.

Bond is almost caught in the middle of this power play between the two villainous entities - still very much the target of Christoph Waltz’s now incarcerated Blofeld, yet also drawn into the fight against Safin, both as protector to Swann and as a favour to old CIA ally Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), who is fearful of the threat posed by a sinister biowarfare weapon called Heracles.

To add yet more complexity, Heracles has been developed by the British under the oversight of M (Ralph Fiennes), using a renegade scientist Obruchev (David Dencik), who is prone to switching allegiances.

Also in the mix is a turncoat CIA affiliate of Leiter’s named Logan Ash (Billy Magnussen), the surprise daughter of Swann (who just might be Bond’s) and a kick-ass Cuban CIA operative played by Ana de Armas (who is clearly relishing the chance to display her action chops pre-Ballerina, while reigniting the chemistry she first shared with Craig in Knives Out).

The ensuing story - penned by series regulars Neal Purvis and Robert Wade with added polish from Phoebe Waller-Bridge - is rife with revelations and double crosses that lend weight to the film’s near three hour running time.

But while this could have felt indulgent or even excessive, Fukunaga (who has previously shone with the likes of Jane Eyre, Sin Nombre and the first season of True Detective) ensures that not a moment feels wasted, delivering some series best action, some similarly stunning locations and that all important (and highly potent) emotional kick.

This is a Bond film that doesn’t stand on ceremony in the way that it seldom offers cast iron guarantees that everyone will survive. It also shakes up the formula to quite a significant degree while offering clever nods to iconic moments past.

Evidence of the former willingness to tinker with tradition can be found in the casting of Lashana Lynch as a female 007, as well as having Bond be aided more frequently by the female likes of Lynch and de Armas. But it’s also to be found in the sly, self-deprecating nods to Bond’s fallibility.

That’s not to say Bond doesn’t retain his toughness or edge. Craig has always been more Connery and Dalton than Moore in his approach, and adds an element of meanness when dealing with anyone who harms him or those he loves. An outstanding opening sequence, in which Bond finds himself fending off numerous assassins in an Italian village, mixes all of these elements, with confusion and rage very much to the fore.

It is a bravura set piece, complete with motorbike stunts, bridge dives and another iconic Aston Martin moment, which puts Bond through the wringer.

Yet there’s plenty more to come, whether in the brilliantly staged Cuban gunfight involving de Armas and Lynch - that mixes hung-ho action with comedy - or a forest based sequence that really finds Bond at his most lethal, ruthless and cold-blooded.

The climax may resort to age-old formula in the way that it finds Bond laying waste to another villain’s lair, but the stakes feel higher - with Bond invested more personally in the mission’s success and ultimately having to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to successfully complete it.

It’s not often you can say a Bond film will reduce you to tears; but No Time To Die will probably have them streaming down your cheeks.

This is testament to both the success of Craig’s endearing performances thus far, as well as Fukunaga’s expert hand in balancing the requirements of the story, which also ensure that the regular likes of Fiennes’ M, Ben Whishaw’s Q and Naomie Harris’ Moneypenny also contribute to the emotional gut punch the film eventually delivers.

A booming score from Hans Zimmer also helps - but is also to be admired for the way it melds classic 007 arrangements with nods to Louis Armstrong’s We Have All The Time In The World (a song that closes out the movie, having previously been used to memorable effect in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and some of the composer’s own iconic touches.

If there’s a criticism, it’s perhaps that Malik’s villain isn’t afforded enough time to make a truly lasting impression. But that’s perhaps also due to more of an onus being placed on the emotional journey of its principal heroes and the number of moving parts in play. It certainly doesn’t detract from the film’s overall power.

If Casino Royale therefore began Craig’s tenure in suitably impressive fashion, then No Time To Die ends it on the highest of highs, leaving audiences both visually stirred and emotionally shaken.

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 160mins