No Time to Die Review

No Time to Die

Dir: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Starring: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Billy Magnussen, Christoph Waltz, Ana de Armas, and Rami Malek

2 h 43 m

 

With a delayed release due to the pandemic, the newest James Bond film "No Time to Die" makes its long-awaited arrival in theaters this week. Regardless of the ups and downs from its predecessors, James Bond films are exciting popcorn fare and will always remain intriguing due to the 60-year movie history of the character and franchise. This newest 007 film is the final outing for Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond. Craig's five-film incarnation of the character emphasized the construction of the MI6 icon from Ian Fleming's novels. 

 

With his stoic mannerisms and rugged good looks, Craig portrayed Bond as imperfect, arrogant, and untrusting. Notably, Craig's James Bond is the only version in the entire franchise to offer a look at the spy at the start and end of his tenure in Her Majesty's Secret Service. That makes "No Time to Die" all the more poignant, even if the highlight of this newest adventure owes more to Daniel Craig's efforts than it does to its challengingly mediocre script that clocks in at a staggering 2 hours and 43 minutes.

 

James Bond (Daniel Craig) has left his days as an active spy for a simple life in Jamaica. Though, for an agent as prolific as Bond, the world will always be in desperate need of his specific skillsets. The island paradise is short-lived when a friend from the C.I.A, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), arrives to ask James for help. The mission involves the rescue of a kidnapped scientist who has developed an airborne biological weapon that can target people by their DNA. A mysterious villain (Rami Malek), who connects to Bond's past foes, is also chasing the weapon, forcing Bond to save the world one more time.

 

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga introduces "No Time to Die" as many 007 films have done in the past, with an impressive action sequence. Fukunaga's opening moments are exciting, with a car chase that displays all the gadgetry and death-defying stunts that have come to define the franchise. But Fukunaga, amidst the gunfights and chase moments of the opening, takes time to establish a somber tone, one where Bond's attempts at love and happily-ever-after are interrupted by foes looking to even the score. James leaves his newest love interest Madeline Swann, played by the intriguing Léa Seydoux, on a train once the smoke clears. Billie Eilish's opening theme sets the framework for Bond's emotional complications that will endure through the film. 

 

Once this opening scenario concludes, "No Time to Die" settles into the typical clichés, elaborate and elegant shootouts, and globe-trotting chases that define a 007 franchise. The unusual part of all this fanfare is that none of it feels incredibly unique. On a few occasions, the developments, like the seemingly unnecessary and unfortunately uninteresting villains played by the returning Christoph Waltz and new addition Rami Malek, don't have the urgency needed to push the story forward. This oversight could be attributed to a script written by five authors. However, in small sequences and dialogue moments, co-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge's comedic genius can be felt in the writing. 

 

The bulk of the heavy lifting for the film lies in the capable hands of Daniel Craig's performance which shines brightly throughout the film. A cameo from Ana de Armas, playing an operative in training, is a welcome humorous highlight. Lashana Lynch plays Nomi, an MI6 agent who clashes with the idea of the old 007 coming back. Jeffrey Wright, who always does something interesting with his characters, offers support as James Bond's only friend. While Léa Seydoux, who provides a mysterious quality to her performance, is underutilized but good whenever paired against Bond. 

 

"No Time to Die" has a few highlights that will satisfy and check the James Bond formula boxes with fun. While the adventure for Bond may not be as intriguing as past films, Daniel Craig's performance keeps the movie exciting and proves that his portrayal of James Bond should be regarded as one of the best in the franchise.

 

Monte's Rating

3.25 out 5.00

Spectre Review

Spectre

Dir: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, and Léa Seydoux

148 minutes

Sony Pictures

Daniel Craig returns to the role of British spy James Bond for the fourth time in the twenty-fourth installment of the long running franchise. With director Sam Mendes taking the reins for the second time, previously crafting the exceptional “Skyfall”, the James Bond saga continues, this time with additional winks and nods to the past but still offering the usual structure of a new villain hell-bent on taking over the world amidst a bombardment of explosions and highly complicated maneuvers. In “Spectre” the excitement and action typified by the James Bond legacy is well intact, it starts with a “bang” and continues with even bigger “booms”. However at 148 minutes even the most extravagant setting and exciting action scene, which are prevalent here, can’t hide the lackluster and slow moving narrative that makes “Spectre” seem just like a typical spy film and not the spectacle that defines James Bond.

Bond (Daniel Craig) begins the film targeting a bad guy in one of the many exotic locales that will make appearances throughout the film. Followed in one long take through the streets, up an elevator, down a hall, and into a hotel room, the environment is established beautifully. An explosion annihilates a building and Bond barely escapes, but so does the bad guy. A chase ensues through crowded streets of people dressed in gorgeous Day of the Dead costumes and onto a helicopter. It’s a grand welcome to the beginning of the film. Director of Photography Hoyte Van Hoytema shot “Spectre” on 35mm, establishing a nostalgic atmosphere that works for many of the scenes.

Everything settles into the usual 007 routines, M (Ralph Fiennes) doesn’t want Bond to ruffle any more feathers, Moneypenney (Naomie Harris) is still the strongest and most steadfast companion for Bond, and Q (Ben Whishaw) quickly introduces Bond to high-tech gadgets and a stunning new Aston Martin equipped with more than just the standard “bells and whistles”. Bond’s new mission involves tracking down a man who is part of a global crime syndicate, an important missing link for Bond’s past.

The villain this time around is Academy Award winning actor Christoph Waltz, who is a fine addition to the Bond legacy of evil geniuses. Waltz, with his distinctive accent and gleefully menacing smile, is an amusing combination of attributes from past Bond villains. The intimidating presence of Dave Bautista, who plays an assassin tasked with killing 007, also adds to the formidability of the operation, especially so when Bond scrappily squares off against the forceful foe aboard a train.

Daniel Craig has grown more comfortable since “Casino Royale”, playing Bond in each film with increased humanity, at one moment on the verge of losing a fistfight or losing control of his calculated emotions. In “Spectre” Bond is somewhat more laid-back, given moments to show emotional intensity but also the playful debonair style that Bond is known for. Mr. Craig does this all with ease.

These characters all play their roles to the best of their ability; unfortunately the issue with “Spectre” comes mostly from a rambling narrative that is overlong by almost 30 minutes and filled with confusing transitions about global terrorism, environmental catastrophes, and political conspiracies in an attempt to create some kind of intriguing puzzle that mostly feels like filler between the action scenes. Still the action is frequent and some of the scenes are very well composed; an airplane/SUV chase through snowy mountains and a car chase through the streets of Rome are especially fun.

“Spectre” tries to be more like the 007 of the past but it struggles to execute throughout mostly because Daniel Craig is a different kind of James Bond. Mr. Craig has been adamant about not playing this character again but that doesn’t mean the franchise will end. The next James Bond will have large shoes to fill as Mr. Craig helped compose a 007 that was more than just a nice suit with a license to kill.

Monte’s Rating

3.25 out of 5.00

Kingsman: The Secret Service Review

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Dir: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Sofia Boutella, and Michael Caine

The spy movie is defined by the James Bond film series. Whenever the world is in some kind of beyond ridiculous circumstance of peril James Bond is called in to handle the situation with that cool and calm British demeanor. Director Matthew Vaughn, the creative mind behind “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class”, takes the copied spy formula and adds his own twists of violence and humor to craft “Kingsman: The Secret Service”. From the beginning moments of the film you’ll understand that Vaughn’s outlandish version of a spy film shouldn’t be taken too serious, in fact it works better if you simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a rebellious young man, is on the verge of ruining his life after a car jacking gone wrong. However, a medal given to him by an associate of his late father offers a phone number for a "favor", one that after being called upon immediately releases Eggsy from jail. Waiting for him is a man named Harry Hart (Colin Firth) who is a spy in a secret agency known as The Kingsman. Eggsy is recruited and trained in deadly combat but also in the finer manners of being a gentleman. A billionaire known as Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) concocts a plan to give the world free phone and Internet service controlled by his global network, one that when initiated with a signal will turn all the users of his service into bloodthirsty maniacs. It's up to Eggsy and the Kingsman to stop the nefarious plan.

"Kingsman" works best when Colin Firth is around to anchor the film with his characters serious tone and demeanor. The film is constantly moving and filled with flamboyant characters, just like any early James Bond film would be, but it takes at least one character to uphold the dramatic elements so that the danger and peril hold substance. When Firth isn't on screen the film spirals with an uneven tone. Though this film isn't the kind to be taken too serious. Even when the film comes off the hinges and succumbs to the excesses of glorious over-the-top violence and narrative winks and nudges that offer a comic homage to the spy movies that came before it, “Kingsman” is still entirely entertaining. Whether the shocking viciousness of a henchwoman with sharpened blades for legs or the “Free Bird” assisted soundtrack that plays amidst the bloody carnage of a no-holds-barred fight to the death inside a church. Just when you think it can’t get more audacious it somehow does.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a great villain, even when he's speaking with a lisp and sporting a sideways baseball cap. Jackson's character is composed of the kind of cliché bad guy archetypes that make them so amusing, big ego and even bigger plans. Jackson is clearly having fun with the character. Newcomer Taron Edgerton is also good, playing Eggsy with equal parts authority defying confidence and reluctant self-consciousness. It's a nice composition especially when the character is challenged with an unnerving task.

“Kingsman: The Secret Service” incorporates some very interesting aspects, the connection to King Arthur’s roundtable and the gentlemanly weaponry are just two of the fun elements that transcend this film beyond others like it. Even though the film pushes the preposterous components sometimes too far, it also strangely works within the realms of a spy film. Matthew Vaughn is a good director who has established his unapologetic and at times controversial style of filmmaking, a quality that assists in lifting this film above many of the trappings it should fall into.

Monte’s Rating

3.50 out of 5.00