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

The Rhythm Section Review

The Rhythm Section

Dir: Reed Morano

Starring: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Mays, Max Casella, and Richard Brake

Filmmakers often talk about a film having “rhythm”. Writer/director David Mamet is often labeled as having a particular “dialog rhythm”, a structure in the way words are crafted for characters to say that follow a beat or a specific pattern. There is “visual rhythm”, the symmetry of framing a shot like in films by Wes Anderson or the movement of the camera to show motivation like in Bong Joon Ho’s “Snowpiercer”. Rhythm can be a very important, deliberate element in the filmmaking process. 

 “The Rhythm Section”, directed by Reed Morano, puts the word “rhythm” into its title but any sense of rhythm or reason is lost in this sometimes spy film, sometimes revenge tale, sometimes espionage film, but mostly just a convoluted mess. Starting with the title of the film, which I’m still not exactly sure what it’s meant to imply aside from a line a dialog that is thrown in but never amounts to any kind of explanation. 

Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) is introduced stalking into a worn-down building, she slowly raises a gun to the back of an unknown person’s head but before the result is revealed, the film flashes back 8 months. At this time Stephanie was a drug-addicted prostitute, weak and filled with sorrow due to the death of her entire family on an airplane she was meant to be on. A freelance journalist finds Stephanie and informs her that the death of her family was no accident, but was a planned bombing. Stephanie is angry and decides to find the people responsible and kill them. Things don’t go as planned and Stephanie is forced to flee, she finds a former MI-6 agent named Iain Boyd (Jude Law) who decides to help her get free from addiction and train for the moment of her revenge. 

“The Rhythm Section” begins with an interesting setup, offering a contrasted view of a woman trying to make sense of her trauma. Blake Lively commits to the role; she is vulnerable and frail in the early parts of the movie, and even as she develops into a revenge-seeking spy, you can still sense her uneasiness with the decisions she hopes to make. It’s disappointing that the narrative didn’t focus more attention on this key element, Ms. Lively is a talented actress and could have developed this character into something fascinating if provided the material and time to build the character better, the same can be said about Jude Law’s character who has an interesting ambiguity. Instead, the film falls into uninspired clichés and unnecessary twists and turns. 

The one shining moment for this film is in the construction of the action scenes involving Stephanie. When she is placed in danger, gunfights, car chases, and hand-to-hand fights, the film keeps the perspective of these moments with Stephanie, showing how the atmosphere and environment are affecting her and how jarring a car chase would be if you have never been in one. It’s a nice touch of filmmaking. 

Still, “The Rhythm Section” just doesn’t have the strong narrative needed to support its lofty ambitions. Blake Lively and Jude Law provide committed performances but the film doesn’t meet their qualifications. Instead, the film is lost in its design and never finds the melody of the story it wants to tell.

Monte’s Rating

1.75 out of 5.00

Red Sparrow Review

Red Sparrow

Dir: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Ciaran Hinds, and Jeremy Irons

At this point in the career of Jennifer Lawrence it’s pretty easy to imagine her playing almost any kind of character no matter how preposterous it might look like on paper. Body morphing blue mutant, home shopping network tycoon, talented archer in a dangerous game; it all seems possible for the Oscar winning actress. In “Red Sparrow” Ms. Lawrence plays a Russian professional ballerina turned deadly spy, the actress’s performance keeps this meandering and familiar spy film afloat.

Dominika Egorova is a talented ballerina in Moscow; she is at the peak of her career when an catastrophic accident leaves her unable to dance ever again. With no way to care for her ailing mother (Joely Richardson) she is forced to take an unsavory job offer from her uncle Vanya (Matthias Schoenaerts) who is a high-up official in the foreign intelligence agency for Russia. The job is to seduce a target by any means necessary, things go terrible wrong and Dominika is forced to join a secret agency of young, attractive spies known as Sparrows.

Director Francis Lawrence, who has worked with Jennifer Lawrence (no relation) in all the “Hunger Games” films, paces the film in the beginning with the twists and turns one would expect from a spy film, it’s unfortunate that this doesn’t maintain throughout the film as the narrative elements settle into the mundane. Still, the director does some interesting things when it comes to the character of Dominika who undergoes the change from ballerina to spy in a viscous way. The push for control and manipulation means that the Sparrows are constantly forced into uncomfortable sexual situations and torturous head games for training purposes. The weapon for the Sparrows is much more than simple guns and knives, instead they are trained to manipulate and exploit the desires of their targets to accomplish their mission. 

Jennifer Lawrence shines in the lead role, playing the character with a thick accent and providing all the confidence to make Dominika come to life. Ms. Lawrence moves easily throughout some of the rough terrain in this film, dancing elegantly one moment then brutally beaten the next, it’s her performance that makes these moments feel convincing. Also making some of the paper thin Russian characters make an impact are veteran actors Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling, making throw away characters have more purpose than they should. Joel Edgerton plays an American operative who has his cover blown but cleverly stays in the mix by having connections with a secret Russian operative. Mr. Edgerton’s character is somewhat misused throughout the film, mostly left to provide a clue or pathway for Dominika to follow.

“Red Sparrow” doesn’t feel like James Bond, instead it feels more akin to the Jason Bourne films or the “Atomic Blonde” film from last year. Jennifer Lawrence is the highlight here, playing a character that operates for self survival amidst numerous opportunities to bend to the will of the powerful, the moments to let men have control over her life, or the numerous times to follow the gender roles established within this specific environment. It’s unfortunate that “Red Sparrow” doesn’t do more to compliment this intriguing character. 

Monte’s Rating

2.75 out of 5.00