WeeklySA_AdminRIVETTING: In this final instalment, the franchise inspires strongest performance yet out of iconic actor
By Sonke Sibiya
MOVIE: NO TIME TO DIE.
Genre: Spy-Action
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Christoph Waltz
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Writer: Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Cary Joji Fukunaga
Producers: Michael G. Wilson, p.g.a. and Barbara Broccoli, p.g.a.
Release date: Friday/Today, October 1, 2021.
Age : 13 D L V
No Time To Die is sadly the last instalment in the Daniel Craig-era of spine-chilling James Bond movies. To say it’s been a great ride would be an understatement. The Craig-era movies has earned him a place in the hearts of Bond fans as arguably the greatest in the entire series so far.
Characterised by impeccable story-telling, precise action scenes and exactly the right amount of Bond swagger, it’s always a marvel to watch. Five-years after the capture of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Cristoph Waltz), Bond (Daniel Craig) leaves active service. He swops that for a peaceful life in Jamaica, with his girlfriend Dr Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux). An idyllic life that is broken when he is approached by his friend and CIA officer, Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright). He enlists his help in the search for Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik), a missing scientist. When it becomes apparent that Obruchev has been abducted, Bond must team up with new allies and old enemies to confront the villain. His scheme could cause the death of millions.
Among those that Bond teams up with, is a completely new addition to the Bond franchise, Nomi (Lashana Lynch), a black Blofeld, Bond’s most recognisable arch-enemy. Craig’s portrayal of Bond is reflective of an actor who’s had time to grow and mature into the role. He’s gotten better with each installation and in No Time To Die, hands in his strongest performance yet.
Malek, as Safin, gives an outstanding performance too, standing out as villain of all the recent Bond adversaries. He’s a terrorist leader on a revenge mission against those who’ve wronged him. His high intellect enables him to foil Bond’s attempts at stopping him.
Lynch delivers a breakthrough performance as Nomi, the new 007. She’s trying to make a name for herself, separate from her legendary predecessor. The director gives the viewer a different take on the 007 code name. It looks forward and not backwards. Fukunaga uses Lynch as a vehicle to flip the misogynistic expectations of female characters on its head.
The introduction of the new female 007 is completely unexpected. While I commend the director for taking this leap into uncharted territory, it still feels like this move takes away some of the building blocks that make Bond such an iconic character.At the end of the day, changing the base ingredients of any dish can only result in a completely different product.
Seydoux’s Swann also gets a big role in this installation. This, as we get to know more about the character’s past. This is a breakaway from the conventional heroine role that Bond’s love interests tend to take as plot devices.This gives the viewer a chance to get to know Swann as a developed character without any of the usual derisive tropes that come with being Bond’s significant other.This movie really plays out like an end of an era Bond film. It has been built in a strong and epic way worthy of ending off the series on a high note.
