No Time to Die Part I

This is a long one so I broke it into two parts to make it more digestible.  Spoilers for all things Bond below:

 No Time to Die faced so many roadblocks from original conception to release that it feels it was willed into existence, despite having a clear setup from the end of Spectre.  At the end of that film Bond captured Blofeld but opted not to execute him.  Bond left the secret service to try to start a life with Madeleine Swann, the daughter of Mr. White, Bond's onetime nemesis who had worked for Spectre.  In Spectre Madeline told a story of a man who entered their house which left a thread to be explored.

Daniel Craig made a comment to an interviewer right after finishing the long shoot for Spectre, on which he broke his leg, that right at that moment he would rather slash his wrists than play Bond again.  I read the entire interview (as opposed to just the headline) and in context he was speaking about how tired he was in the moment and was clearly joking but he had to spend the press tour for Spectre walking those comments back.  

In 2017 the series main screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade began to work on a story and a release date for fall 2019 was announced.  In August 2017 Daniel Craig enthusiastically confirmed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he would play Bond one final time.  In early 2018 Danny Boyle was hired and he brought his own writer and they started working on a new approach for the film.  In August 2018 Danny Boyle left the project over a disagreement with the story.  I was disappointed in the delay but also relieved as I felt Boyle and Bond would not be a good mix.  Cary Fukunaga was hired a few weeks later.  The release date was changed to February 2020 and then April 2020 to give Fukunaga (a name I always pronounce very carefully when saying it out loud) to rework the original story with Purvis and Wade.  

Production started in Jamaica in April 2019.  A week or two into filming Daniel Craig broke a bone in his ankle which delayed filming though he recovered quickly.  Phoebe Waller Bridge was hired to work on the script after filming had begun which also worried some people but she was only brought in to punch up some scenes with her signature wit.

The film finished production in October 2019 and an exciting trailer was launched in December while Craig and cast member Ana De Armas had the comic mystery Knives Out in theatres so the vibes were positive.  Dan Romer, who had worked with Fukunaga before was replaced as the composer by Hans Zimmer.  While I had hoped David Arnold might be rehired I was intrigued to hear what Zimmer would do with Bond.  The title song was released in February and I loved the haunting theme, clearly hinting at the death of a relationship.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit and the film was not released until October 2021 in the U.S.  While the delay was frustrating I felt holding the film was the right decision and the least of the worries in the world.  

Some of the final promotion for the film said "The 25th Bond film will change everything!"  It occurred to be that there were are two things that had never happened in a Bond film.  Bond had never died or had a child.  A week or two before the film was released a couple of tracks from the soundtrack were dropped online.  I was riding my bike and listening to the cue for Matera and almost fell off when I heard the instrumental theme for "All the Time in the World".  This told me that the relationship between Bond and Madeleine would at least have elements of a marriage to it and that it would be tragic.   

The elephant in the room with this film is the reception to Spectre.  Spectre was a big hit but not as beloved as Skyfall or Casino Royale.  Audiences overall did not like the following elements:

• Bond and Blofeld had been "brothers"
• The song "Writings on the Wall:
• Brown hue to the cinematography gave it a dull look
• The romance with Madeline was less exciting that the one with Vesper but is treated with similar stakes.

Personally I really liked Spectre.  Bond and Blofeld were not brothers but two boys who had been forced to live together briefly.  I didn't think Spectre needed that element but it did not bother me.  I personally loved the song "Writings on the Wall" and its connection to Bond's decision that he makes at the end of the film, though I understood that Sam Smith's falsetto may have made audiences uncomfortable since he was singing from Bond's perspective.  Vesper has been dead for years and I was happy to see Bond move on with a woman who is more mature than Vesper was.  These two are only agreeing to try being together.  

In Casino Royale Vesper had a musical theme in A minor that hinted at the beauty and tragedy of their relationship.  In Spectre, composer Thomas Newman's score in Spectre uses one theme for the dinner scene, another during light romantic scenes, and an instrumental version of "Writings on the Wall" during their love scene, which I think kept the audience from making a clear connection to Madeleine.  After finishing Spectre I realized that Madeleine was likely being set up as this series' version Tracy, Bond's wife who was killed by Blofeld in the book On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  Tracy was blond in the book as is Lea Seydoux, who plays Madeleine.  Seydoux's return seemed to suggest this but I hoped that Madeleine would have a different fate as I loved the potential with that character.  

On October 10th I sat down to watch No Time to Die and by and large was blown away by the places the film went to.  Fukunaga, Craig and the producers thought big about how to best close out Daniel Craig's arc and delivered a powerful finale to this story.

The gunbarrel theme uses a similar theme to the one in Spectre but ends with a neat guitar riff.  Bond walks extremely fast.  There is no blood as the barrel fades into the snow.  I think Fukunaga is playing with the white motif of the snow.

The opening sequence establishes that this film will be about Madeleine while visualizing the story she told in Spectre.  It plays like a horror movie with a killer attacking an isolated house in Norway, which is a new idea for the series.   Madeline has been forced to grow up quickly and is taking care of her alcoholic mother and keeping the house running.  While the mother is neglectful it is clear that she is not abusive.  The whole sequence sets up Madeleine's resourcefulness as she gets the better of Safin.  When Madeleine runs onto the lake it is very tense.  Safin rescues her, after Madeline pleads with him by shaking her head.  Why he let her go after that is not explained as Fukunaga cuts to the adult Madeline rising through the water after remembering this horrific event.  

Rami Malek's casting is curious here. He is only a couple of years older than Lea Seydoux and since he is already an adult (albeit masked) in this sequence as Madeline is about 11 or so it does not quite add up when they appear together later in the film.

Bond first appears shirtless with the scar from Skyfall on his shoulder, and notices that Madeline seems troubled but, Madeline who is good at processing her pain, has composed herself.  This is perhaps a couple of months after the events of Spectre.  Bond and Madeleine are in Italy and have pulled over for a swim in Spiaggia Cent'Ammari on their way to Matera.  Despite a lot of Bond films have taken place in Italy this is the first time Bond has traveled to southern part of the country.  Matera is over 1000 years old and feels like an appropriate location for a sequence in which Bond is battling elements of his past.  It is nice to hear Craig deliver the line "We have all the time in the world", which was what Bond said right before and after Tracy died in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (and was the name of the chapter in the book).  It hints at their tragic future but also conveys the optimism they have in the moment.  

The entire creative team, Fukunaga, Zimmer, cinematographer Linus Sandgren, costumer designer Suittirat Larlarb, and production designer Mark Tildesley, make their early scenes in Matera more romantic than most of their scenes in Spectre.  Sandgren uses sunsets and soft lighting, the Matera theme is brief but warm and I love the segueway into the "We Have All The Time In The World" score.  Madeleine is wearing a simple but beautiful red dress, very different from her more elegant but colder wardrobe in Spectre.  We see the couple in bed which we never did in Spectre.  From behind the scenes photos I think a scene was cut where they are on the stairs outside their hotel after bringing their luggage in, probably for time, though I would have loved to see what was said.   

Madeline, who as we now know, is pregnant with Bond's child, wants Bond to let go of the painful parts of his past so they can raise their child together.  She has seemingly brought Bond to Matera to visit and forgive Vesper for her perceived betrayal as she knows it is not healthy for him to carry those resentments.  Right at that moment she burns a paper saying "the masked man" showing that she is willing to do the same.  During this post coital scene Madeleine is wearing what appears to the white shirt Bond had on before which is a nice detail.      

Bond's visit to Vesper's grave has some precedence in the books and series.  In the book "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" Bond is revealed to annually visit Vesper's grave and the movie For Your Eyes Only opens with Bond at Tracy's grave.  Bond walks to the graveyard establishing some of the geography of the town which will be useful in the upcoming sequence.  The score uses a trumpet to underscore the mournful theme.

Vesper's theme adds to the emotional moment performed beautifully by Craig where we learn that he  actually wants her to forgive him, perhaps for not being able to save her, or for the extent of his anger toward her after her death.  Bond says "I miss you" which shows that at this point all he feels is just some sadness. But after burning the note he also seems to be at peace.  

The dates on the tombstone are 1983-2006.  Was Vesper only 23?  She did not seem like a recent college graduate.

The bomb in the grave is a shock and the sound design captures his hearing loss and disorientation.  The film does not quite show how Bond survived.  When he sees the octopus on the envelope he seems to move back only slightly so it may just be dumb luck that he was not standing closer to the tombstone.  The idea of Spectre blowing up a gravesite is really cruel.  

The bridge stunt is exciting though Fukunaga could have included a shot of him noticing the cable is loose so he can expect to be able to hold onto it.  Craig shows Bond is a little freaked out when he hits the bottom.  He is only beginning to process this unexpected chain of events.

The fight with Primo on the motorcycle has some chilling dialogue "Madeleine is a daughter of Spectre" and later events in the film suggest that Blofeld is communicating with Primo through Primo's eye in that moment.  Nonetheless it does not really make sense.  The attack is designed to assassinate Bond but does Blofeld have a backup plan to make him mistrust Madeline in case Bond was not actually killed?  Regardless it works to sew the seeds of mistrust and Bond angrily confronts Madeline when he gets to the hotel, though notes her genuine confusion.  The car chase works so well because Fukunaga and his editors match Bond's emotional turmoil with the action, complimented by some terrific themes by Zimmer.  Craig is superb in this part of the film, overwhelmed by what has happened, furious at himself for letting his guard down, not sure if he can trust Madeleine, and expressing it all through anger and edgy remarks, while still trying to navigate a very dangerous situation.  

There is an error in which Bond starts the fight with Primo with his tie on (he wears it as he turns to face Primo on the motorcycle) and ends it without it but we never see it removed.  It never reappears in the rest of the sequence so I suppose the idea was he loses it in the fight but the actual moment was not shown.  

The moment in the center of the square in which Bond lets the Spectre henchmen shoot the car is intriguing.  The score stops and Bond seems to be waiting until they run out of ammunition (luckily they never shoot the tires).  But he stays silent, never telling a frantic Madeline what he's up to, as either as a test to see if she is really scared or to punish her as a twisted way for making him trust a woman again.  When Madeleine slightly shakes her head, repeating the move from the beginning, Bond eventually softens slightly.  Seydoux plays it as Madeline's world is falling apart but also trying to protect her unborn child.  The score and moment when the minigun comes out of the Aston Martin are both pretty cool.  This is the first time we have seen a chase with the old Aston Martin since the Thunderball and it is fitting to have an old car in this old city.

As Bond puts Madeline on the train he says a line that M said to Silva in Skyfall "You'll never see me again.".  In both cases the characters are wrong and later encounters lead to their deaths, though in Bond's case, indirectly.  The score foreshadows the "Final Ascent" cue which is coming later and Madeleine grabs her stomach.  The scene is heartbreaking as Bond has again lost a love, but he has done the damage himself.  As the train pulls away, the introduction to Billie Eilish's mournful title song begins.

Bond's actions here may disprove a theory I have had for years.  My theory was that Vesper killed herself before Bond could confront her about her betrayal which is why Bond was so bitter.  Yet Madeline is here, alive and presumably willing to talk through any suspicions Bond may have about her but Bond just abandons her instead of facing up to this confusing emotional quagmire.  It is easier for him to just walk away but he clearly at least suspects Madeline's innocence both from her demeanor and the fact that the Spectre agents never tried to clear Madeline from danger.  

The lesson Bond should take from this is once you leave the secret service to be a with a woman, never take her to Italy since it will somehow get ruined there.

The song is about the loss of a relationship and could be from the perspective of either of the characters.  The titles start with the dots from the Dr No titles. There is a clock going backwards in an hourglass like in the titles of On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  The Aston Martin is dropped into a watery grave which is what happens to Bond himself.  Bond and Madeline just miss each other on the hands of the clock.  There is also a character with a trident who collapses which also hints at Bond's fate.    

The robbery and kidnapping of the virus in the late afternoon uses some fun high technology.  David Dencik plays the scientist Obruchev a little broad but I enjoyed his gag about mixing up the smallpox with his lunch.  M's introduction lying on the couch seems like an actorly decision to show M doing something other than sitting at his desk but this hardly seems like the moment for it.  

Bond is revealed living a peaceful but restless life in Jamaica, fishing (though I could not tell if it was same boat he had in Casino Royale) and always on alert, presumably to not get caught off guard like in Italy.  We do not see what he is doing for an income, as he is only in his early fifties, and would have been too young for a full pension, but maybe it is by gambling, which he has always been good at.  The scene with Leiter is an overdue reunion and they clearly know each other better and have worked together more.  I made a mental note not to trust Logan Ash as he seemed to suck up to Bond too much

Nomi, the new 007, is determined to keep the old one out of the way and sits on his bed as a power move.  I assume Nomi went to Jamaica to stage her entry to Cuba from there and warned Bond off once she saw him with Felix.  Craig's Bond is always most interesting when he's mad as he speaks off the cuff their mutual antagonism combined with his unease of speaking to his direct successor builds to the scene in which he calls M.   It is hilarious when Bond calls M "Darling".  The score reprises some of Monty Norman's Dr. No theme in this moment.  At the end of the scene Craig shows Bond making his decision to go after Obruchev even though it is clearly against his better nature. 

Bond's reaction to Nomi giving him the finger is spot on.  Ana De Armas' Paloma enters the picture here as Bond bungles what he thinks is a seduction attempt.  Bond is not seen in romantic scenes with other women I think to preserve the love story with Madeline.  Bond and Paloma have an easy banter as they enter a Spectre party celebrating the absent Blofeld's birthday.  Bond should be in disguise if going into a Spectre meeting but this leads to the moment when Primo's eye and Blofeld's voice is on him as we see what the virus can do for the first time.  

The entire sequence is a little playful, especially when Bond pours drinks in the middle of the fight.  Bond walks into the middle of the street completely unprotected, trusting his ability to outshoot anyone, which is consistent with some of the moves he pulled in Skyfall.  

Bond's fight with Logan is claustrophobic and Logan is just as good a fighter as Bond and probably 20 years younger.  Felix's death foreshadows Bond's as he has never died.  It is not dwelled on but it is clearly affecting as Bond tried really hard to save him.  It is not clear how long Bond is in the water but presumably it is the next day before he is rescued.

Bond's return to London shows him pulling yet another Aston Martin out of storage after first using the DB5 in Skyfall.  This time it is the Vantage used in The Living Daylights but Bond never uses any of the gadgets.  Zimmer's use of the Bond theme in the guitar twang is cool.

The M office scenes gives us the treat of two actors of the caliber of Fiennes and Craig going after each other. Bond is furious at the death of Leiter and blames M for keeping Heracles operating while M is mad that Bond was doing a job for the CIA.  The one line that is off is the suggestion that M thought Bond might be dead.  Both Nomi and Felix found Bond easily in Jamaica.  

Sadly, Naomi Harris' Moneypenny does not have much to do in this film but she does help bridge the gap between Bond and Mi6 when she takes him to this film's version of a Q scene in which we meet .  Q's cats, which were referenced in Spectre.  

Blofeld's date of birth is August 7, 1946?  He is supposed to be only a few years older than Bond.

Madeleine and Safin's return to the story gives them a meaty scene where we see how Madeleine treats her patients. 

Bond's and M have a makeup of sorts on Hammersmith Bridge.  M, outside of the office, takes more responsibility for his role in the crisis and has a fabulous use of the "F bomb".  The score reprises John Barry's "Over and Out" cue from On Her Majesty's Secret Service since this is the beginning of Bond coming back to Mi6, and he calls M "Sir". Q has a fun moment in the next scene in M's office when he misses Bond's attempts to warn him and badly fakes being surprised to see Bond and M immediately chews him out for it.

Bond is reinstated but M does not required him to go through the tests he had to do in Skyfall.  

While a lot is made of Madeline being Blofeld's psychiatrist I wish there was a scene of Madeline actually speaking to him as it would make a fascinating conversation.  

Madeline seems a little suspicious in the bathroom scene.  We know Safin is blackmailing her but not how.  Nomi's might be annoyed that a woman is putting on perfume for Bond, but I would think she would catch something from Madeleine's demeanor.

The moment where Bond and Madeline finally reunite, awkwardly in front of Nomi and Tanner, is much more moving than I expected from the glimpse in the trailer.  The suspense of Madeleine having the poison and cannot be touched gives an extra dimension that only she and audience are aware of.  Hans Zimmer finally gives us a consistent love theme from here to the end of the film, a piano instrumental version of the title song, with some variations. Fukunaga stages the scene across a corridor.  The close-up of Bond shows him uncomfortable, pained, and then tries to shake it off too fast.  Bond's attempt to power through the discomfort by acting as if they are colleagues by trying to shake Madeleine's hand fails miserably since emotions cannot be rushed.   Seydoux' perfectly nails Madeleine's cold greeting of "Mr. Bond" to conveys how hard this is for Madeleine too.  

Bond begins to win back Madeleine's heart when he instinctively defends her when she wants to leave the interrogation room.  When she tells him she is going "home" it is her way to asking him for help.  

The sound and set design as Blofeld comes through in his cells on his chair gives Waltz, who we have only heard bits of and seen through screens, a powerful entrance into the film.  After Madeleine leaves,  Bond stands with his arms crossed, uncomfortable.

Bond tries to charm him but Blofeld manipulates him as he has always done, and when he reveals he planted the bomb and forced Bond to doubt Madeleine, Blofeld has, as in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, destroyed Bond's life with the woman he loved this time by attacking the relationship itself.  As in Spectre, Blofeld quickly adjusts when things do not go his way.  In the book, You Only Live Twice" (spoiler alert) Blofeld attacks Bond with a samurai sword in a scene that would never work in a film and Bond manages to get at his throat and strangles him to death yelling "Die, Blofeld Die"  Craig  sells the same line, with a twisted face as Bond had in the book, while trying to strangle Blofeld after Blofeld has pushed him far enough that he cannot take it anymore.  The change is, Bond stops himself but still has killed Blofeld with the nanobots, picked up from Madeleine after he briefly touched her wrist earlier.  Some find it over the top but I loved it and Waltz is effective with his brief return as Bond's biggest enemy.

How did Blofeld know about Mathilde and that Madeleine still loved him?  This is where a scene between Madeleine and Blofeld could have revealed this dynamic further.

Continued in Part II